(1999). Kuinerrarmiut Elitnaurviat: The School of the People of Quinhagak. Case Study. As part of a larger study of systemic educational reform in rural Alaska, this case study examines recent efforts by the people of Quinhagak to integrate Yup'ik language, values, and beliefs into school practices and policies. Quinhagak is a Yup'ik Eskimo community of 550 people on the southwest coast of Alaska. Nearly all residents can communicate in both Yup'ik and English. The K-12 school enrolls about 140 students. A brief history of the community and its schools is drawn from the experiences of an elder and her descendants. As a participant in Alaska Onward to Excellence (AOTE), a district-driven reform process implemented around the state, the Quinhagak community leadership team developed an AOTE action plan that encompassed 10 statements of values and beliefs, a mission statement, and one student learning goal of communicating more effectively in Yup'ik. With that, the team decided upon two areas of study: (1) community involvement in schooling decisions and (2) the… [PDF]
(2004). School and Ethnicity: The Case of Gypsies. Pedagogy, Culture and Society, v12 n2 p201-216. The schooling of Gypsy children has become a major challenge for the Spanish educational system. After centuries of, first, exclusion and then segregation in separate schools, an egalitarian policy and a sudden enforcement of compulsory schooling have resulted in difficulties and conflicts in numerous Spanish schools. The specificity of the Gypsy way of life, paradoxically, brings to light the arbitrariness of the school system, i.e. its dependence on a particular culture and way of life marked by nation-state, market economy, wage labour, sedentariness, nuclear family, rule of formal law, etc. After the initial stages of exclusion and segregation, educational policy towards Gypsies is now going through a reinterpretation of the idea of equality, departing from formal egalitarianism to arrive at some form of multiculturalism. Yet this reinterpretation is always on the basis of an external appraisal of the needs and opportunities of this ethnic minority by different professional… [Direct]
(2001). Barriers to Equal Education for Aboriginal Learners: A Review of the Literature. A BC Human Rights Commission Report. Education is a fundamental right of all people but, for the Canadian Aboriginal community it is particularly critical for overcoming historical disadvantages. This document reports on a review of barriers to equal education for Aboriginal people. Key barriers to educational equity include issues of control, keepers of knowledge (teachers versus community), the role of curriculum in reproducing social and cultural inequalities, poverty, and overrepresentation of Aboriginal students in special education. The report makes recommendations for achieving educational equity and social justice in the public school system. Shared decision making is needed in the areas of jurisdiction and control of Aboriginal education programs, and for effective Aboriginal parental involvement in the public education system. A forum for Aboriginal youth to have input into their education should be created. The underrepresentation and role of Aboriginal teachers and support staff in the public education… [PDF]
(1998). Traditional versus Contemporary Navajo Views of Special Education. A survey and interviews examined the beliefs of traditional and contemporary Navajos concerning individuals with disabilities. Participants were 30 staff members from the Kayenta and Pinon Unified School Districts (Arizona), of whom 21 were Navajos, 8 Anglos, and 1 Hispanic; 1 Anglo and 8 Navajo community professionals; and 15 Navajo parents, including 3 medicine persons. Eleven staff members and seven parents were interviewed; the rest completed surveys. Responses indicate that varying beliefs about individuals with disabilities exist. Traditional views about the cause of disabilities often centered around the breaking of taboos or not obeying traditional cultural ways. Other traditional views supported the belief that individuals with disabilities had a special \gift\ or were\blessed.\ Contemporary views of individuals with disabilities highlighted social and environmental influences as primary causes of disabilities. The overwhelming majority of respondents felt that both… [PDF]
(1994). Issues Affecting Rural Communities. Proceedings of an International Conference Held by the Rural Education Research and Development Centre (Townsville, Queensland, Australia, July 10-15, 1994). This proceedings contains approximately 100 conference papers and workshop summaries on rural health, education, and community development. The majority of the papers are concerned with conditions in rural Australia; about 20 examine rural issues in the United States; while a smaller number cover Canada, New Zealand, and European countries. A basic assumption of the conference was that rural education, health, and community and economic development can come together as a new area of study, creating new models for collaborative work on human issues in rural communities. Rural areas in both the developed and developing worlds are receiving more attention and funding than ever before. However, despite the varied and numerous programs in place in a number of countries, sparse collaboration across disciplines, cultures, and international boundaries fragments and limits the results of rural efforts. This conference was a necessary step toward collaboration and provided a thematic… [PDF]
(1996). Integrating Traditional Aboriginal Teaching and Learning Approaches in Post-Secondary Settings. Humanistic adult educational methods and traditional Aboriginal approaches have areas of commonality that can lead to an enhanced understanding of Aboriginal peoples' perspectives among undergraduate social work students in Canada. Humanistic adult education and andragogical principles foster self-directed learning among learners. Individual and group experiential learning situations that are promoted by traditional Aboriginal teachers also allow for self-directed learning and incorporate the values of noninterference, noncompetitiveness, sharing, and a sense of personal and community responsibility. Two social work courses were developed in which traditional Aboriginal approaches as well as humanistic adult educational methods were employed. The teaching and learning approaches and methods that were used to blend the two philosophical orientations were sharing circles, voluntary participation in ceremonies, group learning experience, interaction with Aboriginal role models, and the…
