Volume XII Summer 2001 Issue #4
Resource Guide
Resources for families, communities, and schools to help Native students
By Jon Reyhner
Historically, in the United States and Canada the purpose of Indian education has been to detribalize American Indian children and to assimilate them into the mainstream English-speaking culture. Native cultures were seen as "savage," and boarding schools were built to remove Native children from what white government officials saw as the bad influence of their parents. Of course, from the beginning Native peoples questioned and resisted this attack on their cultures and families, and the evidence of its negative effects, especially on the mental health and academic achievement of Native children, piled up over the years. Finally, in the early 1970s American Indians and Alaska Natives were successful in pressuring the U.S. government to repudiate its policy of forced assimilation and replace it with a policy of self-determination.Despite recent changes, the centuries of assault on indigenous cultures have deeply damaged many Native families and communities. The resources listed below are only a sample of the many available that can help heal and rebuild these families and communities and give their children an increased chance for success in life. There is a focus here on community-based drug and alcohol programs because drug and alcohol abuse devastates Native and non-Native communities worldwide, and there is a second focus on family literacy because an enormous amount of research indicates that children who read well do well in school.
WEB SITES
Aboriginal Youth Network
Provides an online youth community across Canada and where youth can connect, make friends, access information, and exchange ideas, ideals, values, beliefs, and above all, their cultures and traditions [Aboriginal Youth Network, c/o Nechi Institute, P.O. Box 34007, Kingsway Mall P.O., Edmonton, Alberta T5G 3G4 Canada; phone 800/459-1884 or 780/459-1884; fax 780/458-1883; e-mail siteadmin@ayn.ca]. www.ayn.caBilingual Families Web Page
A place for bilingual parents to find information and resources to help them raise their children bilingually. E-mail cindy@nethelp.no www.nethelp.no/cindy/biling-fam.htmlCSAP Resource Guide: American Indians and Native Alaskans
Center for Substance Abuse Prevention list of materials, studies, articles, reports, groups, organizations, and programs as of 1998 (National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information, P.O. Box 2345, Rockville, MD 20847-2345; phone 800/729-6686 or 301/468-2600; e-mail info@health.org) www.health.org/govpubs/MS419National Parent Information Network
Provides information through a virtual library, an "Ask ERIC" question-answering service, and a PARENTING-L electronic discussion list (Anne Robertson, ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Children's Research Center, 51 Gerty Drive, Champaign, IL 61820-7469; phone 800/583-4135; e-mail arobrtsn@uiuc.edu). www.npin.orgParents Guide to the Internet
1997 tutorial guide to help parents use the Internet (U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement, Media and Information Services, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20208-5570; e-mail customerservice@inet.ed.gov; phone 800/USA-Learn). www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/internetSimple Things You Can Do To Help All Children Read Well and Independently by the End of the Third Grade
Lists things parents, grandparents, and others can do to help children read (America Reads Challenge, U.S. Department of Education, 7th Floor, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-0107; phone 202/401-8888; e-mail AmericaReads @ed.gov). www.ed.gov/pubs/SimpleThingsARTICLES AND PAMPHLETS
Angell, G.B; Kurz, B.J; & Gottfried, G.M (1997). Suicide and North American Indians: A social constructivist perspective. Journal of Multicultural Social Work, 6(3/4) p. 1-26.Examines suicide from an Ojibwa perspective, explores the loss of cultural values, and offers suggestions for counselors and social workers through a case study of a 15-year-old urban boy.
Davis, J. (1992). Factors contributing to post secondary achievement of American Indians. Tribal College Journal, 4(2), 24-30.
Case study of ten successful college students examining the factors that influenced their success.
Dodd, John M., et al. (1998/99). American Indian retention. NASPA Journal, 33, 72-78.
Presents results of study undertaken to learn what academically successful American Indian students at one college encountered and what persons and support services helped with their academic success. Most students indicated the importance of family support and few reported academic obstacles, indicating the importance of student support services.
