Half of Utah's Indian Students Drop Out of School
Jul 16, 2008 by Elizabeth Ziegler
(KCPW News) Half of Utah's American Indian students drop out of school before earning a diploma, according to the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Educational Statistics. The situation has dire consequences for the quality of life in Indian Country, says Forrest Cuch, director of Utah's Division of Indian Affairs.
"I see how deficiencies in education impact governance and economic development opportunities on and off the reservation on behalf of American Indians," Cuch says. "I really see how the failure to educate Indian kids, Indian children impacts the quality of life."
Thirty percent of the state's American Indians live in poverty. It's the highest poverty rate of any minority group in the state. Cuch says this is a direct result of Indian students' high drop out rate. On average, 78 percent of Utah students graduate, compared to only 50 percent of American Indian students. The situation could improve if the state's public school system were more culturally sensitive to the unique needs of American Indian students, Cuch says.
"American Indians are different in so many ways, and we process information differently," Cuch says. "And the school sys tem is designed for the dominant culture. And consequently, our kids have always fallen behind."
The Division of Indian Affairs and the Utah State Office of Ethnic Affairs are looking for new ways to combat the continuing problem. A seminar next week will introduce educators to one program - The Dropout Early Warning System. It is a computer model that helps predict which students are most at risk of dropping out.
Email to a friendPosted in KCPW Newsroom. Copyright 2008 KCPW
1. CJ Ewell said:
I am interested to know more about any studies Mr. Cuch can recommend that support his assertion that American Indians process information differently than do other ethnic or cultural groups.
3. marty conrad said:
I would like more facts and research in supporting this findings on Native American dropouts in Utah. There is more to the problem than "Process information" because it is different!
4. Filbertina Bitsoi said:
Check out the "culture code" webpage. There are two different ways of communicating and thinking. However, if Forest Cuch would be more outspoken about the loss of the American Indian Teacher Training Program then more American Indian teachers could go back to his Northern Ute Tribe and teach the children out in Fort Duchense. Because he did not support his own people with American Indian Teachers the school was shut down because the students tested poorly on their exams. These students did not AYP. Forest failed his own people by not ensuring American Indian Teachers are trained and supported. He did not advocate enough. COME ON FORREST! NO MORE EXCUSES!
5. Filbertina Bitsoi said:
CJ Ewell and Marty Conrad you missed a training opportunity right here in Salt Lake City that addresses this very issue! Do an internet search on Andree Intercultural. Sign up for a class to understand what Forest is talking about. I am sure both of you will learn alot about yourself and the rest of the world we live in! I also suggest you live out on an Indian Reservation for about 3 months. Let me know if you have a change in your thought process. I'm very interested in hearing what you have learned.
6. Learning Differences said:
The American Indian Education Handbook published by the California State Department of Education (1982) includes a list of 27 cultural values "adhered to by most Indian groups" (p. 24); the values are presented with attitudes, behaviors, and educational considerations. This source and the Ramirez and Castaneda conceptual framework guided the development of an American Indian Learning Style Survey instrument.
CJ Well & Marty Conrad...do an internet search on the keywords - American Indian Learning differences. There are plenty of studies over the decades to show there are learning difference between the dominant society and the Indigenous Native people of North & South America.
7. Learning Differences said:
THE STYLES OF LEARNING ARE DIFFERENT, BUT THE TEACHING IS JUST THE SAME: SUGGESTIONS FOR TEACHERS OF AMERICAN INDIAN YOUTH Karen Swisher and Donna Deyhle [pp. 1-14] Examines learning style and interactional style differences of American Indian and Alaskan Native students. Provides specific classroom examples and research findings concerning culturally influenced learning styles, the visual approach to learning, field dependence, public vs. private demonstration of learning, and cooperation versus competition in the classroom.Journal of American Indian Education, Special Edition, August 1989.
8. Learning Differences said:
NATIVE INDIAN LEARNING STYLES: A REVIEW FOR RESEARCHERS AND TEACHERSArthur J. More [pp. 15-28] The article discusses four areas of research that provide evidence for important differences in Learning Style between Indian and non-Indian students: (1) internal cognitive processes or learner characteristics, (2) external or environmental conditions, (3) teaching and communication styles, (4) traditional learning styles. According to the author, differences in Learning Style "occur frequently but are not found with sufficient consistency to suggest a uniquely Indian learning style. However, they occur often enough to warrant careful attention." The article suggests seven areas of learning style strengths and weaknesses among Native people and outlines four implications for teachers and three other specific implications. The author concludes that the "most effective application of learning style theory lies in the greater understanding and ability to adapt to individual differences, and in identifying and building on the strengths of Indian students."Journal of American Indian Education, Special Edition, August 1989.
