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This document contains detailed reports of the five business meetings held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force during 1990-91. At the initial meeting, Task Force members and interested parties clarified the goals and guiding principles of the Task Force's work. This work would include gathering data on the educational status of Indian children, youth, and adults; finding and publicizing programs that work; identifying misconceptions about Indian education; and recommending ways to improve education for Native Americans. Possible topics for exploration were discussed, particularly Native American education goals and their relevance to national education goals. At subsequent meetings, wide-ranging discussions covered such topics as parent involvement; racial bias; special education; deficiencies in federal funding; the need for expanded state government involvement; major problems at Bureau of Indian Affairs schools; educational responsibility and role of governments, tribes, and Native people; educational finance issues related to improving Native education; alternative certification for Native teachers; task force efforts to make a political impact; the nature of the Federal Government-Indian relationship; and higher education issues. Recommendations for the Task Force's final report were formulated and amended for numerous "partners" concerned with the education of Native American children and adults: parents, educators, tribal governments and Native communities, local and state governments, the Federal Government, and colleges and universities. The greatest number of recommendations were directed to the Federal Government and included the following: (1) establish an Assistant Secretary for Indian Education in the U.S. Department of Education; (2) authorize the establishment of a national research and school improvement center for Native education; (3) amend the Bilingual Education Act to allow for the retention and continued development of Native languages in accordance with the Native American Language Act of 1990; and (4) promote as a national priority the training of Native professionals and Native educators for all levels of teaching. (SV)

This report summarizes a joint session held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education to hear testimony about the concerns of the parents of Native American students. Issues and problems were in the areas of: (1) the decline of Native enrollment in teacher education programs; (2) the Pre-Professional Skills Test as a barrier to Native teacher education and how teacher candidates have dealt with this; (3) inadequate preparation for college in secondary schools, particularly Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) schools; (4) test bias; (5) the need for Native students to develop test-taking skills; (6) the need for greater career guidance in secondary schools; (7) the need for greater parental involvement in educational decision making related to their own children; (8) the need for better facilities and higher employee standards at BIA boarding schools; (9) tribal advocacy for high risk students in the public schools; and (10) difficulties related to the recent BIA reorganization. The report also describes a woman's lifetime educational experiences in BIA elementary and secondary schools and in college, and her long struggle to become a teacher. (SV)

This report summarizes a joint session held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education to hear testimony on issues in urban American Indian education. Issues and problems were in the areas of: (1) the position of Native Americans as a very small minority in large urban schools; (2) lack of funding for Indian programs in urban areas, particularly for vocational education and Head Start; (3) greater severity in urban areas of problems such as high Indian dropout rates; (4) problems of racism and poor racial relations; (5) lack of a tracking system for students who go back and forth between the reservation and family in urban areas; (6) competition with other minority groups for funding and administrative awareness; (7) difficulties in identification of Indian students; (8) the development of Indian gangs in some urban areas; and (9) the need for Native Americans to learn how to influence the "system" at local, state, and federal levels. Also discussed were possible sources of funding for urban Indian education; ways to make that funding more effective; and urban Indian programs that focus on tutoring and remediation, cultural activities, and community networking. (SV)

This report summarizes an open discussion between members of the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education (NACIE) and conference attenders following 2 days of testimony about issues in Native American education. An administrator outlined the loss of educational opportunity for Native Americans during the 1980s due to decreased federal funding, disregard of treaty rights, and bureaucratic entanglements, and outlined recommendations for tribally controlled teacher education, alternative education programs, increased funding, substance abuse prevention, and bilingual education programs. An attorney urged the Task Force and the NACIE to draft federal policy supporting tribal government control of public schools on the reservation, and outlined educational ramifications of the Supreme Court's recent refusals to support tribal sovereignty in other areas. Other topics of discussion included the need for additional programs for handicapped and gifted students; the need for teacher training in American Indian culture, substance abuse prevention, and suicide prevention; Indian identity and tribal sovereignty as resources to use in negotiations with the federal government; encouraging political involvement of community members at the local level; poverty, welfare, lack of self-esteem, and the need to pursue self-sufficiency on the reservations. The responsibilities of the Task Force were described. (SV)

