Characteristics of American Indian and Alaska Native Education: Results from the 1990-91 and ...

285 Pages·2012·3.85 MB·English

DOCUMENT RESUME
RC 020 979
ED 405 169
Pavel, D. Michael; Curtin, Thomas R.
AUTHOR
Characteristics of American Indian and Alaska Native
TITLE
Education: Results from the 1990-91 and 1993-94
Schools and Staffing Surveys.
Research Triangle Inst., Research Triangle Park,
INSTITUTION
N.C.; Washington State Univ., Pullman.
National Center for Education Statistics (ED),
SPONS AGENCY
Washington, DC.
ISBN-0-16-049001-4; NCES-97-451
REPORT NO
Mar 97
PUB DATE
336p.; For the previous report in this series, see ED
NOTE
381 338.
of
U.S. Government Printing Office, Superintendent
AVAILABLE FROM
Documents, Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington, DC
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Statistical
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Administrator Attitudes; *Administrator
DESCRIPTORS
Characteristics; Administrator Qualifications; Alaska
Natives; *American Indian Education; American
Indians; *Educational Trends; Elementary Secondary
Education; Institutional Characteristics; Principals;
Public Schools; *School Demography; School Personnel;
School Surveys; *Student Characteristics; Tables
(Data); *Teacher Characteristics; Teacher
Qualifications; Teacher Supply and Demand; Tribally
Controlled Education
*Schools and
Bureau of Indian Affairs Schools;
IDENTIFIERS
Staffing Survey (NCES)
ABSTRACT
1993-94
This report summarizes findings of the
to schools that serve
Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) with regard
examines trends since
American Indian and Alaska Native students, and
1993-94, the Bureau
1990-91 when data were previously collected. In
recognized tribes with BIA
of Indian Affairs (BIA) and federally
schools. In addition,
funding operated 170 elementary and secondary
(at least 25 percent
1,244 public schools had high Indian enrollment
students). These two types of
American Indian and Alaska Native
in rural areas and small
schools were typically small and located
Indian and Alaska Native
towns. However, of the 491,936 American
percent attended public schools
students enrolled in K-12 classes, 53
contain many data tables and
with low Indian enrollment. Chapters
three school types on the
figures and provide information for the
profiles (school location and size,
following: (1) school and student
and services,
student race/ethnicity, school programs
rates and requirements, free and
student-to-staff ratios, graduation
linguistic characteristics,
reduced-price lunch rates, student
(2) principal
outcomes);
support services, and student
background, teaching
characteristics and attitudes (educational
salaries, school goals, perceptions
experience, specialized training,
and career plans); (3)
of school problems and influential groups,
qualifications, salaries, and
teacher characteristics (demography,
supply and demand; and (5)
perceptions of problems); (4) teacher
technical notes, tables of
trends since 1991. Appendices include
resources on SASS.
estimates and standard errors, and additional
(SV)
Contains 71 references and an index.
1
NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS
0
2'
Characteristics of
American Indian and
Alaska Native Education
U & DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
ONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
ED
CENTER (ERIC)
his document has been reproduced as
received from the person or organization
onginating it
Minor changes have been made to improve
reproduction quality
Points of view or opinions stated in this docu
merit do not necessarily represent official
OERI position or policy
U.S. Department of Education
Office of Educational Research and
Improvement
NCES 97-451
BLE
ST COPY AVM
ICI
2
The Cover Design
How we refer to human knowledge and how
we preserve it have changed significantly since the development
of written
languages.
For the ancestors of the indigenous Americans,
shared knowledge of cultural
concepts was a tool for survival. The
American Indian and Alaska Native people developed
a belief in a common origin and history;
a common moral and
ethical (legal) system; a story symbology
(educational system); and a spiritual belief
system. It was believed, for
example, that the plants and animals
were placed on earth first. They were to experience all
the tribulations necessary
to survive in a new world. The animals' life experiences
would become the teachings
on which humans would base their
cultures.
The cover art, titled "The Story Tellers," illustrates
how knowledge was preserved and passed
on to future generations
by American Indian and Alaska Native
people. Before the introduction of written
language, all knowledge was
distributed orally by the grandparents and
storytellers. It was through their living breath
that the ancient tales of the
ancestors were passed on. The stories taught the
young people how to learn from the environment and
their life
experiences. This learning style promoted the
same analytical, cognitive, and retentive skills that
are necessary to
succeed in the contemporary educational
system. As the skills associated with this oral tradition
have eroded, however,
the old stories have almost disappeared and
along with them much of the people's cultural
resiliency.
We believe that this report is
an example of the old way of teaching and learning. The
educational lives of American
Indian and Alaska Native children
are being examined to ascertain what can be learned from their
struggles in today's
educational system. It is a new chapter in the "ancient
breath of knowledge."
