Voices of Native America: A Native American Community's Perception of Home/School Communication.

This study examined the process of parent-school communication from the perspective of Native American parents in consolidated, rural school district. The multi-model qualitative study used participant observation, open-ended interviews, and document collection to focus on the relatively wealthy, rural consclidated district, encompassing three communities. The results show that Native American parents perceived communication with school personnel to be almost nonexistent. School personnel most often made contacts with parents for disciplinary or health-related reasons. Many Native American parents therefore viewed the nature of school contacts as hostile and discriminatory. They believed the communication process flowed one way: from school administrators to parents. Differences in communication styles also hindered communication. The data produced five perceived types of communication barrier: (1) distrust of schools among Native Americans; (2) racial tension; (3) maintenance of tribal identity; (4) Native American dependency on government; and (5) Native community's isolation from the community at large. Beliefs, attitudes, and educators' actions are more influential on education and the communication process than school financing. An ethnocentric cultural view, as it is imposed upon educational institutions, prevents inclusion of culturally different people. Native Americans should be actively engaged in the identification of educational problems and the search for solutions. (TES) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** Voices of Native America A Native American Community's Perception of Home/School Communication Karen Sunday Cockrell tac Regardless of the contextual scheme from which one proceeds, an examination of the relationship between Native American cultures and the Anglo-American culture reveals continuous pattern of domination and exploitation. The 1969 Kennedy Report referred to the subjugation of Native American people within American society as a national tragedy c=1 and national disgrace (United States Subcommittee on Labor and Welfare, 1969, p.3). The failure of American public education to adequately prepare Native American people for full and equitable participation in American society is evidenced by rates of poverty and unemployment higher than that found in the general population (Bureau of the Census, 1985). Concomitant to conditions of poverty, alcohol abuse is widespread among Native American people (Asetoyer, 1990) and extends to Native American adolescents (Austin, 1988). According to Lamarine, Native American health issues are related to conditions of poverty and the devaluing of the Native American culture within American society (Lamarine, 1989). The Kennedy Report of 1969 provided dismal picture of confusion, rejection, and failure. This report indicated that forty percent of the students dropped out of BIA boarding schools and that the dropout rate was higher for small selected number of public schools (RedHorse, 1986, p. 42). RedHorse found that the dropout rates in the 1980's were similar to those reported by the Kennedy Report. Despite the revelations of this report and subsequent legislative measures, the status of Native American students within the American public school system remains relatively unchanged. Giles points out that the majority of Native American students are enrolled in public schools and, ... there is overwhelming evidence that public schools have consistently instituted programs and sanctioned prevailing attitude that has contributed to the demise and consequent state of affairs for the Native American truly, national tragedy (Giles, 1985, p.10).