Few comparative studies of American Indian education have been completed. Despite the frequent tendency of researchers to generalize about the education of American Indians, little knowledge exists beyond local and occasional regional studies. Understanding the educational diversity of contemporary American Indians requires widescale controlled comparisons of many groups. Comparative research on Indian educational achievement has been limited by (1) inadequate statistical data, (2) the failure to develop a holistic model of factors influencing Indian educational success, (3) the lack of understanding of the structural links between Indian and non-Indian communities and their school systems, and (4) the lack of ethnohistorical research on Indian education. Methods required to complete the needed research are suggested. (JH)