The Native struggle: Making Indian Education for All a reality

Local tribes came together to the sound of an oak and buffalo hide drum beating out a steady cadence. They converged with voices singing out a song from the Blackfeet, gifted to members of the Chippewa Tribe. Cultures melded together through the pleasant ringing of a blue jingle dress as Lilly Gil danced around the stage of the Civic Center with her siblings, tribal members and fellow American Indians.

Twelve local students wore their traditional regalia and demonstrated the garb, music and dancing of their respective tribes during a drum circle of cultural exchange.

“They don’t get to do this all the time, but it has been getting a lot better,” said Crystal Benton, prevention specialist for the Little Shell Wellness Program. “They’re doing more activities now.”

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There are 12 tribes native to the state, and each has a distinct cultural background. Educators are working to foster a respect for the cultures across Montana by incorporating American Indian culture into the classroom, both in subject matter and in observance of the practices brought in by students.

There is still a long road ahead for successful integration into the community and schools system, but Montana has made significant strides over the past 10 years.

Indian Education for All

Montana is the only state that includes a section on providing accurate American Indian history and education in its constitution.

In 1972, the basis for today’s iteration of Indian Education for All was added to the state constitution in Article X.

The article illustrates the importance of recognizing the distinct cultural heritage of American Indians and using the schools system to preserve their cultural integrity.

Cultures exchanged through drum circle

However, this did little, if anything, to actually integrate American Indian students and their culture into the public schools system.

“It was in the constitution for a long time, but it wasn’t implemented until there was a state-funded obligation to do so,” said Denise Juneau, superintendent of public instruction.

In 1999, the state made another step forward when the Legislature passed House Bill 528, the Indian Education for All bill, into law. Rather than addressing Indian education in a single sentence, the new Montana Code Annotated 20-1-501 devoted several lines to integrating Indian culture into the schools system.

MCA 20-1-501 requires every educational agency and personnel to work closely with local tribes to develop a curriculum for each Montana resident in order to secure the integration of American Indian culture into lesson plans.

Still, the unfunded mandate was not enforced and Native representation in schools was minimal.

Finally, in 2005, a school funding lawsuit lit the fire that ignited real change in the system. Following a special legislative session, the Legislature appropriated funds to ensure the values instilled in MCA 20-1-501 became a reality.

Schools received funding for additions to the curriculum and educator training.

“Our teaching population is 98 percent white,” Juneau said. “We’ve seen phenomenal growth across the state, but we need to continue to make sure our teachers, education system and colleges have been educated on American Indian culture.”

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Juneau said she would like to see American Indian studies better integrated into education programs at colleges and universities. Teachers should enter the workforce with knowledge of the different tribes, treaties and cultures within the classroom.

“We need to be stronger across the board,” Juneau said.

Instilling culture in Indian youths

Lilly, Erica, Jasamine and Peter Gil demonstrate Native dances in their colorful regalia.

Lilly wears her jingle dress, adorned with folded Copenhagen lids to create the namesake jingle as she dances.

Erica moves in her fancy dress, a contemporary style associated with more contemporary dances.

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Jasamine wears a traditional teen dress.

The oldest, Peter, is dressed in grass regalia. His wardrobe has long fringe that sways as he moves. His movements are meant to imitate the movements of blades of grass in the wind.

“The regalia was made by them,” their mother Paula Harwood said. “The tradition was passed down. They’re already able to bead, make regalia and dance. But they’ve been dancing since they were in my tummy. They came out dancing.”

School districts across the state are working to improve the representation and integration of American Indian culture into the schools system. Great Falls Public Schools has made tremendous progress in a few short years.

Great Falls High School senior Amy La Brake said she thinks the school district has made integration a priority, but there’s still room for improvement.

“During sophomore year we’re required to take Montana Government, and about a quarter of it is about Native American studies and things specific to the tribes in Montana,” La Brake said. “Reading is a good way to teach culture, but it would be cool to have it shown in other subjects. We could learn about herbal remedies in science, or have an indigenous sciences class.”

La Brake will be attending Montana State University next year as an Indigenous Scholar of Promise. She is currently the tribal chairwoman for InterTRIBAL Strong, a group of American Indian students who have committed to being leaders and mentors to create a support system for Native American students.

JoLena Hinchman and Katie Hurin, IEFA instructional coaches for GFPS, have been working to develop better programs to help teachers naturally integrate Native culture into their classroom.

Through their developed IEFA Trainer of Trainers program, Hinchman and Hurin are educating and inspiring district teachers and administration to implement more American Indian perspectives in their schools.

Teachers can take a trainer class (five Saturdays) to build a background in American Indian culture and studies.

Prior to the Trainer of Trainers program, American Indian-centric lesson plans were written for teachers to present to their classes.

“A large population of our teachers are not Native,” Hurin said. “They struggle to teach something they don’t know themselves. When they know the subject better, they teach it better.”

