Allowed to dream, they earn bachelor's and master's degrees and become teachers, registered nurses, and business leaders. As indicated in the profile of Cheryl and Brandy Parish in this issue, education becomes a family tradition. The welfare reform law, however, discourages education. Vocational education programs must be shorter than one year to qualify. The law intends to move clients off the welfare rolls and into entry-level positions, not the careers that many students could achieve.
Many fulltime workers remain under the poverty line.
Without enough earnings to cover basic costs of living, such jobs become just another form of dependency. For welfare clients to move into the workplace, they need transportation and child care. For entrepreneurs to build their businesses, they need loans. For Indian students to succeed in their education, their families must also believe in education. For students to see themselves in careers, they need to see Indian role models in their classrooms and in their curriculum material.