Volume 18 Number 1
October 1978

Arnold Wade and John Anderson

VISIBLE problems in Indian education are rapidly coming to the fore in many areas of the country, particularly where the Native American population comprises a significant portion of the community. The problems are not new, but are gaining visibility and exposure as both Indian and non-Indian alike gain in awareness of the differences between what exists and what could and should exist in terms of the educational treatment of this segment of the American populace. College educated Indians are returning to work on reservations rather than committing themselves to the "white man’s world" (see Note 1). There have undoubtedly been side effects from the relative successes of the "black power movement" and more recently, the "women’s movement." Obviously neither blacks nor women have yet reached full equality with the white Anglo-Saxon male in the eyes of many, as biases and prejudice do indeed die hard, but there have been gains for these groups. Native Americans, on the other hand, continue to "talk to the winds" as their voices remain unheard by those in control of educational systems in too many areas.

Reactions to this situation have been varied, but have generally not been favorable to the Native Americans. In 1970, President Richard Nixon recognized that dropout rates for Indians were twice the national average (see Note 2). In 1976, William Demmert also reported minimal parental involvement and a high school dropout rate of 39-48% for Native Americans (see Note 3). In one northern Wisconsin school system the current dropout rate for Indians is 80-85%. This "solution" to an untenable situation unfortunately only serves to perpetuate the problem, or even make the situation worse. If Native Americans continue to become undereducated, they will be less and less able to articulate their positions and problems to the bureaucracy which in many cases controls their fate.

Other better organized Indian communities have staged even more dramatic demonstrations of their dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs. Rick St. Germain described how the Lac Court Orielles Chippewas in Wisconsin rejected the school system and staged a mass walkout (see Note 1). Likewise, Native Americans of the Ojibwe Chippewa tribe near Hayward, Wisconsin, pulled completely out of the public school system in another massive protest.

Reservation schools are seen by the authors as a separate issue, perhaps more closely related to local autonomy, but the walkouts and separate facilities in dual-culture communities seem to be reactions to a number of basic problems. Members of the Indian community typically feel they have little or no input into traditional schools, obviously leading to a lack of involvement in the educational process. White teachers, students, and administrators seem to be unwilling to recognize, much less accept, Indian points of view, leading to feelings of alienation and insignificance. Typically public schools either can not or will not provide space for Indian cultural awareness programs though evidences of the values and influences of the dominant culture abound in any school setting. Regardless of the underlying reasons, there is research evidence to show that Indian students do not feel comfortable within traditional school settings which does affect their academic performance (see Note 7). Schafer has also recognized these phenomena as he stresses the importance of attitudes and feelings of pride among Native Americans (see Note 8). He additionally stresses the need for all students to have the opportunity to learn about the history and culture of the country’s original inhabitants.

The primary question, then, seems to be whether the "solution" of individually or collectively dropping out of existing schools is the best solution to these painfully evident problems. It would appear not. Havighurst (see Note 9) recently described the problem of Indian children as that of having to learn to live in two worlds. Given the importance of maintaining Indian culture, language, and customs, there still remains the necessity of learning to survive in the world of the dominant culture, for this is typically where the livelihood must be earned. The authors agree with Davis and Pyatskowit (see Note 5) that if this duality of existence is true, then the goal of Indian education must be to teach the Indian child to think and react effectively in both worlds. It is doubtful, however, that "Indian school systems" will be any better able to deal effectively with both worlds than "white school systems." What appears to be needed is a real blending of the two in a single system which is responsive to the needs of both. The ESEA Title III Indian Education Project at Ashland (Wisconsin) was such an attempt.

A needs accessment prior to the initiation of the project demonstrated that the problems in this community were not unique (see Note 10). Indian parents shared the same concerns about Indian education evidenced in the literature. Perceived prejudice of non-Indian school personnel, the lack of sufficient Indian employees in the system, lack of participation in school activities, and too few programs in the school oriented toward helping Indian children were among the major problem areas identified.

As a result, the project was begun with a focus on four major goals: 1) To develop a mutual understanding of each other’s problems through a system of communications between the schools and the Indian and non-Indian community. 2) To staff and develop a Native American Study Resource Center (NASRC) responsible for designing curricular offerings in the area of Native American history and culture and disseminating instructional materials throughout the school system (K-12). 3) To provide human relations training and bicultural education awareness through staff development. 4) To prepare students for immediate job placement, vocational training, and/or college training, through curricular and extra-curricular activities.

Staff and materials for the project were funded through ESEA while office space, a room for a Career Information Center, and room for the NASRC were provided by the school system. Although specific objectives and means of goal achievement were modified over the three years of special funding for the project, the basic directions and overall goals remained firm.