Edwards, D. E., & Edwards, M. E. (1988). Alcoholism prevention/treatment and Native American youth: A community approach. The Journal of Drug Issues, 18(1), 103-114.
Recommends a community-based approach for adolescent treatment.
HeavyRunner, Iris, & Morris, Joann Sebastian. (1997). Traditional Native culture and resilience. Research/Practice, 5(1).
Describes how it is a family, community, school, and tribal responsibility to nurture their children's spirit. http://carei.coled.umn.edu/Rpractice/Spring97/traditional.htm
Kirkness, Verna J., & Barhardt, Ray. (1991). First Nations and higher education: The Four Rs-Respect, relevance, reciprocity, responsibility. Journal of American Indian Education, 30(3), 1-15.
Emphasizes the need for colleges to respect Indians students and to help them take responsibility for their lives. http://jaie.asu.edu/v30/V30S3fir.htm
Meyers, G. Bruce. (1997). Keeping students in college: What's working? Winds of Change, 12(1), 58-59.
Describes successful retention programs and lists key program features.
Native American Development Corporation. (1988). Blue Bay: A tribal approach to fighting alcohol and drug abuse. Our way of healing. Washington, DC: Author. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 328 389)
Describes the community-developed, family-based alcohol prevention program at the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes' Blue Bay Healing Center in Montana. Related NADC booklets include Protecting youth from alcohol and substance abuse (ED 314 232), Adolescence-A tough time for Indian youth (ED 326 340), Post-traumatic stress: What some Indian youth and Vietnam veterans have in common (ED 328 388), Positive self esteem can protect Native American youth (ED 328 385), Strong tribal identity can protect Native American youth (ED 329 391), and Pass the word: A resource booklet for the Native American community concerning new concepts about alcoholism (ED 326 344).
Promising practices and strategies to reduce alcohol and substance abuse among American Indians and Alaskan Natives: An OJP issues and practices report. (2000). American Indian Development Associates for the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. I
ncludes descriptions of promising programs and initiatives in the Poarch Creek, Cheyenne River Sioux, Turtle Mountain, Southern Ute, Northern Cheyenne, Navajo, and Zuni Nations plus Southeastern Alaska and at the Montana State Prison. Includes a literature review and resources. www.ojp.usdoj.gov/americannative/promise.pdf
Reyhner, Jon. (1991). Plans for dropout prevention and special school support services for American Indian and Alaska Native students. Indian Nations at Risk Task Force Commissioned Paper. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 343 762)
Reviews factors associated with high Native student dropout rates. This paper is online at http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/AIE/Dropouts.html with links to related online articles about dropouts.
Reyhner, Jon, & Dodd, John. (1995). Factors affecting the retention of American Indian and Alaska Native students in higher education. Paper presented at the First Annual Expanding Minority Opportunities Conference, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.
Synthesizes research on recruiting and retaining American Indian and Alaska Native college students, presents the results of a study of 24 successful American Indian college students, and makes recommendations for improving student success. http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/Factors.html
Tate, Donald S., & Schwartz, Charles L. (1993). Increasing the retention of American Indian students in professional programs in higher education. Journal of American Indian Education, 33(1), 21-31.
Surveys 84 American Indian social work students to ascertain factors associated with student retention. Three factors emerged: difficulties in acculturation, problems associated with being a non-traditional student, and the presence of faculty support. Suggestions for programs that address the concerns of the American Indian student. http://jaie.asu.edu/v33/V33S1INC.htm
Taylor, Janis Swenson. (1999). America's First People: Factors which affect their persistence in higher education. Paper presented at the ASHE Annual Meeting. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 437 874)
Investigates factors contributing to the persistence of 13 successful Native students at a large university, including student expectations, life experiences on campus, perceptions of support for cultural identity, degree of institutional support, and what made college worthwhile. The two strongest factors were supportive people (instructors, advisors, and parents) and their own determination.
