Connecting Academics, Indigenous Knowledge, and Commitment to Community: High School Students' Perceptions of a Community-Based Education

Abstract

This study examines Native American students' perceptions of one community-basededucation model (CBEM) involving four Pueblo communities of the southwestUnited States. I argue that community-based programs provide a means forachieving self-determination in education for Native communities and for returningto traditionally Indigenous educational approaches. Students' journals demonstratedevidence of the academic content they learned and their excitement for learning. Thestudents also expressed the importance and relevance of what they learned to theirown communities. By empowering Native people's knowledge and experiences as thebasis of education, CBEM inspired students to commit to their communities' goalsand interests.