Through the Trainer of Trainers program, teachers can take courses on Native American literature, American Indian history, science from an indigenous perspective and several others.

“We teach them so they can write their own lesson plans,” Hinchman said. “Then it’s authentic and natural. It builds a background so they get excited about what they’re doing. That knowledge and excitement trickles down to their students.”

The Trainer of Trainers environmental sciences through the Native perspective class is at its capacity of 25 teachers, and several more on a waiting list.

GFPS is a model for successful integration. GFPS Director of Indian Education Resources Corri Smith said. Great Falls has one of the most powerful IEFA programs in the state. Teachers travel from across Montana to learn from local educators about how to integrate the Native voice into the classroom.

Students in classrooms from the pre-K through senior year of high school are having more informed and engaged conversations about American Indian culture today than they were just five years ago. Hinchman, Hurin and Smith all agree that the growth of Native American studies has been exponential.

“It has been a real strength to travel around the state to schools and see fifth-graders have deep, meaningful talks about the mascot issue — especially now that the (Cleveland) Indians are in the World Series,” Juneau said. “It’s bringing young people’s attention to stereotypes. There are more conversations around treaties and tribes and rights. Students and teachers are having accurate, authentic conversations.”

College culture shock

A report conducted by the Office of Public Instruction indicated the percentage of American Indian students who enrolled in a Montana University System school within 16 months of graduating high school in 2014 was 28 percent. White students had a MUS capture rate of 46 percent.

In 2015, 46 percent of American Indian students attending a MUS school enrolled in remedial math or writing courses. This compares to the 24 percent remedial enrollment rate for white students.

For those American Indians who choose to attend an MUS school, only 52.6 percent are retained at four-year institutions and only 48.4 percent are retained at two-year institutions.

According to Angela McLean, director of American Indian and Minority Achievement and K-12 Partnerships for the Office of the Commissioner of High Education, there is no one specific factor to point to when looking at why college success and retention is lower among American Indian students.

“We speculate there might be financial concerns preventing them from coming back a second year,” McLean said. “We’re now seeking to gather data to take a meaningful look at what’s occurring and how we can mediate changes.”

To address a possible financial bar to American Indian students, the MUS offers an American Indian Tuition Waiver for students of at least one-fourth American Indian blood or who belong to a state or federally recognized tribe in Montana. These students must demonstrate financial need by having a minimum of $1 of need remaining after subtracting the Expected Family Contribution, all Title IV grant aide and institutional aide from the cost of attendance.

The OCHE has also developed the Montana University System American Indian Achievement Advisory Council, a council made up of representatives from colleges across the state, in part, to evaluate and address retention issues among Native students.

Efforts have been made to integrate Native culture into the K-12 schools system, but the job isn’t over when students graduate and head to college. Campuses across the state have Native American centers and clubs to give American Indian students on campus a place to go and discuss ideas and issues with those who have similar backgrounds.

During a meeting of the Native American Club on the Great Falls College MSU campus, student Rachel Gray Hawk said she believes American Indian students leave because they lack support from an early age.

“A lot of students don’t succeed because of their personal lives and they don’t know where to go for help,” Gray Hawk said. “I personally think that’s the highest reason for drop-outs. They need to start in middle schools by telling kids they can do these things; that there are opportunities out there.”

During the meeting, fellow student Rainy Allen said she thinks it’s important to have such clubs because it gives students a stabilizing sense of camaraderie.

“(AIMA) is asking if campuses are welcoming, inclusive and is it an environment where students can become an integrated part of the school?” McLean said. “Students from Indian Country are coming from all different tribes. We need to be understanding of all of their cultural aspects. We need to make sure to be understanding of what it took each student to get here. Their needs don’t always look the same.”

Last semester, the OCHE launched its American Indian Scholars program to provide Native students with student mentors to provide support for them and their families.

Only 5 percent of MUS enrolled students identify as American Indian, so OCHE hopes this program will help establish a more welcoming community for incoming native students.

“There is an unprecedented amount of work being done,” McLean said. “There are programs now that didn’t exist 10 years ago, and that’s translating into success across the state. We don’t just want Indian Education for All to be out there. We want it embedded in school standards.”

Twelve tribal nations of Montana:

Assiniboine, Blackfeet, Chippewa, Cree, Crow, Gros Ventre, Kootenai, Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa, Northern Cheyenne, Pend d’Oreille, Salish and Sioux

American Indian enrollment by grade during the 2015-2016 school year according to the 2016 Montana American Indian Student Data Report

Kindergarten: 1,669

First grade: 1,753

Second grade: 1,796

Third grade: 1,704

Fourth grade: 1,753

Fifth grade: 1,665

Sixth grade: 1,628

Seventh grade: 1,544

Eighth grade: 1,545

Ninth grade: 1,541

Tenth grade: 1,328

Eleventh grade: 1,214

Twelfth grade: 1,032