Independence, Dominance, and Power: (Re)Examining the Impact of School Policies On the Academic Development of Indigenous Youth

This article explores how school policies framed by Western knowledge systems legitimize assimilationist socialization and learning practices that distance school leaders and teachers from American Indian students and their educational process. By deconstructing school rules, microaggressions are revealed, illuminating the inherent tension between academic knowledge and Indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) in schools. When IKS are validated and incorporated into academic knowledge systems, Indigenous youth are constructed as knowledge producers and active agents in schools. Likewise, educational processes are informed by social and cultural contexts, and educators are encouraged to rethink educational policies and school learning.