This paper presents an overview of American Indian students' learning styles, world views, and communication styles, with implications for classroom techniques and teaching styles. Research has shown that American Indian and African American students are primarily right-brained in learning styles, while Anglo and Asian students are primarily…

Dr. Joshua Fishman, a world renowned sociolinguist and expert on endangered languages, postulates a continuum of eight stages of language loss for indigenous languages. The most-endangered languages are in stage 8 and only have a few elderly speakers. In stage 7 only adults beyond child-bearing age still speak the tribal language. In stage 6 there…

This report describes programs at New Mexico's colleges and universities that focus on the recruitment and retention of Native American Students. It also provides enrollment data for fiscal year 1995-96 and student retention data for three cohorts of students who enrolled as freshmen in 1993, 1994, and 1995. The report is based on a survey of all…

Rehabilitation counselors must stay apprised of numerous issues in their field. To help them remain current, this volume features 12 lessons which can count as continuing education credits. Lesson 1 explores issues surrounding Latino clients, focusing on cultural considerations, ethnic identity, and the counselor-client relationship. Sexuality…

A study examined the degree to which families with disabled children in remote areas of the Navajo Reservation were aware of and used family support services. Twenty-five undergraduate students enrolled in special education teacher training courses designed, implemented, and assisted in data analysis. Interviews and surveys were completed by 89…

This paper focuses on one aspect of a Four Directions Challenge in Technology Grant that deals with the use of telecommunications to facilitate the generation of technology-enhanced, culturally-relevant curriculum. The grant supports the position that technology offers an opportunity for Native Americans to tell their stories in their own voices…

The papers in this volume are all phonological in nature, and all but one of them are written within the framework of Optmality Theory. This volume includes work on a variety of languages: American Indian (Kiowa, Koasati, Shoshoni), Austronesian (Muna and Nancowry), Bantu (Tsonga), and Indo European (English and Spanish). The following articles…

Outmigration in the rural Upper Midwest prompted a group of citizens and University of South Dakota faculty to form the Center for the Advancement of Rural Communities (ARC). ARC considers how to stimulate traditionally competitive and isolated South Dakota peoples to collaborate for economic, social, educational, political, and cultural gains. As…

A rich artistic tradition developed in Mexico hundreds of years prior to the arrival of the Spanish. The indigenous people of Mexico created beautiful works of art that reflected their religious beliefs. Then the Spanish Conquest and colonization during the 1500s introduced Spanish beliefs and traditions to the region. This curriculum unit…

Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, from a settled area of upstate New York, arrived in Old Oregon Country (what is now eastern Washington) in 1836 to make a new home for themselves and their companions. This was also the land of the Cayuse Indians. This teacher's guide to the Whitman Mission Museum (Washington) is designed to develop an understanding of…

This book examines the presentation of American Indian music by elementary music educators in Oklahoma, which has the largest American Indian population of any state. A literature review covers an historical profile of multicultural music education, ethnomusicological studies of American Indian music, dissertations pertaining to American Indian…

The National Association for Native American Children of Alcoholics (NANACOA) initiated a strategy in 1995 to evaluate their programs and prevention efforts. The design and methodology of the project incorporated a "naturalistic" approach to help preserve cultural integrity and respect multiple perspectives. Data were gathered from…

This paper explores aspects of Indigenous knowledge on several levels and examines the role of Indigenous knowledge in Indigenous empowerment as the number and influence of Native people in academia increases. Indigenous peoples worldwide have a common set of assumptions that forms a context or paradigm--a collective core of interrelated…

Remarks of Alaska Native researcher and educator Paul Ongtooguk are presented. Alaska Native students perform worse on exit exams than any other population in the state. In the past, formal education was offered to Alaska Natives only if they gave up being Alaska Natives. The current system is not designed to solve the problems of Alaska Native…

This study investigated the effectiveness of a performance-based assessment (DISCOVER (Discovering Intellectual Strengths and Capabilities through Observation while allowing for Varied Ethnic Responses)) in identifying gifted minority middle school students. Research questions focused on examining the alignment between DISCOVER and Gardner's…