Native Students Still Without a Top-Flight Education

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Findings include the following:

There was no significant change in average reading scores for fourth or eighth grade American Indian and Alaska Native students compared to 2009 and 2005.
47 percent of American Indian and Alaska Native students at grade 4 and 63 percent at grade 8 performed at or above the Basic level in reading in 2011.
18 percent of AI/AN fourth grade students scored at or above Proficient in reading; 22 percent of eighth graders scored at or above the Proficient level.
The 2011 average mathematics score for American Indian and Alaska Native students was not statistically different from that of 2009 or 2005 in either grade.
Two-thirds of American Indian and Alaska Native fourth graders performed at or above the Basic level in mathematics in 2011. 55 percent of American Indian and Alaska Native eighth graders performed at or above the Basic level in 2011. 22 percent of American Indian and Alaska Native fourth grade students scored at or above Proficient. 17 percent of American Indian and Alaska Native eighth graders scored above this level.
In both reading and mathematics, American Indian and Alaska Native students in low density public schools scored higher than those in high density public schools or BIE schools.
The 12 states ranged widely in performance of their American Indian and Alaska Native students. For example, in fourth grade reading, 61 percent of American Indian and Alaska Native students performed at or above the Basic achievement level in Oregon compared with 26 percent at this level in Alaska.

The National Indian Education Study also explores the educational experiences of American Indian and Alaska Native students. Students, teachers, and administrators provided information about their communities, the integration of American Indian and Alaska Native culture into their classroom practices, and interactions between the school and the American Indian and Alaska Native community.

Findings include the following:

56 percent of all fourth grade American Indian and Alaska Native students and 63 percent of eighth grade students reported knowing some or a lot about their tribe or group's history. These percentages were higher in BIE schools than in low density public schools.
Almost two thirds (63 percent) of American Indian and Alaska Native eighth graders report never talking to a school counselor about classes for high school or about what they wanted to do after high school.
73 percent of American Indian and Alaska Native fourth graders reported getting help with their schoolwork from a parent or family member once a week or more. 62 percent reported getting help from a teacher at least once a week.
Higher percentages of students in BIE schools than in high or low density public schools had teachers who learned about American Indian and Alaska Native students to at least a small extent from living and working in an American Indian and Alaska Native community.

The full report, as well as the National Indian Education Study Data Explorer, can be found at Nations Report Card.

The National Indian Education Study is sponsored by the Office of Indian Education, within the US Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, and is conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences. This report was ordered in 2004 to assist American Indian and Alaska Native students in meeting challenging academic standards in a manner consistent with tribal traditions, language, and culture.

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posted July 5, 2012 8:20 am edt