Guatemala faces many challenges to its development that contribute to an underperforming education system with outdated methodologies and student engagement techniques, resulting in missed opportunities for today's youth. This is especially true for Indigenous girls, who experience disproportionate effects of marginalization in Guatemala, which…

In Canada, as around the world, large numbers of Indigenous children encounter culturally dissonant learning environments in preschools and schools. Many of these children experience serious challenges, in part because of a striking mismatch between their early learning experiences in the family and community, and the expectations, perceptions,…

Curriculum activities related to American Indians, including the use of children's books, are common in many U.S. schools; while some are appropriate, many are not. Teachers implementing inappropriate curriculum may be inexperienced, lack professional training, or have been seriously misinformed. Sometimes, teachers want to make the necessary…

American Indian students as a population are not achieving high academic standards. Yet school failure appears to be acquired rather than inherent at the onset of schooling. Many researchers have reported that American Indian children function at an average range academically until the 4th grade; but by 10th grade, however, they are, on average,…

Several years ago, an interaction occurred in a classroom at the Arlitt Child and Family Research and Education Center, University of Cincinnati. It startled the teacher into an awareness of the fears, stereotypes, misconceptions, and biases that young children continue to harbor about American Indian people, a half century after her own…

This column presents and summarizes recent resources that discuss some problems and solutions related to elementary education in inner-city urban areas. (Contains 6 Web resources.)