9. Learning Differences said:
COYOTE'S EYES: NATIVE COGNITION STYLES Terry Tafoya [pp. 29-42] The author attempts to explain the story involving Coyote's eyes. From the story he extracts the development of certain cognitive schemes and establishes methods for Piaget's assimilation and accommodation. The author includes a discussion of the circle as associated with Indian tribal philosophy and believes that legends and stories form the basis for traditional teaching paradigms which are not recognized as the same style of teaching one discovers in "school." Journal of American Indian Education, Special Edition, August 1989.
10. Learning Differences said:
AMERICAN INDIAN ACADEMIC SUCCESS: THE ROLE OF INDIGENOUS LEARNING STRATEGIESCathaleene J. Macias [pp. 43-52] Eleven American Indian women enrolled in a MSW program participated in an interview study designed to identify effective learning strategies. Most of the women reported relying on writing and verbalization as study strategies and preferred essay tests to multiple-choice or true-false tests. This preference for essay tests was linked in the interviews to a strong ability to synthesize knowledge, a cognitive skill identified by researchers as characteristic of Indian people. The women also described themselves as good listeners and as being reluctant to pass judgment before careful, subjective reflection, behaviors which are also characteristic of Indians. These women's introspective reports and high academic performance are evidence that there are distinctive Indian cognitive strengths that facilitate graduate school success. Journal of American Indian Education, Special Edition, August 1989.
11. Learning Differences said:
LEARNING STYLES: A STUDY OF ALASKA NATIVE AND NON-NATIVE STUDENTSJoan K. Wauters; Janet Merrill Bruce [pp. 53-62] Research on learning styles, particularly those of minority students, is still very new and technically unrefined. This study examines the results of one learning style instrument, the Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS), used to evaluate 200 Alaskan high school seniors. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to analyze differences between Native and non-Native subjects. Rural and urban subjects were also compared. Significant differences were found in learning styles between Native and non-Native subjects on the Persistence, Peer, Authority, Auditory, and Visual subscales. The two groups, however, were both strikingly dissimilar to the PEPS norm group. Pedagogical implications for Alaskan students are included which suggest the use of diverse teaching modalities and frequent student-teacher interactions. Journal of American Indian Education, Special Edition, August 1989.
12. Learning Differences said:
BRAIN HEMISPHERIC FUNCTIONS AND THE NATIVE AMERICANAllen Chuck Ross [pp. 72-76] (Reprinted from Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 2-5, May 1982, JAIE.) Focuses on the discussion of the linear, or left brain orientation, of the American educational system's ideals and identifies the inappropriateness of using the orientation with the American Indian student. According to the author, it has been determined that traditional American Indians are more dominant in right hemisphere thinking which may also be a reason for the psychic phenomenon and miracle healing performed by spiritual people. Journal of American Indian Education, Special Edition, August 1989.
13. Learning Differences said:
A COGNITIVE PATTERN OF THE YAKIMA INDIAN STUDENTSRhett Diessner; Jacqueline L. Walker [pp. 84-88] According to the authors, patterns of Bannatyne's recategorized Weschsler Intelligence Scales (WISC-R and WAIS) scores for 75 Yakima Indian students, enrolled in a private, tribally controlled and operated Junior and Senior High School in the Columbia River Basin, were investigated. In congruence with similar studies, a statistically significant pattern was found: Spatial Ability, Sequential Ability and Verbal Conceptual Ability. The authors believe evidence is presented indicating that the discovered cognitive pattern may be typical across American Indian populations. The authors believe the evidence presented increase the possible validity of a particular American Indian cognitive style. Journal of American Indian Education, Special Edition, August 1989.
14. Learning Differences said:
ERIC Identifier: ED335175 Publication Date: 1991-05-00 Author: Swisher, Karen Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools Charleston WV. American Indian/Alaskan Native Learning Styles: Research and Practice. ERIC Digest.
Educators of American Indian and Alaskan Native students are concerned for a growing number of students who do not find school a meaningful place. These students are becoming "school weary." Studies of learning style among Native students provide some clues about this phenomenon, and this Digest presents a brief review of that literature. It includes a definition, specific examples, cautions about overgeneralizing learning style research, and suggestions for classroom practice.
The information is presented with a view respectful of more than 500 tribal groups. These groups represent an estimated 200 languages, each with its own unique government and social system. Too often, the significance of this variety is overlooked. Many observers fail to recognize that American Indian and Alaskan Native children are individuals who differ dramatically from one another, even within their own communities.
2. HonorIndians said:
This news comes after the U. of Utah drops their Indian Teacher Training Program that would have continued putting more native teachers in the classrooms. Looks like some, a lot, of Indian students are getting left behind in the State of Utah, home of the "Runnin' Utes."