Journal of American Indian Education

Volume 6 Number 3
May 1967

ASU INDIAN EDUCATION CENTER:
AN OVERVIEW OF ACTIVITIES

 

Arizona State University was the first institution of higher learning, as early as 1954, to recognize the importance of Indian education and to respond by providing an integrated series of courses in this area. The Indian Education Center at ASU encompasses three inter-dependent areas: (1) teacher preparation; (2) research in Indian education; and (3) services to state, tribes, schools, and other interested agencies in matters related and pertaining to Indian education.

The Indian Education Center is designed to equip practicing and prospective teachers, both Indian and non-Indian, with an understanding of Indian tribes, and the techniques of applying this knowledge to cross-cultural educational problems. The Indian education courses are taught on both the graduate and undergraduate levels during the regular college semesters and the summer sessions. The teacher preparation facet of the Center stresses the necessity of understanding, respecting, and appreciating the culture and the customs of the Indian people. Because of this concept, many students enroll in these courses because they desire to work more adequately with the American Indian, and not necessarily teach. Arizona State University is the first in the United States to offer the master’s degree in the field of Indian education.

The research division of the Center includes major research sponsored by foundations and governmental agencies, as well as that sponsored locally. Some of the research conducted by the Center includes:

1. Higher education of Southwestern Indians with reference to success and failure.

2. Influence of type of school on Indian personality.

3. Analysis of the education of Arizona tribal leaders with reference to the kind of education best suited for leadership training.

4. Analysis of select Navaho needs with implications for Navaho education.

5. A quantitative study of Indian education in Arizona public schools.

6. A survey of selected aspects of Indian education as perceived by teachers with Indian children in select Arizona public schools.

7. Arizona Indian High School Student Demonstration Project. This project proposal has been approved by the Office of Economic Opportunity, Washington, DC. The student motivation program will begin in June, 1967.

The service division of the Center is designed to aid and assist all organizations and individuals concerned with the Indian and his education. The following list indicates some of the areas of existing services:

1. Field service trips to Indian reservations reflecting the needs and wishes of the Indian people.

2. Counseling, guidance, tutoring, and scholarship services to ASU Indian students.

3. Edit and publish thrice-yearly the Journal of American Indian Education, devoted exclusively to a discussion of problems, issues, and trends in Indian education.

4. The Center is prepared to perform consulting and survey type work for the tribes and school boards who have responsibilities in Indian education.

5. Extension educational courses are periodically held in various schools, throughout Arizona, as can be arranged.

6. Sponsor of the ASU Dawa-Chindi Indian Club.

7. Conferences in the area of Indian education as well as in related fields, are held regularly on campus.

The Indian Education Center and the College of Education is happy to host the annual Indian Education Conference on the Arizona State University campus. In the past years, the enthusiastic participation and the genuine interest of the Indian people and other interested people and agencies to this event has been outstanding. With this in mind, the Conference planning committee has always endeavored to present the most comprehensive agenda that could be formulated, keeping in mind the problems, hopes, accomplishments, and future planned programs of the various Indian tribes and governmental agencies.

During the summer of 1967, Indian education courses offered at ASU will be:

IE 591 Seminar—Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESL Workshop), May 31 to June 10.

IE 533 Guidance for the Indian Student, First Summer Session, June 12 to July 14.

IE 594 Workshop in Indian Education, Second Summer Session, July 17 to August 19.

Information regarding the Indian Education Center and its programs and activities should be directed to the Center, attention of:

Coordinator—Indian Education Center—College of Education

(Annex IV)--Arizona State University—Tempe, Arizona 85281.
 
 
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