Journal of American Indian Education

Volume 15 Number 3
May 1976

CAN COMMUNITY CONTROL OF INDIAN EDUCATION WORK?

Robert Cooper and Jack Gregory

Robert Cooper is a graduate of the Master’s degree program in Indian Education at Arizona State University. He received his B.S. in Elementary Education from Rhode Island College, Providence.

Jack Gregory is an Assistant Professor on leave from the University of West Florida. At present a graduate assistant for the Center for Indian Education, he is a doctoral student at Arizona State University.

In THE coming years, Indian communities will be contracting for the operation of their schools. Recent legislation has provided a long needed move towards local control of community education. Alvin M. Josephy Jr., in his study of the Bureau of Indian Affairs of 1969, stated: "Indians had long asserted, but usually to deaf ears, that the individual tribes knew better than the government what kinds of programs they needed and wanted, and that if they could play decisive roles in the planning of such programs, they could with technical and financial assistance, demonstrate an ability to learn quickly, to administer, and to execute them successfully" (see Reference 1). The facts and figures are well known that cite the tragedies of the failure of Indian education in the past.

President R. M. Nixon recognized, "One of the saddest aspects of Indian life in the United States is the low quality of Indian education. Drop-out rates for Indians are twice the national average and the average educational level for all Indians under federal supervision is less than six school years. Again at least a part of the problem stems from the fact that the federal government is trying to do for Indians what many Indians could do better for themselves" (see Reference 2).

On January 4, President Ford signed S. 1017, the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1974, sponsored by Senate Interior and Insular Affairs Chairman Senator Henry M. Jackson, D-Washington, and it was immediately heralded by Washington insiders as the "most important Indian landmark legislation since 1934," during the Indian New Deal of Commissioner John Collier. BIA Commissioner Morris Thompson views the new contract enabling act as one which will characterize his remaining years at the Bureau. The bill authorizes tribal takeovers in vast fashion and includes major innovations in the educational field. (see Reference 3)

Community control of education means that the people would make decisions on the school staff, school facilities, and what would be taught in the classroom. It could also bring about a rebirth of the people’s faith in themselves and their culture. The home, the school and the total community could combine to bring about a new purpose on the part of the people. A maximum use of the school building could serve the needs of all the members of the community. By working toward a common set of goals, the entire community could come together to seek solutions to their problems. Community control of education could aid in reducing: poverty, by providing not only a higher level of education, but at the same time, it would be teaching students pride in themselves as members of their community.

Many skeptics, both Indian and non-Indian, will ask "Can the American Indian run his own school?"

Quite a few students have turned their attention to the writing of educational histories of various tribal groups. Most illuminating is that of the Five Civilized Tribes, and especially the Cherokee. It is a mistake to think that formal education is entirely a device which the white man has sought to impose upon the Indian. As early as 1791 the Senecas were begging General Washington for teachers so that their men might be taught to farm and build houses, their women to spin and weave, and their children to read and write. The Cherokees quickly perceived that knowledge and education were useful and they set about to build their own school system, controlled by themselves, supported with tribal funds. The several biographies of Sequoya reveal the crucial role which that remarkable man played in the process. By 1852 the Cherokees had a flourishing school system of 21 schools, two academies, and an enrollment of 1,100. The Choctaws were only a little behind the Cherokees, and these were soon followed by Creeks, Chickasaws, and Seminoles. It is interesting to speculate how different the situation might be today had the Indians retained control of their school system, rather than having it fall into the hands of a paternalistic government. (see Reference 4)

A modest start of educational self-determination began in 1970-71 school year with contract schools organized in four areas. Those four local schools were directed by all-Indian school boards under contract with the BIA according to, Information About . . . BIA, 1971 (see Reference 5). From this beginning several more schools have come into existence and as of, "1972-73 school year, there were 13 such schools operated by the Indian communities they serve" (see Reference 6).

It is a commonly held belief that passage of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975 was the vital legislation needed that would enable Indian communities to assume their rightful role in control of their own life-ways. The act states in section three, Declaration of Policy:

The Congress hereby recognizes the obligation of the United States to respond to strong expression of the Indian people for self-determination by assuring maximum Indian participation in the educational as well as other federal services to Indian communities so as to render such services more responsive to the needs and desires of those communities.

