On November 14, 1984, the Navajo Tribal Council approved a new set of educational policies (the "Mission Statement") intended to improve the quality of education for all Navajos, specifically some 56,810 students in 223 schools on or near the Navajo reservation. The Mission Statement asserts that the Navajo Tribe, as a sovereign nation, is responsible for overseeing the education of its people wherever they are being educated and assuring that their education provides excellence in the academic program and high, realistic expectations for all students. Seven specific points are spelled out. The first point calls for age, grade, and/or developmentally appropriate curriculum and addresses the fact that in the past Navajo students were most often not on grade level for their age. The second, third, and fourth points call for true bilingual/bicultural education and are based on a number of successful programs on the reservation as well as the recognized value of bilingual methods in studies throughout the world. The final three points call for: (1) the development of self-discipline and a positive self-concept; (2) preparation for lifetime responsibilities in the areas of employment, family life, and use of leisure; and (3) an attitude toward education which encourages lifetime learning. (JHZ)