Registered Indian Children's School Success and Intergenerational Effects of Residential Schooling in Canada

• Published in: International indigenous policy journal 2010-05, Vol.1 (1), p.1-41
• Main Authors: Bougie, Evelyne, Senécal, Sacha
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1916-5781

Using the 2006 Aboriginal Peoples Survey, this study investigates factors associated with school success (as perceived by parents) among off-reserve Registered Indian children aged 6 to 14 in Canada. Holding other factors constant, Registered Indian children were more likely to be doing well at school if they were living in households with high income, were living in adequately maintained dwellings, or spoke an Aboriginal language at home. Boys and older children, on the other hand, were less likely to be doing well at school, as were children who were living in larger households, experienced food insecurity, or had parents who attended residential school. Mediation analyses revealed that the negative intergenerational effect of parental residential schooling on children’s school success was partially attributable to household characteristics or economic status. Indeed, former residential school attendees were found to be more likely to live in households with a lower income, live in larger households, and report that their family had experienced food insecurity. These characteristics were, in turn, found to be negatively associated with children’s school success.