Decolonizing Education
Dr . Dustin Louie – a respected First Nations scholar from Nee Tahi Buhn and Nadleh Whut'en of the Dakelh Nation of central British Columbia, Director of NITEP, and Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at UBC – joined us at the 2025 BCPVPA Foundations for New School Leaders to speak about decolonizing education. What resonated deeply with me was how Dr. Louie frames decolonization not as an abstract idea, but as a practical, relational process, deeply rooted in Indigenous approaches to learning and knowing. In his work, Dr. Louie asks us to reflect on the small, daily, intentional practices we can embed in the fabric of our work, helping us to decolonize our schools one by one, day by day, student by student.
In my travels this past year to about 30 BC school districts, I saw that schools and districts are taking meaningful steps to decolonize practice, moving beyond token gestures toward authentic, systemic change. I am grateful to the leaders and educators who shared their work with humility and generosity, and I am eager to get underway with this year’s visits to our members in their communities, and to learn more. Here are some highlights of what this work looks like on the ground.
1. Local Land Acknowledgements as Living Practice
Many schools are moving beyond scripted acknowledgements and co-creating them with students, staff, and local Nations.
Chilliwack (SD33): At a school assembly I attended, two student speakers — one Indigenous and one a new Canadian — spoke powerfully about their connection to the land, their respect for its history, and their shared hope for future generations.
Elementary Practice: In a Grade 3 class, students learn the Halq’eméylem names for rivers and mountains and create an “acknowledgement map”. Each morning, a student offers a personalized acknowledgement naming a local feature and why it matters, prompting an understanding of geography, language, and connection to place.
2. Infusion of Indigenous Knowledge into Curriculum
Schools are embedding Indigenous ways of knowing across subject areas, not just during Indigenous Education Week but throughout the year.
Science & Land-Based Learning
Nisg̱a’a (SD92): Students study salmon cycles by working alongside fishery technicians and Elders, observing traditional techniques and connecting them to curriculum outcomes in biology and ecology.
Cowichan Valley (SD79): Weekly Q’shintul (“Walking Together”) forest days are led by cultural facilitators. Students learn to identify native plants and their medicinal uses, and explore how ecosystems interconnect.
Mathematics
Chilliwack (SD33): Teachers use Stó:lō weaving patterns to teach geometry and symmetry, linking mathematics to cultural meaning.
Haida Gwaii (SD50): Students collect real salmon-run data, using it to calculate survival rates, graph trends, and explore probability, blending numeracy and stewardship.
Social Studies & History
Greater Victoria (SD61): Schools collaborate with Songhees and Esquimalt Nations to teach pre-contact history and treaties, often through field trips to culturally significant sites such as PKOLS. For those who may not be aware, PKOLS (formerly Mount Douglas) is a sacred gathering place where Governor James Douglas and W̱SÁNEĆ leaders are said to have discussed the Douglas Treaties in the mid-1800s. Using the original name honours W̱SÁNEĆ language and history and helps students connect to the land as a living teacher.
Arts & Culture
North Vancouver (SD44): Art teachers collaborate with Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh artists to teach Coast Salish design elements, ensuring student art respects cultural protocols.
Qualicum (SD69): Working with the Snaw-naw-as and Kwalikum communities, schools are documenting local creation stories for use in classrooms. This work is called the Local Nations Timeline project, featuring videos and interviews with local Indigenous people. During my visit, I was honoured to participate in the Qualicum creation story, as told by Chief Recalma.
Literacy & Language Revitalization
Saanich (SD63): SENĆOŦEN language is integrated into daily routines and literacy blocks.
Prince Rupert (SD52): Sm’álgyax language program strengthens cultural identity and academic success.
Sunshine Coast (SD46): sháshishálhem language is taught in partnership with the shíshálh Nation.
Campbell River (SD72): Home to BC’s only bilingual Kʷak̓ʷala and Lik̓ʷala program (K–3) at Ripple Rock Elementary.
Province-wide: A 2022 survey by the First Peoples’ Cultural Council found that 139 BC public schools offer First Nations language lessons.
3. Land-Based & Experiential Learning
Schools are increasingly using an inherently decolonizing approach by taking students outside to learn from the land.
In Nisg̱a’a (SD92) and Haida Gwaii (SD50), students go fishing, berry picking, and clam digging as part of the curriculum.
Outdoor classrooms and forest days are regular practice in Cowichan Valley (SD79), Qualicum (SD69), qathet SD47), Port Hardy in Vancouver Island North (SD85), and Sechelt in Sunshine Coast (SD46), along with many more schools across BC.
4. Building Relationships with Local Nations
Decolonization is fundamentally relational. Districts are moving beyond one-off events to form ongoing partnerships through:
Local Education Agreements (LEAs): These formal agreements set shared goals and accountability measures for supporting Indigenous students. Examples include qathet (SD47), Comox Valley (SD71), Prince George (SD57), and Coast Mountain (SD82).
Celebrations & Cultural Sharing: Earl Marriott Secondary in Surrey (SD36) hosts an annual Pow Wow in partnership with Semiahmoo First Nation. In Haida Gwaii (SD50), cultural teachers make graduation vests for each student, connecting identity and ceremony.
5. Decolonizing School Culture and Symbols
Schools and districts are re-examining mascots, logos, and names that reflect colonial narratives, and working with Nations to make meaningful changes:
Vancouver (SD39): wək̓ʷan̓əs tə syaqʷəm Elementary (formerly Sir Matthew Begbie), and χpey̓ Elementary (formerly Sir William Macdonald).
Kootenay Lake (SD8): Prince Charles Secondary renamed Kootenay River Secondary.
Prince George (SD57): Kelly Road became Shas Ti Kelly Road Secondary.
Haida Gwaii (SD50): George Mercer Dawson Secondary became Gudangaay Tlaats'gaa Naay Secondary.
qathet (SD47): District name changed to the Tla’amin word for working together.
6. Professional Learning & Equity Frameworks
Districts are using Equity Scans to surface data on Indigenous student achievement and sense of belonging, then responding with targeted action. Ongoing Pro-D days with speakers like Dr. Dustin Louie, Carolyn Roberts, and Jo Chrona deepen staff understanding of decolonization and systemic change.
Decolonization in schools is happening through curriculum, relationships, space, and leadership practice, in partnership with local Nations and grounded in authentic, ongoing learning. The most successful examples are not “events” but what is happening in the daily rhythm of school life.
I would love to hear from you: what do you see happening in your school, district, and community that reflects the decolonization of education? What is a small and genuine practise – strength-based and inclusive – that is making a difference to students in your school?