Parental Involvement. INAR/NACIE Joint Issues Sessions. National Indian Education Association (NIEA) Annual Conference (22nd, San Diego, California, October 16, 1990).

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)