Isolation, the legal status of Indian tribes, and structural barriers impede full participation in the educational process by Native American Indians and thus create a time lag between the adoption of the best educational practices in schools serving Indian students and the adoption of those practices in other schools. While physical isolation is the predominant barrier to participation by rural and reservation Indians, social isolation particularly affects urban Indians. Cultural and linguistic isolation affects both rural and urban Indians, but linguistic isolation is most adverse to rural Indians. The legal status of Native people is a basic barrier to their participation in educational innovations. Because the bureaucracy which operates the Federal Indian system is not accountable to the people it serves, Natives hold few positions of power and authority. Structural barriers to participation include lack of accountability, fragmentation of Native people, the minority status of Indians, low use of written materials, and lack of research on the education of Indians. Necessary steps to stimulate participation of Natives in the educational process include tribal economic development and control, qualification of Natives as teachers and administrators, establishment of tribally chartered and operated schools, parental involvement and control, and improvement in delivery systems for the flow of education information. (CM)