South Slave Divisional Education Council
The South Slave Divisional Education Council is the public school board for the South Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Its responsibility includes all schools within the five communities of the South Slave. Specifically, it is responsible for schools in the communities of Fort Resolution, Fort Smith, K'atl'odeche First Nation, Hay River, and Łutselk'e. Given the vast distances between communities, and the relatively small populations, the eight schools of the South Slave range in enrolment from 60 to 240 students with a total of 1,300. Although considered part of the South Slave Region by other departments of the Government of the Northwest Territories, the communities of Fort Providence and Kakisa are served by the Dehcho Divisional Education Council and not the SSDEC.
Organizational relationships
The South Slave Divisional Education Council was created in 1991 alongside five local District Education Authorities in each of the major communities of the South Slave Region. These five DEAs are responsible for setting Council goals and priorities, while the SSDEC is responsible for implementing their decisions within the schools. Both the SSDEC and the five community DEAs are granted power by the Government of the Northwest Territories through the Education Act. the board is made up of chair, Pennie Pokiak, Lisa Miersch, Crystal McKinnon, Josie Tourangeau, and Iris Catholique.List of schools
The following are the schools in the SDEC| Community | School | Grades | Principal | Staff | Students | Notes / References |
| Fort Resolution | Deninu School | JK – 12 | Simone De Gannes Lange | 105 | ||
| Fort Smith | Joseph Burr Tyrrell Elementary School | JK - 6 | Tiffany Kelly | 280 | ||
| Fort Smith | Paul William Kaeser High School | 7 - 12 | Christy MacKay | 240 | ||
| Hay River | Harry Camsell School | JK - 3 | Tara Boudreau | 160 | ||
| Hay River | Princess Alexandra School | 4 - 8 | Tara Boudreau | 160 | ||
| Hay River | Diamond Jenness Secondary School | 8 - 12 | Lynne Beck | 235 | ||
| K'atl'odeche First Nation | Chief Sunrise Education Centre | JK – 12 | Deborah Reid | 60 | ||
| Łutselk'e | Łutsel Kʼe Dene School | JK – 12 | Karen Gormley | 70 |
Communities without schools
While technically within the regional mandate of the SSDEC, the following communities do not host schools for a variety of reasons:- Enterprise, due to its small population and close proximity to Hay River.
Leadership for Literacy Initiative
In an effort to improve literacy outcomes in the region, the SSDEC began implementation of its Leadership for Literacy initiative in 2007. The initiative placed a Literacy Coach in each of the eight schools in the region, providing job-embedded professional development to teachers and training them on research-based skills and strategies to aid in student achievement. The initiative has also moved away from the summative evaluation of students in favour of more frequent formative evaluations so that "instruction can be tailored to the needs to individual students."Since its implementation, the initiative has seen literacy scores across the region rise significantly, from "less than 50 per cent" in 2005–2006 to 62 per cent in 2017–2018. The Canadian norm is 77 per cent.
Indigenous languages
The SSDEC is involved with Indigenous language instruction in each of its five communities. According to a report published by the Government of the Northwest Territories, the SSDEC employs 18 Indigenous language instructors who supply over 700 students in the region with daily instruction. Students are instructed in Chipewyan, Cree, or South Slavey, depending on where they live. Typically, students from Hay River and K'atl'odeche First Nation are instructed in South Slavey, while students from Fort Resolution and Łutselk'e are instructed in Chipewyan. Students in Fort Smith receive instruction in both Cree and Chipewyan. Approximately 90% of students in the South Slave have Indigenous heritage. The Council knows that it is important that students have books that represent their language, culture, communities, and people.Since 2005, the SSDEC has been developing resources for Indigenous language classrooms. The council has now published more than 300 books, most of them dual-language stories in Chipewyan, Cree, or South Slavey alongside English. The stories are not meant to replace oral stories, but rather preserve stories and create opportunities for the community to become involved in revitalizing culture and language.
Indigenous language instructors began their involvement in publishing following a set of writing workshops in 2005, following which they wrote many Northern-themed and traditional stories. The publishing process is frequently a community effort, involving locals to write, illustrate, translate, and design the books. The council has also worked with established authors like Richard Van Camp and David Bouchard to publish books; and has worked with other school boards and organizations across the country to translate and publish their stories.
''Three Feathers''
Three Feathers is a drama film that explores the power and grace of restorative justice and the cultural legacy that can empower future generations. The film was written and directed by Carla Ulrich and is based on the graphic novel Three FeathersThree Feathers: The Movie#cite note-1| by Richard Van CampThree Feathers: The Movie#cite note-2|. The film, which was produced by the council, premiered in 2018.The film stars David Burke as Flinch, Joel Evans as Bryce, and Dwight Moses as Rupert; along with Eileen and Henry Beaver as Elders Irene and Raymond. The cast also includes Tantoo Cardinal, Pat Burke, Crystal Benwell, Frankie Laviolette, Dante Kay-Grenier, and Trey Currie.