NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN/ NAVAJO TRIBE BY JANICE IZZARd

1. NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN/ NAVAJO TRIBE BY JANICE IZZARd

2. introduction • The Navajo are the largest reservation in the united states covering a total of 17.5 million acres and stretches across the northwest, new Mexico, northeast Arizona, and south east Utah. • They lived in homes called Hogan's they are made from wooden poles, tree bark, and mud they would often opened the door way to welcome the sun in. • The Navajo made items on the reservation to trade in towns as well as building their own trading post on their reservation to sell their own handmade crafts, such as pottery and blankets, rugs baskets etc.

3. family • Family is very important to the Navajo culture. When babies are born the tribal leaders would name the child not the mother or father. The first year is spent strapped to their mother until the baby become older. Relatives would watch over the child and teach the child their tribal ways.

4. Family role • The girls would practice preparing food making pottery, basket weaving, and sewing. • The boys would learn to hunt and make tools and weapons.

5. cultural • When the child reach puberty, the girls would go off with the, women, and the boys would have to pass a test of courage. The Navajo to day still carry on their traditions and unique ways of life.

6. Traditional ceremony • The birth of a child, the Navajo would have a ceremony and do a spiritual dance, to celebrate the child coming to earth.

7. Ceremony cont. • The Navajo’s home land where called Dine~tah which locates in the mountains where their lived, they defines their homes historically, literally, spiritually and relationally. • The Navajo have poems to identifies their mountains that symbolize the boundaries and center of Dine~tah, and directions to seasons, time of day, colors and stages of human life. Each mountain is a source of lessons and of self- knowledge for the Navajo people.

8. Prayer of ceremony homes in the mountains cont. • Poem… Because of her, we think and create. Because of her, we make songs. Because of her, the designs appear as we weave. Because of her, we tell stories and laugh. We believe in old values and new ideas.

9. View of education • The concept of disability takes on a new meaning, especially among those living traditional lives in Indian Country because most tribal languages do not have a word for handicap or disability. Disability is an idea familiar to Western culture but with no direct parallel in American Indian culture. • Very interestingly, the closest American Indian concept does not look at physical characteristics but views disability as disharmony of spirit.

10. Educational support Program • EPICS (Education for Parents of Indian Children with Special Needs) is a community parent resource center for American Indian Families who live in New Mexico and who have children with special needs. EPICS’ mission is to assist American Indian parents by providing information and training that helps them fully participate in their children’s educational and school programs. • Their “no-cost to parents” services are aimed at Indian parents whose children are ages birth to 26 and have disabilities or special needs, live in New Mexico, and attend public schools, BIA schools, or are enrolled in the state’s birth –three Family-Infant-Toddler program.

11. Educational Support program cont. • EPICS provides opportunities for parents to meet, share and network with other AI parents; learn how disability laws, i.e. IDEA, ADA Section 504, can help their children; and develop communication and advocacy skills that help their children get the services they need. • EPICS also provides training and information directly to AI parents and it provides support to educational and health care professionals to involve AI parents

12. Reports and Studies • In May 1985, the Journal of American Indian Education reported that recent developments in litigation and educational research dealing with special needs children of limited English proficiency suggest that educators must seriously address the issues related to designing and implementing bilingual special education programs that have quality trained bilingual special education teachers. • The need is most critical for the American Indian population.

13. Reports and Studies cont. • In 1991, an ethnographic study was conducted over a five year period on the Navajo reservation. The study focused on Navajo concepts of childrearing and parent involvement, parenting styles, and reactions to school culture. • The author found that there were distances between the school culture and the Navajo culture that manifest themselves in ways thought to be detrimental to children and parents. Schools want to assimilate students.

14. Vision for the future • Navajo parents want children to complete school, get jobs, and remain affiliated with their cultural heritage. Navajo parents are committed to better education and better economic opportunities for their children, but institutional strategies of the educational system are perceived to limit meaningful involvement for parents. • Parents are often caught in a difficult place: in trying to be good parents, they must meet both Caucasian middle-class expectations and Navajo cultural expectations.

15. Approach to Interventions • Typical approaches to early intervention services, as carried out in many parts of the United States, may not be practical or successful with traditional American Indian families and communities. • This has led to examination of service delivery approaches, community based services guided by local American Indian leadership, and scrutiny of early assessment and evaluation in a culturally appropriate manner, compatible with state and federal regulation.

16. Assessment of Navajo Indians “Numerous reports have indicated that the education of American Indians has been a dismal failure (i.e. Kennedy 1969). These reports indicate low scores for American Indians on all measures of academic achievement (Bishop, 1988 and Ingrassi, 1987). The American Indian success rate in completing high school is far below the national average, the percentages entering colleges are far below averages for other ethnic minorities. In short, the schools are not doing well at educating American Indian students.” (Journal of American Indian Education V29,number 9, May, 1990).