This report summarizes two joint sessions held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education to hear testimony on issues related to Native American adult and vocational technical education. Issues and problems are: (1) the positive effects of adult education on American Indians and their children, Indian adults' learning patterns, lack of tribal control on adult education, and the shortage of funding; (2) the need for vocational education to link training directly to the realities of the labor market, the relationship between vocational education and economic development, the federal role in Indian vocational education, lack of equity among tribes in vocational funding received, alternatives to the current instructor certification, and funding problems in adult education; and (3) the need for technical assistance and more funding for vocational rehabilitation programs. Community-based vocational education efforts are described. (SV)

This report summarizes two joint sessions held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education to hear testimony on issues in Native American early childhood education. Issues and problems fell into the areas of: (1) Head Start, its funding problems, and its relationship to public and Bureau of Indian Affairs schools; (2) early childhood programs, the need for such programs to prepare preschool children for the increasingly academic demands of kindergarten, culturally biased assessment tests in kindergarten, and de facto segregation among different programs; (3) entrance into kindergarten, school readiness problems, and shortage of kindergarten slots in states where it is not mandatory; (4) increasing education requirements and low salaries for early childhood teachers; (5) parent education, parent advocacy training, and parent participation; (6) financial problems in child care on American Indian reservations; (7) bilingual education issues and promotion of language acquisition and communications skills in young children; and (8) lack of programs for urban American Indians not enrolled in recognized tribes. Recommendations are offered, and exemplary programs are described that involve school-based day care for teen parents and students, preschool programs incorporating Native language and culture, and an urban Indian center that preserves Indian identity among members of 72 tribes. Several pieces of relevant research are noted. (SV)

This report summarizes two joint sessions held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education to hear testimony on issues related to parent participation in American Indian education. Issues and problems were in the areas of: (1) the importance of parent involvement for student achievement; (2) the need to empower parents who are intimidated by the school system; (3) parent responsibility for teaching culture; (4) institutional barriers to parent involvement, including failure of the school system to be aware of cultural factors or family situations; (5) insufficient funding for community liaison; (6) the need for parent training; (7) racism and lack of cultural sensitivity in the curriculum; and (8) the need for parent and community advocacy to ensure the teaching of Native culture and languages. Also discussed were effective programs and strategies for involving parents, including the development of trust between parents and school; outreach into the community by administrators and teachers; a home-school festival for informal contact between parents and teachers; welcoming parents into the classroom; recreational or cultural activities as an element of parent meetings or school sponsored family events; newsletters; and school-provided transportation. (SV)

This report summarizes a joint session held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education to hear testimony from Native American tribal elders on their needs and their role in the educational system. Issues and problems were in the areas of: (1) the need for a support system for the elderly; (2) elders as a language, history, and culture resource; (3) elders as a support system for students; (4) facility deficiencies in accessibility for elderly and handicapped persons; (5) overmedication of elderly persons and the need for a holistic approach to wellness and health care; (6) the need for adult day care programs in the community; and (7) the need for culturally appropriate therapy to help elders deal with the grief accumulated during their lives and with substance abuse problems. Also discussed were recommendations for bringing elders into the schools, and effective programs and strategies for elder participation, including tribal health services and meals for the elderly, transporting elders to recreational and cultural activities, elders teaching traditional child rearing practices to teen mothers in school, elders as storytellers in school, intergenerational community service projects involving elders and youth, elders as aides in special education classes, and elders and medicine men serving as advisors in the development of educational philosophy at Navajo Community College. (SV)

This report summarizes two joint sessions held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education to hear testimony on issues in Native American postsecondary education. Issues and problems are: (1) recruiting Native students and helping them choose a college; (2) difficulties Native students face at college, such as racism, lack of support, unfamiliar or uncomfortable social situations, and insufficient academic preparation; (3) inadequate student financial aid and funding for tribal colleges, and problems of Indian identification related to eligibility for financial aid; (4) the need to expand the tribal college system and develop cooperative agreements with four-year institutions; and (5) the need to shift programmatic emphasis at tribal colleges to multicultural education, integration of Native studies throughout the curriculum, and traditional Native values and concepts, and to develop instructional materials that address these areas. Office of Indian Education fellowships are discussed, with suggestions that recipients be placed under some obligation to the Indian people. Recommendations are suggested to aid the adjustment and retention of Native college students and to increase and prioritize funding available for student financial aid. (SV)

