Post by Okwes on Mar 2, 2006 10:39:21 GMT -5
SUSM hosts forum on American Indian education
SUSM hosts forum on American Indian education
By: DAVID GARRICK - Staff Writer
www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/02/25/news/inland/21_26_092_24_06.t\
xt
SAN MARCOS ---- Less than 11.5 percent of American Indians age 25 or
older have a bachelor's degree, compared with 24 percent of the overall
U.S. population in that age group.
The high school graduation rate statewide for American Indians is 52
percent. It is 71 percent overall in California.
Such statistics elicited shock and concern from several dozen educators
and tribal leaders who met Friday morning at Cal State San Marcos for
the second North County seminar on American Indian Education Issues.
But the seminar was not just about statistics, it was an attempt to
figure out what is causing the huge education gap for American Indians
and what can be done to solve it.
"It's up to us to figure out where we go with this data," said Calvin
One Deer Gavin, a Palomar College grant coordinator who gathered the
statistics from university and government Web sites. "We need to reach
out and help pull these kids up."
Gavin's presentation followed an explanation of why so few American
Indians pursue higher education, by an outreach coordinator at CSUSM,
Elena Hood.
"We've come to this problem today because of a history," said Hood.
"This has been embedded in Indian culture for generations."
Indian children were forcibly removed from their homes to attend faraway
schools throughout much of the 19th century in America, said Hood. They
were also forced to abandon their tribal lifestyle, customs, hair,
clothes and language, she said.
"The colonists thought American Indians were savages who needed to be
civilized," said Hood. "I wonder if any of this attitude prevails in our
education system today."
Answering her own question, Hood said that American Indians attending
public schools today face low teacher expectations, a lack of cultural
sensitivity and a curriculum focused on European traditions and values.
They also do not feel comfortable on college campuses, because there is
no place for them to congregate with other American Indians and because
there are so few faculty members who share their ethnicity.
Nationally, less than half of 1 percent of full-time college faculty
members are American Indians, according to Gavin.
To help solve the problem, Cal State San Marcos and Palomar and
MiraCosta colleges have been launching initiatives to encourage American
Indians to seek and complete a college education.
Those three institutions sponsored Friday's forum through a partnership
they created 15 years ago, called the North County Higher Education
Alliance.
Hood said she regularly brings American Indian fourth-graders to the
university so that they can realize a college education is possible.
"We feel it is important for students to see themselves within these
walls," she said.
Karen Haynes, university president, said she is proud of recent headway
the university has made on this issue, but she conceded that much more
must be done.
"We know we have a lot of work left to do on outreach, recruitment, and
certainly retention," said Haynes.
The number of American Indian students enrolled at the university
climbed this year from 59 to 68, but that still leaves the percentage of
students at less than 1 percent of the 7,600 student body.
North County is home to seven federally recognized tribes ---- Pala,
Pauma, Rincon, San Pasqual, La Jolla, Mesa Grande and Santa Ysabel.
American Indian enrollment at MiraCosta has remained steady at 1 percent
since the mid-1980s, while losing ground at Palomar. The percentage at
Palomar has steadily dropped from 2.2 percent in 1993, to 1.6 percent in
1997 and 1.2 percent in 2005.
American Indians make up about 1.5 percent of the U.S. population.
According to the 2000 census, American Indians made up 0.9 percent of
San Diego County's population at the time.
Patricia Dixon, chairman of Palomar's department of American Indian
Studies, said she was impressed by Friday's forum.
"I think they've given everybody excellent material to work with, so I
think there is great potential here," said Dixon.
But Dixon said she would like to see tangible progress, not just talk.
The keynote speaker, professor Joely De La Torre of Cal State San
Bernardino, said that American Indians must get more aggressive about
seeking government support.
"Let's not be afraid to ask for our fair share," said De La Torre. "We
need more faculty members, more programs and more resources."
<mailto:dgarrick@nctimes.com>
SUSM hosts forum on American Indian education
By: DAVID GARRICK - Staff Writer
www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/02/25/news/inland/21_26_092_24_06.t\
xt
SAN MARCOS ---- Less than 11.5 percent of American Indians age 25 or
older have a bachelor's degree, compared with 24 percent of the overall
U.S. population in that age group.
The high school graduation rate statewide for American Indians is 52
percent. It is 71 percent overall in California.
Such statistics elicited shock and concern from several dozen educators
and tribal leaders who met Friday morning at Cal State San Marcos for
the second North County seminar on American Indian Education Issues.
But the seminar was not just about statistics, it was an attempt to
figure out what is causing the huge education gap for American Indians
and what can be done to solve it.
"It's up to us to figure out where we go with this data," said Calvin
One Deer Gavin, a Palomar College grant coordinator who gathered the
statistics from university and government Web sites. "We need to reach
out and help pull these kids up."
Gavin's presentation followed an explanation of why so few American
Indians pursue higher education, by an outreach coordinator at CSUSM,
Elena Hood.
"We've come to this problem today because of a history," said Hood.
"This has been embedded in Indian culture for generations."
Indian children were forcibly removed from their homes to attend faraway
schools throughout much of the 19th century in America, said Hood. They
were also forced to abandon their tribal lifestyle, customs, hair,
clothes and language, she said.
"The colonists thought American Indians were savages who needed to be
civilized," said Hood. "I wonder if any of this attitude prevails in our
education system today."
Answering her own question, Hood said that American Indians attending
public schools today face low teacher expectations, a lack of cultural
sensitivity and a curriculum focused on European traditions and values.
They also do not feel comfortable on college campuses, because there is
no place for them to congregate with other American Indians and because
there are so few faculty members who share their ethnicity.
Nationally, less than half of 1 percent of full-time college faculty
members are American Indians, according to Gavin.
To help solve the problem, Cal State San Marcos and Palomar and
MiraCosta colleges have been launching initiatives to encourage American
Indians to seek and complete a college education.
Those three institutions sponsored Friday's forum through a partnership
they created 15 years ago, called the North County Higher Education
Alliance.
Hood said she regularly brings American Indian fourth-graders to the
university so that they can realize a college education is possible.
"We feel it is important for students to see themselves within these
walls," she said.
Karen Haynes, university president, said she is proud of recent headway
the university has made on this issue, but she conceded that much more
must be done.
"We know we have a lot of work left to do on outreach, recruitment, and
certainly retention," said Haynes.
The number of American Indian students enrolled at the university
climbed this year from 59 to 68, but that still leaves the percentage of
students at less than 1 percent of the 7,600 student body.
North County is home to seven federally recognized tribes ---- Pala,
Pauma, Rincon, San Pasqual, La Jolla, Mesa Grande and Santa Ysabel.
American Indian enrollment at MiraCosta has remained steady at 1 percent
since the mid-1980s, while losing ground at Palomar. The percentage at
Palomar has steadily dropped from 2.2 percent in 1993, to 1.6 percent in
1997 and 1.2 percent in 2005.
American Indians make up about 1.5 percent of the U.S. population.
According to the 2000 census, American Indians made up 0.9 percent of
San Diego County's population at the time.
Patricia Dixon, chairman of Palomar's department of American Indian
Studies, said she was impressed by Friday's forum.
"I think they've given everybody excellent material to work with, so I
think there is great potential here," said Dixon.
But Dixon said she would like to see tangible progress, not just talk.
The keynote speaker, professor Joely De La Torre of Cal State San
Bernardino, said that American Indians must get more aggressive about
seeking government support.
"Let's not be afraid to ask for our fair share," said De La Torre. "We
need more faculty members, more programs and more resources."
<mailto:dgarrick@nctimes.com>