A Plan for American Indian Education in Montana. Recommended Goals.

Overview & Synopsis

This report lists recommendations made to the state administration, legislature, and various education administrative bodies, addressing the education of Indian people in Montana. The State of Montana and its education entities are asked to establish specific objectives, action plans, and evaluation strategies to complete the validation process of an educational sequence for American Indians in Montana. Problems include low educational attainment, high drop-out rates, high poverty rates, and high unemployment rates. Separate goals and suggested actions are recommended to the governor, the legislature, the Board of Regents, the Board of Public Education, the Office of Public Instruction, and the Local Boards of Trustees. The set of recommendations to each body includes statements of goals and suggested actions associated with each goal. The Montana Advisory Council for Indian Education conducted a statewide forum to gather information about the educational needs of Montana Indians. This work was followed by a retreat that developed strategies to address issues identified by forum participants. Additional input was gathered by the Montana Committee for American Indian Higher Education. Extensive appendices include a map of Montana reservations and tribes, policies pertaining to American Indian Education, mission statements and philosophies of various tribal groups, a definition of American Indian, and statistical data about Indian students in Montana from the Office of Public Instruction, the Montana University System, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Lists of participants in the three meetings conducted to gather information for this report are also included. The glossary contains frequently used acronyms. (KS)