In recognition of their responsibility as deans, directors and chairs of university education faculties to work towards the transformation of the Canadian education system at all levels, the Association of Canadian Deans of Education (ACDE) signed the Accord on Indigenous Education on June 1st, 2010.

Purpose

As a national organization, ACDE supports and encourages increased national dialogue and cooperative action for improving Indigenous education. All institutions signing the Accord on Indigenous Education are expected to aspire to its vision, principles, and goals in their education programs and research initiatives. Signatories will use the Accord on Indigenous Education to guide program review and transformation, working collaboratively to prioritize the educational purposes and values of Indigenous communities and people.

Vision

The vision is that Indigenous identities, cultures, languages, values, ways of knowing, and knowledge systems will flourish in all Canadian learning settings.

Principles

ACDE believes that this Accord:

• supports a socially just society for Indigenous peoples;
• reflects a respectful, collaborative, and consultative process with Indigenous and non- Indigenous knowledge holders;
• promotes multiple partnerships among educational and Indigenous communities; • values the diversity of Indigenous knowledges and ways of knowing and learning.

Goals
Recognizing the need for transformative educational change and acknowledging the unique leadership responsibilities of deans, directors, and chairs of education within the Canadian university context, ACDE supports, endorses, and fosters the following goals:

• To create respectful and welcoming learning environments that instill a sense of belonging for all learners, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, in all post-secondary pro- grams of which faculties, colleges, schools, and departments of education are a part.
• To create respectful and inclusive curricula that allow learners to experience the Indigenous world and Indigenous knowledge in a wholistic way.
• To create culturally responsive pedagogies so that teacher candidates and faculty may learn about and practice Indigenous pedagogies and ways of knowing.
• To create mechanisms for valuing and promoting Indigeneity in education in all learn- ing environments and in the academy.
• To create culturally responsive assessment practices that support socially just relations within and beyond the classroom for Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.
• To affirm and revitalize Indigenous languages, supporting Aboriginal communities and involving other faculties in the promotion, reclamation, restoration, revitalization, and teaching of Indigenous languages.
• To support the development and extension of Aboriginal leadership in education, substantially increasing the numbers of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people in lead- ership positions and removing institutional barriers that prevent career advancement among Indigenous educators.
• To build awareness among non-Indigenous learners, fostering all education candi- dates’ political commitment to Indigenous education, such that they move beyond awareness toward acttion within their particular sphere of influence.
• To foster culturally respectful Indigenous research in order to transform Aboriginal education, teacher education, continuing professional education, and graduate programs.

https://csse-scee.ca/acde/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2017/08/Accord-on-Indigenous-Education.pdf

Signatories include the education faculties of: