Journal of American Indian Education
Abstracts — 2003

Vol. 42, #1 - Special Issue

Celebrating Tribal Colleges and Universities American Indian Higher Education Consortium

TRIBAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES: A TRADITION OF INNOVATION
Gerald E. Gipp; Susan C. Faircloth Vol. 42, #1, pp. 2-5, 2003

The Journal of American Indian Education is pleased to publish this second of two special issues celebrating the advances and innovations in American Indian Higher Education of the past 30 years.

This second special issues honors the founding of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), the national advocacy organization for Tribal Colleges and Universities. Most appropriately, our guest editor for this second issues is Dr. Susan Faircloth, Director of Policy Analysis and Research at AIHEC. She has gathered together and worked closely with the authors of six invited examples of current research and innovation in Tribal Colleges and Universities. While they individually provide insight into the history, evolution and current programs at Tribal Colleges and Universities, their composite story provides an excellent year 2003 snapshot of the issues, challenges, and promising practices of tribally controlled community colleges and universities. The composite also suggests to our readers an outline of the future directions of these innovative institutions of higher education.

EVENTS LEADING TO THE PASSAGE OF THE TRIBALLY CONTROLLED COMMUNITY COLLEGE ASSISTANCE ACT OF 1978
Janine Pease-Pretty Vol. 42, #1, pp. 6-21, 2003

This study of the Tribally Controlled Community College Assistance Act was conducted to examine the American Indian constituent influence on the events that effected the development of this policy. Primary source documents and participant interviews revealed the constituent role and perspective of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), the Executive Branch of the federal government, the United States Congress, and national Indian organizations. This study highlights the remarkable unity of purpose exhibited by the tribal colleges throughout this process, beginning with the initial proposal to Congress in 1974, and including the 1976 debates regarding tribal control, the enactment of Public Law 95-471 in 1978, and the awarding of grants in 1980.

A TRIBAL COLLEGE LAND GRANT PERSPECTIVE: CHANGING THE CONVERSATION
John L. Phillips Vol. 42, #1, pp. 22-35, 2003

With the passing of The Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994, Tribal Colleges and Universities joined an ongoing land grant conversation that has been taking place since 1862. This paper proposes a framework of guiding principles for a tribal college land grant perspective that begins to shift the 140-year-old conversation to one of cultural sensitivity and mutual understanding. The author draws upon six years of tribal college land grant experience to suggest a new discourse centered on culture that incorporates tribal concepts of holism, sacredness, cultural identity, and cultural viability. The author argues that a fundamental shift in the land grant dialog is vial before the full potential of a tribal college land grant vision can be realized.

TRIBAL COLLEGES: PLAYING A KEY ROLE IN THE TRANSITION FROM SECONDARY TO POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION FOR AMERICAN INDIAN STUDENTS
Donna Brown Vol. 42, #1, pp. 36-45, 2003

Tribal colleges were created to provide access to quality higher education for American Indians. One of the goals of tribal colleges is to prepare students fur further study at mainstream institutions when their program of study is not available at the tribal college level. The unique benefits of attending tribal colleges include the convenience of being able to remain close to home and family, the cultural components of the tribal college curriculum, and a strong sense of community. This study affirms, from the student’s perspective, the reasons American Indian students benefit from attending tribal colleges. The primary method of data collection in this qualitative study was in-depth interviewing. The article concludes with recommendations to ease the transfer process for those students who intend to transfer to a mainstream institution after their tribal college experience.

CREATING MEANINGFUL STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS FOR AMERICAN INDIAN POSTSECONDARY STUDENTS
J. Anne Calhoon; David Wildcat; Cynthia Annett;Raymond Pierotti; Wendy Griswold Vol. 42, #1, pp. 45-57, 2003

This article describes the development of a study abroad exchange experience for American Indian students enrolled at Haskell Indian Nations University, Lawrence, Kansas, and Altaian students enrolled at Gorno-Altaisk State University, Altai Republic, Siberia. Students and faculty engaged in numerous activities designed to develop mentored learning experiences, connectedness with the greater Indigenous community, and knowledge and experience for students working in various areas of science and liberal arts.

THE TRIBAL ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT APPROACH TO INDIAN EDUCATION AND STUDENT ASSESSMENT
Gigi Berardi, Dan Burns, Phillip Duran;Roberto Gonzalez-Plaza; Sharon Kinley;Lynn Robbins; Ted Williams; Wayne Woods Vol. 42, #1, pp. 58-74, 2003

The tribal Environment and Natural Resources Management (TENRM) program at Northwest Indian College is a pilot program intended to provide an education in environmental science that is grounded in the American Indian and Alaska Native perspectives and traditions crucial to tribal survival. Northwest Indian College is a tribal college located in Washington State. The college is chartered by the Lummi Nation.

CHIEF DULL KNIFE COMMUNITY IS STRENGTHENING THE NORTHERN CHEYENNE LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
Richard E. Littlebear (Ve’kesôhnestoohe) Vol. 42, #1, pp. 75-84, 2003

The loss of American Indian languages has recently accelerated to such an extent that the majority of those who speak them have become highly concerned. Our Native languages can help and should help us to preserve identities. No language should ever have to die. To prevent language death, what is needed by those working to strengthen endangered languages is careful and considerate planning.

