After taking a closer look at the state of minority groups and how they are fairing in education, several troubling trends seem to appear. In this blog, I will merely address the issues that appear in one particular group. If the numbers are correct, educators who come in contact with Native American students have to take a closer look at how we are attempting to educate this population and what steps if any can be used to reverse this trend.
The State of Education For Native Students
The Education Trust, August 2013
Graduation Rates Dropping Among Native American Students
By Kelsey Sheehy
The article pointed out a disturbing trend. From 2008 to 2010 there was a 3% drop, from 54% to 51%, in the number of Native American students earning High School diplomas. It went on to point out several possible reasons for that negative trend. Ms. Sheeny quoted RiShawn Biddle in stating that many students end up in schools that are already "dropout factories". Futhermore, it was stated that because of the small percentage of total students that Native Americans comprise they are in many ways "invisible". One bright note was that in states like Oklahoma educators did see increases in the number of students graduating. The rise was contributed in part to the overall rise throughout the stae for all students and cooperation between the state and tribes.
With a noticeable trend like this I wanted to look at additional data as it related to Native American students.
According to a 2013 study by The Education Trust Native American students are less likely than any group to attend schools that offer high level courses in high school. The problem is that the gap does not wait until high school to manifest itself, in 2011 only 17% of Native students were proficient in reading compared to 42% of whites. A closer comparison even revealed that from 2005 - 2011 while every other major ethic group saw growth in fourth grade reading and eighth grade math Native students remained flat and the lead that they held over Latino students and African American students had lessened and in some cases been lost altogether.
The educational woes continue even after high school with only 52% of 2004 Native students enrolling in college and only 39% of that number graduating with a bachelor's degree by 2010.
There is good new! These trends do not have to continue. Oregon and previously stated Oklahoma boasts proficient and advanced level three times those of Alaska and Arizona. In Alabama, Calcedeaver Elementary, which has an American Indian population over 80% saw its sith graders out paced the state by 26 percentage points on the state's math assessment.
While this is certainly a challenge for educators across the country. We have examples to look towards to find assurance that we can make a difference.
Kelsey Sheehy, Graduation Rates Dropping Among Native American Students, US News Education, June 6, 2013
The State of Education For Native Students, The Education Trust, August 13, 2013
I think that because our society spends so much time trying to assimilate other cultures to our own that they feel left out. I think that this is why so many Native American students drop out. We focus on being first and the best at everything when Native Americans think about the good of the group.
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Emma Cody-Mitchell
2/13/2014 04:52:09 am
I agree with you. Some members of society want our schools to be very competitive in all areas; that is the sign of a strong individual. They should look at the research on cooperative learning and consider ways to assess learning that are not so overly dependent on standardized testing. Many minority groups are group-focused.
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I teach math to 6th - 8th graders in a Related Arts setting. It's challenging because it is their "2nd math" but very rewarding to receive feedback that it makes a difference.