Building Student Success with Indigenous Parents (BSSIP)
The Building Student Success with Indigenous Parents (BSSIP) grant was launched in September 2004.
The goal of BSSIP is to increase the involvement of Indigenous parents in education. The funding has assisted schools in developing partnerships and programs with parents and the community which will contribute to the educational success of Indigenous students.
To be eligible for funding under the initiative, engagement strategy proposals from schools divisions needed to address the following requirements:
- Identify improving academic achievement of Indigenous students as a priority in school and divisional plans,
- Involve Indigenous parents and organizations,
- Reflect coherence with the Indigenous Academic Achievement grant, and
- Support overall school planning and programming.
School division proposals could include single and multiple school sites or partnerships between neighboring school divisions.
Schools have taken the lead in forming and maintaining effective family-school partnerships that positively influence all students’ learning. The strong relationships have changed the future – not just for students and their families, but also for schools – in the form of these educational partners jointly implementing approaches intended to enhance student motivation, engagement with school, academic progress, school attendance levels, sense of wellbeing, and lower dropout rates. Families and schools are working together as real partners. The scope of these partnerships is wide and includes support by school leaders for family involvement in school activities, a strong commitment by all partners to student learning success, a welcoming school atmosphere and two-way communication. The partnerships that this fund supports will become models of the way we would like school communities to function.
