General Description and Purpose

Studies have documented that effective school leadership promotes student achievement and wellbeing (e.g., Dhuey & Smith, 2014; Leithwood & Louis, 2012; Robinson, 2011; Sebastian & Allensworth, 2012).  However, when reviewing the extensive research on this topic, a core question surfaces: What specific aspects of effective leadership not only promote student success, but, more specifically, promote success for Indigenous students in a public school system?   Contemplating this point, the purpose of this research is to explain how Canadian principals across Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, and Nunavut promoted educational success for Indigenous students in their schools. 

With regard to terms, Aboriginal, Statistics Canada’s (2015) defined Aboriginal as “those who reported being … First Nations (North American Indian), Métis or Inuk (Inuit) and/or those who reported Registered or Treaty Indian status” (¶2).  In contrast, the word Indigenous is used often within international discourse (McMillan & Yellowhorn, 2004).  Since the word Indigenous is more widely globally understood term, we predominantly use the word Indigenous in this paper.  

Theoretical Framework: Social Capital Theory

This research showed that forging strong relationships with students, parents, and members of Indigenous communities promoted Indigenous student success.   With regard to social capital theory, scholars claim that the existence of elaborate familial, social, and professional relationships is positively related to economic prosperity, community development, collective action, and academic success (Coleman, 1988; Halpern, 2005; Putnam, 1995, 2000).   Furthermore, the existence of trust is as a type of gelling agent that is both a precondition and product of social capital (Fukuyama, 1996).  As related to students, principals and teachers building trust with students was an emotional element that inspired students to believe that teachers believed in them.  Many studies have highlighted that academic aspirations and the success of students is dependent upon strong, positive relationships between parent and school and between parents, themselves (Coleman, 1988; Kim & Schneider, 2005).  In order to build social capital with and among parents, again, safety and trust, needed to be present.  Saskatchewan and Nunavut principals maintaining that relationship with parents and community members be kept real.  In essence, they were referring to the desire to create trustful and cooperative behavior, which, at its core, is social capital.

Implications & European Focus

Through this research, we emphasized that not only do relationships foster academic achievement and wellbeing for Indigenous students, they are the quintessential ingredient for school community wellbeing.  In light of this finding, principals need to establish innovative ways to creating relationships both inside and outside the school that supporting learning and engagement for Indigenous students.  In attempting to help principals lead the way, in the final paper, via an appendix, we provide a brainstorm of 100 ideas of how create, embellish, nurture, and maintain such valuable relationships for Indigenous student success.  These ideas are intended for senior administrators, principals, teachers, staff, students, parents, and community members.  As a leadership suggestion, within a school setting, principals and teachers make want to use these ideas and add their own to create an Indigenous Student Success Action Plan, a strategic plan ideally aligned with researchers within the Educational Leadership and/or Research in Innovative Intercultural Learning Environments networks at the European Conference on Educational Research.  Furthermore, this paper, which focuses on how Canadian principals promote the success of Indigenous students may be of interest to European principals and educators who promote the academic success and wellbeing of Indigenous, Romani, and itinerant students living throughout Europe. 

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