“We look at Montana as one of those programs that are spearheading the efforts at getting Indian culture in the mainstream,” said Willard Sakiestewa Gilbert, president of the National Indian Education Association. “Montana is ahead of a lot of states regarding language and culture integration. And if Montana can do it, that means other tribes in other states can do it as well.”
But success needs to step along, other speakers at Friday's keynote panel discussion warned. Tribal Education National Assembly Vice President Quinton Roman Nose said too many tribes lack a strong education department that can track student performance, standardize teaching practices and fight for broader recognition of Indian needs and accomplishments.
That will be a challenge for state education systems even more than tribal programs, according to Montana Office of Public Instruction official Cathie Carothers. Nine out of 10 Native American students attend public schools. Those schools will be the places where improvements in Indian education will succeed or fail at preparing students for college. They will also be the best place for the mainstream culture to gain awareness of its tribal neighbors.
Little Big Horn College President David Yarlott said institutions like his stand in a crucial place for Native American students. Tribal colleges must work to ensure incoming students have the K-12 education necessary to perform at the college level. And they are essential in preparing career-bound students for further education.
While Native American students have just a 15 percent chance of graduating in four years from college straight out of high school, Yarlott said the odds went up to 85 percent for those who get some tribal college experience first.
“And we do that with about 60 percent of the funding available to mainstream institutions for faculty, staff and facilities,” Yarlott said. “Tribal colleges serve a population that the mainstream institutions can't reach. Many of our people won't or can't relocate to where those institutions are.”
The Montana Indian Education Association conference brought hundreds of teachers and administrators to Missoula on Friday and Saturday for workshops and training sessions. Sessions included updates on the Montana Tribal History Project, changes in No Child Left Behind legislation regarding Indian students, research on the Montana Native American student achievement gap, and a forum with candidates running for the state Superintendent of Public Instruction office.
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