The Mountain-Plains Task Force on Indian families was established due to the low success rate of Indian enrollees in completing the Mountain-Plains program, a model educational program for the rural disadvantaged population. As a consequence, the task force was proposed to identify program failure factors and to suggest ways of retaining Indian families through to successful completion in the program. The major problems contributing to premature departures were identified as: alcohol; marital conflict; reservation life and majority institutional structures; isolation, worry, rigidity, self-rejection, and interpersonal isolation; extended family influences; input motivation and expectations; and conflict and aggression. The problems are explored in depth emphasizing the psychological, sociological, and cultural aspects forming the major underlying causes. Some major conclusions were that (1) cultural dissonance resulted in a difficult adjustment to the majority culture's world, (2) the Mountain-Plains program can only be a valuable experience for a narrow spectrum of the Indian population, (3) male heads of households are successful in mastering the vocational and educational requirements, and (4) the program is most successful with Indian families who are partially immune to culture shock. An indepth followup analysis substantiated the task force findings. A six-item bibliography is appended. (BP)