... ·---- ..... ~ Documents Department Oklahoma State University Library THE INDIAN BUREAU'S PROGRAM OF ADULT EDUCATION For the benefit of Indian people and Alaska natives who. had little or no schooling as youngsters, the Bureau of.Indian Affairs of the Department of the Interior operates an adult education program on Indian reservations and in Alaskan villages. The salient facts .ebout this program are bri~fly pre serrted below. Background Bureau of the Census reports for 1950 showed that Indian adults over 25 years of age who lived on reservations had, on the average, somewhat more than five years of schooling. In several ·tribes the average was much less. By contrast, the general population of adults in the United States had between nfne .and ten years of schooling. There were two major r'easons for this disparity: (1) many of the tribes lived in remote and relatively inaccessible areas where a~equate educational opportunity was not available; (2) 1ri· other cases Indian people had not availed- ,themselves of such opportunity f'or education as was provided, or had declined the opportunity. 'Ille result was that many' Indian adults were seriously disadvantaged in the conduct of their daily lives in the modern world. Initiation of Pilot Program· By 1955 increasing numbers of Indian adults were becoming aware of this disadvantage and wished to -do something to overcome it. The Bureau of Indian Affairs responded in early _ 1956 by initiating pilot -pr'ograma of adult education among· five tribal groups: th~ Seminole of Florida, the Papago of Arizona, the Rosebud Sioux of South Dakota, the Shoshone-Bannock of Idaho; and the Chippewa and Devils Lake Sioux under the Turtle Mountain 'Agency in North Dakota. Expansion of Operations Experience with the pilot units justified extension of the program to other tribal groups. As this is written, 75 separate communities under 24 different jurisdictions are being served. These · range geographically from Alaska to southern F'l.or'Lda •. From the beginning, the central purpose of' the adult education program has been to raise the general educational level of . Indian adults so that they may live more effectively in today's world. Participation is, of course, purely voluntary and units have been.establish~d only where requested or approved by tribal - governing bodies. The adult students themselves have played the major role in determining what was to be studied. Differing Needs of Tribal Groups In the case of some of the groups, the inabili'ty of many' adults to speak, read, or write the English language is a basic handicap. This is true particularly of' the Seminole, Papago, :and Navajo, and to a lesser extent of the Alaskan Natives, the Mississippi Choctaw, and the New Mexico Pueblos·. In other tribal groups, most of the adults have .had some .formal schooling in their youth, but- many f'_eel a need to continue theireducation so as _to further develop their skills and understandings. · Tribal groups in this category include .the Chippewa and Sioux of North Dakota and South Dakota, the Shoshone-Bannock in Idaho, the. Cheyenn~-Arapaho in Oklahoma, the Potawatomi-Kickapo6 ·in Kansas, the Utes in Colorado, the Cheyenhe in Montana, and two Indian colonies in Nevada. ~es of Courses Offered The specific learning activities are nearly as diverse as the tribal groups which the program serves. This diversity stems. from the voluntary aspects of participation and the variety of the educational needs and interests of adult Indians. Each prograni unit has-been developed_ to meet the~ needs and interests of' the adul~s served; therefore, the activities are quite fluid, constantly changing, being reorganized and expanded. Although there are differences between programs in their learning activities tihere are also broad similarities. For example, 'thoae groups with a low average educational· Leve I nearly always ask for formal classes in English, reading, writing, and arithmetic. Practically all Endf aniaduj.t education groups are interested in study which relates to: Making a living, health and safety, pe_rsonal economics, home and family life, and civic participation. Many are individuals who dropped out of school before finishing high school - and are interested in securing high school diplomas or Certificates of Equivalencythrough their State Department of Education or the extens_ion services of Sta1te colleges_ or. universities. Others may . 2 wish to take refresher courses or correspondence courses. A number of these have already cbtained their certificates and others.will soon complete their studies. Development of Goals Teachers in the adult education program have had to develop for their use many new materials :for instrll.ction,· methods of teaching,· and learning activities which would sustain bhe ·interest and meet the educational needs of adult learners. · They are presently developing, under the guidance of specialists, a set of minimum essential learning goals for illiterat~ and fUilctionally illiterate learners. Plans are under Wfr/ to develop learning_goals for adults who wish to complete an.eighth grade education and for those interested in :finishing high school. May, 1959 .3 INT .DUP., D.C.59- 5. r. ~ .. .., · :Jb 11 ~· -- . .. . OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY 11111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 3 6135 02212 2016