Fast Facts: Aboriginal Education for Winnipeg's Future

The 2001 Consensus reveals that Winnipeg has the largest urban Aboriginal population in Canada. It is expected that a decade from now, at lease one in five people reaching working age in Manitoba will be Aboriginal. Given this, Aboriginal education is central to Winnipeg's future and from what we know Aboriginal students are less likely than non-Aboriginal students to graduate from high school. This article investigates the educational circumstances of Aboriginal students in Winnipeg inner city high schools through interviews and held focus groups with more than 130 Aboriginal people- high school students, school-leavers, adults, and some teachers. The findings show that three things need to change; 1) more Aboriginal teachers 2) more Aboriginal content in the curriculum and 3) racism in the schools.