This paper explores the representation of the human body through the literature and art of early India. From its beginning, Indian art has employed an uninterrupted iconic mode of representation that focuses on an anthropomorphic mimesis to describe desire, devotion, and ascetic denial. The paper focuses on the earliest such representations of the…

The concept of learning styles is based on the theory that an individual responds to educational experiences with consistent behavior and performance patterns. The complexity of the construct, the psychometric problems related to its measurement, and the enigmatic relationship between culture and the teaching and learning process means that the…

Two features limit the value of legislatively mandated high-stakes tests such as Alaska's Benchmark and High School Graduation Qualifying Exam as accountability tools in the current standards-driven environment. First, the sheer numbers of tests administered have led to a reliance on multiple choice and short-answer questions, with only minimal…

This paper reports a case study of Rajesh, a highly motivated and successful Asian Indian youth who has a severe form of spina bifida, a complex condition of the central nervous system. The paper also describes the demographics and discusses the child rearing practices of Asian Indian families, explains family structure and role relationships in…

School-based drug abuse prevention programs have been a standard approach in American Indian communities for three decades, but the evidence for their effectiveness is meager. However, it is unreasonable to expect that schools alone could have a major impact on a behavior that has multiple and interactive social causes. It would be folly to…

As part of a larger study of systemic education reform in rural Alaska, this case study examines the school improvement process undertaken in Yupiit School District (YSD). YSD consists of three Yupiaq villages in southwest Alaska that joined together in 1984 to form the Yupiit Nation and to run their own schools. In 1992 a district-level…

As part of a larger study of systemic educational reform in rural Alaska, this case study examines implementation of the Alaska Onward to Excellence (AOTE) process in Koyukuk, a small Athabascan village on the Yukon River in western interior Alaska. The village has a K-10 school with an enrollment of 19-41 students during the study period. A…

This fact sheet describes the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children Program overall and includes descriptions of 22 specific programs. The program was authorized by Congress in 1992 and provides federal funds through demonstration grants to states, communities, and Native American tribes. The program currently administers 22…

Traditional Ojibway education is currently being delivered by eight First Nations communities on Manitoulin Island and the north shore of Lake Huron, in Ontario. Integration into the formal school system, with the exception of language programs, is not formally established. Elders and traditional teachers are only invited by individual teachers.…

The World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education (WIPCE) has been held every 3 years since 1987. The conference brings together indigenous peoples from around the world to share their similar struggles to improve indigenous education. The first five conferences were held in British Columbia, New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii, and New Mexico. In…

This final report discusses the activities and outcomes of the Navajo Assistive Bank of Loanable Equipment (Navajo-ABLE), a federally funded program designed to provide assistive technology (AT) devices, services, technical information, funding information, and training for Navajo children and youth with disabilities. The program was operated and…

Colorado's residents are reminded of the land's past residents, the Northern San Juan Ancestral Puebloans. Their artifacts are encountered throughout the state. What can people learn from the Ancestral Puebloans about how to live on this landscape? The "Escalante Pueblo Curriculum" is designed to enhance a teacher's options for…

This paper provides an overview of dropout rates in New Mexico and reports the perceptions of Hispanic and Native American students on dropout-related issues. New Mexico has the third highest dropout rate in the nation. Over 7,500 students in New Mexico drop out each year, and many schools lose 30-50 percent of their students. Dropout rates are…

Previous studies found that the small size of schools or school districts mitigated the negative influence of poverty on academic achievement in California, Alaska, and West Virginia. The Matthew Project extends this research in four additional states selected to provide varied settings. Montana has a remarkable number of small schools and small…

Looking to the year 2000 and beyond, this digest explores the lack of individuals entering the fields of science, especially underrepresented minority students such as Blacks, Hispanics, and American Indians. Sections include: (1) "Changing Demographics"; (2) "Status of Minorities in Science"; (3) "Barriers to…