LEARN NC

1.5 Understanding the needs of American Indian students

By Kathryn Walbert

Provided by The North Carolina Humanities Council.

The resources listed below should give teachers access to information and recommendations that will help them better understand the specific needs and issues of concern for American Indian students, their families, and their communities:

Reports of the State Advisory Council on Indian Education
These reports from the State Advisory Council on Indian Education, available in pdf format for 2001 through 2008, provide data on academic achievement and dropout rates for American Indian students in North Carolina and also provide recommendations for educational policy that should be of interest to all educators and educational administrators in North Carolina. The reports usually include data on end-of-course tests and other assessments, any achievement gaps, drop-out rates, graduation rates, and participation in advanced courses.
National Indian Education Study
The National Indian Education Study is a two-part study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics in 2005 at the request of the Office of Indian Education of the U.S. Department of Education. The study compiles a tremendous amount of data about issues related to the education of American Indian students including data on teachers, students, performance on assessments, curriculum, and more.
Native American Education Under the Microscope
This article, by Rob Capriccioso from Connect for Kids published March 14, 2005, provides an overview of the National Indian Education Study (see above) and addresses some of the issues facing American Indian students in the 21st century.
“Respect and Encourage the Individual”: Learning among the Lumbee
This article, by Keri Towery from Tar Heel Junior Historian 37 (fall 1997) made available by the North Carolina Museum of History, provides a historical overview of education among the Lumbee and may be of particular interest to teachers who are working with Lumbee students and parents and who may find it helpful to understand the educational traditions of the tribe.