In our seventeenth episode, Stephen and Shannon are joined by Dr. Tiffany Prete.

Dr. Apooyak’ii, Tiffany Prete (nee Hind Bull) is a member of the Kainai (Blood Tribe) of the Siksikasitapi (Blackfoot Confederacy), located in the Treaty 7 area. She is an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Lethbridge. Her program of work is comprised of implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action on the Blood Reserve. Dr. Prete’s background is in educational policy studies, specializing in Indigenous Peoples education. Her area of expertise includes: Indigenous secondary retention rates within the public school system, Blackfoot historical research, impacts of colonization, intergenerational trauma, and Indigenous research methodologies. Source: https://www.ulethbridge.ca/artsci/dr-apooyak%E2%80%99ii-tiffany-prete

In this episode we speak to Dr. Prete about what compels her work. Dr. Prete speaks about the 8 school models, and how each attempted to assimilate Indigenous peoples until they no longer existed. This included public schools. Dr. Prete also shares the way that schools were designed to give Indigenous students “just enough” education; this practice still exists in the current context. We also speak to Dr. Prete about her research on Indigenous secondary retention rates, and the positive impact of including Indigenous ways of knowing in schools. Dr. Prete also speaks about the impact of all students in public schools taking a specific course dedicated to Indigenous studies, and makes some recommendations for incorporating Indigenous epistemologies into curriculum and practice more broadly.

Episode Resources:
Prete, T. (2021). How Alberta Education's First Nations, Metis, and Inuit Policy Framework influence students' attitudes towards the Indigenous Peoples of Can-ada. International Journal of Critical Indigenous Studies, 14(2), 96-113. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5204/ijcis.1840

Prete, T. (2021). Integrating traditional educational practices of the Siksikaitsita-pi (Blackfoot Confederacy) into a post-secondary context. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 40(4), 372-381. DOI: 10.1080/02601370.2021.1958940

Prete, T. (2020). How integrating Indigenous perspectives into the classroom affects students' attitudes towards Indigenous People. Journal of Contemporary Issues in Education, 15(2), 120-134. http://dx.doi10.20355/jcie29387

Prete, T. (2018). 'Effects of Indigenous Epistemology on Indigenous Secondary Retention Rates.' Journal of Contemporary Issues in Education, 13(1), 23-36. http://dx.doi.org/10.20355/jcie29341

PUBlic Professor Series | Apooyak’ii, Dr. Tiffany Prete | University of Lethbridge. https://www.ulethbridge.ca/artsci/public-professor-series-apooyakii-dr-tiffany-prete

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