Tennant, Edward A. (1993). The eye of awareness: Probing the hidden dimension of bilingual education. In Proceedings of the third national research symposium on limited English proficient student issues: Focus on middle and high school issues (Vol. 1, pp. 279-306). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs.
Describes a curriculum designed to make teachers and students more aware of the cultural conflict they face in their daily lives and to provide support for dealing in a healthy way with that conflict (The Eye on Awareness curriculum was developed by Edward Tennant, Educational Research Associates, 518 Camino de la Sierra, NE, Albuquerque, NM 87123-2405; e-mail edtennant@worldnet.att.net). www.ncbe.gwu.edu/ncbepubs/symposia/third/tennant.htm
Willeto, Angela A. A. (1999). Navajo culture and family influences on academic success. Journal of American Indian Education, 38(2), 1-21.
Finds that high school students who participate in traditional activities and speak Navajo do as well in school as those who do not.
Yazzie, Tarajean. (2000). Holding a mirror to "Eyes Wide Shut:" The role of Native cultures and languages in the education of American Indian students. Paper commissioned by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education.
Discusses the role culture and language can play in education and the challenges of incorporating culture in education. www.ed.gov/nativeamericanresearch/reports.html
BOOKS
Arnold, Chandler. (1997). Read with me: A guide for student volunteers starting early childhood literacy programs. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Institute on Early Childhood Development and Education (National Institute on Early Childhood Development and Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20208; phone 202/219-1935; fax 202/273-4768; e-mail: eci@inet.ed.gov). www.ed.gov/pubs/ReadWithMeBowker, Ardy. (1993). Sisters in the blood: The education of women in Native America. Newton, MA: WEEA Publishing Center (Educational Development Center, 55 Chapel Street, Newton, MA 02160).
Study of the perceptions of almost 1000 women that found two-thirds "spoke about the humiliation of growing up poor, inadequate food, inappropriate clothes, and unsympathetic, uncaring teachers who were quick to make judgments about them based upon stereotypical racial traits, than on the factors of poverty." Most "indicated that at some time during their childhood or early adolescent years, they had formed the opinion that drinking alcohol was the 'norm' or that 'all Indians drink'." Nearly half reported being abused as children. Includes ways for schools to better serve Indian communities. www.sixkiller.com/book/start.html
Grant, Agnes, & Gillespie, LaVina. (1993). Joining the circle: A practitioners' guide to responsive education for Native students. Charleston, WV: ERIC Clearinghouse for Rural and Small Schools (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 360 117)
Describes ways that teachers can be more responsive to Native students, parents, and communities.
May, Stephen. (Ed.). (1999a). Indigenous community-based education. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters.
Ten essays on how indigenous peoples worldwide are taking control of schools to end assimilationist schooling that denies the value of their languages and cultures and so indigenous learners can "become active participants in shaping their own education." Includes Maori, Navajo, Hualapai, Karuk, Hawaiian, and Alaska Native efforts.
Phillips, Deborah, & Crowell, Nancy A. (Eds.). (1994). Cultural diversity and early education. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Examines how cultures shape children's earliest learning opportunities at home; how children's cultural and linguistic backgrounds affect the skills, knowledge, and expectations that they bring to school; and what we know about how the nature, language, and content of instruction needs to change for culturally diverse children. www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/earlyed
Starting out right: A guide to promoting children's reading success. (1998). Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Provides parents with information on activities they can do with their children, what kinds of language and literacy experiences to look for in preschool and childcare settings, what to look for in initial reading instruction in kindergarten and the early grades, and what to ask school boards, principals, elected officials, and other policy makers who make decisions regarding early reading instruction. http://bob.nap.edu/readingroom/books/sor
Swisher, Karen Gayton, & Tippeconnic III, John W. (Eds.). (1999). Next steps: Research and practice to advance Indian education. Charleston, WV: ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural and Small Schools.
