Inclusive Schooling

Over the last 20 years, educators in the NWT have had to revise their teaching practices to respond to the increasingly diverse nature of their classrooms. Teaching strategies and programming had to be relevant and reflect an emphasis on student strengths. To do this, the importance of working with others, including parents and specialized support staff was highlighted. The NWT Ministerial Directive on Inclusive Schooling (2016) defines the standards, processes and supports required by educational jurisdictions in meeting these diverse needs. The Departmental Response was completed in 2014 using the lens and direction described in the Education Renewal and Innovation (ERI) Framework: Directions for Change.

To assist staff in meeting student needs in accordance with the Ministerial Directive on Inclusive Schooling, the Inclusive Schooling Handbook (August 2017) was developed. This handbook provides educators with the approved processes involved in developing Student Support Plans (SSP) and Individual Education Plans (IEP). It also contains a Technology for Improving Education Network (TIENET) user guide, which details how to access SSPs and IEPs, and a comprehensive Toolbox of blackline masters and templates for educators.

Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect Response for Education Body Staff

Everyone has a responsibility to protect children. Because children spend so much of their time in school, school staff may recognize signs and symptoms of child abuse that might otherwise go unnoticed. The following resource, revised in 2020, is designed to assist school staff when dealing with child abuse-related issues.

• School Handbook for Suspected Child Abuse and/or Neglect Response

Counselling

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment and the Department of Health and Social Services are working collaboratively on a joint Child and Youth Care Counselling (CYCC) Initiative. 

The CYCC Initiative includes:

• Placing 42 Child and Youth Care Counsellors into schools/communities that have a student population of 75 or greater with 7 clinical supervisors ensuring quality counselling.
• Serving the needs of schools/communities who have a student population of less than 75 through a traveling itinerant mental health team with a minimum of three sessions of one in-person (or virtual during pandemic) session per school year.  In between weeks of service, counselling would be ongoing virtually.  This service should be providing equitable service for small communities.  

For more information, please visit: NWT Community Counselling Program

Career and Education Advisors

The Career and Education Advisors (CEA) program at the Department of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) was established to work with Grade 9 to 12 Northwest Territories (NWT) students, to provide career and education advising services. Find out more here.