Native concerns discussed (fwd)

[phil cash cash]

October 28, 2004
Native concerns discussed

BY JOHN R. CRANE
Journal Staff Writer
http://www.cortezjournal.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/news041028_3.htm

More needs to be done to address local American Indian students' lack of
achievement, to offer Navajo classes in Cortez schools and to speed
transmission of student absentee data between the Ute Mountain Ute
Tribe and the Re-1 Montezuma Cortez School District, said
representatives from area tribes at a special school district board
meeting Tuesday night.

The meeting between the Montezuma-Cortez Re-1 School District and area
tribes is held annually as  part of the district's Indian policy and
procedures and to discuss how to address American Indian students'
needs.  School board members mostly listened during the meeting.

"Overall, figures show that Ute Mountain Ute students are not
experiencing adequate success in  the Re-1 School District," said
Selwyn Whiteskunk, chairman-elect of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal
Council in  Towaoc.

Whiteskunk added that the tribe's students are the lowest proficiency
group on CSAP tests and  that areas of development need to be
identified to ease student transition between grades.

"It's alarming," Whiteskunk said of the CSAP achievement gap between
native and non-native  students.

Whiteskunk said more American Indian staff in district schools is needed
and that expulsion is  not always the solution to students' problems.
He added that sending truant students to boarding schools is an easy
way out.

"I don't want to send children to boarding schools away from family," he
said. "I went to a  boarding school. I know how it is to be away for
nine months."

Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Councilman Manuel Heart reminded the board of
the United States' "unique  legal relationship" with its American
Indian tribes. He mentioned the Bush administration's efforts to assist
American Indians in meeting the challenges and standards of the No
Child Left Behind Act, in accordance with tribal  conditions, languages
and cultures.

"This is an opportunity for tribal members and tribal leaders and
educators, such as yourselves,  to work together with the Department of
Education to find strategies to implement No Child Left Behind in
Indian  country," Heart said.

Heart added that the tribe and the district should work together in
research and data collection,  strengthening early childhood education,
high school graduation rates and postsecondary education. The Ute
Mountain  Ute Indian Tribe is working toward a grant that would enable
the tribe to put the Ute language in written form for  future
generations, Heart said.

Heart said non-Indian Coloradans know little about American Indian
culture and that tribes  suffered greatly throughout U.S. history.

"We, as Indian nations, have gone through a Holocaust," he said. "We
also, the Ute tribe as a  whole, have been exiled in the state of
Colorado. What do (non-native) students in the state of Colorado know
about  the first people who were here?"

Students need to be safer, as well, in light of methamphetamine labs
being discovered near area  schools, Heart said.

Today's students are tomorrow's administrators and service providers,
and tackling these issues  and taking action are paramount, Heart said.

Michael Mills, with Towaoc's truancy program, said he hopes to work in
conjunction with the  school district in gathering tribal students'
absentee data, in accordance with the tribal ordinance. Absentee data
is important in monitoring students' attendance and in prosecution of
truant students, Mills said. Since the truancy  program requires data
separated by jurisdictional boundaries, the district and the tribe must
reach an agreement, he  said.

Cindy Higgins, a Navajo, stressed the importance of adding Navajo
language, history and culture  courses to the district's schools, which
lack those classes. Navajo students cannot get certain tribal
scholarships without credits in Navajo language and culture, she said.

Joseph Chee, a Navajo culture and language scholar, expressed concern
over diagnostic procedures  after his daughter was placed in the
special education program. He said he asked her the same questions in
Navajo that she was asked during the diagnosis, and that she did fine.
She later exited the special education program and  re-entered the
mainstream system.

He said some American Indian children may be labeled "special ed"
because of language and  cultural barriers, instead of behavioral
problems.

"I'm wondering how many children have been set back because of these
issues," he said.