Attempting to write the early history of Hmong education, from 1917-1975, was crucial to research because a centralized document and scholarly written record of this type does not exist. This dissertation synthesized, documented, and reinterpreted the history of Hmong education from three major educational eras: The French colonial era (1917-1954), the Laotian independence era (1954-1959), and the USAID era and the Secret War period (1960-1975). The purpose of this dissertation was to gather relics from primary sources and to interview three former Hmong experts involved with the history of Hmong education in Laos. The primary instrument for collecting data was an informal interview, consisting of five categories in a questionnaire with 10 items in each category. The GATHER model, a qualitative research and historiography methodology developed by Anderson-Inman and Kessinger (2000), was employed to guide the data collection, analyses, and conclusions. The data were analyzed in a summative narrative format. The findings showed that within 58 years, these major historical eras transformed the Hmong agrarian society into a modern, 20 th -century society. Their success was impacted by European influences, Hmong leaders, and Hmong educators. The French came to colonize Laos and introduced modern education, created the Hmong Roman Popular Alphabet written language, and converted the Hmong to Christianity (D. Vue, 2004). The Laotian government granted the right to Hmong citizens and become a tax-free nation during the Laotian independence era (Lyfoung, 1996). The Americans brought modern technology, transportation, and civilization, which gave thousands of Hmong students the opportunity to attend school and study abroad. The Hmong became modern society in less than 15 years.
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