Collaboration to improve transition of Inuit students into schools of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board - Bruce (Jane) Kiguttaq, Colette Wright & Michelle Caesar

We want to share the powerful results of a collaborative inquiry into how to best improve the transition of students into the OCDSB schools. The staff of the OCDSB kindergarten, which is located at the Ottawa Inuit Children’s Centre, worked with the teachers at RE Wilson Public School in Ottawa, facilitated by some of the agency’s managers, and OCDSB instructional coaches. The educators involved decided to see what the impact for students would be if they intentionally included Inuit culture in their curriculum. First, they had to seek support of Inuit cultural teachers. Then they collaboratively created lessons that respectfully included those perspectives. Then we measured the impact, and were blown away. The impacts were positive for Inuit students, for their families, and for all students in the school, including new Canadians. We are continuing this work and beginning to spread it to other schools. The work also continues to deepen the relationships and connections between the Ottawa Inuit Children’s Centre and the Ottawa-Carleton District School board.