This brief provides contextual information and descriptions of select programs and practices serving Native students, regarding state identification and support, representation of Native student interest, and locally created examples. The National Comprehensive Center's American Indian and Alaska Native Education Project developed this brief to…

A book published in 2002 offers a glimpse into the struggles of the first American Indian community-controlled school--Rough Rock Demonstration School--struggles that took place both within the community and with the federal bureaucracy. The conflict between self-determination in the development of a linguistically and culturally relevant…

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…

Presents an overview of the history of Navajo language literacy. Discusses efforts of missionaries to transcribe a written Navajo language, early native language instruction using the Bible and religious texts, the first Native teachers, development of Navajo dictionaries and grammar books, and memories of the school experiences of a present-day…

Kayenta Unified School District (KUSD) is located in the Navajo Reservation in Arizona. In addition to serving over 2,600 K-12 students, KUSD collaborates with the Navajo Nation and the Kayenta community to provide three early childhood education programs: Acceptance Belonging Caring (ABC) preschool, Navajo Nation Head Start, and Child Care…

This paper describes a federally funded language preservation program at Leupp Public School, part of Flagstaff (Arizona) Unified School District but located on the Navajo Reservation. Funded in 1997 for 5 years, this schoolwide project is designed to help elementary students become proficient speakers, readers, and writers of Navajo while…

This paper presents some preliminary findings from an opinion survey on the nature and depth of language and cultural studies to be included in school curricula as required by the Navajo Tribe's Language and Culture Mandate (1984). A 10-question survey was sent to 20 elementary and secondary schools in the Navajo Nation in New Mexico and Arizona.…

Weaves a Navajo elementary teacher's anecdotes from her own and her father's educational experiences with archival materials to provide a historical context for Navajo literacy. Discusses early written Navajo; the role of schools and churches in the expansion of written Navajo; and the advancement of Navajo linguistics during John Collier's…

This book recounts the Phoenix Indian School's history from 1935 to its closing in 1990. In the 1930s, the Bureau of Indian Affairs' philosophy of assimilation declined in importance, as evidenced by termination of the boarding school's militaristic discipline, greater recognition of tribal traditions, and early experimentation in bilingual…

The Family and Child Education (FACE) Program was instituted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs as an early intervention program to integrate Native American parents, families, and schools through family literacy, parent education, and culturally relevant early childhood education. Describes a FACE program at a Navajo community school, with examples…

Overviews issues affecting Native American and bilingual education including the unique cultural, linguistic, and educational needs of different Native American groups. Suggests that Native American communities need to gain control of their children's education to ensure the integral use of American Indian languages in tribal schools. Addresses…

Case studies compare Red Rock School District on the Navajo Reservation and Running Waters First Nation school system in Canada with regard to governance structures and their relationships to educational practices: bilingual and bicultural education, community participation, "transmission" versus interactionist pedagogy, and standardized versus…

In the past 25 years, both content and context of American Indian education have changed tremendously, largely due to a dynamic interplay between federal language policy and initiatives generated by Indian schools and communities. This paper integrates a historical analysis of federal language policy with comparative ethnographic data from Indian…

This report evaluates the Ganado Learning Arts Development Project (GLAD), a program implemented at the Ganado Primary School in Arizona. The school serves K-2 students from the Navajo reservation and emphasizes integration of traditional Navajo teachings and culture with Western knowledge. The report covers the following data: (1) student average…

Alternative resources, which differentiate language differences from language disorders among bilingual children, are needed for assessment of culturally and linguistically diverse students. Standardized testing is especially troublesome when there are few testing substitutes and no translations in their language, which may incorrectly identify…