Indian Education for All

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In 1972 the Montana state legislature adopted a new constitution, only its second since it became the 41st state in 1889. Article X, Section 1(2) of the Montana Constitution:

Montana U.S. state in the United States

Montana is a state in the Northwestern United States. Montana has several nicknames, although none are official, including "Big Sky Country" and "The Treasure State", and slogans that include "Land of the Shining Mountains" and more recently "The Last Best Place".

The Constitution of the State of Montana is the primary legal document providing for the self-governance of the U.S. State of Montana. It establishes and defines the powers of the three branches of the government of Montana, and the rights of its citizens. Its provisions are sovereign within the state, subject only to the limits imposed by the federal laws and constitution of the United States. The current Montana Constitution was adopted in 1972 and is the second enacted in the state's history.

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The state recognizes the distinct and unique cultural heritage of American Indians and is committed in its educational goals to the preservation of their cultural integrity.

Native Americans in the United States Indigenous peoples of the United States (except Hawaii)

Native Americans, also known as American Indians, Indigenous Americans and other terms, are the indigenous peoples of the United States, except Hawaii and territories of the United States. More than 570 federally recognized tribes live within the US, about half of which are associated with Indian reservations. The term "American Indian" excludes Native Hawaiians and some Alaskan Natives, while "Native Americans" are American Indians, plus Alaska Natives of all ethnicities. The US Census does not include Native Hawaiians or Chamorro, instead being included in the Census grouping of "Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander".

In 1999, Montana passed State Law MCA 20-1-501, known as Indian Education for All (IEFA) and its intent was to implement the prior constitutional requirement.

History

The one hundred delegates of the Montana constitutional convention enshrined in the newly drafted constitution for the state the principle that educational institutions in the state should commit to presenting their students with a curriculum that would expand and fortify students' understanding of American Indian history, both within and outside the state of Montana. [1] [2]

Nearly three decades later in 1999, this principle found in the revised constitution was embodied in House Bill 528 (MCA 20-1-501), successfully passed into law, which is principally referred to as Indian Education for All (IEFA). This Bill states as its intention that Montana state will recognize the distinct and unique cultural heritage of American Indians, and endeavor to preserve that heritage through its educational institutions; this as a law in accordance with, and fulfillment of, Article X of the constitution.

This Bill furthermore presents a threefold purpose: firstly, that every Montanan, without regard to their cultural antecedents, be encouraged to increase their knowledge and understanding of American Indian culture and history; secondly, that Montanan education agencies and personnel work cooperatively with Montanan tribes when providing instruction with regard to the culture, history, and former and contemporary contributions of American Indians, with an especial emphasis on Indian tribal groups and sovereign governments within the state of Montana; thirdly, that school personnel themselves be provided with such means as would enable them to be educated in regard to American Indian culture, past and present, in such a manner that they will be better able to relate to Indian students and their parents. [3] [4]

Aims and implementation

In the succeeding six years after IEFA had been passed into law, it remained a mandate without allocated funds for its implementation. However, in 2005, as part of a special legislative session, the Legislature appropriated funds for its implementation, including support for staff of the Office of Public Instruction, curriculum materials, direct funding to school districts, and grants for schools. Resources from the Office of Public Instruction were additionally allocated to higher education, for the training of teachers and college and university staff and faculties. [5] This provided more than three million dollars to the Office of Public Instruction as beginning funding to implement IEFA, and appropriated a sum exceeding seven million dollars to local districts in order to assist them in their efforts to implement the law. [6]

In the United States, federal mandates are orders that induce "responsibility, action, procedure or anything else that is imposed by constitutional, administrative, executive, or judicial action" for state and local governments and/or the private sector.

The primary goal of IFEA was, and remains, to strengthen the understanding and awareness of Montana State citizens of American Indian culture and history, with the intention that this would have a far-reaching social impact that would encompass such things as preservation of Indian culture, improvement of relations between the differing cultural populations of the state, and an increased knowledge and inclusivity of mindset in the citizenry. [7] Additionally, IFEA exists in order to address the perceived need for an education that does not leave sizable gaps in students' knowledge of the largest minority in Montana State. [8]

History of Native Americans in the United States

The history of Native Americans in the United States began in ancient times tens of thousands of years ago with the settlement of the Americas by the Paleo-Indians. Anthropologists and archeologists have identified and studied a wide variety of cultures that existed during this era. Their subsequent contact with Europeans had a profound impact on their history of the people.

