Strategies for Teacher Education Programs to Support Indigenous Teacher Employment and Retention in Schools

This article seeks to contribute to the knowledge base regarding efforts to increase the supply of employed Indigenous teachers. In addition to supporting the learning and well-being of Indigenous students, increasing Indigenous teachers is critical for remote Indigenous communities with chronically understaffed schools. This study was conducted as a scoping review of 50 Teacher Education Programs (TEPs) across Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States that have enacted efforts to increase Indigenous teachers. The study found a range of effective strategies, and this article will depict three strategies that can be enacted by TEPs to support Indigenous teacher graduates as they transition to employment. The strategies are: (1) creating employment opportunities, (2) identifying community needs and collaborating over practicum placements, and (3) providing ongoing support. The article concludes with a call for collaboration, funding, and data collection for the continued evaluation and improvement of strategies to increase Indigenous teachers. Keywords: teacher retention, teacher support, teacher employment, Indigenous teacher education, job transition, Indigenous teachers, Indigenous education, teacher education programs Ce document cherche a contribuer a la base de connaissances sur les efforts visant a accroitre l'offre d'enseignants autochtones en activite. En plus de soutenir l'apprentissage et le bien-etre des eleves autochtones, il est essentiel d'augmenter le nombre d'enseignants autochtones pour les communautes autochtones eloignees dont les ecoles sont en souseffectif chronique. Cette etude a ete menee dans le cadre d'un examen de la portee de 50 programmes de formation des enseignants (TEP) a travers le Canada, l'Australie, la Nouvelle-Zelande et les Etats-Unis qui ont mis en reuvre des efforts pour augmenter le nombre d'enseignants autochtones. L'etude a trouve une gamme de strategies efficaces et cet article decrit trois strategies qui peuvent etre mises en reuvre par les TEP pour aider les enseignants diplomes autochtones dans leur transition vers l'emploi. Ces strategies sont : (1) de creer des possibilites d'emploi, (2) d'identifier les besoins de la collectivite et de collaborer a leur placement en stage, et (3) de leur fournir un soutien continu. Le document se termine par un appel a la collaboration, au financement et a la collecte de donnees pour revaluation continue et l'amelioration des strategies visant a accroitre le nombre d'enseignants autochtones. Mots-cles : retention des enseignants, soutien aux enseignants, embauche d'enseignants, formation d'enseignants autochtones, transition vers l'emploi, enseignant autochtone, education autochtone, formation des enseignants
Introduction This article discusses several strategies that are employed by Universities, Colleges, and Teacher Education Programs (1) (TEPs) to support Indigenous students as they transition into their roles as teachers. [...]