The Yazzie Case: Building a Public Education System for Our Indigenous Future

The Yazzie/Martinez lawsuit highlighted the inadequate education provided to Native American students in New Mexico, revealing a system with poor policy implementation, funding, and reform. This collection of essays provides insight into the lawsuit's background and impact, emphasizing the need for transformative change to address the systemic challenges faced by Native American students in the state's public education system.

Format: Unspecified
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 15 October 2023
Publisher: University of New Mexico Press

The story of Wilhelmina Yazzie and her son's struggle to obtain a decent education in New Mexico schools exposed an educational system plagued by poor policy implementation, inadequate funding, and piecemeal educational reform. The 2018 ruling in the Yazzie/Martinez lawsuit confirmed what has long been known: the educational needs of Native American students were not being met.

In this remarkable collection of essays, the contributors delve into the background and significance of the lawsuit and its profound impact on racial and social politics. The Yazzie Case serves as a vital resource for educators, policy analysts, attorneys, professors, and students seeking to understand the deeply entrenched racism and colonial barriers that continue to impact all Native American students in New Mexico's public schools. It offers a transformative vision and calls for urgent action to address the systemic challenges plaguing Native American students in New Mexico's public education system.

Contributors to this collection include Georgina Badoni, Cynthia Benally, Rebecca Blum Martínez, Nathaniel Charley, Melvatha R. Chee, Shiv Desai, Donna Deyhle, Terri Flowerday, Wendy S. Greyeyes, Alex Kinsella, Lloyd L. Lee, Tiffany S. Lee, Nancy López Hondo, Louis (photographer), Glenabah Martinez, Natalie Martinez, Jonathan Nez, Carlotta Penny Bird, Preston Sanchez, Karen C. Sanchez-Griego, Christine Sims, Leola Tsinnajinnie Paquin, Vincent Werito, and Wilhelmina Yazzie.

The Yazzie/Martinez lawsuit was a landmark legal case that challenged the inadequate education provided to Native American students in New Mexico. The lawsuit was filed in 2005 by Wilhelmina Yazzie, a Navajo mother, and her son, Martin, who were both enrolled in the Navajo Nation's schools. The case highlighted the systemic racism and discrimination faced by Native American students in the state's public education system, which had been in place for decades.

The lawsuit sought to address the lack of funding, inadequate teacher training, and outdated textbooks and facilities in Native American schools. It also sought to address the high dropout rates and low academic achievement among Native American students, which were significantly higher than those of their non-Native American peers.

The case was a long and arduous journey, with the Yazzie family facing numerous obstacles and delays. However, in 2018, the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Yazzie family, finding that the state of New Mexico had violated their constitutional rights to a decent education. The ruling was a significant victory for Native American students and their families and marked a turning point in the fight for educational equality in the United States.

The Yazzie/Martinez lawsuit had a profound impact on racial and social politics in the United States. It brought attention.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780826365088