This paper reviews educational problems affecting American Indian students, particularly problems related to school climate, and describes efforts to improve school climate at Bennett County (South Dakota) High School. This public school serves the county and two reservations. It also accepts transfer students from Bureau of Indian Affairs schools in three states. Over half of the students are Lakotas (Sioux). As in other similar schools, problems include poor communication between teachers and some Indian students, poor relationships between the school and Indian parents, lack of Indian teachers, racial distrust, high Indian poverty rates, language problems, cultural differences between students and teachers, low participation in extracurricular activities by Indian students, alcohol abuse, student alienation, and low student self-esteem. Approaches to these problems by other school districts have included multicultural curriculum reform, efforts to make materials and course content more culturally relevant to Indian students, using more experiential teaching methods, and alcohol education. Bennett County High School instituted the following activities: (1) contracts with students not to drink or use drugs; (2) an advisor-advisee program; (3) cultural programs involving school and community; (4) school climate inventories completed by students and teachers; (5) putting arts and other extracurricular activities on an equal footing with sports; (6) serving Native American food in school lunches; (7) the Human Rights Education Program; and (8) the Student Problem Identification and Resolution Program. (SV)