Tulsa World: Education conference deals with Indian issues

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Education conference deals with Indian issues

KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Stephen Sroka: "Let's put kindness back in schools," the award-winning educator said. "If you don't get to the heart, you don't get to the head."

By CLIFTON ADCOCK World Staff Writer
Published: 7/23/2008 2:08 AM
Last Modified: 7/23/2008 3:00 AM

Hundreds of American Indian educators, school administrators, parents and even some students from around the country headed to Tulsa this week for the 24th annual National Indian School Board Association and Association of Community Tribal Schools summer conference.

The conference at the Southern Hills Marriott hotel runs through Wednesday and features several discussion groups and workshops, ranging from creative ways to teach American Indian youth to understanding Bureau of Indian Education organization.

Nearly 300 people are attending the event, said Carmen Taylor, executive director of the National Indian School Board Association.

A major focus of the meeting is understanding the federal No Child Left Behind law and how it affects tribal schools, which have had to shift focus from culture, art and language toward testing.

"The intent this year was to get people thinking about not only No Child Left Behind, but what is happening in our tribal communities," Taylor said.

"Yes, schools should be held accountable, but we're forgetting some really important things in our community. We're taking the heart and soul out of education. We have reduced everything to a test score and statistic. Education is more than a test score and statistic."

Monday's keynote speaker, Stephen Sroka, an award-winning educator and author, spoke of hardships and problems faced by students in Indian schools, but also of ways to reach them.

"Around the country, there are children being

left behind, but in Indian Country, the dropout rate is near 70 percent," he said. "Native youth are the most at-risk youth. These are not kids being bad; these are cries for help. When they cry for help, we punish them."

Education should have a kindness-based approach to students, and old methods of teaching may not necessarily work for students today, Sroka said.

"They want someone who cares for them, not someone who is only looking for a paycheck," he said.

"Let's put kindness back in schools. If you don't get to the heart, you don't get to the head."

Clifton Adcock 581-8462
clifton.adcock@tulsaworld.com By CLIFTON ADCOCK World Staff Writer

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