Editors' Introduction Familiar Challenges, Innovative Possibilities in American Indian and Indigenous Education We trust thisfinds youwellandthat, as yoursummer comestoa close,you aregearing upforanexciting fall.We areexcited topresent a robust issuefor you- robust in terms ofitsvolume,intellectual rigor, andapplications to practice. Thisissueillustrates thesignificant challenges that ourcommunities, schools,andchildren face,as wellas therichpossibilities ofwhatmayliein front ofthem. We applaudeachoftheauthors inpresenting issuesthat areat onceall toofamiliar andwhichhelpus think aboutnewwaysofaddressing theneedsofIndigenous communities andpeoples. The challenges confronting ourcommunities andtheir children areall toofamiliar. MichellePidgeonreminds us thattheneedforbetter, stronger pathways tohigher education is universal throughout North America, buther findings andrecommendations haveimplications onan international scaleas well.Carolyn Brownhighlights another critical (and understudied) areaschooldiscipline disparities for Nativeyouth - pointing tothewaysinwhich in-school and out-of-schoolsuspensions lead to permanentschool withdrawal, disrupt a crucial pathway tocollege,andreinforce theschool-toprison pipeline, especially amongNativeboysandyoung men.TreyAdcock callsfora wayofrethinking the"digital divide"as a vehicle fordigital equity andimplores ustothink morebroadly anddeeply abouttheroleoftechnology inourcommunities. Estrella Torrez documents theroleofa youth program in helping urbanNativeyouth connect withtheir heritage as a pathto healthy lifestyles, including replacing "whitefoods"(whitesugar,flour, and lard associated with White colonization) with foodsandactivities rooted inculture andcommunity. JiaxiWu andMarciaGentry highlight theappalling lackof programs andsupport for gifted Native students, andexamine the experiences and perceptions ofgifted Dine students in a university-based summer residential program. Finally,Thad Connerilluminates thechallengesassociatedwith publicschoolsontribal landsandtheneedforcoherent coordination between schoolsandcommunities. Each ofthesearticles presents compelling datathatremind us ofthe challenges ourchildren andcommunities faceintheir day-to-day interactions with schoolsandeducational institutions. Thesechallenges arenotnew.What isnewaretheresponses that theauthors present. Theyforce ustonameagain thefactthat, rather thanasking, "How canwe makeourIndigenous children readyforschools?",we shouldbe asking, "How can we makeeducational institutions ready forourchildren?" Journal of American Indian Education -53,Issue2,2014 1 The articlesalso pointto realistic, proactive responsesto education challenges thatarewithin thepowerofourcommunities andtheeducators andschoolsthatservethem. Whilerecognizing thatinstitutions areslowto change,Dr. Pidgeonoffers a wholistic responseto makinginstitutions of higher education notonlymoreaccessible,butalso places of successand possibility. Dr.Adcockreminds usthat Indigenous communities havealways hadforms oftechnology, andtheyarereclaiming electronic technologies to engageincultural andlanguage revitalization, as wellas other forms ofselfdetermination . Dr. Connerpointsto places whereschool districts have recognized thefederal trust responsibility associatedwithAmerican Indian education.His workhas implications forhow educationadministration programs prepare future principals andsuperintendents whoworkinschools and districts servingNative childrenand communities. Dr. Brownasks institutions toconsider howthey engagediscipline with Nativechildren. Her workalso has significant implications forhow schools and colleges of educationprepareteachersand administrators. Dr. Gentryand doctoral candidate Jiaxi Wudocument howgifted Dinestudents successfully engaged withethnically andculturally diverse peersina summer residential program thatenhanced theirintellectual and social-emotional development. Finally, Dr. Torrezintroduces theAnnishinabe conceptsof edinizing (community), naadizewin (culture), minomaadiziwin (health), andkendaasewin (academics) as waystohelpurbanNativeyoungpeopleengagestrategies ofwellbeing that areas oldas thepeopleswhoformulated them. Importantly, thesearticles all moveawayfrom a singular response to challenges toresponses thatare multifaceted and wholistic. These are creative, self-determining responses that we woulddo welltofollow. We hopeyoufind thesearticles as thought provoking andcompelling as wehave. We alsopause,inthefirst pagesofthisissue,toreflect onthelifeand contributions ofGeorgeDearborn Spindler, whopassedawayon July1 of thisyearattheage of94. Withhiswifeandacademicpartner of50 years, Louise, George Spindler founded and led the field of educational anthropology - a field in whichmany scholarsof AmericanIndian/ Indigenous education, including eachofus,havefound a welcoming home. As notedby Ray McDermott - a close colleague and self-proclaimed discipleofGeorgeSpindler - "Spin,"as hewas affectionately known, with Louise, began workingwiththe Menominee(Menomini)in the 1960s, comparingMenomineeeducationwith thatof the school. Menominee education, they argued, contained alltheelements toprepare young peopletobe successfuladults.Indeed,the Spindlerslaterwrote,whereasIndigenous education systems "are designedfor,[and]in factguarantee success,"the education practices ofdominant schooling "seemdesigned toassuresuccess for some,andfailure for others" (Spindler & Spindler, 1989,p. 14).Wethank RayMcDermott, Janice Stockard, andFrederick Erickson fortheir beautiful andlovingportraits ofan intellectual giantin ourfieldwho,thesescholars 2 Journal of American Indian Education -Volume 53,Issue2,2014 remind us, was mostimportantly a kindand compassionate humanbeing. GeorgeSpindler servedas inspiration and mentor to manyofus; his keen intellect, wit, andgenerous spirit willbe sorely missed. Finally, youwillnoticea third nameintheeditorial team.In January 2014,ArizonaStateUniversity washonored tohaveK. TsianinaLomawaima join itsfaculty as Professor ofJustice andSocial Inquiry andDistinguished Scholar of IndigenousEducation.ProfessorLomawaimais one of the preeminent ethnohistorians of AmericanIndian education,and she has published withbothTeresaandBryan.Herposition intheSchoolofSocial Transformation and the Centerfor Indian Education,along with her extraordinary intellectual contributions to the field of AmericanIndian educationand IndigenousStudiesmore broadly,made her an obvious additionto our team.HavingProfessor Lomawaima,who has servedon JME" s editorial boardforthepastfouryears, join us as coeditor feelslike welcominga familymemberhome.We are fortunate to have her as a colleagueandfriend, andwe hopeyouwilljoin us inwelcoming hertothis neweditorial...