Turtle Island Project: Service-Learning in Native Communities

There is little doubt that the treatment of indigenous people by the dominant society is a dark chapter in American history. Even so, real changes in the education of Native American children did not occur until relatively recently. Native American parents had little input into their children's education until the passage of the Indian Education Act of 1972. Education for the majority of native youth still lacks success. Currently, Native American students face a range of educational and societal problems that result in school drop-out rates exceeding 50 percent nationwide, high rates of absenteeism, and lower overall academic achievement levels than their nonnative peers. To help reverse these problems, The National Indian Youth Leadership Project (NIYLP) is developing a network of demonstration sites linking native communities, K-12 schools, community colleges, and universities committed to meeting the needs of indigenous people through education rooted in the values of generosity and service.