Project HEED's (Heed Ethnic Education Deplorization) main emphasis in 1974-75 was to develop reading and cultural awareness skills for kindergarten through 4th grades in the 7 project schools on American Indian reservations in Arizona. In its 4th year of operation, the project (funded under Elementary and Secondary Education Title III) involved…

There are fewer American Indians in higher education than most other minority groups. Among the few who are enrolled, there is a large percentage of dropouts. It has been extremely difficult to recruit, select, and keep Indian students, even at the graduate level. Several recommendations for obtaining more active Indian participation in higher…

Effective leadership appears to be an element of a successful school, but few studies have covered either leadership in small and rural schools or effective schools with the ethnic mix of Anglo, Hispanic, and Native American students. This study's population consisted of the 24 New Mexico rural public elementary schools having an enrollment of 500…

Problems in the development of educational programs in isolated rural areas are caused primarily by lack of proper resources, enough students to efficiently conduct a quality educational program, and skill and expertise by those persons involved in the development of such a program. Major trends in education for American Indians and for people in…

1973-74 approximately 1,100 Indian students in grades 1 through 8 participated in Project HEED (Heed Ethnic Educational Depolarization) in Arizona. The project target sites were 59 classrooms at Sacaton, Sells, Peach Springs, San Carlos, Topowa, Many Farms, St. Charles Mission, and Hoteville. Primary objectives were: (1) improvement in reading…

Levels of educational and occupational aspiration and expectation of 139 male and female, rural, New Mexican, American Indian youth (sophomores and seniors) were examined. Utilizing questionnaires and fixed-choice stimulus questions, data were gathered to determine: educational and occupational aspirations and expectations; goal deflections for…

The disadvantagement of American Indian youth has long been of concern to various researchers. The major findings of recent research related to the achievement of Indian students in school are summarized in an effort to describe the extent of their disadvantagement. Nearly all of the studies reviewed showed the Indian student to be far behind…

Rural youth are a diverse group not only geographically, but socioeconomically, ethnically, and culturally as well. Historically, the rural student has not achieved as well as his urban counterpart in high school or in post secondary education. There is evidence that this is beginning to change and that rural students are doing as well or better…

Fixed-choice stimulus questions were distributed to students from 12 New Mexico rural high schools (randomly selected), and responses were derived from 139 Native, 171 Anglo, and 240 Mexican American students in the 10th and 12th grades. Responses indicated educational, occupational, and residential aspirations and expectations and goal…

An historical problem in the education of minorities has been that those responsible for minority education have isolated the educational process from the culture of the minority being served. This factor and others (cultural bias, lack of opportunity, and background) have contributed to lower levels of educational attainment of rural minorities…