Education for American Indian kids
November 2nd, 2009
A Kansas City Star Editorial reports on a speech given by Robert Cook, president of the Oglala Lakota Indian Education Association, that the U.S. Constitution ensures many rights through treaties for American Indians, including the right for American Indian children to receive a good education.
He stated, however, that American Indian schools have an average age of 60 years and are in horrible condition and that the dropout rate of Native people is disproportionately high.
“Our schools are literally falling apart,” Cook told the 19th Annual International Conference of the National Association for Multicultural Education. “They don’t serve the needs of our students.”
He said that more than a billion dollars is needed to fill the backlog of repairs and maintenance.
He said he and other American Indians have great hopes for a turnaround under President Barack Obama, who was adopted into the Crow tribe. “He understands the nature and concerns,” Cook said.
