The future for American Indian students starts in the local reservation school.

Colleges are expanding programs to encourage American Indian students to pursue teaching degrees. It is the hope of the American Indian communities that by creating more teachers they can stop the high turnover of faculty in the local reservation schools.

Hiring American Indian teachers could be one way to retain teachers on the reservations.

"A Native American will stay in their own tribal community," said Sheri Bearking-Baker, United Tribes Technical College community wellness director. "We have had schools in communities with non-native principals, teachers and athletic directors. They use Indian schools for starting their careers. They stay until they find a position to their liking."

Bearking-Baker administers two $1 million grants for programs in conjunction with the University of North Dakota for advanced teacher education.

American Indian teachers can have family and ancestors from the area where they choose to teach. Additionally, they can understand the language, culture and learning style, Bearking-Baker said.

One way to get more teachers on the reservation is by getting more American Indians to pursue advanced degrees so they can take on leadership roles in the schools. United Tribes has two programs to encourage American Indians to earn master's degrees through the University of North Dakota; one program helps them earn a credential to be a principal and the other program helps them teach special education to pre-kindergarten or secondary students.

The program provides tuition, books and a small stipend in exchange for service in a reservation school. So far, 15 students have graduated from the program. The goal for the program is to graduate students from all five reservations.

Education is one of three areas United Tribes wants to expand its offerings. The others are criminal justice and business. Students are requesting these areas and the job outlook is good, said Lisa Azure, the program director for teacher education at United Tribes.

United Tribes wants students to graduate and move on to another institution to earn a higher-level degree. It gives students a greater variety of experiences, Azure said.

The college offers a four-year degree in elementary education special education through Sinte Gleska University in Mission, S.D. It is a 2+2 program, where students earn the first two years of the degree at United Tribes. Through an agreement with Sinte Gleska, United Tribes offers the upper division classes and when a student completes the program, a degree is awarded through Sinte Gleska.

Seven students have graduated from bachelor's degree programs through Sinte Gleska. The students do student teaching, and are not allowed to do it at the elementary school on campus. This purpose is two-fold.

"The goal is to get them into a diverse setting, and out of their comfort zone," Azure said. It also helps for people to see the student in a professional role, she said.

Coming up through the program is a class of 12 who are finishing their student teaching. The purpose is to grow role models.

"It would be nice if 7 or 8 percent (of college faculty) were American Indians," said Greg Gagnon, UND Indian Studies professor. "Perhaps it is an unrealistic goal."

The American Indian faculty who are there tend to be called on a lot and are involved quite a bit in the lives of the students.

It would help if there were more faculty in more disciplines, he said. There's a greater number in Indian studies, but there also needs to be more in professional areas, for example, he said

"It's not to suggest they are better teachers … it is kind of nice to have people around you like you when you deal with the challenges of education," Gagnon said.

At the same time, there are non-native teachers who are empathetic and have gained the trust of their Native American students and colleagues, he said.

Azure, who is non-native, still gets calls from students who have gone through the programs at United Tribes, then moved on to other schools.

"It's not so much an ethnic thing, but trust," Azure said. "They trust you. You've earned their trust over time."

(Reach reporter Sara Kincaid at 250-8251 or sara.kincaid@bismarcktribune.com.)