Promising Education Interventions to Improve the Achievement of Native American Students
The purpose of this 2015 annotated bibliography is to identify interventions, and supporting research, that may benefit educators in their efforts to close the American Indian/Alaskan Native achievement gap. It answers the question: What are promising programs, policies, practices, and processes related to improving academic and non-academic outcomes for American Indian/Alaskan Native students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade? Collectively, the articles included in this bibliography relate to a broad range of Indigenous peoples, including American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Studies touch on Indians living on reservations, students in Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools, students in tribally controlled schools, and English Language Learners.
Traditional Native Americans: Concepts About Learning Characteristics
Native Americans share some common ways of dealing with information. This website, shared by Andy Forsythe, a teacher on the Rosebud Reservation in Mission, SD, who has been involved with Lakota culture and Native communities for quite a few years offers these learning concepts .
"The suggestions of characteristics of TNA (Traditional Native Americans) is not definitive and will not apply to all Native people. These may be some characteristics of some traditional individuals but will vary depending on circumstances such age, geographic region they live in (i.e. on or off the reservation, or which community they live in within the reservation), and most importantly their tribal affiliations. Lakota traditions will be different from Ute traditions which will be different from Tlingit traditions and so on."
American Indian Learning Styles Survey: An Assessment of Teachers Knowledge
This report on a survey of non-Indian and Indian educators, investigating the knowledge of learning styles on the part of the educators. The study also addresses how much the educators believe that cultural values of American Indians influences a student's learning style and demonstration of learning.
American Indian and Alaskan Native Learning Styles
Authored by Karen Swisher, Ed.D., this article reviews the effect of learning styles in the teaching of American Indian and Alaskan Native students. It provides an overview of the research on learning styles and suggests how teachers should approach understanding how their native students learn. As Director of the Center for Indian Education at Arizona State University, Dr. Swisher was instrumental in recognizing learning styles as an important element in the professional development of pre-service and in-service teachers in schools attended by American Indian and Alaskan Native children.
Classroom Implications of the Learning Styles of American Indian and Alaska Native Students
Authored by Soleste Hilberg and Roland Tharp, "this Digest begins with a brief discussion of two prominent definitions of learning styles and then describes studies that have found differences between the learning styles of American Indian students and students of other cultural groups. The Digest then presents instructional interventions stemming from learning styles research." Download PDF
Culturally Responsive Instructional Resources for American Indian/Alaska Native Students
This featured collection focuses on resources that support culturally responsive teaching for American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) students. Culturally responsive teaching is defined as the application of cultural knowledge, prior experiences, perspectives, and performance styles of AI/AN students to develop more personal connections to classroom learning.
Effective Teaching Strategies for Engaging Native American Students
This 2006 report by Harold L. Sorkness, presented at the National Association of Native American Studies, reported the study of two teachers of Native American students in South Dakota along with a group of K-12 teachers in Montana. The teachers were surveyed to determine which teaching methods were the most beneficial to their American Indian students. Teachers were also asked which aspects of the Native American culture had significant impact on classroom interactions.
Holistic Teaching/Learning for Native American Students
Based upon his experience with the Native Americans of Northeastern Arizona Dr. Robert Rhodes explains how Native American students learn through a holistic approach. Through his experiences he describes a Native American learning style, and how it impacts teaching styles and the learning environment. This website offered free download of this journal article by Dr. Rhodes.
Learning Styles of American Indian/Alaska Native Students
Authored by Dr. Cornel Pewewardy, this resource offers a review of the literature and practice implications as it relates to learning styles of American Indian/Alaska Native Students. The paper addresses the following topics: Learning Styles - Fact or Fiction; Historical Basis of the Problem: A Curriculum of Genocide; Current Approaches and Findings Toward Understanding the Learning Styles of American Indian/Alaska Natives Students; and Relationship to Current Practice.
Native Indian Learning Styles: A Review for Researchers and Teachers
This Journal of American Indian Education article provides an explanation of the theory of learning styles and the implications of such theory in educating American Indian students.
* Indian 101: Ladonna Harris
Indian 101 profiles Comanche political and social activist Ladonna Harris who is now passing on her traditional cultural and leadership values to a new generation of emerging Indigenous leaders.
* Restructuring Schools to Nurture Native American Students
The high school graduation rate for Native Americans is the lowest of any ethnic or racial group in the United States. How can the government assist reservation schools while respecting autonomy of tribes? In this 2014 PBS 'News Hour" television program, Judy Woodruff talks to Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewell, about a series of initiatives announced by President Obama on how to undo deep-seated education challenges for Native American Indians.
*NEW video* Native Education Groups Improving the Graduation Rates
This September 2013 video states for many Native Americans, a higher education can seem an impossible goal, especially if they are struggling to overcome major obstacles like poverty or isolation. However, nonprofits like American Indian Student Support Services, at Arizona State University, help students find their way to college. The program has improved graduation rates at ASU, with nearly three-quarters of all program participants graduating and going on to successful careers. The program travels to Native American communities and encourages and supports young people with dreams of attaining a higher education.
A Survey and Assessment of Culturally Based Education Programs for Native American Students in the United States
In this 2006 Volume 45, Issue 2 of the Journal of American Indian Education, author David Beaulieu explains his project to study the feasibility of doing experimental or quasi-experimental research to determine the impact of culturally based education upon the academic achievement of Native American students. In our work, we have relied upon the notion illustrated in the theoretical literature that the purposes of the school-particularly in the area of academic achievement-are accomplished through culturally based educational approaches appropriate to students.
