Volume 11 Number 3
May 1972

SELF-DETERMINATION—Individual Responsibility" was the theme of the 13th annual Indian Education Conference held March 17-18 at Arizona State University, Tempe.

About 400 persons attended the event, which was co-sponsored by the ASU Center for Indian Education and the Phoenix Area Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Following a keynote address, participants broke into workshop sessions. These included BIA educational scholarship, boarding school, and employment assistance programs; education programs on the Navajo and San Juan (Utah) reservations; Title I, II, III and VI Federal programs; the Navajo-Hopi Teacher Corps at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff; the Gila River (Arizona) Career Center; and a community school concept/control on the Hopi Reservation.

Joe H. Herrera, executive director of the New Mexico Commission on Indian Affairs, Santa Fe, presented the keynote speech. He assessed the progress of Indian education within the past century, commenting that one must view such progress against the backdrop of world affairs—the emergence of new nations, the intense search for a meeting of minds and the making of a world community.

In concluding his speech, Mr. Herrera asked a dozen questions concerning BIA education policy. With a few of his lead-in comments on the Johnson-O’Malley Act of 1934, these relevant questions follow.

"Just like all other citizens, the Indian people must learn to develop cooperative programs with local governments and the state for the benefit of their tribal members without any lessening of the treaty rights or the value of these rights to their people. Indian education through the BIA, public and other school systems can also be a tool to bring Indian and non-Indian groups together. The continuing federal service status of Indian people will be a constant obstacle to assimilation as far as responsibility on the part of the Indian people is concerned for decision-making or ‘doing it for them.’ The Indian people are aware of their educational needs and they need to make their own decisions and thereby contribute to their own growth and development. To this I must add that, in the case of Indian youth, the weight of their tribal leaders’ decisions and expectations. Indians must, indeed, sooner or later answer some important questions regarding their future. They must become involved in the educational plans and decision-making so that they too can enjoy the sense of responsibility of achievement in their objectives and goals."

"Currently, Johnson-OMalley Act funds have been distributed on a basis which has caused many discrepancies in attempting to assist public schools in the development of programs of education for Indian children in the 22 states that receive such funds. It seems quite unfair for anyone to argue that Indian pupils in some states do not have the same needs as those in other areas. This is true right down to the local school districts, because in looking further, it is noted that some districts within each area are receiving a disproportionately high percentage of funds in relation to their percentage of JO’M pupils. These discrepancies can and should be corrected.

"Purpose: The Act as written is very broad (agriculture, welfare, education, health) but as is now used by BIA only provides special services to Indian children in public schools, services not otherwise available. Examples: remedial programs, school supplies, lunches, etc.

"Problem: Unequal distribution of JO’M funds across the nation: Alaska--$1,168 per pupil (highest); Arizona--$251; New Mexico--$188; Nevada--$71 (lowest); national average--$246 per pupil.

"Action. Each school district with Indian students must contract yearly to get JO’M funds; yet—most do not understand the purpose of the funds and either do not get all they could and/or waste them by lumping them in with general operating budget; or most attempt to maintain or expand current funding levels; right now BIA is attempting to reduce JO’M funds.

"The question which must be answered in order to even attempt to justify the present situation is, ‘How is this factor, need, measured?’ No sound means for measuring needs has so far been proposed or even used in the past. It is imperative that a method to meet the needs of Indian pupils must be developed.

"The role of school districts in utilizing JO’M (not lumping in with general operating funds) could be to resist budget cuts proposed by BIA and develop more special programs that JO’M alone can fund.

"Now for some specific questions about BIA education policy. Listen to them and see if any of them apply to your school system:

1. What is the BIA really doing to bring education under local Indian control? A resolution was passed one year ago by an Indian school board workshop held in Albuquerque, which has never been responded to. Why have all these workshops and get Indians excited about "take-over?" Should we consider contracts for local Indian educational control?

2. The BIA is to be congratulated on its "new" approach to employment assistance. In light of this new encouraging approach under the Reservation Accelerated Process (RAP), what procedure has been established to have Indians evaluate this new program? Will it be just another excitement, a division cover up, or will it be a true evaluation?

3. Why are Indian education programs neglecting the area of career education? While most school systems and the state departments of education are working with career education programs from kindergarten through high school and post-high school, some school systems are still working on programs such as the 3 Rs. Why don’t we work on tomorrow’s programs today—why keep working with yesterday’s programs or the old conventional education system?

4. What is being done by the schools to determine what skills are going to be needed on the reservations tomorrow so that realistic career development goals and objectives can be started today. These goals and objectives, you know, start in the early school years.

5. When are the Indian people and the school systems going to demand programs that are designed for the students actually sitting at their desks rather than trying to push and shove students into programs that have no meaning and little relevancy? Indian children are attending school but are they being given an education? Let us be active, evaluate what your money is being spent for.

6. Why must the BIA retain teachers who are not doing the job? Civil Service is far worse than any teacher tenure law. In so many cases the Peter Principle certainly applies.

7. Why is the BIA Employment Assistance/Adult Vocational, Training insisting on guiding students away from Haskell Indian junior College, Institute of American Indian Arts and Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute? Why send our Indian youth into the hostile environment of the bright lights of the big cities rather than to a school that is especially designed for Indian people? SIPI can accommodate 200 off-campus students and only 30 of these students are enrolled at SIPI.

8. When are the Indian people going to demand from local public school districts the services that Johnson O’Malley money is supposed to provide? Programs of evaluation need to be developed by BIA with the help of Indian people that can be used to determine if at local levels JO’M is being properly spent.

9. In terms of higher education, what is being done to bring about some uniformity from area to area? What are the real regulations? Who and what are the regulations to be enforced? This "can of worms" was recently opened and very promptly closed.

10. What programs in teacher education are being developed for those that are to teach the Indian youth? Most programs are using WASP methods to work with Indian youth with the only change being in examples used. Most Indian youth are free spirits—why confine them to a closed classroom? Let’s explore the ‘open education’ and career innovations.

11. Where in the BIA program or the public school program is the Indian youth taught those things that will confront him in his adult life? Credit, installment purchases, taxes, insurance, etc.

12. What about the special schools or boarding schools for the Indian social problem.? - Are they reform schools? Or schools designed and equipped to serve the youth that have real adjustment problems? Don’t condemn them—help them.

"Indian people are ready for innovation more than any other cultural group. Learning how to help is the big challenge. The local community is faced with the problem of bettering the situation for all children. Acceptance of responsibility on the part of the local community is a problem. Things will happen only when people want them to happen. The parents must see the need for changes before they can be made.

"It is the hope that all concerned working together will stimulate a fresh attack on Indian education and lead to good, solid, significant progress for the young Indian people along with all American youth with the objective that all youth be able to realize their full potential for a creative life in freedom and dignity."