An examination of the relevant literature reveals that "policy" means different things to different people. Among the concepts that emerge when these meanings are reviewed are that policies are intentional, decision-based, goal-oriented, and conditional; they lead to results, balance facts and values, and allocate resources; and they…

Supports the conversion of federal schools to band controlled schools, arguing that education patterns of federal schools are either inadequate or unsuitable to provide the education Indian students need. Outlines development of Indian education from 1600-1933, provides rationale for Indian control, and discusses four problems with band control.…

Synthesizes 30 selections by community education theorists to explore Native and European concepts of community and to develop a model of Native community schools. Describes community school features: community-based research and curriculum, extracommunity awareness, proactive problem solving, educational activism to meet local needs,…

Discusses goals of parent involvement and suggests effective strategies to involve parents and school officials in the education of Indian and Metis children. Covers current avenues for parent participation that schools provide as well as recent reform-oriented approaches that originate with native groups. (JHZ)

This book presents the voices of Navajo parents, students, educators, administrators, school board members, and politicians in Rough Rock, Arizona, home of a community based school for American Indian students. The Rough Rock Demonstration School, started in 1966, is lauded as an exemplary "experiment" in American Indian education. It…

Discusses conditions which led to the establishment of tribally controlled colleges, including the lack of an appropriate place in higher education for American Indians and conflicts with Euro/American value systems. Describes efforts of five tribal colleges and suggests that these programs help break the cycle of poverty on reservations. (MAB)

Through a series of organizational and instructional changes, comprehensive planning aims to make it possible for all children to reach the same high academic standards. Educators and parents of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students, as well as other members of tribal communities, must participate in this planning to ensure that the…

Indian-controlled education programs may be evaluated by involving community members/leaders; administrators/teachers/students; federal-provincial education officers. The advantages include heightening community awareness of strengths/weaknesses in education programs, allowing community control over nature/duration of evaluation, providing ongoing…

Argues for local control of education by Native Canadians. Position based on benefits of parent responsibility, rather than on criticism of Canadian Indian policy or treaties. Examines Indian education history, noting positive examples of Native communities taking educational responsibility. Concludes local control makes good educational policy.…

Rough Rock, Arizona, in the Navajo Reservation, is the first school to be run by a locally elected all-Indian school board and the first to incorporate systematic instruction in native language and culture. This demonstration program has led to changes in the community's social, economic, and political structures. Federal funding has both enabled…

The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwas in Minnesota developed casinos and invested the huge revenue in two new schools that teach their language, history, and culture. The article provides a history of the development of the schools and several tribe members' opinions of the casinos and the way the revenue is used. (SM)

In 1987-88, some 150 American Indian students, parents, tribal leaders, and educators participated in seven regional dialogues on the reforms needed in American Indian education. Participants gave a clear message that Indians want direct control over educational institutions serving their children, curriculum reform to make cultural retention an…

This paper presents personal reflections on factors in the preservation and stabilization of North American indigenous languages. All indigenous languages in North America are in danger of being lost. Linguistic and cultural minority communities must control the institutions that affect their lives if there is to be significant and sustainable…

Modified school years in First Nation schools contextualize the learning process by allowing student participation in traditional, seasonal, outdoor activities. Two case studies in which Hudson Bay area school officials unilaterally reintroduced the conventional calendar illustrate the important roles that First Nations education authorities can…