A Conversation about Changes in the Indian Student Placement Service

The Church’s Indian Student Placement Service, which places students from U.S. Indian reservations in foster homes during the school months, has recently undergone some refinements, shifting the scope and purpose of the program. The Ensign talked with David A. Albrecht, coordinator of the ISPS, about those changes.

Q: What are the main changes affecting the Indian Student Placement Service?

A: The major modification has been a change in the program’s eligibility requirements, raising both the age requirements and the enrollment standards. As of the 1984–85 school year, only students in the fifth through the twelfth grades were eligible. Previously, students aged eight to eighteen could qualify. That age limit has been raised to the sixth grade for this year and will continue to go up one grade a year until the 1988–89 school year, when the program will have evolved into a four-year program, covering only grades nine through twelve.

The higher enrollment standards require a student to be no more than a year behind in school (previously, two years behind was acceptable); have a C average in core subjects such as math, English, and reading; live by Church standards both on and off the program; have good physical and emotional health; and demonstrate potential leadership qualities. The student must be a member of the Church (having been baptized no later than May 30 of the year he goes on placement) and be interviewed and recommended by his bishop or branch president.

Q: How will this affect the number of students involved in the program?

A: This will probably mean a 60 percent reduction in the number of students from 1984 to 1989.

Q: Do these cuts indicate a phasing out of the program?

A: Not at all. These modifications are refinements of the program and are meant to emphasize experiences that will promote spirituality, leadership, and academic excellence.

Q: What prompted these changes?

A: The changes were made in response to analysis and a major research study measuring the effects of the program. The study revealed that, when compared with a control group not on the program, the Indian students involved in the program had higher grades, were more likely to go to college, were more active in the Church, and were more likely to go on missions and to be married in the temple. However, four years seemed to be the optimum time on the program; the benefits didn’t necessarily increase with added years.

And the fact is that there are more educational opportunities available to young children on the reservations today than there were when the program began in 1954. Now, with the older age requirements, children will remain at home during the early years. When they do go on the program at about age fourteen, they will be better motivated and better prepared for their experience and will have assimilated more of their heritage and cultural identity.

Q: Along with the enrollment modifications, how has the focus of the program changed?

A: In the past, one of the purposes of the program was to provide opportunities for large numbers of Indian youth, some of whom came from environments with limited opportunities. With more local schools available allowing more students to stay at home, the focus of the program has changed to one of developing leadership skills and promoting spiritual and educational growth. More than 20,000 Indian students have been placed since the beginning of the program thirty-one years ago. The majority of these have returned to the reservations to live. We expect that the students coming out of the ISPS will continue to qualify for community and Church leadership.

Q: What are the benefits of the program?

A: Although the program is smaller now, it is individualized and better supervised. President Kimball has stated that “the placement program was inspired of the Lord.” (Ensign, May 1979, p. 101.) The program will continue to be available as long as the need exists and Indian parents express an interest.

A few years ago, Elder George P. Lee summed up the benefits of the program when testifying before the Select Committee on Indian Affairs of the United States Senate on 4 August 1977. Referring to his own years on the program, he stated: “Through placement, the uncertainty of the past was replaced with purpose, direction, and spiritual strength. I gained a tremendous desire and determination to succeed. I began to set goals for myself.”