Aboriginal people in Canada want an education that reflects their cultural values and linguistic heritages, an education that will foster their children’s engagement and identity and not marginalize them as learners.

Lorenzo Cherubini investigates the effectiveness of culturally relevant programs in Ontario by turning the spotlight on a rare success story – one urban high school’s attempt to recognize Aboriginal students’ cultural and academic needs while helping them build relationships with non-Aboriginal students. In this insightful study, teachers, students, youth counsellors, parents and caregivers, community leaders, and administrators share their thoughts on the program, adding their voices to the existing literature and giving a human face to the quantitative data on Aboriginal education and achievement.

Aboriginal students constitute one of the fastest-growing groups in Canada’s public schools. This timely study reveals how the current system is failing indigenous students and offers recommendations for enhancing their achievement levels in Ontario, Canada, and abroad.

Lorenzo Cherubini's profile page

Lorenzo Cherubini specializes in teacher development and policy analysis and is the author of numerous books, book chapters, and articles. He is the editor of the AABSS Journal, an annual publication of the American Association of Behavioral and Social Sciences (AABSS).

Importantly, [this] book not only tells a story of Aboriginal students in public education systems but also situates the narrative within a broader socio-historical context that serves to provide the reader with significant insights into how the education system in Canada has failed Aboriginal youth ... Cherubini’s book offers a significant contribution to the landscape of Aboriginal education, opportunities to make further advances in this field, and expands on specific areas related to learning in order to provide increased clarity into the nature of how Aboriginal students learn most effectively.

Gabrielle Lindstrom