Date of Graduation

12-2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

College/School

School of Education

Department

International and Multicultural Education

Program

International & Multicultural Education EdD

First Advisor

Susan Katz

Second Advisor

Xornam Apedoe

Third Advisor

Darrick Smith

Fourth Advisor

Gregory Tanaka

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the availability of higher educational opportunities in the Santa Clara Valley for mixed blood American Indian males in the Santa Clara Valley from lower middle class and middle-class backgrounds born between the early 1980’s and early 1990’s who enrolled in community college courses but did not graduate. The study uses Critical Race Theory as the guiding theoretical framework but focuses on Tribal Critical Race Theory pioneered by Brayboy (2005) to understand the educational and societal experiences of American Indian people from their unique ethnic prism. The dissertation uses Red People’s Oral Tradition as the methodology, drawing from the Red Pedagogy concept presented by Grande (2004). The dissertation delves into the educational experiences of American Indian people in the 1990’s and 2000’s and what prevented American Indian mixed blood males from excelling in their scholastic endeavors. The study expounds on how the portrayal of Red people in academia, the media, and society affected the participants’ own sense of self and impacted their outlook towards their educational experiences. Furthermore, the study offers solutions from the perspective of the participants regarding what could be changed in society and academia to better represent and improve the educational experiences of mixed blood American males in the Santa Clara Valley and throughout the American Southwest where this group mainly resides. Lastly, the study broaches ways in which its findings can be used to highlight and determine the issues affecting mixed blood American Indian educational attainment to increase visibility and representation at college campuses.

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