17. Percentage of children ages 3-21 served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), by race/ethnicity

18. Disability rates vary by race/ethnicity • A 1997 Survey of Income and Program Participation showed that 22% of the Native American Population has one or more disabilities. The disability rate varies considerably by race. U.S. All Races: 20% White: 20% Black: 20% Hispanic 15% Asian 10% Native American 22%

19. Average overall Literacy scores for children at about 4 years of age, by selected race/ethnicity 2005-6

20. Average overall mathematics scores for children at about 4 years of age, by selected race/ethnicity: 2005-6

21. Assessment • Native Americans, and Navajo Indians specifically (who make up 12% of all Native Americans) have a history of poor performance on standardized tests. Reasons for inaccurate assessment may include: • Cultural Differences • Language Barriers • Rural Geographic location • Low Socioeconomic status • Low parental education

22. CULTURAL DIFFERENCES • There are huge differences in tribe to tribe, yet Native Americans are identified as a single cultural group. • Cultural beliefs may bar students from engaging in competitive behaviors and prevent appropriate performance on standardized tests. • Learning style of Navajo Indians is likely to be affected by cultural traditions. • “ Learning in traditional Indian cultures can often be described as watch-then-do (e.g., learning to make a fishnet) or listen-then-do (e.g., learning values through legends taught by an elder) or think-then-do (e.g., thinking through a response carefully and thoroughly before speaking). This is very different from the trial-and-error learning which is usually encouraged in the classroom.” (Journal of American Indian Education, August, 1989).

23. LEARNING STYLES • When teaching or assessing a Navajo child, one might consider making adjustments to: • Eye contact • Facial Expressions • Touch • Gestures (use sparingly) • Personal space (2-3 feet) • Time (Native Americans are NOT clock watchers) • Speech (long silences are a sign of contemplation, words are carefully chosen) • Navajo is a culture of watching and doing (as opposed to being told the facts). • Native American children are encouraged to strive for mastery. • Traditional Native American culture emphasized instruction through modeling and giving children plenty of time and opportunity to accomplish tasks on their own.

24. Language Barriers • There are over 200 Native Dialects, with approximately half the languages spoken in 1492 still spoken today. • Children who speak Navajo at home may not have full comprehension of English • We must consider and evaluate Navajo children as Dual Language Learners if Navajo is spoken in the home.

25. Rural home environment • Students’ lack of assumed experiences to respond to certain test questions has much to do with the setting in which they live and the environment in which they are reared. • Reservation settings could cause a Navajo student to lack the experience needed to understand teachers’ examples or examples used on standardized tests • There is potentially little congruence between life experience and skills needed for testing.

26. Low Socioeconomic status • Research shows that poverty levels are directly related to low school performance. • In 2006, 27% of American Indian/Alaska Natives lived in poverty compared to 13% of the general populations. • 36% of families living on reservations are considered poverty stricken.

27. Percentage of American Indian/Alaska Native families living in poverty, by American Indian/Alaskan Native area 1989 and 1999

28. Low Parental Education • Native American High school Dropout rate is as high as 85-90% (LaFromboise&Low, 1989, Ogbu, 1978), • 1/3 of the population is classified as illiterate (LaFromboise&Low, 1989) • This is significant in relation to performance levels and assessment as also early Intervention. • We are relying on parents to be part of an educational IFSP or IEP team. • Education must be a family priority for effective service provision for a child with a disability. • A parent’s voice is the loudest in a child’s life. When working with parents of children with a disability, or ANY parent, we must consider the parents’ level of education. What are they bringing to the table? How can we nurture the parents’ need for support that they may not have had when getting educated themselves?

29. Unemployment rates of persons 16 years old and over, by educational attainment and race/ethnicity:2007

30. Look at the WHOLE CHILD AND FAMILY in the assessment process • DYNAMIC ASSESSMENT: This is not a specific test, but a way of assessing that focuses on a, “Test-teach-test” technique rather than product orientation. • Dynamic Assessment also includes, “Identifying specific obstacles that impede effective learning and performance, and distinguishing between performance and potential.” (Journal of American Indian Education, V34, Number 2). • How can we individualize the assessment process for each child, regardless of culture?

31. ECOLOGICAL MODEL • Use an ECOLOGICAL MODEL looking at the child when assessing and establishing a program plan for early intervention. • Who are the primary caregivers? What language is spoken in the home? • Home visits, while possibly not convenient in the rural setting of a reservation, could be a key factor in thoroughly assessing a child using an Ecological model. • An effort to involve parents or primary caregivers into the classroom and in the assessment process is imperative.

