(2001). The Kentucky Homeplace Project: Family Health Care Advisers in Underserved Rural Communities. Journal of Rural Health, v17 n3 p179-86 Sum. In the Kentucky Homeplace Project, specially trained paraprofessionals who live in medically underserved rural communities make home visits, facilitate access to health care, and provide case management and culturally appropriate prevention education for poor families. Strengths include local administration and staff and holistic and traditional frameworks for service delivery. Weaknesses include funding issues, client dependency, and minimal evaluation. (SV)…
(2005). Index for Inclusion. Kairaranga, v6 n2 p23-24. Index for Inclusion is a programme to assist in developing learning and participation in schools. It was written by Tony Booth and Mel Ainscow from the Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education, UK. Central Normal School was pleased to have the opportunity to trial this programme…. [PDF]
(2003). Perceptions of Learning and Stages of Concern among Graduates of a Native Teacher Education Program. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, v49 n4 p341-353 Win. The purpose of this study was to examine the learning outcomes of students who had recently completed a two-year community-based Native Teacher Education Program (NTEP). The participants were 22 graduates of an NTEP who responded to open-ended items in a questionnaire on what they had learned throughout the program. Four women also participated in a focus group. The learning of the graduates was grouped according to the categories found in a previously developed framework: curriculum planning and evaluation, discipline and classroom management, pupils and pupil-teacher interactions, and the profession of teaching (Duquette & Cook, 1999). It was found that the NTEP graduates learned the most in the first three areas of the framework. As well, those with more than five years of experience working in the schools learned more in the pupils and pupil-teacher interactions category than their less experienced peers. The learning as stated by all the graduates showed that they addressed… [Direct]
(2001). Under the Same Sun. Northwest Education, v7 n2 p12-19 Win. In rural Alaska villages, Native students benefit from having Native teachers who share their culture. Past and present efforts to increase the number of fully certified Native teachers include distance education courses, often taken by Native teacher aides; a fifth-year rural teacher internship for college graduates; and campus-based and field-based teacher education programs. (SV)…
(1995). "What the Red Squirrel Is To the Gray": The Importance of Culture in the Composition of School Boards on Mount Desert Island, Maine. This paper examines the imbalance in representation of native-born Mainers on the school board in Mount Desert Island, Maine. Mount Desert Island is the location of Acadia, the second most visited national park in the United States. In this community, native-born Mainers represent 68 percent of the year-round population, but 80 percent of people serving on the school board are residents as a result of in-migration. The paper identifies cultural themes that have evolved from Maine's history, its position as the eastern "frontier," and exigencies of its climate and economy. An analysis based on acculturation theory and role theory found that cultural differences between native-born Mainers and in-migrants deter local people from competing for leadership roles in their communities. The poor representation of native-born people on local school boards negatively affects the education of their children, and, in effect, those who most need a voice do not have one. The reasons… [PDF]
(2004). They Remember What They Touch…: The Impact of Place-Based Learning in East Feliciana Parish. Rural Trust White Paper on Place-Based Education. Rural School and Community Trust Stressed by high poverty levels, a low tax base and low teacher salaries, the East Feliciana School District competes, most often unsuccessfully, with neighboring districts and states, and with a relatively segregated white academy system for qualified teachers and pupil resources. Consequently, at the dawn of the federal government's landmark education reform initiative, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, 55.8% percent of the district's K-8 teachers were not fully certified to teach and 80% of its students were performing below average in at least one core subject. At the same time, only 31.8% of the parish's adult population had completed high school and fewer than 5% were college graduates. With a median household income of $26,864, 26% of the parish's children were living below the poverty level. This paper describes the implementation and results of a reform effort, undertaken in the late 1990s, that focused on place-based science and mathematics education. Standardized test… [PDF]
(1991). Education in Micronesia: A Multicultural Perspective. Traditional education in Micronesia has been informal and experiential, with a communal orientation. Certain knowledge is secret, and much folklore and mythology is sacred. For over 100 years, Western-style education has been imposed on Micronesia by the Spanish, Germans, Japanese, and Americans. Western education has focused on instruction in the language of the administering authority; literacy in that language; and vocational skills following a modern pattern, with emphasis on the development of individuality. There has been no effort to build on the preexisting foundations of traditional education. As Micronesians increasingly accept a money economy and consumer society, traditional education has lost status and prestige. The result has been impoverishment of the native languages–many children lack literacy in either their own language or English. Now that self-government is upon them, this generation of Micronesians must decide on the best form of education for their country…. [PDF]
