Mr. Speaker, education is vital to the success of our residents. Increasing student outcomes in the Northwest Territories to the same level as the rest of Canada is a priority for the 19th Legislative Assembly and one of the key objectives of the education renewal and innovation efforts underway in schools across the territory.
Last week, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment released its first five-year evaluation report on the education renewal and innovation framework and action plan, which is guiding systemic changes to the way we approach junior kindergarten to grade 12 education in the Northwest Territories.
This 10-year strategic initiative was launched in 2013 to address gaps in student achievement and increase accountability at all levels of the Northwest Territories education system. Student outcomes continue to be a central focus, with a number of ongoing programs and activities dedicated to improving student and teacher wellness, achieving educational equity for small communities, strengthening assessment and accountability, and improving the quality of education.
The evaluation, which reviewed the first five years of implementation, looked at broad outcomes for students across the Northwest Territories, as well as nine specific initiatives supporting ongoing education renewal.
Mr. Speaker, evaluators found encouraging results and early successes in a number of areas related to students' achievement, health, well-being, and engagement. They reported that a number of programs, such as northern distance learning and child and youth care counsellors, are showing promising results with respect to achieving equitable education in small communities and providing necessary mental health and wellness supports. Similarly, there was a high level of satisfaction with the "Our Languages" curriculum, supporting Indigenous languages revitalization, and the residential schools awareness training being implemented by the department.
Mr. Speaker, though I am pleased to see positive results emerging from our education renewal and innovation efforts in the first five years of implementation, the fact is that education renewal is still a work in progress. I recognize more needs to be done to address remaining gaps in student achievement and outcomes, especially for our smaller communities and Indigenous students.
Key recommendations from the evaluation include prioritizing our education renewal and innovation commitments to make small communities a greater priority. This includes potentially revising our funding formula to increase supports for small schools and working more closely with Indigenous governments on initiatives that will support our students.
The evaluators also found areas for improvement within the Strengthening Teacher Instructional Practices initiative. While the program was found to be effective in improving the work-life balance and collaborative learning for teachers, it also created unexpected challenges for families and households. This is important and the department has already begun to make adjustments to the initiative to help mitigate these challenges and will be able to report on early results in the summative evaluation scheduled to be completed by the end of 2021.
Mr. Speaker, the evaluators' recommendations mirror many of those found in the recent audit by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada, demonstrating that the department is both aware of and actively responding to known challenges within our education system.
We will be taking a new approach for measuring graduation rates to provide a more accurate snapshot of grade 12 graduates within a given year. We know our graduation rates need elevating, especially in the small communities, and improving how we measure and interpret this data will help us move forward.
The results of both the evaluation and audit will be essential in informing how we continue to work with education partners, families, leaders, and experts to improve experiences and outcomes for students in every community of the Northwest Territories. Our programs and activities will continue to be assessed to adjust their approach for better student success.
Mr. Speaker, how we deliver quality education in the Northwest Territories is critical for ensuring the development of healthy, capable Northerners. It is not something we can do alone. Lasting change takes time, financial investment, continual planning and monitoring, and the long-term commitment of all of our partners. Support for Northwest Territories students must also come from strategic work on health and housing, connection to land and language, economic prosperity, and access to infrastructure. It is truly a shared responsibility, and I look forward to continuing to work with our families and partners to improve outcomes for students in all of our communities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.