American Indian/First Nations/Native People have been historically under-represented in the ranks of college and university graduates in Canada and the United States. From an institutional perspective, the problem has been typically defined in terms of low achievement, high attrition, poor retention, weak persistence, etc., thus placing the onus…

Discusses the responsibility of this generation of Native Americans to learn the cultural teachings of the elders, to strengthen and preserve their culture through ceremonial observances and story telling, and to pass traditions to Native youth through independent culture-based education. Lists several books that transmit Native ancestral voices.…

Discusses the current endangered state of Canada's indigenous languages and the culpability of church and state in this situation. Presents legal and moral reasons why the Government of Canada should enact legislation to protect and revitalize Aboriginal languages. Offers examples of similar legislation enacted in the Northwest Territories and…

This report presents information on current developments in First Nations education in Canadian schools. A historical overview discusses traditional First Nations education, education provided by missionaries and the federal government, integration into provincial schools in the 1950s, and movement toward Indian controlled education. In 1971, a…

Native American college students often feel conflict between traditional holistic forms of knowledge and the compartmentalized knowledge encountered in college. University policies aimed at decreasing Native American student attrition must emphasize respect for cultural differences, education relevant to the Native American worldview, and…

Indian teachers are critical to the realization of quality education for the Indian population. Indians would be effective teachers of Indian identity, traditions, language, and psychology in addition to the usual subjects. Home-school and community-school relationships would likely improve if Native Indian staff were a significant presence in the…

Traces the history of Aboriginal education in Canada. Focuses on the development of Indian control of Indian education, beginning in the 1960s, and suggests the need for Aboriginal communities to free themselves from an educational system that hasn't worked and develop a local model of education that meets community needs and goals. (SV)

Calls upon Canadian Aboriginal communities to take control of their children's education by breaking free of inappropriate Western educational practices; moving from rhetoric to action in the areas of native language instruction, outdoor learning, involvement of Elders, and parent participation; and developing community-based evaluations of…

Officially recognized in 1973, the "Indian Control of Indian Education" policy articulated philosophy, goals, principles, and directions designed to create an effective educational climate for Canada Natives. The policy acknowledged the need to improve educational opportunities for Indians as a preparation for total living, as a means of…

The objective of the University of British Columbia's Native Indian Teacher Education Program (NITEP) is to increase the number of native Indian certified teachers by developing an alternative program of teacher education more appropriate to Indians' cultural heritage and educational background. Open only to students of Indian ancestry, NITEP…

The ten questions and their respective answers comprising this booklet illustrate a growing movement toward Indian control of Indian education. This movement is a policy of the National Indian Brotherhood of Canada based on parental responsibility and local control which recognizes that Indian people through their elected councils have the right…

Canadian government welfare agencies are taking Canadian Indian children from their parents in alarming numbers and endangering their cultural and social development. Most of the children are placed in non-native homes, resulting in identity crises leading to alcoholism and other social problems. This is a serious trend. The survival of Indian…

The emerging philosophy of Indian control of Indian education is the focus of this booklet. It embraces the belief that education should be controlled by the community and is most effective if it involves the community in the education process. Further, education should utilize the concept of cultural relevance to obtain its academic ends and must…