Native kids still slipping through education cracks

After consultations with stakeholders the New Mexico Public Education Department hopes to provide instruction that is relevant to English language learners and Indigenous students alike by adding ethnic, cultural and identity curricula to the state's social studies standards by emphasizing tribal sovereignty, social justice and sustainable futures. Yet, while many New Mexico schools offer Indigenous languages some still struggle with student absenteeism.

Schools also must navigate distrust dating back to the U.S. government's campaign to break up Native American culture, language and identity by forcing children into abusive boarding schools. Algodones Elementary School, located about midway between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, has made progress in earning some trust from families and students. The school serves a handful of Native American pueblos along New Mexico's Upper Rio Grande. About 95% of Algodones' students are Native American, and the school strives to affirm their identity. It doesn't open on four days set aside for Native American ceremonial gatherings, and students are excused for absences on other cultural days as designated by the nearby pueblos. One Algodones parent, Jennifer Tenorio, told the AP that one huge difference is that the school offers classes in the family’s native language of Keres. She said it’s helped her son to feel more connected to his tribal culture while simultaneously being more inspired at school. [Chronic Absenteeism at Indigenous Schools]

Arabic, Mandarin and Spanish in South Dakota schools? Sure, that's cool; but learning where students are steeped in Native languages is giving the next generation of Indigenous people opportunities to preserve their heritage. And, in South Dakota white evangelicals steal money slated for American Indian education and murder their families when the jig is up then place a complicit attorney general at the head of the investigation. 

Recall Republican former South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds won election to the US Senate for advocating the dissolution of the US Department of Education so he is currently sponsoring a bill that would eradicate the DoE and curtail federal funding for kids.

In South Dakota, the chronic absenteeism rate for Indigenous students was 54% in 2022-23, significantly higher than the state average of 21%. That differential was the largest of the 34 states included in the AP data. State data shows that 68% of Native American public school students complete high school, compared to the state average of 91%. [Native absenteeism challenges SD educators: 'There's no silver bullet']

In a related story, an Earth hating US Senator is blocking a bill that would preserve the Wounded Knee memorial so a tribe trapped in North Carolina can gain federal recognition and open a casino – but the irony is dizzying in its hypocrisy. 

The White House Tribal Nations Summit is underway and hopes are high that President Joe Biden will issue an executive clemency order freeing Prisoner of War Leonard Peltier.

Biden-⁠Harris Administration Announces New Actions and Historic Progress Supporting Tribal Nations and Native Communities Ahead of Fourth Annual White House Tribal Nations Summit. indianz.com/News/2024/12...

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— IllumiNative (@illuminative.bsky.social) December 9, 2024 at 8:48 AM