Describes Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE) and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) in infants, caused by mothers' consumption of alcohol during pregnancy. Both disabilities found in relatively high proportions of American Indian children. Discusses impact of disabilities on education. Discusses parent education programs in United States and abroad. (TES)

Alberta's University of Lethbridge is developing a degree program in human and community development to train native-education professionals and community-health workers to find solutions to problems in Indian communities that interfere with the attainment and use of education. (MSE)

Attitudes toward alcohol abuse are changing in Indian country. A number of separate but complementary attitudes are creating a circle of support in the fight against alcohol abuse. These new attitudes hold that: (1) Native Americans are not condemned by their race to a destiny of alcohol-related problems, but, rather, have a choice; (2) abstinence…

This unit for American Indian girls 15 to 18 years old and for their parents is an attempt to create a better understanding of alcoholism. The narrative section focuses upon the following ideas: (1) what alcoholism is; (2) frequency of alcoholism; (3) physical effects; (4) the effect of alcoholism on the family; (5) causes of alcoholism; (6) signs…

Educational programs about alcohol should be presented in the formal school setting for Indian youth and in the communities for the general population. The primary outcome of these programs would be the development of self-management skills. (Author)

Argues for the existence of historical unresolved grief among American Indians. Outlines the historical legacy of war, genocide, and boarding schools resulting in intergenerational trauma and a host of associated social problems. Suggests healing strategies that integrate modern and traditional approaches to healing at the individual, family, and…

Describes individual, community, organizational, and college examples of efforts to promote sobriety and recovery from alcoholism among Native Americans. Discusses a sobriety movement tenet that alcoholism threatens the entire tribe and requires collective action. Highlights links with a broader movement for spiritual and cultural renewal. (DMM)

Interviews with over 1,000 Navajos aged 21-67 in 1992-95 found that alcohol dependency was less common among high school graduates than dropouts but was also disproportionately low among older men with no schooling. Despite abusive conditions that prevailed in some Indian boarding schools, alcohol dependency rates did not differ by type of school…

Compares attitude toward education of 64 male American Indian high school students and 354 male White students. Finds little statistical difference between the two groups in orientation toward education, but significant differences in world view, drug/alcohol use, and perception of relevance of education. (LFL)

The premature closing of the Intermountain Intertribal School (IIS), a majority of whose students were referred because they were particularly difficult to serve and required special attention, represents a significant risk factor for the academic development of the students concerned. Of the 331 freshmen, sophomores, and juniors enrolled,…

Questionnaires were used to determine the suitability and acceptability of using a live theatrical performance to develop awareness of alcohol related issues for Native people. Questionnaires completed by 139 members of the general audience and 65 key informants indicated a strong positive response to the play. (JHZ)

This study assessed the educational status of 284 students displaced by the closure of the Intermountain Inter-Tribal School (IIS), a majority of whose students had been referred because they were difficult to serve. Educational status was gauged by the holding power of the schools to which the students were sent, dropout and expulsion rates, and…

Half Pueblo and half white, a young man grew up in the Taos Pueblo, made contributions to his Indian people, and decided to work as a mental health professional. Having grown up learning the Indian ways, the young man accepted his heritage and pursued a college education in Social Work after working as a teacher's aide at the Pueblo Day School,…

Originally presented in newspaper format, this report consists of 13 articles on American Indian education in Montana, written by journalism students at the University of Montana. The articles include: (1) "The Relentless Killing of a Culture" (David Zelio) which discusses the cultural genocide committed at boarding schools with the aim…

Many Native American communities have high rates of alcoholism. Children growing up in alcoholic families often exhibit co-dependent or para-alcoholic behaviors, which place them at high risk of educational failure. The Love Bug model was designed to encourage culturally appropriate self-expression and to promote self-love and detachment from…