The purpose of this study was to examine the preschool settings of the Pearl River community and assess the effectiveness of certain preschool programs regarding the achievement of Native American kindergarten students. The data were examined to compare student achievement of the Pearl River Elementary School kindergarten class of 2006-2007 as measured by the TerraNova subtests in Reading/Language and Mathematics. A sample of n = 74 was obtained for this study. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze previous preschool experiences of the participants. Demographic data showed that most students in the Pearl River Elementary School kindergarten class of 2006-2007 had attended some type of preschool. TerraNova scores for the participants were also examined. Descriptive statistics were used to examine how well the kindergarten students at Pearl River Elementary School compared with the national average. The data indicated that the kindergarteners at Pearl River Elementary School did not score as high as the national average on any of the subtests for Reading, Language, and Mathematics. A MANOVA was used to test the null hypothesis that stated that there were no statistically significant differences among the means of the TerraNova scores based upon type of preschool attended. The independent variable for the analysis was type of preschool attended. The dependent variables were the subtest scores on the TerraNova in Reading, Language, and Mathematics. Results indicated that students who had attended the Pearl River pre-kindergarten program outscored the students who had attended the Pearl River Head Start program in both Language and Mathematics subtests. Results did not indicate that there was any statistical difference in the mean of the Reading subtest based upon type of preschool attended. Recommendations for further study include obtaining another sample that would incorporate variables not used in the current study. Research should be done to examine curricular differences among pre-kindergarten, FACE, Head Start, and Day Care programs. Students should also be tracked to measure the long term effects of attending each of these programs. Alternate assessments for student achievement of preschool and kindergarten students should also be considered for further research.

The need for mental health service is increasing in American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. While research has examined the availability, access, and effectiveness of provided services to the AI/AN, very little is known about the influence of the attitude and perceptions of both clinicians and clients in their therapeutic relationship in the treatment process. Using the frameworks of liberation, oppression, and trauma theory, this qualitative phenomenological study explored mental health service delivery and utilization issues within an AI/AN community. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 14 clinician and client participants. The data were sorted into themes and subthemes and analyzed using the NVivo 11 computer software. Intergenerational struggle represented the primary theme and other subthemes such as assimilation, acculturation, and communication were among some of the secondary themes gathered from the data. Analysis of the themes provided greater insights into the dynamics of the participant's lived experience in various organizational structures within the larger community as well as a better understanding of mental health service delivery and utilization in maintaining sobriety in their daily struggles. The results indicated that intergenerational struggle along with other environmental factors were the chief causes of their cyclical journey through the penal and other systems; thus reducing their ability in maintaining longer sobriety and in improving their mental health. The implications for positive social change in this study include the reduction of stigma associated with these health issues through the education of the community and in training clinicians in factor-specific issues impacting life altering critical events in AI/AN struggles.

Dental caries is the most common chronic disease in children, and prevalence rates are disproportionately higher in American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations. The Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors (ASTDD) recommends annual oral health screening for children in Head Start programs using the Basic Screening Survey (BSS). The 2014 study was a follow-up to a 2010 national survey of AI/AN children ages five and under that assessed oral health outcomes such as untreated decay, decay experience, urgent need for treatment, presence of sealants and decayed, missing and filled deciduous teeth (dmft) scores, and investigated the changes in Early Childhood Caries (ECC) prevalence from 2010 to 2014 in the Indian Health Service (IHS) Nashville Area. A gap analysis was completed comparing current recommended practices among dental clinics that participated in the IHS ECC Collaborative ASTDD Framework to Prevent and Control Childhood Tooth Decay (ASTDD Framework). Due to historical mistreatment of AI/AN populations in research, and out of respect for the sovereignty of the Tribal Nations that participated in the study, there limited data was made available for this study. In 2010, 579 children were screened in the Nashville Area; 1231 children participated in 2014. While there was a statistically significant, yet clinically small 9.36% reduction of untreated decay from 2010 (30.33%) to 2014 (27.49%), the ECC Collaborative did not reach their objective of a 25% reduction. There was also a significant increase in urgent need for treatment (3.17% in 2010 to 4.35% in 2014), and in presence of sealants (4.54% in 2010 to 10.01% in 2014). Gaps in best practices identified were related to need for increased risk assessments and enhancing policy development. Based on study findings and the limited access to data on Tribal and Area levels, development of culturally appropriate policies that are unique to individual Tribal needs, and focus on perinatal care, is recommended. Individual Tribal programs also need to be evaluated and surveillance needs to be continued to establish trend data. All program evaluations and research should be conducted in an ethical manner that is community-based and considerate of the needs of the Tribe.

No description available.