DOCUMENT RESUME

In fall 2001, the Center for Indian Education at Arizona State University received a federal grant to conduct research on issues of Native language and culture in the classroom. Currently in its first year, the 3-year study focuses on a large cohort of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian candidates in teacher preparation programs to investigate how such programs contribute to the development of effective practices that integrate Native language and culture and positively affect students' learning and social development. In the project's first year, nine researchers are gathering data on 670 Native preservice teachers in 28 teacher education programs to examine the preservice teachers ' attitudes toward inclusion of Native language and culture in schooling, how their teacher preparation programs impact these attitudes, and which components of programs evidence their specific interest in the needs of Native students. Case studies will be undertaken in the project's second year, as participant