The Congress declares its commitment to the maintenance of the federal government’s unique and continuing relationship with and responsibility to the Indian people through the establishment of a meaningful Indian self-determination policy which will permit an orderly transition from federal domination of programs for and services to Indians to effective and meaningful participation by the Indian people in the planning, conduct, and administration of those programs and services. (see Reference 7)

President G. R. Ford adequately reviews the ramifications of the act in his "Statement by the President upon signing the bill into law," on January 2, 1975:

1 have signed into law S. 1017, the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. My administration is committed to furthering the self-determination of Indian communities without termination of the special relationships between the federal government and the Indian people . . .

Title I of this act gives the permanence and stature of law to the objective of my administration of allowing--indeed encouraging--Indian tribes to operate programs serving them under contract to the federal government. Furthermore, with the passage of this act Indian communities and their leaders now share with the federal government the responsibility for the full realization of this objective. It will be through the initiatives of Indian communities that the authorities provided in this act be implemented. I urge these communities to make the fullest possible use of them and pledge the support of this Administration.

In addition to making this kind of contracting a right, the act does much to make it feasible and practical. For example, it authorizes the Bureau of Indian Affairs to make grants to tribal organizations to help them develop the abilities of potential workers--through training and other means to operate these programs. At the request of the tribes, it also allows federal employees who work in programs transferred to tribal operations to continue working without losing federal fringe benefits, thus making it possible for the tribe to begin operation with a nucleus of experienced employees.

The enactment of this legislation marks a milestone for Indian people. It will enable this administration to work more closely and effectively with the tribes for the betterment of all the Indian people by assisting them in meeting goals they themselves have set. (see Reference 8)

We have been contracting for several years in various forms. Currently there are several contract schools in operation across the country. A Piman community south of Phoenix, called Blackwater, decided that they wanted to control their own school. The community people and the Bureau of Indian Affairs began contract negotiations and in the school year 1968-69, "Blackwater Community School" became a reality. This community contract school has been operating for seven years now and has been a great source of pride for the Blackwater community. It is operated by the Blackwater District (of the Gila River Indian Community) School Board, in conjunction with the Blackwater Community School Parent-Teacher Organization, the Blackwater Community School Title IV (Indian Education Act of 1972) Parent Advisory Council, and the principal teacher. These combined organizations select the staff, prepare the budget, and plan and revise the curriculum.

The school now consists of 52 children, in Head Start, kindergarten, and first grade. There are two teachers, four aides, a clerk and two cafeteria workers beside the principal-teacher. The only staff members who are not members of the community are one of the teachers and the principal-teacher. The Head Start teacher, a former aide, was certified by the community to become the teacher last year. The principal-teacher expects that within five years the school will be entirely staffed by members of the community.

Every January the school’s operating budget is negotiated with the local BIA agency. Then in May the agreed-upon figure is submitted and in September the money arrives for that school year (see Reference 9).

We now stand on top of the mountain, about to walk down the other side into a valley of sunshine, with a new ray of hope called Indian self-determination. Hopefully, we will realize that our future as a people rests in a rediscovery of our Indian roots. We must accept the challenge of creating a well-ordered and meaningful school system in all our communities.

Should we fail, it is not likely that we will be given another chance. Civilization is in mortal danger, because the spirit has been lost in today’s society, and as Crazy Horse said: "It is hard to hold a Great Vision" (see Reference 10). Let us now demonstrate our spirit, our great vision and lead the way to a better tomorrow for our children and theirs. The job of educating Indian people is an awesome responsibility. A new threshold of opportunity has been opened by the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975. Future success or failure now rests in our hands.

References

1. U.S. Senate Report, Indian Education: A National Tragedy—A National Challenge, 1969, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.

2. R. M. Nixon, "A New Era for the American Indian," 1970, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.

3. Five Tribes Journal, "Most Important Indian Legislation Since 1934," Vol. 1, No. 2, March-April, 1975, p. 29.

4. Jeannette Henry (Ed.), American Indian Reader’s Education, p. 36, 1972, The Indian Historian Press, Inc., San Francisco.

5. Information About . . . BIA, 1971, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.

6. Indian Education: Steps to Progress in the 70s, 1973, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.

7. Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, 1975, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.

8. G. R. Ford, "Statement by the President upon Signing the Bill into Law," 1975, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.

9. C. Moyab, Blackwater School, 1973, unpublished.

10. OR. Strickland, "It Is Hard To Hold a Great Vision; The American Indian and American Ideals in the Next Two Hundred Years," 1975, unpublished.

Also Cited:

1. B. Cooper, "Community Control of Indian Education," 1975, unpublished.

2. B. Cooper and J. Gregory, The People’s Guide to Setting Up an Indian Contract School. And a Resource Guide to Organizations and Materials.
 
 
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