Prioritizing culture and tradition on an American Indian reservation: a single case study of the Sage River School District

• In Event: Indigenous Knowledge and the Academy SIG Highlighted Session: Co-constructing knowledge: Indigenous Knowledge, Students and culture in formal school curricular

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to explore how the principals, teachers, and community of Sage River Indians incorporated their language, culture, and traditions into their school’s curriculum with a specific focus on how these individuals prioritized and managed expectations from the US and state education systems. The research site for this study was a mountain community and Indian reservation located in the Southwestern region of the United States. The reservation and its school district of approximately served a relatively poor and remote community of 500 students.
Main Perspective:
Native American educational literature focused on leadership, culturally relevant teaching and culturally relevant pedagogy was reviewed in order to provide a framework for analyzing challenges, priorities and actions taken by principals and teachers in order incorporate language, culture, and traditions into the school’s curriculum. These areas of literature were critiqued in order to provide a theoretical tool to analyze data collected during the study. Literature relating to culturally relevant pedagogy was reviewed in order to define culturally relevant pedagogy. Research and theoretical writings on culturally relevant teaching and pedagogy mostly focuses on educating teachers to use various strategies incorporating student’s home cultural patterns into the class curriculum. It concludes that when a student’s culture is effectively intertwined into the curriculum, students’ academic achievement is heightened (Ladson- Billings 1994). The literature also shows that people perceive the world in different ways, depending on their norms and culture (Swisher, K, & Dehyle, D. (1992). This highlights the importance of developing and implementing curriculum which is relevant to the students’ culture. Finally, research regarding the U.S. policies and intervention in the history of Native American education was investigated. What is shown is that educators of indigenous populations have struggled with outside attempts to influence the educational process through what is known as the assimilative model. This consists of the dominant group or U.S. federal, state, and local educational entities attempting to control the educational process of the Indigenous youth populations (Brayboy & Castagno 2009). History has also shown that the U.S. government has attempted to implement the education system to eradicate the Native American language as well as its culture and customs. But in 1975 the U.S. government passed the Indian Self-Determination and Education Act which was designed to assist educational organizers at the tribal level (Manuelito 2005).
Research Design:
This study was performed by implementing qualitative research with the focus on gathering information pertaining to culturally relevant teaching and pedagogy, more specifically, how educators of Native American Students intertwine language, culture, and tradition into the curriculum. The research was conducted for a period of six months and included a case study of the school’s principals and teachers. The members included elementary and secondary level principals, and classroom teachers. The research methods included interviews, observations, and examination of documents. Each area of research was noted as the data and information was accumulated. The information was checked by all individuals involved in the given segment of study to ensure the validity and reliability of the research findings (Merriam 1995).
Results/ Conclusions:
The principals, teachers, and community were all effective at connecting language, culture, and tradition into the classroom curriculum. We identified barriers to culturally relevant pedagogy and practices but through observation and school performance reports it has been determined that these challenges can be successfully met. The thought of many of the members of the Sage River Indian Reservation is that through the continuing implementation of language, culture, and tradition into the curriculum, formal education will be the pathway in which to maintain the tribe’s identity and culture.


Significance:
Culturally relevant teaching and pedagogy have become an emerging topic in the arena of Native American education and across the field of education. The implementation of these elements are dramatically changing the roles of principals, teachers, and community members in order to properly facilitate their students. This study provided important insights into the roles that these members play and the challenges they face in their endeavors to successfully interlace their language, culture, and tradition into the school’s curriculum. This paper will conclude with recommendations for principal preparation programs, teacher education programs, and educational policy.

Authors

• Kevin Moussavi Saeedi, University of Texas at El Paso

• David DeMatthews, University of Texas at El Paso