(2002). Academic Annual Report, 2001-2002. Red River College, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest and most comprehensive institute of applied learning in the province. It provides education and training to 32,000 full- and part-time enrollees per year, and offers more than 110 diploma, certificate, and apprenticeship programs. The 2000/2001 annual employment and satisfaction survey of College graduates indicates that 85% of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with the education and training they received, while 80% strongly agreed or agreed that the training they received was up-to-date. Academic offerings, ranging from Aboriginal and Teacher Education to Mechanical Engineering technology, are detailed in the report. The College Expansion Initiative (CEI) supports the growth of Manitoba's public college system. Under CEI, all four public colleges have developed multi-year expansion plans. As part of the planning process, Red River College is now offering 317 courses using WebCT, up from 44, and the number of students… [PDF]
(1996). Tribally Controlled Community College Libraries: A Paradigm for Survival. College & Research Libraries, v57 n4 p316-29 Jul. This study reports on the results of a mail survey administered to tribally controlled college libraries during 1993, just before the colleges were granted federal land-grant college status. Highlights include the historical development of the institutions operated by Native American Indian tribes; budgets; staff; services; computer utilization; and collections. (15 tables) (Author/LRW)…
(1998). The Impact of Technology on Salish Kootenai College. WICAZO SA Review, v13 n2 p117-35 Fall. Interviews at Salish Kootenai College (SKC) evaluating the role of technology in the future of Native American education found general agreement that the strengths of technology should be used, within social limits. Reviews mainstream writers' evaluations of technology's impacts on society. Describes different concepts held by SKC and mainstream colleges towards technology-related issues. (TD)…
(1998). What Is Good Teaching? Lessons from Maori Pedagogy. A postcolonial analysis suggests the need for a new theory of education that supports a model of genuinely bicultural education in New Zealand. Ways in which mainstream education might be enhanced by Maori pedagogies are explored through interviews with a preservice primary school teacher of Maori descent. In the area of rules of practice, Maori views of good teaching, such as the belief that people come before paperwork and that the child's ahua (aura or presence) should be nourished, may involve encouraging rules of practice less familiar to mainstream educators, resisting rules of mainstream education, and looking holistically at the implications of poor rules of practice. Concerning practical principles, Maori pedagogy holds that a safe learning environment is fundamental to good teaching, and that in the discussion of a single principle, one should hear all principles. Maori images of good teaching include the use of culturally relevant values to ensure consistency in delivery… [PDF]
(1999). Closing the Gap: Education and Change in New Stuyahok. Case Study. As part of a larger study of systemic educational reform in rural Alaska, this case study examines reform efforts underway in New Stuyahok, a community of 440 people in southwestern Alaska. The population is almost entirely Yup'ik Eskimo. The K-12 school enrolls about 150 students. In 1992, Alaska Onward to Excellence (AOTE) established district and village leadership teams that began the process of bridging the gap between school and community. Through a collaborative approach to planning, the school and community established two major goals: postsecondary success and increased bilingualism. A 1995 action plan sought to increase community involvement in the AOTE process, the use of community instructors, village pride in Yup'ik culture and language, and integration of community culture in the school. The bilingual education program was also targeted for improvement. From 1993 to the present, student achievement has shown a positive trend, with improvements in postsecondary… [PDF]
(2006). The Year of Writing. Educational Leadership, v63 n5 p80-81 Feb. In this column, the author relates her experience as a teacher in a K-12 school in Point Hope, Alaska, where most of the students spoke "village English," a form of nonstandard English mixed with the village's native language of Inupiaq. She relates how the students' reading test scores, which had been below the 25th percentile, were increased by instruction which included a combination of guided reading, shared reading, vocabulary development, explicit phonics, literacy groups, flexible grouping, team teaching, and parent involvement. The focus then turned to improving writing scores. Using daily writing exercises, along with having the students evaluate others' writing, resulted in significant improvement by year-end. (Contains 1 figure.)… [Direct]
(1997). Four Successful Indigenous Language Programs. This paper examines four indigenous language programs to compare common components, problems, and outcomes. The programs are Cree Way in Quebec, Canada, Hualapai in Arizona, Te Kohanga Reo (Maori) in New Zealand, and Punana Leo (Hawaiian) in Hawaii. These programs were chosen for four characteristics: (1) the languages are no longer transmitted to the younger generation (in the home or community); (2) the programs all have curriculum development, community support, parent involvement, and government support; (3) the programs exist in different countries; and (4) they are recommended as model programs for endangered indigenous languages. Each program's description covers historical background; program development; funding; parent, community, and academic involvement; and current status. Each program has a curriculum that combines indigenous language and cultural heritage, literacy, community involvement, and parent participation. Common problems are related to teacher availability,… [PDF]
(1998). Multimedia Technology in Language and Culture Restoration Efforts at San Juan Pueblo: A Brief History of the Development of the Tewa Language Project. WICAZO SA Review, v13 n2 p45-58 Fall. The Tewa Language Project CD-ROM was developed at the University of Washington in collaboration with San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico, to restore the use of spoken and written Tewa and to repatriate cultural property. The CD-ROM contains an interactive multimedia dictionary, songs, stories, photographs, land and water data, and linguistic resources collected in the early 1900s and 1960s-70s. (TD)…