Examining American Indians\u27 Recall of Cultural Inclusion in School

This research examined American Indians\u27 recall of cultural inclusion from their elementary through high school education. Sixteen American Indians described their experiences of schools to peer interviewers. Analysis of interviews revealed three themes: the nature of cultural inclusion, factors influencing cultural inclusion, and recommendations for ideal cultural inclusion. Most participants recalled very little cultural inclusion. However, when cultural inclusion was experienced, it could be categorized into five types ( Indian pride, mismatched specific tribal information, negative/ stereotypical, student initiative, and inclusion due to parental, familial, and/or community involvement). Participants\u27 experiences most closely resembled Charleston\u27s (1994) pseudo or quasi Native education. However, some elements of true Native education were also reported. In addition, respondents stressed the important role of teachers in experiencing cultural inclusion. Finally, participants discussed their visions of ideal American Indian education and offered their recommendations. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for American Indian education

Models of American Indian Education: Cultural Inclusion and the Family/Community/School Linkage

Educational research has explored the impact of culture and the linkage of families and communities to schools on student achievement among minority students. Little focus, however, has been placed on the family/community interactions with schools among culturally distinctive populations such as American Indians and students\u27 perceptions of the educational process. This exploratory research examined the state of education from the perspective of American Indian young adults from various tribes in Nebraska. Instead of focusing on educational achievement, the emphasis of most educational research relating to American Indians, this study explored the model of education in existence. Additionally, researchers explored the respondents\u27 interpretations of the role of culture and language in the public school system and its link to the family/community/school interaction. Qualitative thematic analyses of the responses highlight themes of an educational system that largely ignores American Indians\u27 unique cultural and educational needs and represents a separate sphere from the community and family

American Indians in the News: A Media Portrayal in Crime Articles

INTRODUCTION As one of the most recognized social problems, crime represents a constant focus of many media accounts in television, movies, and newspapers. Crime stories are a staple of day-to-day newspaper reporting; thus the media may profoundly shape the public’s stereotypes and beliefs toward crime and perpetrators of criminal activity. Individuals’ notions of crime may be influenced by the media practice of emphasizing serious crime and overreporting crime relative to the actual crime rate. Of special interest to social scientists is the media’s portrayal of racial/ethnic minorities in crime reporting. It is possible that simply identifying a suspect’s racial/ethnic minority status may contribute to the maintenance of certain “minorities as criminal” stereotypes and could impact the readers’ perceptions about the threat posed by minorities. This problem could be exacerbated if certain contextual or situational forces influenced the overrepresentation of racial/ethnic minorities as perpetrators in crime articles. Involvement in crime, an increase in minority populations, and periods of racial/ethnic conflict may heighten displays of prejudice and discrimination that could result in differential racial/ethnic identification in crime reporting. Although a growing body of research has examined racial/ethnic minority characterization in media images of crime, the primary focus has been on television and movies. Less research has concentrated on how the print media, specifically newspapers, portrays minorities in crime news. These analyses of media accounts largely ignore American Indian populations, which is some- what surprising given that American Indians are impacted by crime at a higher rate than most other racial/ethnic groups. For instance, American Indians are subjected to rates of violence twice that of the general US population and possess the highest victimization rate of all racial/ethnic groups. American Indians are incarcerated at a rate 38 percent higher than the national rate. However, recent research has indicated that this overrepresentation may be the result of continued discrimination due to the unique historical and political status of American Indian groups. Previous research on American Indians and crime has been criticized for ignoring the importance of these contextual factors. Thus, the question remains whether the bias toward American Indians in the past has continued into the recent era as a result of their identification in crime articles

A comparative analysis of race and gang affiliation: Is race a marginalizing factor?

Racial and ethnic minorities have long been associated with criminal behavior. From the time of slavery, continued discussions of minority over-representation in criminal behavior have centered on whether this over-representation results from discrimination within the system or whether racial or ethnic minorities actually participate more in criminal behavior. In order to address this issue, many theories, ranging from biological to social and cultural theories, have been proposed. Since racial and ethnic group membership has also long been associated with gang membership, many of these same theories have attempted to explain gang participation. In the past, gang researchers have noted the connection between race and gang membership, however, this research has been limited due to a lack of a comprehensive theory, and the concentration on specific racial groups and particular gangs in distinct geographical locations. Recent research by Curry and Spergel (1992), Hagedorn (1988), Moore (1991), and Vigil (1988) has attempted to address the connection between race and gang membership. The purpose of this research was to address gaps in research regarding gang members from different racial groups. Specifically, this research examined two specific research questions: (1) Are there demographic, attitudinal, and behavioral differences across racial groups and does this vary by sex, site, and gang status? and (2) Do multiple marginality and social learning factors influence gang membership equally for different racial groups? It was hypothesized, based on Curry and Spergel (1992) and Vigil\u27s (1988) research, that racial minorities would exhibit more marginality than Whites and separate models would predict gang membership for Whites, African Americans, and Hispanics. Findings suggested that racial minorities did exhibit more marginalization than Whites. While differences appeared based on sex, site, and gang status, racial patterns remained the same. Additionally, logistic regression results indicated that while some differences in explanatory variables for the racial groups existed, separate models are not needed to predict gang membership for Whites, African Americans, and Hispanics