It took three days, but the Yukon government has finally responded to a scathing report from the Yukon First Nation Education Directorate about how the government reports graduation numbers in territorial schools.
On Monday, the directorate stated, “Graduation rates for Indigenous students are nearly 25 per cent lower than what the Department of Education publishes.
“At first glance, looking at the statistics released by Yukon Department of Education, the graduation rates in the territory seem quite good – for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students – rates comparable to the rest of Canada.
“Upon closer inspection, you will find the numbers are grossly misleading – our kids aren’t graduating at the rates the government says they are, and the problem is getting worse.”
The directorate has employed a team of education and data analysts who have been analyzing available figures and reporting back findings so First Nations can have a more accurate picture of graduation rates and other education metrics.
The directorate had given the government advance notice that it would release its statement this past Monday.
Rather than providing a spokesperson to The Yukon Star to address the issue, the Department of Education provided a prepared statement.
“We take our role in gathering, analyzing, sharing and publicly reporting on data about the Yukon’s education system seriously. When we developed our methodology to report on graduation rates, we modeled it based on British Columbia.
“This decision was made as we share both curriculum and our student information system with British Columbia,” the statement reads.
“It is important to use a consistent method so that the graduation rates in the Yukon can be compared year-to-year and can be compared to other jurisdictions’ rates accurately.
“We understand that calculating graduation rates for students who graduate within a five-year period, or the typical amount of time to complete Grades 8 through 12, only gives us one perspective. To capture more information about those who take a bit longer to
graduate, we also report on the six-year graduation rate.”
From there, the statement begins a debate over statistical analysis.
“The Yukon First Nation Education Directorate has raised many concerns in their news release. They’ve also introduced a new methodology for calculating graduation rates,” the department’s statement said.
“We became aware of these concerns through their release and will be taking time to review the methodology and concerns in detail. It is important that we complete our due diligence to be able to engage in further conversations and determine a path forward with our education partners, including the Yukon First Nation Education Directorate.”
The statement adds, “We understand and share the Yukon First Nation Education Directorate’s interest in measuring accurate graduation rates. We also recognize there are many underlying reasons for the lower graduation rates for our students. We are working to improve graduation rates, inclusive of our Indigenous students.”
