Because native-band schools are outside the jurisdiction of the provincial departments of education, curriculum guidelines can be modified to fit the local situation. An advantage to this is that students can take cultural studies relevant to their band and also learn the language. The disadvantage is that if Native American students want to transfer to another school jurisdiction, they may not have the knowledge base needed to keep pace with the other students.
Always a subjective term, standards in this case means basic literacy, numeracy and the ability to communicate. Advocates of band control point out that students aren't confined to being measured against standardized tests and therefore aren't stigmatized by poor grades. Others argue that students end up speaking two languages badly rather than one properly, and that the students don't have the same level of reading the numeracy skills as their non-band-controlled counterparts.
All schools in the provincial systems must adhere to certain polities, such as the number of school days per year and procedures for attendance and discipline. Band-controlled schools, on the other hand, can adjust their policies as they wish. Some say this allows band-controlled school to set policies that reflect the local situation, thus encouraging more students to graduate. Others claim that band-controlled schools' policies aren't enforced.
Some band-controlled schools have developed teacher-training programs in conjunction with their education programs. The advantage is that the teachers are local people who understand the community and know the parents. The disadvantage is that it is difficult to remove local teachers if they are incompetent.
In the government-run school system, there are resource people for curriculum development and teacher support. This ensures that there is continuity within the system. In schools that are band-controlled, elders are encouraged to be active resource people in the schools. Like any group, elders vary from those who are very wise and have a lot of information to pass on to some who are simply older people without much information to impart.