Includes papers on culturally appropriate curriculum, effective counseling with American Indian students, and the role of social work in advancing Indian education. Excerpts can be read online at http://aelvis.ael.org/eric/readinns.htm
Teaching and learning with Native Americans: A handbook for non-Native American adult educators. Phoenix, AZ: Arizona Adult Literacy and Technology Resource Center (730 East Highland, Phoenix, AZ 85014. Phone 602/265-0231).
Practical advice for educators working with American Indian adults. http://literacynet.org/lp/namericans/tlpar
ORGANIZATIONS
American Indian InstituteIts publications and videos include Nee-Kon'-Nah Time© Prevention Activities for Preschoolers Curriculum, Welcome to Head Start Video, The 7th Generation Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Prevention Project Curriculum, and The 7th Generation Prevention Project Videos "Faces Yet to Come" and "Remembering What We Know" (University of Oklahoma, 555 Constitution Street, Suite 237, Norman, OK 73072-7820; phone 405/325-4127; fax 405/325-7757; e-mail: aii@cce.occe.ou.edu) www.occe.ou.edu/aii
American Indian Research Opportunities (AIRO)
A consortium of Montana's tribal colleges providing career opportunities for American Indian students. Its web site includes information on cancer, diabetes, and drug prevention (312 Roberts Hall, Montana State University-Bozeman, Bozeman, MT 59717-3925; phone 406/994-5567; fax 406/994-5559; e-mail slyoung@montana.edu). www.montana.edu/wwwai
American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES)
Promotes the building of community by bridging science and technology with traditional Native values and provides opportunities for American Indians and Alaska Natives to pursue studies in science, engineering, business, and other academic areas. Publishes Winds of Change magazine (2201 Buena Vista SE, Suite 301, Albuquerque, NM 87106; phone 505/765-1052; fax 505/765-5608; e-mail www.aises.org
ERIC Clearinghouse for Reading, English and Communication
Sponsors a variety of literacy resources for all ages. Publishes ERIC Digests, including Eleanor Macfarlane's 1994 Children's literacy development: Suggestions for parent involvement. (www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed365979.html) and Karen Ngeow's 1999 Online resources for parent/family involvement (www.indiana.edu/~eric_rec/ieo/digests/d140.html). ERIC also publishes Parents and Children Together Online magazine at www.indiana.edu/~eric_rec/fl/pcto/menu.html to promote family literacy by providing children and their parents with interesting materials that will help them to share the joy of reading together (ERIC/REC, Indiana University, Smith Research Center, Suite 150, Bloomington, IN 47408-2698; phone 800/759-4723 or 812/855-5847; fax 812 /856-5512; e-mail askeric@askeric.org). www.indiana.edu/~eric_rec
Family Learning Association
Provides monthly guidance bulletins, research on family learning, questions and answers for parents, and grandparent's pen pal and book service. Supports the Kids Can Learn (e-mail canlearn@bloomington.in.us) web site at www.kidscanlearn.com to help parents and teachers to get children to become motivated students (3925 Hagan St., Suite 101, Bloomington, IN 47401; phone 812/323-9862).