Group cohesiveness bonding between members of a group

Group cohesiveness arises when bonds link members of a social group to one another and to the group as a whole. Although cohesion is a multi-faceted process, it can be broken down into four main components: social relations, task relations, perceived unity, and emotions. Members of strongly cohesive groups are more inclined to participate readily and to stay with the group.

Included among the aims of implementation of IEFA is that American Indian children themselves would learn about their own cultural legacy, history, languages and historical personages, which aspects have formerly been neglected in the curricula of Montana State, as an evidence of a wider phenomenon of American education at all levels. [9] For non-Indian students there is the benefit of learning about Montana, the state in which they live.

In the early 2000s, the Montana Office of Public Instruction convened educators from each tribal nation to collaborate with regard to the subjects that should be addressed in the curricula of state educational institutions. Together, they explicated the foundation of the implementation of IEFA in the seven Essential Understandings Regarding Montana Indians. All of the efforts of the state of Montana in developing school curricula designed for the implementation of IEFA are based on the understanding expounded in that work. [10]

These seven understandings are, in summary, as follows: firstly, there are twelve tribal nations in Montana, each one of whom possesses a diversity of language, culture, history and government, in addition to a unique cultural heritage that contributes to contemporary Montana; secondly, American Indians, as individuals, are unique and lie on a continuum of identity, from assimilated to traditional; thirdly, the traditional systems of Indian spirituality persist to the present time, are practiced by American Indians, and are integrated into the manner of their management of affairs; fourthly, reservations are lands that have been acquired by Indian tribes for their own use through treaties, statutes, and executive orders; fifthly, there have been many federal policies throughout American history which have affected Indian people, and much of American Indian history can be understood from these phases; sixthly, history as told from an Indian perspective often conflicts with the accounts of mainstream historians; seventhly, Indian tribes, under the legal system of the United States, possess sovereign powers, which are independent of the federal and state governments, the total extent of which, however, differs for each tribe. [11]

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References

  1. ↑ Montana State Constitution, 1972, Article X, section 1-2
  2. ↑ Bobby Ann Starnes. "Montana's Indian Education for All: Toward an Education Worthy of American Ideals." The Phi Delta Kappan, vol. 88, no. 1, 2006, p. 186
  3. ↑ Montana Code Annotated, 2015, 20-1-501
  4. ↑ Shawn deAnne Bachtler, Pd.D. "Montana Indian Education for All Evaluation: Prepared for State of Montana Office of Public Instruction." 2015, p.2
  5. ↑ Shawn deAnne Bachtler, Pd.D. "Montana Indian Education for All Evaluation: Prepared for State of Montana Office of Public Instruction." 2015, p.2
  6. ↑ Denise Juneau and Mandy Smoker Broaddus. "And Still the Waters Flow: The Legacy of Indian Education in Montana." The Phi Delta Kappan, vol. 88, no. 3, 2006, p. 196
  7. ↑ Shawn deAnne Bachtler, Pd.D. "Montana Indian Education for All Evaluation: Prepared for State of Montana Office of Public Instruction." 2015, p.7
  8. ↑ Bobby Ann Starnes. "Montana's Indian Education for All: Toward an Education Worthy of American Ideals." The Phi Delta Kappan, vol. 88, no. 1, 2006, p. 185
  9. ↑ Denise Juneau and Mandy Smoker Broaddus. "And Still the Waters Flow: The Legacy of Indian Education in Montana." The Phi Delta Kappan, vol. 88, no. 3, 2006, p. 194
  10. ↑ Denise Juneau and Mandy Smoker Broaddus. "And Still the Waters Flow: The Legacy of Indian Education in Montana." The Phi Delta Kappan, vol. 88, no. 3, 2006, p. 195
  11. ↑ Denise Juneau. Essential Understandings Regarding Montana Indians. Montana Office of Public Instruction, 2001.
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