Saturday, February 20, 2010

High School Graduation Rates Low Where Most American Indians, Alaska Natives Live, Report Says

High School Graduation Rates Low Where Most American Indians, Alaska Natives Live, Report Says:

"A new national report has found that fewer than 50 percent of Native American Indian and Alaska Native students from the Pacific and Northwest regions of the U. S. graduate from high school. Released on Thursday, “The Dropout/Graduation Crisis Among American Indians and Alaska Native Students: Failure to Respond Places the Future of Native People at Risk” report was conducted by The Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles at UCLA’s Graduate School of Education and Information Studies.

The report found drastic disparities in graduation rates between American Indian/Alaska Native students and others in the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming. In addition to the most recent graduation data, the report includes discussion of challenges and possibilities specific to the education of this population.

Dr. Susan Faircloth of the Coharie tribe, co-author"