Four Worlds International and Four Directions International
Combine traditional teachings and Western science and technology to support individuals, families, organizations, communities, and nations to build a healthy and sustainable future. Materials are available for building school-based alcohol and drug prevention programs and culturally-based community-controlled education, including the videotapes "The Red Road to Sobriety" and "The Honor of All: The Story of Alkalai Lake," the second of which describes how one British Columbia First Nation village successfully fought alcoholism (347 Fairmont Boulevard, Lethbridge, AB T1K 7J8, Canada; phone 403/320-7144; fax 403/329-8383; e-mail 4worlds@uleth.ca). http://home.uleth.ca/~4worlds
Literacy Assistance Center
A technical assistance agency with a lending library of instructional materials, professional literature, and videos related to Adult Basic Education, English for Speakers of Other Languages, and youth related programs. Publishes the Literacy Update newsletter and The Literacy Harvest (84 William Street, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10038; phone 212/803-3300; fax 212/785-3685; e-mail lacinfo@lacnyc.org). www.lacnyc.org
Literacy Volunteers of America
Delivers local literacy services for adults and families through a nationwide network of volunteers [635 James Street, Syracuse, NY 13203; phone 315/472-0001 or 877/Help LVA (toll free); fax 315/472-0002; e-mail info@literacyvolunteers.org]. www.literacyvolunteers.org/home/index.htm
National Center for ESL Literacy Education (NCLE)
Focuses on language and literacy education for adults and out-of-school youth learning English. It is also very interested in the preservation of Native languages and Native language instruction. Provides technical assistance to adult English language and literacy programs and professional development of program staff in such programs. Publishes NCLE NOTES (a biannual newsletter), Assessing success in family literacy and adult ESL, and a variety of ERIC digests (National Center for ESL Literacy Education, 4646 40th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20014; phone 202/362-0700 ext. 200; fax 202/ 363-7204; e-mail ncle@cal.org). www.cal.org/ncle
National Center for Family Literacy
Provides leadership for family literacy development and promotes policies at the national and state levels to support family literacy (Waterfront Plaza, Suite 200, 325 West Main Street, Louisville, KY 40202-4251; phone 502/584-1133; fax 502/584-0172; e-mail ncfl@famlit.org). www.famlit.org
National Indian Child Welfare Association
Serves American Indian tribes throughout the country by helping to strengthen and enhance their capacity to deliver quality child welfare services. Its publications include Positive Indian parenting: Honoring our children by honoring our traditions, Cross-cultural skills in Indian child welfare: A guide for the non-Indian, and Grassroots prevention of child abuse and neglect in Indian communities: A guide for the community organizer. It also has videotapes, including Cecelia Fire Thunder on Community Empowerment in which she speaks of her experience working with her people on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota (5100 SW Macadam, Suite 300, Portland, OR 97201; phone 503/222-4044; fax 503/222-4007; e-mail info@nicwa.org). www.nicwa.org
National Institute for Literacy
Provides leadership towards the goal of a fully literate America, manages a state-of-the-art Internet-based information and communications system for the literacy field, and produces and disseminates knowledge about literacy. All publications are free (1775 I Street, NW, Suite 730, Washington, DC 20006-2401; phone 202/233-2025; fax 202/233-2050; e-mail ahartman@nifl.gov). www.nifl.gov
Partnership for Family Involvement in Education
Offers resources, ideas, funding, and conferences relevant to family involvement in education. Urges employers, community organizations, religious groups, and family-school partnerships to commit to increasing family participation in children's learning through a variety of activities and efforts, including student- and family-friendly policies at the workplace, before- and after-school programs, tutoring and mentoring initiatives, and donations of facilities and technologies (U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202-8173; e-mail partner@ed.gov). http://pfie.ed.gov
Reading is Fundamental (RIF)
Promotes children's and family literacy programs to prepare young children for reading and to motivate school-age children to read regularly. Through a national network of teachers, parents, and community volunteers, it provides free books to children. Its highest priority is the nation's neediest children, from birth to age 11 [1825 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20009. Phone 877/RIF-READ (toll free) or 202/287-3220; fax 202/673-1635; e-mail rif@rif.org]. www.rif.org
Dr. Jon Reyhner is an associate professor of bilingual multicultural education at Northern Arizona University. He co-edited Learn in Beauty: Indigenous Education for a New Century (2000) and Revitalizing Indigenous Languages (1999) and edited Teaching Indigenous Languages (1997), Teaching American Indian Students (1992), and Effective Language Education Practices (1990). He also maintains a Teaching Indigenous Languages web site at http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/TIL.html.