For the first time in education and other public policy documents, WIB helps decision-makers hear a multitude of Canadian voices calling for the changes to Canadian curricula that have long been advocated by Aboriginal educators and leaders. In WIB, Canadian support for these improvements is evidenced in two ways.

Scores of volunteers within the CAAS network helped assemble the WIB report, contributing scholarly writing, providing theoretical analysis and dialogue, helping design and administer the Student Awareness Survey (SAS), and reviewing/editing drafts of the SAS and WIB. While all CAAS' efforts are guided by Aboriginal Elders, Traditional Teachers, activists, and educators, of the almost 100 volunteers involved in SAS/WIB work, at least 75% of were non-Aboriginal -- settler or newcomer Canadians.

WIB makes the call for change of curricula not only from its authors and other conributors, but also through the responses from the 519 young people surveyed through our Student Awareness Survey (SAS). The first major piece of research completed by the CAAS, the 12-page SAS is the centrepiece of Learning about Walking in Beauty: Placing Aboriginal Perspectives in Canadian Classrooms (WIB).

In 2000-2001, the CAAS conducted this national Student Awareness Survey, measuring awareness, attitudes and knowledge of facts about Aboriginal Peoples' histories, cultures, worldviews and current concerns. 94% of the youth responding to the SAS were settler or newcomer Canadians. The balance (35 responses) self-identified as Aboriginal. The surveys were administered in 18 different postsecondary insitutions in ten provinces and territories. 95% of the respondents were enrolled in first year courses, and as such were very likely recent high school graduates (the remaining 5% were attending second or third year programs of an undergraduate degree).

Not surprisingly to WIB's Core Working Group of seventeen diverse authors, students in Canadian educational institutions have attained very little valid or appropriate awareness of Aboriginal Peoples through their public education. The overview of existing Canadian curricula -- also included in WIB -- demonstrates that the students had little opportunity to receive this information through the current mandated provincial and territorial curricula.

The majority of these students were not only unaware of Aboriginal history and issues, but the survey found that they truly regretted this situation.

Of the 346 respondents who expressed a clear view on this topic, 80% of respondents said they were dissatisfied with what they learned about Aboriginal Peoples during their elementary and secondary schooling. They feel this inadequate learning has failed to prepare them for their adult civic responsibilities of addressing Aboriginal-Canadian relationships.

The CAAS report contains an appendix presenting all the comments made by students in the open-ended part of this question. Three responses from Canadian students are:

"Wish I had a better education about it. Feel dumb not knowing"

"I obviously don't know enough because I couldn't answer any of the questions"

"The education system must be changed... It would be good for young people to be more informed on history and culture of First Nation people; that would prevent useless prejudice."

Certainly many students also expressed racist, or at the least stereotyping, views about Aboriginal Peoples in their SAS responses, but these were the clear minority. The majority simply commented as follows:

"I have not learned enough. It's a shame."

Follow these links to learn more about the WIB findings:

• Why Are These Changes Important?
• Learning about WIB is Embraced by Canadian and First Nations Educators
• Canadian Educators Need Support to Include Aboriginal Perspectives
• Strengthening the Capacity of the Coalition for the Advancement of Aboriginal Studies (CAAS) to Support these Changes
• SAS has Transformative Effect
• Student Awareness Survey Questionnaire

Follow these links for ideas that might help you with this work in your classroom or region:

• CAAS Sharing Circles
• Unlearning-to-Learn anti-stereotyping, decolonizing exercises
• CAAS Learning Circle and related Learning Expectations