Challenging Definitions of Student Success Through Indigenous Involvement: An Opportunity to Inform School Psychology Practice

Abstract

To achieve educational equity for Indigenous students, school psychologists need to consider the implications of using solely Westernized and Eurocentric educational standards of success. With current practices criticized as limiting and biased, a fitting alternative is the use of holistic frameworks of success aligned with Indigenous peoples’ perspectives on lifelong learning. This paper details a community-led process to define success for Indigenous youth in Aklavik, Northwest Territories inspired by the Canadian Council on Learning Inuit Holistic Lifelong Learning Model. Several key lessons, including the need for ensemble mentorship, emerged from this community-led and strengths-based project that can inform school psychologists seeking to better Indigenize their practice and work toward culturally aligned practices.