The Learning Styles of Native American Students
There is no homogenous group of people that fits the term Native American (Love and Kallam, 2007). There are 564 federally recognized American Indian tribes and bands in the contingent 48 states (Bureau of Indian Affairs, 2009) and the authors cannot pretend to speak for or address the unique concerns of each within such a large and diverse group of people. Beyond the diversity due to affiliation, Native Americans have varying levels of acculturation. Some Native Americans lead a traditional lifestyle, while others are fully acculturated into mainstream America, and most are somewhere in between. A number of
state and federal agencies use the term American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN). The authors of this paper use the term American Indian (AI), a term more often used among those who recognize that their ancestors were indigenous to this continent. The purposes of this paper are to provide educators, who often try to use a one-size-fits-all approach to teaching this culturally diverse group, with some new elements to consider, and also to encourage the use of teaching
styles and strategies that can lead to greater success for American Indian students. More than one-third of the American Indian service population resides in Oklahoma according to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (2009), making the need for culturally responsive teaching mandatory for educators in our region.
Indian School Whisperer, Dave Archambault, Sr.
In this 2013 video, Dave Archambault, Sr., states that existing and past schooling policies of the U.S. government are effectively genocide; wasting the customs and beliefs of First Americans. Born on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, Dave Leon Archambault received the Lakota name, 'Itazipo Wakinyan' meaning Thunder Bow. He holds a Masters Degree in Education Administration from Penn State University. Mr. Archambault has worked as an educator, an administrator, and a consultant at Indian schools and tribal colleges throughout his career.
Thriving in Indian Country: What's in the Way and How Do We Overcome? (Video)
In this 2017 TEDx video presentation, Dr. Anton Treuer, Professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University, gives a focused look at mascots, microaggressions, and helping Native Americans thrive. Dr. Treuer states, "It can’t be a recipe for a healthy nation if our largest demographic of kids is only getting to the finish line a little over half the time. Somehow, we’re going to have to start listening to other perspectives.” An author of 14 books, Dr. Treuer has a BA from Princeton University and an MA and PhD from the University of Minnesota. He is Editor of the Oshkaabewis Native Journal, the only academic journal of the Ojibwe language. Throughout the world, Dr. Treuer has shared the following presentations: 'Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians but Were Afraid to Ask', 'Cultural Competence & Equity, Strategies for Addressing the “Achievement” Gap', and 'Tribal Sovereignty, History, Language, and Culture'.
Thriving in Indian Country: What's in the Way and How Do We Overcome? (Video)
In this 2017 TEDx video presentation, Dr. Anton Treuer, Professor of Ojibwe at Bemidji State University, gives a focused look at mascots, microaggressions, and helping Native Americans thrive. Dr. Treuer states, "It can’t be a recipe for a healthy nation if our largest demographic of kids is only getting to the finish line a little over half the time. Somehow, we’re going to have to start listening to other perspectives.” An author of 14 books, Dr. Treuer has a BA from Princeton University and an MA and PhD from the University of Minnesota. He is Editor of the Oshkaabewis Native Journal, the only academic journal of the Ojibwe language. Throughout the world, Dr. Treuer has shared the following presentations: 'Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians but Were Afraid to Ask', 'Cultural Competence & Equity, Strategies for Addressing the “Achievement” Gap', and 'Tribal Sovereignty, History, Language, and Culture'.
Introducing the Big Picture Learning Native American Initiative
"Indian education dates back to a a time when all children were identified as gifted and talented. Each child had a skill and ability that would contribute to the health and vitality of the community. Everyone in the community was expected and trained to be a teacher to identify and cultivate these skills and abilities. The elders were entrusted to oversee this sacred act of knowledge being shared. That is our vision for Indian education today." - CHiXapkaid (Dr. Michael Pavel) The Big Picture Learning Native American Initiative strives to (1) Ensure that each BPL network school is prepared to meet the unique cultural and linguistic needs of their American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) students, as guaranteed by the treaties; (2) Decolonize and indigenize Big Picture Learning network schools so that all students may benefit from the wide breadth of cultural knowledge and worldviews of Indigenous peoples.
Special Issue on Culturally Responsive Education for American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian Students
This 2007 Special Issue of the Journal of American Indian Education features a collection of articles the authors express are particularly important in advocating for support of Native families, communities and activists committed to revitalizing and preserving Indigenous languages and cultures, especially given current ultraconservative efforts to impose English-Only legislation on sovereign Indigenous nations and the general public. The authors state these articles expose patterns of outright discrimination by federal, state, and local government agencies and total disregard for federal laws and court-mandated regulation such as Lau vs. Nichols (1974) and the 1992 Native American Languages Act.
Striving to Achieve: Helping Native American Student Succeed
This 32-page paper from the National Caucus of Native American State Legislators explores the state of education for Native American students in grades K through 12.
Indian Education in New Mexico, 2025
In 2007, the New Mexico Indian Education Study, 2025, embarked on a statewide research. This study indicates that Best Practices in Indian Education entail providing a culturally responsive education for Native students. Culturally responsive education requires systemic reform and transformation in educational ideologies. Such a task is not easily accomplished in a rigid public school structure that is bound by state and federal laws.
Successfully Educating Urban American Indian Students: An Alternative School Format
This 2003 Journal of American Indian Education (V42, Issue 3) explores an educator who stepped away from the status quo of traditional high school teaching methods and created an educational haven for American Indian students in this case study.