32. Implementation of Services and Consistent Service Provision • A study was written about 10 years ago entitled, “Navajo Caregivers’ Perceptions of Early Intervention Services.” • This study involved questioning 52 Navajo families about their early intervention experiences. • Open ended questions were asked to caregivers such as: • What would you tell a new parent about early intervention services? • The response . They really teach you a lot of things, how to stimulate them, and how to handle their problems. And, they really talk to you and become like family to you.” (Journal of Early Intervention, January 1, 2000) • What do you believe is the most important early intervention staff characteristic? • 49% reported the staff’s ability to help their children. • What is your preference regarding the ethnic background of service providers? • 96% reported they had no preference

33. What do you like best about services? • 28% mentioned the improvement of the child • 24% mentioned provider characteristics • What was your caregiver satisfaction? • 86% reported they were satisfied • How might services be improved? • Most parents reported they would like more frequent sessions/home visits.

34. What did this study tell us about response to early intervention? • Responses to the open- ended questions showed that over all, caregivers were satisfied with service provision. • One part of the discussion that was of significance was that the questions in which Navajo caregivers were directly probed were particularly difficult for the interviewees. • If direct questioning is difficult for a mature adult, imagine how standardized tests or high pressure assessment might affect a preschooler… Some food for thought: • “Most teachers have never had the experience of going through an education system that did not reinforce their identities and that failed to acknowledge their cultural values. Many minority students come to class with different perspectives and behaviors taught by their homes and communities.” (Joining the Circle p.12)

35. Ogbu’s Theory • John Ogbu was a Nigerian-American anthropologist known for his theory of how race and ethnic variances affect educational and economic achievement. He suggested that being a “caste-like” or involuntary minority negatively affects motivation and achievement. • Ogbu divided minorities into 2 categories. • 1.Voluntary (Autonomous, Immigrants) • 2. Caste-like, involuntary minorities who were forced into US jurisdiction against their will. • Ogbu argued that involuntary minorities often adopted an “oppositional identity” to the mainstream culture. • One can’t help but consider that this theory could come into play when thinking about Navajo Indians and low achievement scores. Do they want to assimilate and be absorbed culturally or are they looking to leaders and interventionists to support their cultural identity? • Federal laws designed to protect people with disabilities are not always enforceable against tribal governments. • All tribes in the U.S. would like to be self-sufficient and maintain sovereignty. This could present a conflict of interest when it comes to federal laws such as IDEA.

36. Our beliefs will guide our interventions • It is vital that we consider our own past experiences and culturally based beliefs when approaching the assessment/early intervention process. • How can we empathize with the families we serve? • What have they been through as a people? • How do our own personal experiences impact the families we serve?

37. References • REFERENCES • Journal of American Indian Education, Volume 29, Number 3, May 1990, “Measurements of Navajo and Hopi Brain Dominance and Learning Styles” Robert A. Rhodes • Journal of American Indian Education, Special Edition, August 1989, “Native Indian Learning Styles: A Review for Researchers and Teachers” Arthur J. More • Journal of American Indian Education, Volume 37, Number 3, Spring 1998, “Local Navajo Norms for the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children- Third Edition” Phyllis Tempest • Journal of American Indian Education, Volume 34, Number 2, Winter 1995, “Dynamic Assessment in Early Intervention Implications for Serving American Indian/Alaska Native Families” Susan Rae Banks and John T. Neisworth • Journal of American Indian Education, Volume 23, Number 1, October 1983, “Apologize or Analyze: Measuring Academic Achievement in The Reservation School” Sigmond A. Boloz and Richard Varrati • Journal of American Indian Education, Volume 37, Number 1, Fall 1997, “Caregiver and Professional Perceptions of Assessment Practices and Validity for American Indian/Alaska Native Families” Susan Rae Banks • “Early Intervention in Rural Northern Arizona” Linda Contrucci, Early Intervention Specialist • NCD – Understanding Disabilities in American Indians and Alaska Native Communities: http://www. Ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2003/native_toolkit.htm • Eric Digest: “Standardized Testing of American Indian Students” William Brescia, Jim C. Fortune, 1988 • Journal of Early Intervention, January 1, 2000, Karen L. Applequist, Donald B Bailey Jr. “ Navajo Caregivers’ Perceptions of Early Intervention Services” • US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children & Families, “ American Indian-Alaska Native Head Start Research and Outcomes Assessment • Agnes Grant, La Vina Gillespe, “Joining the Circle: A Practitioners’ Guide to Responsive Education for Native Students” • All statistics and graphs were adapted from The National Center for Education Statistics, “Status and Trends in the Education of American Indians and Alaska Natives :2008