"An adequate curriculum of instruction needs to convey positive expectations for students' academic and intellectual potential and to be appropriate to students' background and experiences. Residential school curriculum was problematic in both respects. During most of the residential schools' history, instruction ended at Grade 8 and vocational training focussed on occupations requiring limited knowledge or skills (Miller, 1996). Low expectations concerning the potential of aboriginal students are troubling because of the importance of expectancy effects in many domains, including academic success (Weinstein, Gregory, & Strambler, 2004). Teachers' expectations influence the students' self-expectations, which in turn influence students' academic achievement (Kuklinsi & Weinstein, 2001). Childhood maltreatment-that is, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect-has multiple adverse effects on children's academic functioning (Shonk & Cichetti, 2001; Trickett & McBride-Chang, 1995), even when socioeconomic background is controlled (Eckenrode, Laird, & Doris, 1993). For example, maltreated children have significantly poorer performance on cognitive measures of math and reading than nonmaltreated children; maltreated children are more likely to repeat a grade and to have discipline referrals (Eckenrode et al., 1993). Maltreated children are at significant risk for declining school performance as measured by grade point average, absenteeism, retention in grade, behaviour problems, and special program involvement (Leiter & Johnsen, 1997). Exposure to multiple forms of maltreatment (e.g., sexual abuse coupled with neglect) has more negative effects on academic performance than exposure to one form of maltreatment (Kendall-Tackett & Eckenrode, 1996)"--abstract.