| The objective of the research was to determine how the dynamics of school and community context interact with school completion of Aboriginal students in the province of British Columbia, Canada. A large-scale exploratory analysis of secondary data was conducted. Data were derived from approximately 1.5 million school records of students enrolled in all public schools province-wide over thirteen years of time. The variability of school completion of Aboriginal students across time and across schools was a central research interest. Findings are presented at both the student and the school-level. On-Reserve Status Indian students and highly mobile Aboriginal students emerged as subpopulations of Aboriginal students with significantly low school-completion rates. A hierarchical linear model (HLM) of interactions of Band status, student migration, socioeconomic factors and non-Aboriginal graduation rates with school completion rates of Aboriginal students is presented. Implications are discussed in terms of education policy at the school, school district and provincial level. As well, issues associated with collecting, interpreting and reporting data pertaining to Aboriginal school outcomes are discussed. |
