National Adult Literacy Database

The authors of this document note that while many working-age Canadians have inadequate literacy skills, the situation is even more urgent among Aboriginal Canadians.

Education improves literacy skills for all people. But the authors point out that Aboriginal people have more negative experiences in school than their non-Aboriginal counterparts and are less likely to complete high school. Among the barriers described by Aboriginal students and teachers are discrimination; institutional insensitivity toward Aboriginal cultures; and a lack of awareness of Aboriginal approaches to learning.

In collaboration with the Canadian Council on Learning (CCL), members of First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities have developed three models to be used as frameworks for measuring the progress of Aboriginal peoples in lifelong learning. The authors point to the need for ongoing work to identify appropriate indicators to apply to these models.