Leadership in the era of the Trump presidency: implications for the education of American Indian children and youth

ABSTRACT

In this manuscript, I outline what I perceive to be the potential implications of the Trump presidency for the education of American Indian children and youth. In doing so, I argue that failure to provide adequate educational programs and services for American Indian children and youth represents an abrogation of the federal government's trust responsibilities for American Indian people and places the futures of American Indian tribes and their members at risk.

KEYWORDS:

• American Indian
• federal policy
• Trump presidency
• Indian education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Dr. Susan C. Faircloth (an enrolled member of the Coharie Tribe of North Carolina) is a Professor in the Educational Leadership Department at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Dr. Faircloth’s research interests include: Indigenous education, the education of culturally and linguistically diverse students with special educational needs, and the moral and ethical dimensions of school leadership. She has published widely in such journals as Educational Administration Quarterly, Harvard Educational Review, The Journal of Special Education Leadership, International Studies in Educational Administration, Values and Ethics in Educational Administration, Tribal College Journal of American Indian Higher Education, Rural Special Education Quarterly, and Journal of Disability Policy Studies.

Notes

1 Although American Indians and Alaska Natives are typically grouped together for statistical and other reporting purposes, for the purposes of this paper, I will focus on the education of American Indians. However, it is important to note that Alaska Natives have endured a similarly oppressive education at the hands of the federal government and should be included in policy discussions and actions involving Indian education in the United States.

2 In 2006, the term Bureau of Indian Affairs, which is cited in much of the earlier legislation regarding Indian education, was changed to the Bureau of Indian Education.

3 For a listing of Executive Orders issued since 1994, see https://www.federalregister.gov/executive-orders.

4 It is important to note here that the majority of American Indian students attend public schools off-reservations. These schools are operated by local school districts and funded by state and local sources. The primary sources of funding for American Indian students attending public schools is the Johnson-O’Malley Act (for more information on this Act, see http://www.njoma.com/uploads/JOM-Modernization-113Congress-HR4328.pdf), and Impact Aid, monies distributed to schools whose local tax base is adversely impacted by the loss of revenues from un-taxed entities such as Indian reservations and military installations. Impact Aid is currently funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Under Title VII of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

5 The U.S. Department of the Interior was established in 1849. Responsibility for ‘Indians’ was placed under this department.

6 For more on Cheever, see Mackey (1973), American Antiquarian Society.

7 For the original text by Cheever, see Cheever (1830).