(1994). Delivering Community Services in Rural Communities: Problems and Prospects. This paper examines specific problems facing community service delivery in rural Australia and efforts to overcome these deficiencies. The generic term "rural" is advantageous in that it delineates particular problems facing rural communities, aids in resource allocation, raises public awareness of rural disadvantage, and provides an understanding of qualitative factors associated with rural living. Disadvantages of using such a broad categorization include the lumping together of nonrelated communities, perpetuation of rural myths, and stigmatization of all rural communities as disadvantaged. Common problems of rural community service delivery include distance, isolation, and coordination of services; lack of infrastructure and resources; recruitment of service professionals; limited skill base of service delivery agencies; increased demands upon community organizations concerning accountability and outcomes; and poorly defined roles for local government. Past models of… [PDF]
(1994). Achievement Goal Theory and Indigenous Minority School Motivation: The Importance of a Multiple Goal Perspective. Research at the classroom and school levels suggests that children from many indigenous cultural communities appear to be at a particular disadvantage with regard to academic achievement and school retention. This paper reports on a continuing study with Australian Aboriginal and Navajo Indian children investigating the relevance and applicability of goal theory to explaining indigenous motivation in school settings. In particular it examined task, ego, social solidarity, and extrinsic goal structures as a means of explaining and predicting minority motivation in school settings. Subjects, 496 Aboriginal students from grades 7 through 12 and 529 Navajo students from grades 9 through 12, completed an instrument developed for the study, the Inventory of School Motivation (ISM). Exploratory factor analyses of results offered considerable support for the Personal Investment Model of goal achievement proposed by M. L. Maehr (1984). The study also supported the predictive power of the… [PDF]
(1966). Pros and Cons; New Roles for Non-Professionals in Corrections. Ways in which correctional institutions could make the most effective use of the available manpower supply were studied in response to the awareness of widespread unemployment during a period of economic prosperity, a shortage of service workers, and, particularly, an acute shortage of professional personnel in corrections work. The study's principle focus was on matching jobs in correctional settings with a range of individuals from the high school to the college dropout, with particular emphasis on the indigenous leader, the ex-offender, and the offender himself. New career lines could result from several approaches examined in detail: (1) The tasks now being performed by professionals could be broken up and the jobs redesigned to create viable functions for nonprofessionals, (2) Those who have been traditionally employed as nonprofessionals could, with appropriate inservice training, be upgraded to semiprofessionals and provided with career steps and training leading to… [PDF]
(2002). Aboriginal Education in Winnipeg Inner City High Schools. This study investigated the educational circumstances of Aboriginal students in inner city high schools in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is based on a literature review and interviews with Aboriginal high school students, Aboriginal school dropouts, adult members of the Aboriginal community, and teachers. Results indicate that there is a cultural/class/experiential divide between Aboriginal students/families and the school system. The life experiences and cultural values of many Aboriginal families differ significantly from what they experience in schools, which are run largely by non-Aboriginal, middle class people for the purpose of advancing the values of the dominant culture. The educational system marginalizes Aboriginal students and does not adequately reflect their culture and realities. The incidence of overt racism is high. There are few Aboriginal teachers and little Aboriginal curriculum content. Many Aboriginal students resist and reject this form of education. This is… [PDF]
(1999). Why Do Children Fare Better in English than Dzongkha (National Language) in the Schools of Bhutan in All Grade Levels?. Reasons for which children of Bhutan learn English better than their native language, Dzongkha, are explored, including the overall language situation in Bhutan and its economic and cultural influences. Recommendations are made for increasing the learning and use of Dzongkha while retaining English in the school curriculum. The spread of English and decline in Dzongkha use are attributed to a variety of factors, including the advent of Western-style education, strong Western influences, lack of instructional resources in Dzongkha, the rise of English as an international language and a means to gain training and employment, adoption of English as a medium of instruction and easy access to English-language materials, and the high social status of English. To help students learn their native language better and forestall the loss of Dzongkha, it is recommended that more Bhutanese literature in Dzongkha be produced, the teaching and learning of Dzongkha be made more relevant and… [PDF]
(1995). Ojibway, Mohawk, and Inuktitut Alive and Well? Issues of Identity, Ownership, and Change. Bilingual Research Journal, v19 n1 p39-69 Win. Examines the recent evolution of three indigenous languages in Eastern Canada (Ojibway, Mohawk, and Inuktitut), focusing on efforts to revive and maintain indigenous languages. Discusses linguistic and cultural identity, ownership, and change in indigenous communities. (39 references) (MDM)…
(1991). Before Oglethorpe: Hispanic and Indian Cultures in the Southeast United States. OAH Magazine of History, v5 n4 p43-46 Spr. Presents a lesson plan for teaching the history of the southeastern United States from the time of the first Spanish explorations to the time of colonization. Includes preparatory activity for students, a shared reading, suggested questions for classroom discussion, and a session utilizing maps. Discusses decimation of the society and debate concerning the origins of southeastern ruins. (DK)…
(1991). Key Determinants of Motivation and Non-Traditional Aboriginal Students in School Settings: Recommendations for Educational Change. Australian Journal of Education, v35 n2 p154-74 Aug. A study in 12 New South Wales (Australia) high schools investigated differences in motivation for Aboriginal (n=496), migrant (n=487), and Anglo (n=1172) students. A consistent picture of the urban Aboriginal child emerged, and key variables in his decision making (self-reliance, confidence, and goal direction) were identified as well as facilitating factors such as parental and school support. (Author/MSE)…
(1996). Defining a "Maori Geography": Issues Explained, and One Personal Opinion on What It Could Consist Of. New Zealand Journal of Geography, n101 p14-20 Apr. Investigates the concepts that could be used to develop geography lessons based on the ideology of indigenous people. Uses the Maori of New Zealand as an example and discusses how such concepts as "Maori Mind,""Maori Land,""Founding Ideologies," and "Cultural Artifacts" could be incorporated into an indigenous geography. (MJP)…