A large amount of effort was expended on the first goal of improved communication and school-community relations. Channels of communication were slowly, but steadily, developed through the local news media in order to raise community awareness of Indian activities and viewpoints. Special efforts were made by project staff to keep the Indian community informed of school events and situations. A monthly newsletter was published and distributed to Indian parents and others connected with the project reporting information and containing articles, stories, and poems written by Indian students. The end result has in fact been improved communications. Local media are willingly accepting numerous articles and releases concerning Indian projects and activities; Indian parents are becoming increasingly involved with the school, making more visitations and holding more conferences related to the education of their children; and Indian students are increasingly using the newsletter as a vehicle for expressing their thoughts and views on a wide variety of topics.

The second goal of staffing and maintaining a Native American Study Resource Center has been one of the major successes of the project. The (Native American) director of the center has offered several courses in Native American history and culture during the second and third years of the project. The center has accumulated a wide variety of multi-media materials which are utilized by both staff and students at the school, and teachers at all grade levels have begun to incorporate units on Native Americans in their regular classroom activities. As with any "new" idea, the original tentative agreements to incorporate some of the materials were followed by increasingly enthusiastic acceptance and requests for additional holdings in a variety of areas.

The third goal of human relations training and bi-cultural education awareness for staff posed particular problems. It is obviously impossible to mandate attitudinal changes and the disappearance of prejudices and biases. All activities relating to this goal were thus, by necessity, on a voluntary basis. Nevertheless, 60% of the school staff agreed to participate in a series of Teacher Effectiveness Training sessions during the initial project year. Approximately 25% continued in voluntary human relations training programs the second year, and over 30% were active and enthusiastic participants in the structured bi-cultural awareness activities provided for them. While this approach has not completely "turned the system around" in terms of Indian education, it has made a significant impact on a large portion of the school staff and subsequently on the general school climate.

The final goal of preparing students more adequately for later life activities can obviously not be fully evaluated until students actually enter the outside world. Several programs, however, were instituted in this area. A Career Information Center (supplemental to the school’s guidance program) was established. A special tutoring program in reading was set up utilizing volunteers from nearby Northland College. A study skills course was implemented in addition to the courses offered through the NASRC, with the result that students completing the course demonstrated significant gains in both knowledge of study skills and grade point average.

This four-pronged attack upon the problems facing Indian education within current school systems would appear to provide a successful and viable alternative to separate facilities and/or high attrition rates in other communities. Indian students can be given an identity within the general framework of "traditional" schools. Dominant culture school personnel can be sensitized to the special problems of minority culture students within their systems. Indian students can begin to learn to function in two worlds as Havighurst suggests they must, and it can be done in the setting where it makes the most educational sense to do it—school systems which currently reflect the values clashes existing in the "outside world." While neighboring systems continue to have increasing problems in Indian education, Native American students at Ashland are demonstrating an increased awareness of their own identity as well as the ability to participate in the dominant culture. A once defunct "Native American Club" was revived during the second project year with an active membership of 30 students. At the same time, grades have risen and participation in extra-curricular activities increased dramatically.

The most encouraging (and most vital) part of the whole experiment is that it appears to be a continuing phenomenon which will not expire with the federal funding. The Native American culture courses have already been integrated into the school curriculum, and the School District employed the NASRC Director for the 1977-78 school year to continue these offerings. The conscious awareness of many teachers has been raised with regard to the plight of Indian education. The materials purchased through project funding will remain in the school and the steadily increasing usage by teachers would indicate that they will continue to be utilized throughout the system. And the authors are extremely hopeful that through projects such as this one, incorporating needed elements of Native American heritage and culture into existing school systems, we can indeed make a new start in Indian education.

1. Indian School Challenge Cited," The Milwaukee Journal, July 28, 1976.

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

3. Demmert, W. G., Jr., "Indian Education: Where and Whither," American Education, 12: 6-9, August, 1976.

4. Cooper, R. and Gregory J., "Can Community Control of Indian Education Work?" Journal of American Indian Education, 15: 7-10, May, 1976.

5. Davis, T. and Pyatskowit, A. "Bicognitive Education: A New Future for the Indian Child?" Journal of American Indian Education, 15: 14-20, May, 1976.

6. Moorefield, S. "Indians In Charge Here," American Education, 10: 6-10, October, 1974.

7. Adams, W. S. An Evaluation of Title IV - B Communications Project, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 1975.

8. Schafer, P. J. "Education for American Indians," The Clearing House, 50: 145-146, December, 1976.

9. Havighurst, R. The National Study of American Indian Education, Recommendations and Summary to the National Indian Education Advisory Committee, 1970.

10. "New Start in Indian Education," Title III ESEA Proposal, Ashland Unified School District, Ashland, Wisconsin, 1974.