This report summarizes two joint sessions held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education to hear testimony on issues in Native American education at the elementary school level. Issues and problems fell into the areas of: (1) the special needs of high-risk elementary students, the need for alternative programs, misdiagnosis of Native students into special education, the need for parent activism in the special education process, problems of fetal alcohol syndrome and emotionally disturbed children; (2) the impact of standardized testing, bilingual education issues, and the need for cultural education and culturally relevant programs; (3) barriers to parent participation and empowerment arising from teacher and administrator attitudes and from bureaucratic regulations at Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) schools; (4) unacceptable BIA funding practices, and financial problems impacting facilities, transportation, curriculum, and materials; and (5) accountability of tribal government and the BIA. Recommendations and working strategies are proposed. The benefits of small schools and low teacher-student ratios are discussed, particularly for low-achieving students and for students from more traditional tribal communities. (SV)

This report summarizes two joint sessions held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education to hear testimony on issues in Native American education at the middle school and high school levels. Issues and problems are: (1) factors contributing to high Native dropout rates, including teenage pregnancy, the stressful transition from tribal elementary school to public secondary school, substance abuse, and long commuting distances to school; (2) lack of Native parent and community involvement and empowerment in public schools; (3) lack of culturally relevant curriculum in public schools; (4) the shortage of certified Native teachers and difficulties in retaining teachers in tribal and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) schools due to low pay and lack of retirement programs; (5) inadequate funding and substandard facilities at BIA schools; (6) advantages and disadvantages of BIA boarding schools compared to public schools; (7) postsecondary planning, career aspirations, and college preparation versus vocational education; (8) difficulties in sharing innovative curriculum; and (9) the need for educational change in the schools serving Native Americans. Also described are local programs and strategies to curb high dropout rates; state and local initiatives encouraging inclusion of Native language and culture in the curriculum; and entrepreneurship programs in reservation schools. (SV)

This report summarizes two joint sessions held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education to hear testimony on educational partnerships in Native American education. Successful partnerships are described, including: (1) school-business partnerships that allow students to explore career possibilities, provide job training and entrepreneurship training, and provide instructional computer software; (2) school-community partnerships in which parents come to summer school with their children, and the community provides in-kind contributions to supplement Title V funds; and (3) college-community partnerships to develop integrated and culturally relevant curriculum, to promote student interest in higher education, to give tribal managers technical assistance and administrative training, to implement health promotion projects, and to incorporate computers into the schools. Recommendations are offered for possible future partnerships, such as partnerships between the state department of education and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and for methods of establishing and promoting new partnerships. Also discussed are strategies for increasing parental involvement in the schools, the need for culturally relevant curriculum, the need to hold school districts accountable for how they spend federal Indian funds, the need for Indian school accreditation and teacher certification, and the need to educate the general public about Indian history and treaty rights. (SV)

This report summarizes a joint session held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education to hear testimony on issues related to instructional technology in Native American education. The testimony pertained to an exemplary program at Hualapai School in Peach Springs, Arizona. The school, which serves 225 students in grades K-8, has over 90 computers and a video studio with three cameras. The computers provide reinforcement for classroom work, word processing capability within a whole language program, and the ability to create instructional materials in the Hualapai language and materials that are culturally relevant. The video equipment is used to make student productions, often in relation to a cultural environmental curriculum. In addition, elders have been drawn into the school to provide cultural education, such as an ethnobotany program in which elders demonstrate traditional harvest methods and uses of plants, while the teacher provides scientific information. School climate is excellent, and the whole community supports this innovative demonstration program. (SV)

This report summarizes two joint sessions held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education to hear testimony on the causes of high Native American dropout rates and on dropout prevention strategies. Educators and parents provided information defining the problem and outlining factors contributing to high Native dropout rates. These factors included: the failure of the traditional education system, which labels students and has expectations of failure for Natives; racial bias and lack of respect for Native culture in school; poor racial relations in school and community; unmet student needs in the areas of health and nutrition; historical constraints on parent participation; dilapidated and inadequate facilities at Bureau of Indian Affairs schools; poor communications between Indian communities and the federal Office of Indian Education; and poverty and other family problems. Other testimony described dropout prevention programs and strategies that are working: community action to influence the local school system; college-school cooperation that focuses on identifying candidates for teaching among Native high school students and encouraging them to stay in school; early intervention and counseling for at-risk students; cultural sensitivity training for teachers and other school staff; Title V programs providing remediation and alternative instruction; attention to student attendance; hiring an Indian liaison to work with parents, students, and the school; teen parenting programs; community and business partnerships; employability strategies; increasing parent participation; and adult education programs for overage students. (SV)

