Sorting, peers, and achievement of Aboriginal students in British Columbia

Abstract

We examine the contribution of differences in school environments to the gap in education outcomes between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students. We find both substantial school-level segregation of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students and a substantial gap in test scores. Conventional achievement gap decompositions attribute roughly half of the grade 7 test score gap to between-school differences and half to withinschool differences. The segregation of Aboriginal students suggests that peer effects might explain some of these between-school achievement differences. However, we find that peer effects associated with a greater proportion of Aboriginal peers, if anything, improve value-added exam outcomes of Aboriginal students. JEL classification: I21 Classement, pairs et résultats desétudiants aborigènes en Colombie Britannique. On examine la contribution des différences dans les environnements scolaires pour expliquer l'écart entre les résultatséducationnels desétudiants aborigènes et non-aborigènes. On découvreà la fois un degré de ségrégation substantiel entreétudiants aborigènes et nonaborigènes, et unécart substantiel dans les résultats des tests. La décomposition conventionnelle desécarts de résultats pour lesélèves de 7 e année attribue en gros la moitié desécartsà des différences entreécoles, et l'autre moitiéà des différencesà l'intérieur deś ecoles. La ségrégation desélèves aborigènes suggère que l'effet des pairs pourrait expliquer une portion des différences entreécoles. Cependant, on découvre que les effets de pairs associésà la présence d'une plus grande portion de pairs, s'ils ont un impact quelconque, améliorent les résultats desétudiants aborigènes dans les examens qui mesure les progrès.

The Intergenerational Effects of Residential Schools on Children’s Educational Experiences in Ontario and Canada’s Western Provinces

“…It has been shown that teachers with similar characteristics to their students (such as race or ethnicity) are associated with improved student outcomes (Fairlie, Hoffmann, & Oreopoulos, 2011;Hoffmann & Oreopoulos, 2009) and this has been shown in Aboriginal contexts as well (O'Gorman & Pandey, 2015). In addition, Friesen and Krauth (2010) suggested that Aboriginal children living off reserve, if anything, perform better when they are educated with Aboriginal peers. Kanu (2007) also suggested that integrating Aboriginal cultural perspectives and knowledge into the classroom may improve academic achievement and Silver and colleagues (2002) suggested similar policies may increase school retention.…”

English as a Second Dialect Policy and Achievement of Aboriginal Students in British Columbia

“…The ESL supplement did not change substantially at this time (BC Ministry of Education 2002). 4 Since responsibility for on-reserve Aboriginal education falls under federal jurisdiction, our data do not include the approximately 7.5 percent of BC Aboriginal students who attend on-reserve schools (Friesen and Krauth 2010). 5 The microdata to which we have access for this study do not extend beyond 2004, so we are unable to determine whether ESD programs have continued to expand since then.…”

“…Lipka and Adams (2004) find that a culturally based mathematics unit provided to Yup'ik students in Alaska had positive achievement effects. For Canada, Friesen and Krauth (2010) find substantial segregation of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students across schools in British Columbia and show that differences in the distribution of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students across schools account for roughly half the overall grade seven test score gap. While Aboriginal students attend schools with a higher proportion of Aboriginal peers and with peers who have various forms of disability, Friesen and Krauth's analysis shows that having a greater proportion of Aboriginal peers, if anything, improves the achievement of Aboriginal students, and that having a greater proportion of peers with disabilities has little effect.…”

Ethnic enclaves in the classroom

“…Finally, our regressions use only the nonAboriginal student population. The complex issues associated with Aboriginal students are beyond the scope of this paper, and are analyzed elsewhere (Friesen and Krauth, 2010). Our peer group measures, however, use the full population of students.…”