by Christopher Sanchez
Daily Lobo
Despite a report stating New Mexico's Public Education Department has been slow in improving education for American-Indian children, UNM has been hard at work, said Joseph Suina, associate professor.
The report was issued by the Legislative Finance Committee.
American Indian-education has been a priority for the state since the New Mexico Indian Education Act was passed in 2003 to address needs of American-Indian students.
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The Institute for American Indian Education, a part of the College of Education at UNM, was formed in correlation with the act.
Suina, director of the Institute for American Indian Education, said the institute has made progress since its conception in December 2003 but needs more time to show improvements, he said.
"They are eager to change Indian education in very little time," he said. "It doesn't happen overnight, but over time."
The state appropriated a $900,000 three-year grant to the institute to allow American-Indian students to go into teaching or administration on reservations.
"We want to get those students back into the community to work with their own people," Suina said.
The intent of the scholarship is to get teachers in the classrooms, because they would know the culture of American Indians, he said.
More than 12 percent of public school students in New Mexico are American Indian, Suina said.
"That's not a small group," Suina said, but only 2 percent of teachers are American Indian.
The state appropriated $126,000 to the institute to educate existing non-native teachers and administrators.
The money has gone to workshops that concentrate on cultural sensitivity and different methods for teaching American-Indian students.
To help educate teachers, the institute set up a master's program that concentrates on American-Indian education. Six students were part of the program this year, he said, but he hopes the word will get around and more students will join.
Within the next year, Suina said he would like to set up a bachelor's program similar to the master's program.
Education secretary Veronica Garcia said efforts need to go beyond the College of Education.
Summer transition programs would help freshmen finish their remedial courses and prepare students for their first year in college, Garcia said.
"Programs of that nature are very helpful," she said.
However, the program at UNM encourages American-Indian students to become teachers, she said.
"Native American teachers that go back to their communities help bridge the language issue and serve as positive role models for students," she said.
