Indigenous education is still faltering today and is not producing significant differences in results where school practices follow those for the dominant culture. Inroads have been made in some classrooms/schools where Culturally Responsive/Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) is practiced. However, the drop-out rates of indigenous populations are still extremely high in comparison to other ethnically diverse groups of students. Here are two factors that can make or break indigenous students’ abilities to be resilient in the face of many educational negatives in their lives and enable them to continue on to graduate from high school and in many instances, go on to complete undergraduate and graduate degrees in institutions of higher learning.

Part I: The roots of who we are in America -- Unraveling the puzzle of how humans came to be -- Humans’ continuing development and the Americas -- Who were these Europeans? -- The clash of cultures and Doctrine of Discovery: The rise of racism in the Americas -- Part II: Past and present education of indigenous students in this country -- Racism, stereotypes, and education for assimilation -- Twentieth-century change and rising Native American voices -- Indigenous families, communities, and ways of learning: The heart of resiliency for Native students -- Part III: Designing schools in partnership: Educators, schools, Native American and non-Native communities -- Creating resilient students: Secrets to success for Native American children -- Educational collaborations with Native American communities -- Celebrations: Shared success is success for all -- Short biographies of those providing quotations.