Vol. 42, #2

A COMPARISON OF PERSONAL ASSESSMENTS OF THE COLLEGE EXPERIENCE AMONG RESERVATION AND NONRESERVATION AMERICAN INDIAN STUDENTS
Terry Huffman Vol. 42, #2, pp. 1-16, 2003

This article compares the college experiences of one group of American Indian students who were raised primarily on a reservation with a second group who were reared primarily in nonreservation areas. Students were asked to evaluate their collegiate experiences in terms of perceived academic difficulties, financial difficulties, personal/social difficulties, satisfaction with college, difficulty in the transition to college, and impact of college experience on an appreciation of American Indian heritage. Two seemingly opposing differences were revealed from the students reared on a reservation. They were more likely to report academic difficulties and more difficulty with the transition to college; however, they were also more likely to report that being in college had resulted in a greater appreciation of American Indian heritage.

DOES CULTURAL PROGRAMMING IMPROVE EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES FOR AMERICAN INDIAN YOUTH?
Kristin Powers; Sandra J. Potthoff;Linda H. Bearinger; Michael D. Resnick Vol. 42, #2, pp. 17-49, 2003

This study examined the influence of cultural programming on American Indian school outcomes. Ecological systems theory suggests that school learning is a result of multiple, complex transactions. Thus, the effects of cultural programming over and above other proven contributors to school success were analyzed. Structural equation modeling, which allows for the study of multiple variables and their interactions upon school outcomes, was used to evaluate extant data collected from 240 urban American Indian youth. The results of this exploratory study indicated that cultural programming moderately, and largely indirectly, influences student outcomes. The strongest predictor of school success appeared to be the extent to which schools provide supportive personnel and safe and drug-free environments.

USING THE WISC-III WITH NAVAJO CHILDREN: A NEED FOR LOCAL NORMS
Mary J. McLellan; Leah Nellis Vol. 42, #2, pp. 50-60, 2003

A local normative sample of Navajo children’s performance on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Third Edition (WISC-III) was completed for this study. A brief review of past research in this area and some of the fallacies of performance testing is followed by the results of this study. There were 185 children of Navajo descent who were attending one of two schools on the western edge of the reservation that were administered the WISC-III according to standardized procedures. A brief discussion of the utilization of the WISC with Navajo children is presented along with implications of performance testing. Results provided a procedure to convert WISC-III scores, enabling a direct comparison of Navajo children to their Navajo counterparts. Adjusted scores for the verbal scales are presented.

Vol. 42, #3

THE DYNAMICS OF TRIBAL COLLEGE-STATE UNIVERSITY COLLABORATION
Timothy J. Nichols; Diane Kayongo-Male Vol. 42, #3, pp. 1-24, 2003

Collaboration between tribal colleges and state universities is a common, oftentimes necessary approach for the effective development and delivery of higher education programs for American Indians. Still, little research pertains directly to this topic. This qualitative study, featuring interviews with state university and tribal college collaborators in the upper Midwest, contributes to a new model for understanding factors that influence this process. Model components include contextual, individual, and organizational factors; collaboration and empowerment; and outcomes.

THE IMAGE OF THE SCIENTIST THROUGH THE EYES OF NAVAJO CHILDREN
Rebecca M. Monhardt Vol. 42, #3, pp. 25-39, 2003

The study describes data collected from the Draw-a-Scientist Test (DAST) that was administered to 94 Navajo elementary students in grades 4-6 to determine their perceptions toward science and scientists. The DAST is a useful assessment instrument for teachers interested in addressing stereotypes students may hold related to science. A commonly used checklist (DAST-C) was used to score student drawings. In looking only at the numerical scores, it would appear that Navajo students generally have a much less stereotypical view of scientists than other populations reported from previous studies. However, a low score on the checklist may actually indicate that a student has no conception whatsoever of what a scientist is. Interviews with individual students were also conducted to clarify items depicted in the drawings. The Navajo student drawings provided additional information unique to this sample that offers valuable insight into students’ perceptions, beliefs, and values. This information may be useful to science educators who are interested in developing a culturally relevant science curriculum for Navajo students.

SUCCESSFULLY EDUCATING URBAN AMERICAN INDIAN STUDENTS: AN ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL FORMAT
Rhonda Baynes Jeffries; Lyndon Carson Singer Vol. 42, #3, pp. 40-57, 2003

An exemplary educator led the creation of a culturally appropriate secondary alternative school that refused to replicate the status quo, providing a haven for American Indian students who failed to connect with traditional high school settings. The case study method was used, specifically focusing on the school as the unit of analysis, describing and analyzing the responses of one administrator and three American Indian students to these practices. The words of one student aptly summarize this study, "I think that the people that went to the school that I used to go to - all the Whites and Blacks and Hispanics - if they came here, they would be a lot different."