Navajos move to take control of classrooms from states (fwd)

[phil cash cash]

Tuesday, September 06, 2005 - 12:00 AM

Navajos move to take control of classrooms from states
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PHOENIX -- Navajo Nation leaders have taken an initial step toward
taking over control of their classrooms from the state, saying they'd
be better off to run schools on their territory.

Schools on the reservation are currently overseen by the Arizona, Utah
and New Mexico Departments of Education as well as the Bureau of Indian
Affairs.

Parochial schools are under the purview of the Diocese of Gallup in New
Mexico.

But in July, Navajo Nation legislators exercised sovereign powers to
change their education code, creating an 11-member board and a
superintendent of schools to be in place by 2017.

"It would be a department equal to or better than the three where our
children attend schools," said Leland Leonard, director of Navajo
Nation's Division of Dine Education.

"The current academic approach is a borrowed concept from BIA and the
state," Leonard said. "We want to close the achievement gap by building
our own standards."

Navajo leaders say creating their own department of education and
instituting their own testing and learning standards would be better
suited for Navajo students. That could mean Navajo students would not
need to take state-mandated tests, such as Arizona's AIMS test, to
receive a high school diploma or even glance at the national
standardized test.

However, Navajo leaders say they're not interested in assuming financial
control of the state's $140 million budget for the schools, which
educates 21,000 students.

State officials seem open to the concept if transferring control of
schools to Native American governments but say it's a difficult
prospect.

The Navajo Nation has eight large public schools, many located in urban
residential areas like Tuba City, Kayenta and Chinle.

Tom Horne, superintendent of Arizona Public Instruction, said he agreed
to be "open-minded" about the Navajo Nation's plan and had met with
tribal leaders in June. However, district employees, governing school
board members and parents from Navajo district school are already
inquiring about how realistic the Navajo Nation plan is, Horne said.

Percy Deal, a member of the board of supervisors in Navajo County, is
ecstatic about the tribe's philosophy to exert sovereignty. What
troubles him is the elimination of Arizona standards and the
high-stakes tests like AIMS and TerraNova.

"That is to say, we have our own standards and we only learn about our
little world and we don't want our students to compete on the national
level. That is wrong," Deal said. "Our children's world, their future,
is not within the Navajo Nation. It is outside the reservation. So they
have to compete nationally."

National test scores at reservation public schools fall below the 50th
national percentile mark in language arts, math and reading. Navajo
students improved on AIMS 2005, a test which was made easier to take
than in previous years.

"I'm still responsible for the academic performance of the schools. If
they (Navajo Nation) want to take over that responsibility, they have
to convince Congress to pass a law transferring that responsibility
from me to them," Horne told The Arizona Republic.

Leonard, former chief executive officer of the Phoenix Indian Center,
believes Navajo-crafted curriculum, standards and testing would benefit
Navajo children.

For example, he said school districts could require that the Navajo
language be taught as part of the curriculum.

Horne said the state does not object to the teaching of Navajo language
and culture with one exception -- students must still become proficient
at English.

"Once they are proficient in English," Horne said, "then teaching Navajo
and culture is a positive thing."

Cyndi Thompson, a parent at Chinle Unified School District, said many
parents are unaware of the tribe's plan to consolidate all schools
under its own department of education.

She said she's satisfied with her children's schools but admits she
overhears the community repeat, "Nihina'nitin baa'diil diih," or "our
oral Navajo philosophy and instruction is fading."


This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D4.
This article comes from The Daily Herald
http://www.newutah.com/

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