ABSTRACT
A prevailing view of education in native/indigenous communities is that it is a vehicle to empower individuals and groups to have more control over their own affairs (White House Conference on Indian Education, 1992). In fact, in the space of three decades, Native Americans have progressed from having their education determined for them to having more control over the cognitive and pedagogical course of their education (Benham & Cooper, 2000; Noley, 1992). This movement toward self-determination has been attributed to a variety of educational interventions, including shifts in federal legislation and public policy, targeted funding, and the growth of alternative educational institutions at both the K-12 and postsecondary levels. These and other educational interventions have been instituted because of committed Native American leadership at the local, tribal, state, and national levels (Tippeconnic, 1992). Unfortunately, limited research has been conducted on how native leaders have catalyzed efforts to change education, or how these leaders describe their own leadership development.
