MÉTIS STUDENT SELF-IDENTIFICATION IN ONTARIO’S K–12 SCHOOLS: EDUCATION POLICY AND PARENTS, FAMILIES, AND COMMUNITIES

Oct 15, 2026

Explores how Ontario’s 2007 education policy framework requires K–12 school boards to develop self-identification processes for First Nation, Métis, and Inuit students. Synthesizes findings from literature review, an online survey, and interviews with administrators conducted in winter 2011. Identifies barriers, challenges, opportunities, and best practices, emphasizing that effective self-identification depends on a welcoming school climate built by teachers, administrators, and support staff. Highlights the role of community collaboration, safe spaces, and affirming historical and contemporary Métis values in practice.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages34

Reading Time1 h 26 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Ontario’s 2007 Framework and voluntary self-identification

Research design: literature review, survey, and interviews

Implementation focus: self-identification initiatives

Advisory councils and community collaboration

Building safe spaces within schools

MÉTIS STUDENT SELF-IDENTIFICATION IN ONTARIO’S K–12 SCHOOLS: EDUCATION POLICY AND PARENTS, FAMILIES, AND COMMUNITIES 1 Jonathan Anuik, University of Alberta, and Laura-Lee Bellehumeur-Kearns, St. Francis Xavier University The mandate for school boards to develop self-identification policies for First Nation, Métis, and Inuit students is part of the 2007 Ministry of Education’s Ontario First Nation, Métis and Inuit Education Policy Framework. In this paper, we share findings from a larger study on the Framework that examines Métis student self-identification processes and assesses barriers, challenges, opportunities, and best practices. We draw on themes from a literature review concerning Métis education and we examine data from an online survey and key interviews with school administrators responsible for initiatives to support Métis students’ self-identification. The survey and interviews took place in the winter of 2011. We find that, for the self-identification policy to be effective, teachers, administrators, and support staff (clerks, receptionists, secretaries, and teaching/educational assistants) must build a school climate that welcomes Métis learners and parents, families, and communities and affirms their historical and contemporary values in practice. This way, students and their families may feel comfortable to identify as Métis. Introduction In 2007, the Ontario Ministry of Education released the Ontario First Nation, Métis, and Inuit Education Policy Framework2 to support voluntary self-identification of First Nation, 1 This paper emerges out of the program of research titled Métis Education Barriers, Challenges, Opportunities, and Best Practices: Foundations and Practices to Support Métis Education in Ontario. Financial support for this program of research comes from the Education and Training Branch of the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO). We are grateful to the MNO for its support of this program of research, especially Dr. Chris Paci, Manager of the Education and Training Branch, Chris McLeod, Education Analyst/Officer, and Guylaine Morin-Cléroux. Excerpts ofthis paper have been presented at the 2012 meeting of the Canadian Association for the Study of Educational Administration at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. We thank the participants from the session. We are also grateful to the respondents to the survey and participants in the interviews for this project. And this paper emerges from the longer report on the project titled Report on Métis Education in Ontario's K-12 Schools (Anuik & Bellehumeur-Kearns, 2012) . 2 Hereafter known as the Framework. Métis, and Inuit learners in K-12 schools; the ministry asks boards to collect this data. There are approximately 26,200 identified Métis students who attend elementary and secondary schools in Ontario, according to the 2001 Canadian Census, and numbers are growing according to the Metis Nation of Ontario (MNO), as more people are joining the MNO. Some school boards have designated Aboriginal3 education officers and coordinators to facilitate development of selfidentification forms, collect the data, and work in collaboration with Aboriginal parents, families, communities, and allies to create supportive relationships that affirm Aboriginal “cultures, histories, and perspectives”(Ministry of Education, 2007, p. 6) . In 2009, the Ontario Ministry of Education completed the first progress report on the Framework, concluding that “remarkable progress has been made”(p. 5) . How can we investigate this “remarkable progress,” and does it include Métis student self-identification? With support from the ministry, the Education and Training Branch of the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) commissioned research to look at Métis education barriers, challenges, opportunities, and best practices leading to support for Métis students. The research offers insight into how well Ontario’s 76 school boards are doing in implementing the F

FAQs

What does Ontario’s 2007 framework require school boards to do for Métis students?

It requires school boards to develop self-identification policies and to collect relevant data on Métis students in K–12 schools, supporting voluntary self-identification.

How was the study on Métis student self-identification conducted?

The paper draws on a literature review and reports findings from an online survey and key interviews with school administrators responsible for supporting Métis students.

What condition does the paper identify as essential for effective self-identification policies?

It emphasizes that teachers, administrators, and support staff must build a welcoming school climate that affirms Métis learners’ and families’ historical and contemporary values in everyday practice.

Oct 15, 2026

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