Examines current issues in American Indian and Alaska Native education.

After decades of national, state, and institutional initiatives to increase access to higher education, the college pipeline for American Indian and Alaska Native students remains largely unaddressed. As a result, little is known and even less is understood about the critical isues, conditions, and postsecondary transitions of this diverse group of students. Framed around the concept of tribal nation building, this monograph reviews the research on higher education for Indigenous peoples in the United States. It offers an analysis of what is currently known about postsecondary education among Indigenous students, Native communities, and tribal nations. Also offered is an overview of the concept of tribal nation building, with the suggestion that future research, policy, and practice center the ideas of nation building, sovereignty, Indigenous knowledge systems, and culturally responsive schooling.

In this comprehensive history of American Indian education in the United States from colonial times to the present, historians and educators Jon Reyhner and Jeanne Eder explore the broad spectrum of Native experiences in missionary, government, and tribal boarding and day schools. This up-to-date survey is the first one-volume source for those interested in educational reform policies and missionary and government efforts to Christianize and “civilize” American Indian children. Drawing on firsthand accounts from teachers and students, American Indian Education considers and analyzes shifting educational policies and philosophies, paying special attention to the passage of the Native American Languages Act and current efforts to revitalize Native American cultures.

This report summarizes findings of the 1990-91 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) with regard to schools that serve American Indian and Alaska Native students. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and federally recognized tribal organizations under BIA grants and contracts operate 149 elementary and secondary schools. In addition, 1,260 public schools are considered to have high Indian student enrollment (over 25 percent). These two types of schools are located mainly in rural areas and small towns. However, of the 445,425 American Indian and Alaska Native students enrolled in grades K-12, 56 percent attend public schools with low Indian enrollment. Chapters contain many data tables and figures and provide information for the three school types on the following: (1) school and student profiles (school size, rurality, region, student sex and race/ethnicity, bilingual education and remedial programs, free or reduced-price lunch, and college preparation); (2) demographic characteristics and qualifications of principals and teachers (percentage that are American Indian/Alaska Native, degrees earned, and administrative or teaching experience), schools with formal evaluation and mentoring programs for teachers, and percentage of full-time noninstructional staff; (3) principal and teacher salaries and benefits; (4) principal ratings of educational objectives, principal and teacher ratings of school problems, teacher and student absenteeism rates, principal beliefs about influence of various stakeholders on school practices, and principal career plans; and (5) teacher supply and demand, certification, and shortages, as well as teacher recruitment strategies. Appendices contain technical notes on the SASS and tables of variance estimates. Contains an index and a list of additional resources on the SASS. (SV)

"What is "Indian education" today? What will it look like in the future? These were the questions Karen Gayton Swisher and John W. Tippeconnic III posed to a dozen leading American Indian scholars and practitioners. They responded with the essays in Next Steps: Research and Practice to Advance Indian Education, which explore two important themes. The first is education for tribal self-determination. Tribes are now in a position to exercise full control of education on their lands. They have the authority to establish and enforce policies that define the nature of education for their constituents, just as states do for their school districts. The second theme is the need to turn away from discredited deficit theories of education, and turn instead to an approach that builds on the strengths of Native languages and culture and the basic resilience of Indigenous peoples. This second theme could be especially important for the 90 percent of Indian students who attend public schools. Next Steps is appropriate for multicultural and teacher education programs. It addresses facets of K-12 and post-secondary Native American education programs, including their history, legal aspects, curriculum, access, and achievement"--Back cover.

This sourcebook is a comprehensive compilation of data on American Indian and Alaska Native participation in higher education, primarily 4-year and 2-year universities and colleges, including tribal colleges. Data cover undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty, as well as student outcomes following graduation. Data sources include the National Center for Education Statistics, the Bureau of the Census, and various published surveys and reports. The introduction explains terminology, data limitations, and structure of the sourcebook. Chapters cover: (1) American Indian and Alaska Native demography and a historical overview of Native American postsecondary education in the United States; (2) Native American access to higher education in terms of high school performance and graduation, scores on college entrance examinations, and student risk factors; (3) Native postsecondary enrollment, 1976-94, (by institution level and control and student sex, attendance status, degree level, major field of study, institution, and state), as well as student persistence and graduation rates; (4) degree completions, characteristics of degree recipients, and institutions awarding the largest number of degrees to Native Americans; (5) receipt and use of student financial aid; (6) American Indian and Alaska Native college faculty and staff, salaries, tenure, and distribution; and (7) historical overview and highlights of each of the 30 tribal colleges. Many data tables and figures are included. Appendices contain 80 references, supplemental data tables for the first six chapters, standard error tables, a glossary and list of acronyms, and over 200 additional sources of information. (SV)