Contemporary Native American Education Issues in the United States: A Year in Review
Keywords:
Native American education, NIEA, language revitalization, federal funding, educational equityAbstract
This article analyzes contemporary issues in Native American education through the lens of Willard Sakiestewa Gilbert's tenure as president of the National Indian Education Association (NIEA) and his subsequent tour of Turkey. The paper explores the critical educational challenges faced by Native American students, including federal funding disparities, culturally irrelevant curricula, and the suppression of native languages. The author contends that these issues contribute to significant achievement gaps between Native and non-Native students. This study examines NIEA's six program initiatives, highlighting efforts in Native Language Revitalization, Reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act, and the National Native Cultural Education Standards. The article argues that incorporating native languages and cultures into education is essential for improving academic outcomes and validating Native identity. Key findings include the passage of the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act and the ongoing need for federal support to address educational inequities.
(The abstract and keywords were prepared retrospectively for indexing purposes using AI-assisted tools and editorial review, based on the original article. They did not appear in the original publication.)
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