This report summarizes two joint sessions held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education to hear testimony on health and substance abuse prevention issues relevant to Native American children. Issues and problems fell into the following areas: (1) general health and wellness, including the need for culturally relevant programs to address issues of substance abuse and health, and Native traditional approaches to counseling; (2) prenatal and infant health, including failure of infants to thrive and fetal alcohol syndrome; (3) substance abuse prevention, including the emotional needs of students from alcohol abusing families and the growing problem of inhalant abuse; and (4) suicide prevention. For each area, recommendations for action are made, and programs and strategies that work are described. Many of these programs are cooperative efforts between schools and tribal communities and involve such strategies as: (1) leadership training for students who then start community service projects; (2) a student and adult running club; (3) traditional approaches to prenatal care and maternal education; (4) Navajo drug and alcohol programs linked to traditional healing practices and concepts of balance and order in one's life; (5) community funding of special events as incentives for improved school performances; and (6) student peer counseling. (SV)

This report summarizes two joint sessions held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education to hear testimony on issues relevant to special education for Native American children. Issues and problems were in the areas of: (1) gifted and talented education, including lack of services due to financial problems or racial bias among educators, exclusion of gifted children from services due to culturally biased standardized tests, and parent participation; (2) education of handicapped and learning disabled students, including misdiagnosis of language problems as learning deficits and misdiagnosis and inappropriate placement of students who are performing poorly due to family problems or cultural barriers; (3) the shortage of Native special education teachers and the inaccessibility of teacher education programs to most reservation American Indians; and (4) difficulties with Bureau of Indian Affairs guidelines on exceptionality and standardized tests, and inadequate funding for textbooks. Also discussed were successful programs and strategies that motivate gifted students, provide a summer college experience for gifted students, provide handicapped students with peer helpers, expand accessibility of higher education for students with disabilities, and use local elders to help with exceptional children in the classroom. Recommendations are made for school improvement strategies. (SV)

This report summarizes two joint sessions held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education to hear testimony on Native American issues in educator training and employment. Issues and problems related to recruitment of Native Americans into teacher education include raised admission standards, more stringent requirements, culturally or linguistically biased admission tests, the lure of better paying professions, and eligibility requirements for financial aid. An effective Arizona recruitment program targets teacher aides with 2 years of college, while the Alaska state university system has special teacher education programs for Natives in villages and urban areas. Retaining Native students in teacher education is hampered by insufficient financial aid and by racism on campus and in the curriculum. The Mohawk Nation addresses this problem through a cooperative program in which university professors teach courses in the community on weekends. Problems in recruitment of Native teachers include lack of financial resources for on-site hiring procedures and lack of a centralized registry of certified Native teachers. Problems in teacher retention include long commuting distances for non-Native teachers who cannot live on the reservation; lack of retirement programs in Bureau of Indian Affairs schools; and low salaries, poor facilities, and increased responsibilities in tribal schools. Also discussed were issues of inservice training, administrator retention, Title V staff, dropout prevention, and racial bias of non-Native teachers. Recommendations are offered for each problem area. (SV)

This report summarizes two joint sessions held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education to hear testimony on issues related to the academic performance of Native American students. Educators, employers, parents, and tribal officials testified on the following topics: Native students' high dropout rates and lack of basic skills; low teacher expectations of Native students; high Native unemployment rates; lack of teacher accountability in both public and Bureau of Indian Affairs schools; the failure of the educational system to address differences in learning styles; high Native failure rates on the New Mexico high school competency test, resulting in ineligibility for a diploma or state job; test bias; alternative student evaluation strategies; the overrepresentation of Native students in special education; labeling and self-fulfilling prophesies; positive expectations and recognizing success; parent participation; the question of college preparation versus vocational education; recruitment of Native students to college; and the importance of integrating Native culture into the curriculum. A principal described his own research and findings on hemispheric specialization and cognitive style among Indian and other minority students. Promising educational strategies are described, involving integrated curriculum, cooperative learning, application of special education methods, training of teacher aides, and extracurricular activities as a motivator. (SV)

