Multi-Year Action Plan: Journey Map Visual
The visual below is a representation of the journey of the Multi-Year Action Plan (MYAP). The MYAP is a three-year workplan established in partnership by the Kinoomaadziwin Education Body and the Ministry of Education. The 2021-2024 MYAP is a continuation of the work that began under the Master Education Agreement in 2018. There are 14 projects outlined in the workplan. Each project supports various elements of education, such as language and culture, resource development, strategic initiatives, the Niigaan Gdizhaami Fund, research and evaluation, etc.
Project 1 Joint Master Education Agreement Committee (JMEAC)
This body oversees the work of the Multi-Year Action Plan (MYAP) and ensures alignment with the Master Education Agreement. The JMEAC reports to the parties of the MYAP, and it develops quarterly reports which provide updates, challenges, and solutions about the activities and initiatives of the MYAP. The co-chairs of JMEAC are the Director of Education of the KEB and the Director of the Indigenous Education Office of the Ministry of Education.
Technical Table
As a sub-working group of the JMEAC, the Technical Table manages the work of the MYAP and each project within it. It provides reports and recommendations to the JMEAC, as required. The Technical Table plays a key structure in the initial years of implementation, in order to ensure alignment with the original Master Education Agreement.
Project 2 Communications
The establishment of clear and consistent communications between the parties of the Master Education Agreement is critical to its overall success. A joint communications plan was development in partnership with the KEB and the Ministry of Education to support the various work in progress. The plan identifies and promotes successful practices in education programs and services delivery under the MEA. It also enhances relationship-building and knowledge-sharing among AES stakeholders. Communications activities within the MEA include the development of media publications; the delivery of regional information sessions, joint meetings and roundtable discussions; and the development of quarterly reports and plain-language documents.
Project 3 System-Wide Standards
The purpose of this project is to develop system-wide, macro-level education standards statements that encompass the values that underpin and support the work of the Anishinabek Education System, the Kinoomaadziwin Education Body, and the Participating First Nations. The statements are being developed with the intention of supporting accountability and consistency across the Anishinabek Education System, for the benefit of overall Anishinabek student success. The system-wide standards will articulate what makes the Anishinabek Education System (AES) distinct as a system overall and ensure transferability between education systems
Project 4 Relationship Building for Anishinabek First Nations and School Boards
“Regional Education Council Coordinators and Indigenous Education Office Education Officers Team”
Project 4 describes the importance of building relationships between education partners. The REC Coordinators and Education Officers make up a team that leads the planning and implementation of formal collaborative events, such as the REC Fall Meetings and the Gathering of Colleagues. Other communications paths will be established to support this collaboration.
Project 5 Niigaan Gdizhaami Fund
The objective of the Niigaan Gdizhaami Fund is to support and invest in community and joint projects and initiatives, that are locally-developed and that advance the objectives of the Master Education Agreement. Funded projects are reviewed and selected through an annual call for proposals. An analysis of the projects after each year, will indicate the value and success of specific initiatives to the Master Education Agreement.
Project 6 Strategic Initiatives
There are six elements under the Strategic Initiatives Project. Four pilot initiatives will be implemented in several locations within the Anishinabek Education System (AES). Throughout the next three years of the AES, the participation in these pilots will be invitational and based on the unique setting, demographic, and/or profile of the community or school board. Part of the Strategic Initiatives project also includes the implementation of activities that support Youth leadership development and student success and pathways.
- Anishinabek Student Success Worker
- Aanish Naa Gegii
- Learning As We Go (School Improvement)
- Reach Ahead Credit
- Youth Initiatives
- Student Success and Pathways
Project 7 Curriculum Resources and Program Development
At present, provincially-funded schools and schools in the Anishinabek Education System use the Ontario Curriculum. Teachers choose the materials that they will use to support the curriculum, and the materials they will use to teach. There are also many Anishinabek-developed resources available. KEB is undertaking a review of what materials might be beneficial to support curriculum in the schools where our students attend in both systems. This project outlines:
- How the KEB and the Ministry of Education will collaborate on the development of instructional materials to support the Ontario curriculum in both systems;
- How the KEB and the Ministry of Education will support the development of programs grounded in Anishinabek culture that involves the bundling of existing credit courses; and
- The development of an inventory of e-learning resources and the identification of e-learning teaching capacity in the Participating First Nations.
Project 8 Culture and Language
The overall goal of this project is to create and share an authentic base of information, as well as a guide for how to access and utilize that information, which will support partner school boards where Anishinabek students attend. This project is intended to increase knowledge and understanding of Bimaadziwin, Kendaaswin and Anishinaabe languages in Anishinabek First Nations’ schools and schools in the Provincially-Funded Education System.
Project 9 Early Development Instrument (EDI) Implementation;
The Early Development Instrument program requires collaboration between the Ministry of Education, Participating First Nations with schools, and the Offord Centre. This project component involves the implementation of an Early Development Instrument for schools located on-reserve. After the initial implementation in 2019, a concrete review of the data sets and the roll-up report will determine if the application of the EDI is valuable information that communities and the Anishinabek Education System wish to continue implementing.
UPDATEProject 10 Professional and Leadership Development
The Parties agree that professional development and leadership at all levels of the education system are foundational to student success and school effectiveness. This project has two components.
- The identification of professional and leadership opportunities and the building of a plan for the Anishinabek Education System, the Participating First Nations, the Ministry of Education, and school board staff.
- The development and implementation of a Cultural Competency Training module for school boards and Ministry of Education staff, implemented in partnership with Anishinabek Education System communities.
Project 11 Student Transitions
This project is intended to facilitate the transition of students between Anishinabek First Nations’ schools and schools in the Provincially-Funded Education System. The development of a Student Transitions Protocol in 2021 will:
- Increase collaboration and relationship-building between Participating First Nations (PFNs) and District School Boards (DSBs)
- Support students to experience seamless transitions through systems and any transitions
- Enable a consistent streamlined approach to student transitions between PFNs’ schools and DSBs’ schools
- Create a platform for feedback from PFNs and DSBs that enables ongoing refinement of the protocol
Project 12 Special Education
The Parties recognize there are opportunities to enhance the provision of special education services to Anishinabek students through better access, coordination and alignment of services. In order to support this work, a joint Special Education Committee (SEC) was formed to develop a guideline that will address gaps and ensure alignment between the Anishinabek Education System and the provincially-funded education system. Ninety-two percent of students in the Anishinabek Education System attend schools in the provincially-funded education system.
Reporting to the Joint Master Education Agreement Committee, the SEC provides support, advice and recommendations on matters related to special education.
Project 13 Implementation of the Data and Information Sharing Agreement
Collaboration at a technical level is required to successfully implement data collection, data management, and information sharing among the Parties of the Master Education Agreement. A joint Data, Research and Evaluation Committee was established to undertake, monitor, and assess the implementation of activities associated with the Data and Information Sharing Agreement, which focuses on the collection of student consents, the assignment of Ontario Education Numbers, and the shared use of data and information.
Project 14 Research and Evaluation
The Data, Research and Evaluation Committee is responsible for the development of an evaluation process that will measure the overall success of the Master Education Agreement, the Multi-Year Action Plan and the Data and Information Sharing Agreement.
Evaluation, reporting and research commitments within the Master Education Agreement are critical. These elements ensure accountability, support the measurement of success, and enable the Parties to anticipate, envision and prepare for future planning.