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What Are The Root Causes Of The High Dropout Rate Among Native American Students?
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A graduated student is considered a student who has received a high school diploma. This does not include G.E.D. or other alternate programs (Bylsma, 2002, p.3). A dropout is defined as a student who leaves school without graduating. Graduation rates differ proportionally from dropout rates due to the variables used to calculate each. However, the incongruities exist in both applications. Key Facts J.P. Greene summarized graduation rates for Washington youth in a report funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation and conducted by the Manhattan Institute. According to Greene (2002), Washington State statistics indicate that the average graduation rates for Native Americans and Latinos is 47% compared to the 53% for African-American, 70% for white students, and 77% for Asian-American youths. Pete Bylsma calculated dropout statistics for the Washington State Department of Public Instruction. Bylsma (2002) reported that during the 2000-2001 school year, American Indians had a dropout rate of 10.2%. Sheryl Scott, Administrator of the Career & Educational Development Department of the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe (2002) states that the Tribe’s children mirror the national minority statistics. The S’Klallam students have a dropout rate of 45% (p. 7). Dropout rates are higher for minority students. According to the U.S. Department Of Education (November 25, 2002) these rates are related to a variety of socioeconomic and environmental reasons. The DOE contends that the dropout rates are higher for students of low socioeconomic backgrounds (p. 1). Gaustad (1991) expands these reasons by including school behavior and academic achievement. Stokes states that nationally there are 600,000 Indian children in grades K – 12. Of these, less than 10% (50,000) are in tribal schools served and supported by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. There are 450,000 (75%) students served by Office of Indian Education programs through the Department of Education. The students served by the OIE are in mainstream public schools. According to Tatum (1997), there are 750 different cultural communities among the American Indians and Alaska Natives living in the United States. Despite this great diversity, there are some shared cultural values considered to be characteristic of Native Americans. Root Causes There are many theories as to the underlying factors that influence graduation / dropout rates of Indian children. National statistics would appear to mirror those of Washington State. Cultural Discontinuity St. Germaine (1995) suggests that the Indiana children are raised in a cultural environment vastly different from the environment that they encounter in public schools (p. 2). This discontinuity leaves the children torn between succeeding at home or in the “white man’s school”. Cultural identity can be splintered by a lack of awareness between the Natives and non-natives. Many U.S.
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