Teachers play a pivotal role in the production of discourse on race relations in education, yet few studies have researched the impact of white teacher identity construction as a variable in the creation and maintenance of racial ideologies, particularly here in Canada. The majority of the current research done on racism in schools has produced data that points to the widespread denial of racism by the majority of white teachers and students, while parents, teachers and students of color acknowledge the pervasive role racism plays in their educational and social lives. While the focus on institutional and systemic racism is important, it sometimes denies the role individuals play in the reproduction of racism and in our ability to make change. For these reasons, it is critical to consider the identity constructions of white teachers, as these constructions will influence how we interpret and respond to existing racial inequalities in education. <p>This research will draw from poststructural theories of discourse analysis in order to analyze how white teacher identity constructions of innocence are reproduced in an education system where racial inequalities are pervasive and systemic. Discourse analysis and deconstruction are important in understanding the way our subjectivity as white teachers continues to be produced and maintained.<p>This study takes place in the Prairie region, where Aboriginal people have been produced as the racial Other historically. Using an open-ended questionnaire, in-service, and focus group method, this research study invites educators to narrate their own perceptions of racism in schools. The collection and analysis of this data begins to address the theoretical gap in academic knowledge on teacher perceptions of racism in education.

The purpose of this study was to describe the role of the C.E.O. (Education Coordinator) in Band Controlled Schools on selected Indian reserves in Saskatchewan. A number of key functions and leadership components were identified from the literature and were formulated into a structural framework. In this framework, the C.E.O. position was explored and studied under three major components: role, autonomy, and contextual conditions. The aspects of role which were examined were the identifying of the C.E.O., role expectations, role tasks, and obstacles. The functions related to autonomy were identified as performance, overlaps, perceptions, and organizations. Job satisfaction, personal qualities and attributes, and politics were related to contextual conditions.<p> The population was five administrative teams working on Indian reserves in Northern Saskatchewan. These teams consisted of a Chief Executive Officer, the Principal, and, where applicable, the Administrative Assistant. The schools were selected because two have been Band operated for five years or more, whereas the other three were Band operated for less than two years when this study began.<p> A case study approach was used. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the C.E.O.s, Principals, and Administrative Assistants. An interview guide containing 18 questions designed for the Education Coordinator, and 18 questions designed specifically for Principals was used.<p> It was concluded that broad, general similarities existed from Band to Band. However, the role was influenced by the needs, wants, and thrusts of the individual Bands. The personality, background, and interests of the individual C.E.O. had an impact upon how the role was enacted. It was difficult to isolate and compartmentalize the job of the C.E.O. on an Indian reserve.<p> Although this study was limited in scope, a number of conclusions were reached and some implications were discussed. The C.E.O. position is a relatively new one and is in many ways unique. It would be of benefit for administrators to learn more about this position since nearly every on-reserve school in Saskatchewan is controlled by the Band. The C.E.O. position will grow and develop and have a great impact upon the future of Indian Education.

Teachers play a pivotal role in the production of discourse on race relations in education, yet few studies have researched the impact of white teacher identity construction as a variable in the creation and maintenance of racial ideologies, particularly here in Canada. The majority of the current research done on racism in schools has produced data that points to the widespread denial of racism by the majority of white teachers and students, while parents, teachers and students of color acknowledge the pervasive role racism plays in their educational and social lives. While the focus on institutional and systemic racism is important, it sometimes denies the role individuals play in the reproduction of racism and in our ability to make change. For these reasons, it is critical to consider the identity constructions of white teachers, as these constructions will influence how we interpret and respond to existing racial inequalities in education. <p>This research will draw from poststructural theories of discourse analysis in order to analyze how white teacher identity constructions of innocence are reproduced in an education system where racial inequalities are pervasive and systemic. Discourse analysis and deconstruction are important in understanding the way our subjectivity as white teachers continues to be produced and maintained.<p>This study takes place in the Prairie region, where Aboriginal people have been produced as the racial Other historically. Using an open-ended questionnaire, in-service, and focus group method, this research study invites educators to narrate their own perceptions of racism in schools. The collection and analysis of this data begins to address the theoretical gap in academic knowledge on teacher perceptions of racism in education.

The purpose of this study was to describe the role of the C.E.O. (Education Coordinator) in Band Controlled Schools on selected Indian reserves in Saskatchewan. A number of key functions and leadership components were identified from the literature and were formulated into a structural framework. In this framework, the C.E.O. position was explored and studied under three major components: role, autonomy, and contextual conditions. The aspects of role which were examined were the identifying of the C.E.O., role expectations, role tasks, and obstacles. The functions related to autonomy were identified as performance, overlaps, perceptions, and organizations. Job satisfaction, personal qualities and attributes, and politics were related to contextual conditions.<p> The population was five administrative teams working on Indian reserves in Northern Saskatchewan. These teams consisted of a Chief Executive Officer, the Principal, and, where applicable, the Administrative Assistant. The schools were selected because two have been Band operated for five years or more, whereas the other three were Band operated for less than two years when this study began.<p> A case study approach was used. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the C.E.O.s, Principals, and Administrative Assistants. An interview guide containing 18 questions designed for the Education Coordinator, and 18 questions designed specifically for Principals was used.<p> It was concluded that broad, general similarities existed from Band to Band. However, the role was influenced by the needs, wants, and thrusts of the individual Bands. The personality, background, and interests of the individual C.E.O. had an impact upon how the role was enacted. It was difficult to isolate and compartmentalize the job of the C.E.O. on an Indian reserve.<p> Although this study was limited in scope, a number of conclusions were reached and some implications were discussed. The C.E.O. position is a relatively new one and is in many ways unique. It would be of benefit for administrators to learn more about this position since nearly every on-reserve school in Saskatchewan is controlled by the Band. The C.E.O. position will grow and develop and have a great impact upon the future of Indian Education.

This doctoral dissertation focuses on the negotiation of power in schools and the social and academic experiences of First Nations and Metis children who speak a non-standard variety of English called Indigenous English. Indigenous English is a dialect of English spoken by many Indigenous peoples in Canada; it is especially discernable in the Prairie Provinces, yet it is not widely recognized by the majority of the population. This thesis explores the experience of dialect speakers of Indigenous English in the standard English School and educator perceptions of their literacy and language abilities. / This classroom study was conducted in an urban community in Saskatchewan. The focus of the research was a Grade 3/4 classroom with 25 students, six of whom were interviewed for this study. Additionally, interviews were conducted with eleven educators. The results of this study indicate that the First Nations children of this study speak a dialect of English that differs phonologically, morphologically, syntactically, and lexically from the Standard English spoken in Saskatchewan. The results of this PhD research indicate that Indigenous English-speaking students use discourse behaviour that differs from that of their White settler classmates. In examining the children's speech and classroom behaviour, it becomes apparent that silence, teasing, and story telling are important discourse characteristics of Indigenous English. / The findings indicate that White settler educators demonstrate little awareness of the systematic linguistic and discourse characteristics of Indigenous English and that this lack of awareness is apparent in White settler educators' descriptions of their approaches to teaching, literacy development, classroom management, evaluation, and referral of First Nations and Metis students for speech and language assessment. Other findings include denial of difference, and a race/class divide in the school and community. / Possible resolutions to the problems faced by these students may include teacher training and dialect awareness classes. This field has not been adequately explored and further research is needed to discover viable solutions to the issues experienced by dialect speakers of Indigenous English in the Standard English classroom.

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