This work examines the under-studied urban dimension of the American Indian self-determination in education by showing how American Indians in Chicago established, developed, influenced, and utilized programs to meet the particular objectives and needs of their local community. By showing how American Indians worked outside of and within systems, organizations, and institutions in order to increase educational opportunities for youth as well as adult learners, this dissertation argues that American Indian agency in education existed within the urban sphere and extended the American Indian self-determination movement in education beyond tribally controlled programs. Attention is directed to how American Indian self-determination in education emerged as a multifaceted and community-based process that took on many forms in Chicago. By showing how American Indians employed a variety of initiatives within a particular local context and often worked within existent organizational structures in Chicago, this dissertation illustrates that the history of the American Indian self-determination in education is not one that is fixed with an absolute definition that can be used to understand how American Indian communities shaped education for their own needs. Rather, it points to the importance of understanding how American Indian communities engaged in community-based initiatives unique to specific local dynamics and expands narrower conceptions of how American Indians actively engaged in directing the course of education for their own purposes. Largely based on archival research and oral history interviews, this historical analysis focuses on the importance of the American Indian Center (AIC), St. Augustine's Center for American Indians, the Native American Committee (NAC), Little Big Horn High School, O-Wai-Ya-Wa Elementary School, Native American Educational Services (NAES) College, and the Institute for Native America Development (INAD) at Truman College. The history of these organizations and programs demonstrates how American Indians in Chicago actively engaged in community-based efforts to improve their livelihood and preserve their cultural identity within the urban context. Ultimately, this dissertation furthers the historical scholarship on American Indian educational programs and experiences in urban areas while broadening and deepening the history of the American Indian self-determination movement in education. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]