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I have been involved in Indian Education since the early 1970s.

In all that time, I have not found many success stories that I could point to and say, 鈥淭his is the one. This is the idea you need to replicate.鈥�

We are in dire need of success stories in Indian education.

I don鈥檛 have any problem saying this because the graduation rates for Native Americans remain unacceptably low, and the achievement gap between white and Native American students remains unacceptably large.

We need to say, however, that every Native student who graduated from high school is a success story because they had to overcome many obstacles. Unfortunately, many do not graduate.

In the late 1980s, I had the opportunity to write a grant called Project Preserve. The purpose of the grant was to document Red Lake's history and culture by publishing a newspaper written by students.

The newspaper's name was Medweganoonind, named after the head chief of the Red Lake Band during the 1889 treaty negotiations. He successfully resisted the government's attempt to gain approval for the allotment of land.

Robert Treuer was hired to coordinate the program. Realizing that reading and writing skills also needed to be improved, Robert implemented an individualized reading program using a program called the Science Research Associates Reading Laboratory.

It was a personalized/programmed reading program where students could progress at their own rate. As a result of Bob鈥檚 guidance, students progressed with their reading and writing skills, and the newspaper was written.

When Bob left Red Lake, Project Preserve was coordinated by Kent Nerburn. With the success of Bob鈥檚 start, we raised the expectations for the students.

Now the students were to write a book, which was accomplished for two years. The name of the first book was, 鈥淭o Walk the Red Road鈥� and the second was 鈥淲e Choose to Remember.鈥�

Students went out into the community to interview elders about the history and culture of Red Lake and returned to write the book with Kent鈥檚 guidance. The students were taught communication skills with a heavy dose of writing skills. For two years, Project Preserve won the Minnesota Governor鈥檚 Star Awards for innovation in education.

After Kent left, Diane Schwanz picked up the program and added some other elements. The students were now involved in making videos relating to Red Lake culture. Diane鈥檚 students also participated in the Post Secondary Options program by taking students to Bemidji State University to take classes.

The students went as a group, accompanied by Diane, who sat in the classroom with the students. The third element of the program was the Indian History Knowledge Bowl that she began at Red Lake, which incentivized students to study history.

The videos received many awards. They traveled to New York for a film screening, participated in the Sundance Film Festival and were frequent participants in Minnesota鈥檚 Walker Art Center.

Some of the students who participated in Project Preserve and went on to be leaders for Red Lake are Rob May, Tom Barrett Jr., Gary Jourdain, Byron Graves and Rose Lussier, just to name a few.

Project Preserve fell by the wayside when Diane retired in 2012. What made it successful?

First, the program had committed leadership. You must embrace what you are doing and be passionate about following through. Bob, Kent and Diane had these qualities.

Second, the program has to be student-driven. In other words, the students must find purpose in what is being done. Much of this purpose comes from the leader who gives the program a reason for being. Students have to care about the program.

Third, the teacher has to care about the students, and I mean genuinely care about the students to the point of putting in extra time and effort to work with the students to make the program work. There has to be a feeling that we are all in this together 鈥� not unlike a winning volleyball or a football team or a choir.

Fourth, the program must be personalized. Not every student is on the same page. Probably the most significant failure of today鈥檚 education involving Native students is the lack of personalization. We fail to remember Aristotle鈥檚 quote, "There is nothing more unequal than the equal treatment of unequals."

Because everyone learns differently and has different needs and interests, how can we treat every student the same? It makes absolutely no sense. Individualization is a key factor.

This was the idea behind Bob's SRA reading series, which was later used in Red Lake鈥檚 successful Four Winds Alternative 歪歪漫画 under the leadership of Leo Soukup and Diane Schwanz (the Four Winds Alternative 歪歪漫画 was another of Red Lake鈥檚 educational success stories, which embodied many of the same principles as Project Preserve).

Fifth, students need to get out of the school and see what鈥檚 happening around them. Project Preserve encompassed not only the whole reservation but its surroundings as well.

For Native American students, we must rid ourselves of the notion that learning can only occur in a building. The entire reservation/community must become the school because it is the school. Buildings should no longer define our school programs.

Sixth, learning needs to have an element of excitement, curiosity, expectation, and uniqueness. All of these elements were found in Project Preserve.

Lastly, and there are more salient elements I could mention, is the high regard it gave to Red Lake culture. The culture was the driving force behind the overall objectives of the program. To quote Diane, 鈥淐ulture was the most critical part of the program, it gave kids an identity.鈥�

歪歪漫画s looking to find success for Native American students at both the K-12 and college levels need to look no further than what brought success to Project Preserve.

Riddle: What can you break, even if you never pick it up or touch it? (Answer: A promise.) I promise that if any educator duplicates the guidelines followed by Project Preserve, you will find more success than what you are currently doing.

I appreciate the Beltrami County Commissioners for allowing me to update them on Project Graduate.

John R. Eggers of Bemidji is a former university professor and area principal. He also is a writer and public speaker.