Native American Education: A Reference Handbook. Contemporary Education Issues.

Overview & Synopsis

This handbook presents information and resource materials on various aspects of Native American education. Chapters 1-2 trace the history of Native education in the 18th-20th centuries, including the loss of Indian lands and movement west, Christian conversion and acculturation as the main motivations for providing Native American education, missionary schools, the federal system of Indian boarding schools, the Meriam Report, movement toward greater self-determination and tribally controlled education in the second half of the 20th century, and development of tribal colleges and Native Studies programs. Chapter 3 presents a chronology. Chapter 4 reviews the influence on Native education of early treaties and various laws and federal legislation. Chapter 5 discusses issues in Native education: cultural assumptions and ideologies, cultural differences in learning styles, textbook content, giftedness and gifted programs, academic failure and dropout rates, and cultural preservation. Chapter 6 outlines strategies related to language skills, reading and writing, English as a second language, native language instruction, math, and science. Chapter 7 lists American Indian organizations, government agencies, private funding sources, professional organizations, tribal colleges, and tribes of the United States. Chapter 8 presents a bibliography of print and nonprint resources: articles and reports, books, books for youth, journals, subject-related resources, Internet resources, and videotapes. A lengthy appendix contains the text of six laws related to Indian education. (Contains references in some chapters and an index.) (SV)