When Dr. Emily Milne arrived in Edmonton in 2016, she didn’t know a soul. For a community-engaged researcher focused on advancing equitable access to education, she knew she needed to get involved in the community and contribute in meaningful ways.

Over the next seven years, the sociology professor would spend well over 2,000 hours volunteering in schools and building authentic relationships with teachers, students, Indigenous Elders, Knowledge Keepers and staff members. 

Those same relationships form the foundation of her work framed within reconciliation. Her priority is always co-creation – building knowledge and understanding together with community partners – and engaging in research activities that are respectful, meaningful, and responsible. What that looks like, explains Dr. Milne, is collaboration in its truest sense. Advisory committees on each project share knowledge and input, research activities centre on co-creation and co-implementation, and cultural protocols are an integral part of the process. 

“I recognize that my contributions only make sense because I sit alongside everyone else,” says Dr. Milne.

The approach has led to invitations for the sociology professor to work in partnership with Alberta Education, the Edmonton Public School Board, Northland School Division, St. Paul Education, Edmonton Catholic School Division, Alberta School Councils' Association, and several other school divisions and community groups. In the past two years alone, her community-engaged research projects have received more than $350,000 in funding.

Each project is directly tied to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action. “Many of the calls to action are about supporting students and improving education outcomes and experiences,” explains Dr. Milne. “And they are also about education systems creating spaces for parents and caregivers to be actively and authentically engaged in their children’s education.” 

That particular issue is the focus of Dr. Milne’s work with parents, caregivers and community members in the Northland School Division. While the Education Act speaks to parents as partners in education, the history of residential schools in Canada means that, until recently (the last residential school closed in 1996 – less than a generation ago), families were actively being removed from their children's education. 

“Not all parents may feel comfortable taking an active role in the education system, and it may be difficult to connect with schools and teachers and navigate ways to help their children. And not all parents participate in their children’s education in the same way.” 

Drawing on interview and focus group data, the project asks how parents, caregivers and community members would like to be involved in education, what that role might look like and how the division could support them. 

“Parents are their children’s first teachers and know their kids best, but students and their families are often not genuinely engaged and consulted when it comes to education practices and policies,” explains Dr. Milne. “This project is different. It was built on the vision of teachers, students, family members, community members and Elders sitting at the same table as equal participants, having conversations, and ultimately moving in the same direction to support children.”

Supporting children toward post-secondary education is the focus of two other projects that recently received Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) partnership grants. Working alongside Indigenous community members, members of government and post-secondary education researchers, Dr. Milne is working to identify and redress academic streaming processes (a process of dividing students into groups based on their perceived academic ability or achievements.) 

“Streaming may disproportionately limit Indigenous students’ access to post-secondary education,” she explains. “So we are looking at students’ journeys from kindergarten to Grade 12, including their wellbeing, feelings of connection, and how they choose their classes and navigate course selection, and how we can support them in that process.”

The ultimate goal is to design policies, procedures and evidence-based practices to support students in gaining equitable access to educational opportunities. 

Access to post-secondary education was also the focus of MacEwan Child and Youth University (MacEwanCYU), which Dr. Milne piloted alongside Dr. Kaitlyn Towle earlier this year. Throughout the 2022/23 academic year, the two profs and their MacEwan Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts student research assistants worked with teachers and students at Ben Calf Robe/St. Clare Elementary and Junior High School to share an early glimpse into university life. 

Built on a qualitative research method called photovoice, the pilot leaned on community-based research approaches to examine barriers students face when turning an interest in science into a university education.

Bringing students to the university was critical, says Dr. Milne. “There needs to be a reciprocal nature to this work, and inviting kids to campus so we could learn and understand together was part of that.” 

But listening to people and having them trust you with their stories, she says, comes with responsibility. 

“A lot of the work related to reconciliation is very emotional. When people take the time to sit down and share their experiences and perspectives with us, to show that trust, it becomes our responsibility to do something with that – to stand behind them, work to amplify and empower their voices, and try to address the issues they are bringing up. To make an impact.”

Several of Dr. Milne’s projects, including MacEwan CYU, use photovoice – a research method that focuses on amplifying the voices and perspectives of participants.