This report summarizes two joint sessions held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education to hear testimony on educational issues related to Native American language and culture. Educators, students, parents, and tribal officials made presentations concerning: the importance for academic success of retaining one's Native or historic language base; the suppression of Native language experienced by older tribal members who attended boarding schools; philosophical problems and personal experience in bilingual education; efforts to preserve the culture and language of small tribes; the need to train non-Native teachers of Indian students about Native culture and language; and three programs and strategies that work. The federal Native American Languages Act, which supports the use and preservation of Native languages, is briefly summarized. State and local initiatives related to bilingual education in Wisconsin, New Mexico, Alaska, and Washington are described. Recommendations are made concerning: standards, definitions, and planning for teaching Native languages; higher education and alternative certification for teachers of Native languages; the importance of studying tribal history; and the special challenge of providing cultural education for urban American Indians. (SV)

The Indian Nations At Risk Task Force held seven regional hearings during 1990 on issues in American Indian education. This document contains detailed reports of the seven hearings, individual summaries of each hearing, and an overall summary of issues and recommendations offered in the field of American Indian education. Major areas of concern included: (1) federal funding of Native American education; (2) teachers and teacher training; (3) Native parent and community participation and self-determination; (4) integration of Native language and culture into the curriculum; (5) financial aid for Native postsecondary education; (6) postsecondary readiness, recruitment, and persistence among Native students; (7) tribally controlled community colleges; (8) support services for at-risk Native youth; (9) development and improvement of the curriculum and of educational programs; (10) role of federal, state, and tribal government; (11) racial bias and stereotypes on personal and institutional levels; (12) standards and testing; (13) early childhood education programs; (14) urban and public school education; (15) adult basic education; (16) special education, Chapter 1, and other special services; and (17) data collection and research. This document contains various statistics on Native American enrollment, dropout rates, educational attainment, and academic achievement. (SV)

The Indian Nations At Risk Task Force and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education (NACIE) held joint sessions to hear testimony on important issues in American Indian education. This document presents statements given at 15 topical sessions and 3 additional sessions held for special groups. The 15 topics addressed were: teaching Native language and culture; academic achievement of Native American students and the failure of the education system; dropout prevention; teacher and administrator training, recruitment, and retention; substance abuse prevention; early childhood education; elementary schools and parent participation; middle schools and high schools and the question of boarding schools versus public schools; special education for handicapped, learning disabled, gifted, and talented; higher education, tribal colleges, and academic persistence; adult and vocational technical education; using computers, video technology, or other instructional technologies; education of urban American Indians; parent participation and empowerment; and partnerships of schools, tribes, communities, parents, and businesses. The three additional sessions were as follows: (1) a special session for elders to discuss their needs in the community and how they can contribute to Native education; (2) a special session for students and elders covering test bias, student recruitment, teacher education programs, and Bureau of Indian Affairs schools; and (3) an open discussion with NACIE and Task Force members. Most reports on issues include descriptions of exemplary programs, strategies that work, or recommendations for change. (SV)

The "RAMCAD" workshop summarized in this document reviewed the prospects for integrating reliability and maintainability into undergraduate engineering curricula. RAMCAD stands for Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability in Computer-Aided Design. The workshop was sponsored by Air Force human resources departments and attended by a cross-section of university faculty members, industrial organizations, and other Air Force organizations. The paper briefly describes the goals and organizational format for the workshop and then provides synopses of participants' presentations and panel discussion. A final section offering conclusions observes that because academic and government participants disagree as to the best approach for integrating reliability and maintainability into the engineering curriculum, and due to the complexity of the issues, none of the suggestions discussed at the workshop promise to be effective in the near term though they may have significant impact by the turn of the century. Appendixes list participants and contain the workshop agenda. (JB)

This paper examines issues in rural education related to aims, curriculum, and finance. It questions the notion that educational restructuring is necessary for the purpose of improving economic competitiveness. Wigginton, a rural educator, proposes that the aims of education should be: (1) to provide a firm grounding in the basic skills; (2) to develop an understanding of how the world works; (3) to cultivate an appreciation for the arts; and (4) to foster a determination to make a contribution. Another rural educator, Keizer, feels schools should do more than mirror and foreshadow the real world. Rural education should help students to construct meaning out of and in their lives. In terms of curriculum and instruction, rural schools tend to be small-scale, enabling them to be more responsive to students. Research shows a small but consistent advantage of small schools over large schools in terms of achievement when the effect of socioeconomic status is controlled. Although the use of technology is often advocated for rural school improvement, technology as a tool to achieve efficiency may not be so attractive; it may do more to refine the "one best system" model than to help responsive teaching. American school finance typically focuses on efficiency rather than effectiveness. There is a need for better funded schools. Rather than trying ineffectively to provide social services in schools, the aim should be to guarantee that every child will learn in school. (KS)