The period from 1950 to 1970 was no exception to the historical rule of how federal policy decisions regarding Indian education have been made. Regardless of the influences, policy decisions have always been made under pressing circumstances, usually without benefit of long-range planning, and choices have often been made from among equally undesirable alternatives. The many administrative turnovers in the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the White House changed both direction and emphasis of Indian education. The favorite projects of one administration became legacies to the next, further complicating matters. The late 1960's were a particularly turbulent period in the history of Indian affairs. Legitimate concerns about over-emphasis of acculturation and dissatisfaction with educational attainment formed the basis of much criticism of Indian education, which was concentrated in the well-publicized Kennedy Report. The Coleman Report and the National Study of Indian Education could have helped clarify the issues but they were largely ignored. The future of Indian education was uncertain going into the 1970's. The issue of control of schools obscured that of quality of education. While Indian people clearly aspired to do well in the modern world, no one had determined what they wanted in the way of education. (SB)