Latham's 13 recommendations to improve BIA schools reflect an ethnocentric assimilationist viewpoint that ignores both the history of Indian education and research on Indian, bilingual, and multicultural education. Additive educational programs that teach both English and Native language/culture create the conditions for student success. Contains…

The goal of assimilating American Indians into an alien culture seemed inevitable as superior weaponry and foreign diseases conquered the Indians. Only in the 20th century has serious consideration been given to allowing Indians to choose their own destiny. Using many excerpts from historical accounts, this book describes educational efforts by…

Underscores the need for specialized native teacher training programs, describing university and community college programs fulfilling this need. Discusses the necessary anthropological, sociological, and historical foundations of Native American education. Highlights instructional methodologies for native students, including culturally responsive…

Presents indigenous language revitalization resources, primarily organizations, web sites, and recent publications that are likely to be readily available on the Internet, in bookstores and university libraries, or by interlibrary loan. Includes listings of programs and organizations; videos; Internet indexes, sites, and discussion groups; books;…

This brief retrospective outlines major points in the history of American Indian education and major issues in Indian curriculum and teacher training. From the arrival of Europeans until recent times, formal schooling for American Indians has been controlled by others--first missionaries, then the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). After World War…

Describes the influence of the Progressive Education movement, with its emphasis on experiential learning and community schools, on Bureau of Indian Affairs schools during the 1930s. Discusses the subsequent development of bilingual education programs for American Indian students and offers recommendations for improving the education of Navajo…

Based on dropout research, testimony from task force hearings, and the theoretical framework of school-home cultural discontinuity, school-based causes of Indian dropouts are identified: large schools, uncaring or untrained teachers, passive teaching methods, culturally inappropriate curriculum and testing, tracked classes, and lack of parent…

Examines the 20-year trend toward American Indian control of Indian education, the growth of tribal colleges, and the importance of community involvement in education. Focuses on the Native American Languages Act, the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force and its 10 goals for Native education, and the White House Conference on Indian Education. (SV)

American Indian and Alaska Native students have the highest dropout rate among all ethnic or racial groups, about 30%. Many studies have focused on the supposed deficits of students who drop out, such as intelligence, school attendance, and parental income. Less attention has been given to the deficits of schools and teachers pushing out Native…

Reviews three new books about the current political battle over bilingual education, focusing on: bilingual education theory and the importance of transformative pedagogy; political analysis of bilingual education and key issues in indigenous language loss; and politics of multiculturalism. Discusses the maturation of bilingual education since…

Asserts that there is specific research-based knowledge that teachers of American Indian and Alaska Native students can access which is usually not taught in their preservice programs, discussing research from Native and non-Native sources regarding: anthropological, sociological, and historical foundations of Native education; culturally…

A collection of photographs published by the Heart Butte Bilingual Program depicts student life in Heart Butte on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in northern Montana. Each photograph is captioned both in first-grade English and in Blackfeet. Included are Photographs of the community center, a general store, a church, the Heart Butte school, a…

This digest summarizes ways to help young American Indian and Alaska Native children become fluent readers. There are numerous reading intervention programs, each with its own set of claims and counter-claims. Phonics approaches are designed for standard English speakers, and students with limited English abilities end up parroting what they read…

This digest briefly summarizes the literature on preparing educators to promote the success of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students. Success in Native terms means not only academic achievement but also the development of the whole person. Spirituality and reciprocity (giving back to others) are vital to Indian learning. Teachers must…

Inservice programs are needed to make rural teachers of Native American students more responsive to their unique needs and to increase educational relevance by integrating material from Native culture. Suggestions for teacher inservice programs include Native educational history, dropout research, sociocultural factors, language development, and…