The Artist
The cover artist is Subiyai (Bruce Miller),
a Skokomish/Yakama Indian from Shelton, Washington. He
is the traditional
leader and practicing shaman for the Coast
Salish tribes, and serves as cultural consultant
to the Skokomish, Squaxin,
Puyallup, Duamish, Tula lip, Swinomish, and
Snoqualamie tribes. He was awarded the
Washington State Governor's
Art and Ethnic Heritage Award in 1993, and
has received numerous grants, commissions,
and awards from the
Washington State Arts Commission, and
arts groups in Seattle, Tacoma, and King County, Washington.
He is also an
author and playwright, and is currently
developing a dictionary of the Twana language.
3
NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS.
Characteristics of
American Indian and
Alaska Native Education
Results from the 1990-91 and 1993-94
Schools and Staffing Surveys
D. Michael Pavel
Washington State University
Thomas R. Curtin
Research Triangle Institute
Summer D. Whitener, Project Officer
National Center for Education Statistics
U.S. Department of Education
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
NCES 97-451
U.S. Department of Education
Richard W. Riley
Secretary
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
Marshall S. Smith
Acting Assistant Secretary
National Center for Education Statistics
Pascal D. Forgione, Jr.
Commissioner
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting,
analyzing, and reporting data related to education in the United States and other nations. It
fulfills a congressional mandate to collect, collate, analyze, and report full and complete
statistics on the condition of education in the United States; conduct and publish reports and
specialized analyses of the meaning and significance of such statistics; assist state and local
education agencies in improving their statistical systems; and review and report on education
activities in foreign countries.
NCES activities are designed to address high priority education data needs; provide consistent,
timely,
reliable, complete, and accurate indicators of education status and trends; and report
useful, and high quality data to the U.S. Department of Education, the Congress, the states,
other education policymakers, practitioners, data users, and the general public.
We strive to make our products available in a variety of formats and in language that is
appropriate to a variety of audiences. You, as our customer, are the best judge of our success
in communicating information effectively. If you have any comments or suggestions about this
Please direct your
or any other NCES product or report, we would like to hear from you.
comments to:
National Center for Education Statistics
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
U.S. Department of Education
555 New Jersey Avenue NW
Washington. DC 20208-5574
March 1997
The NCES World Wide Web Home Page is
http://www.ed.gov/NCES/
Suggested Citation
U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics. Characteristics of
American Indian and Alaska Native Education: Results from the 1990-91 and 1993-94
Schools and Staffing Surveys, NCES 97-451, by D. Michael Pavel and Thomas R. Curtin.
Summer D. Whitener, Project Officer. Washington, DC: 1997.
Contact:
Summer D. Whitener
[phone]
For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office
Superintendent of Documents, Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-9328
ISBN 0-16-049001-4
HIGHLIGHTS
American Indian and Alaska Native students
CHAPTER 2: SCHOOLS AND AMERICAN
comprise approximately 1 percent of the total
INDIAN AND ALASKA NATIVE STUDENTS
student population in the United States. Con-
sequently, these students, and the schools and
In 1993:94, the Bureau of Indian Affairs
staff that serve them, are rarely represented in
(BIA) of the U.S. Department of Interior
sufficient numbers in national' education
and federally recognized tribes with BIA
studies to permit reliable and valid generali-
funding operated 170 elementary and
zations about their characteristics. Addition-
secondary schools in the United States
ally, because of tribal and linguistic diversity,
(termed BIA/tribal schools in this report).
geographic dispersion, and preponderance in'
Additionally, among the 80,893 public
remote rural areas, researchers have found it
schools in the. United States, 1,244 had an
too costly to add supplemental samples of
American Indian/Alaska Native student
Indian schools and students to other data
enrollment of at least 25 percent (called
collection programs. However, during. the
high Indian enrollment schools).
1990-91 and 1993 -94 school years, the
National Center for Education Statistics
BIA/tribal and high Indian enrollment
(NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education
schools were primarily located in rural
added an Indian education supplement to the
areas and small towns and had enrollments
Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) data
of fewer than 500 students. The heaviest
collection program that enabled education
concentration of these schools was in the
researchers and policymakers to describe the
Southwest and Northern Plains regions of
schools, principals, and teachers serving
the U.S. Half of the high Indian enrollment
Indian students. The data collected by SASS
public schools were located in the South
are both national in scope and comparable to
Central region and Alaska.
data gathered concurrently on U.S. schools in
general.
BIA/tribal schools were more likely than
public schools with low Indian enrollment
This report summarizes the findings of the
(less than 25 percent Indian student enroll-
1993-94 SASS with regard to schools that
ment) to offer compensatory programs such
serve American Indian and Alaska Native
as Chapter 1, remedial mathematics, and
students, and examines trends in Indian
bilingual education. BIA/tribal schools
education since 1990-91, when the data for the
were also more likely than these public
first NCES report on Indian education were
schools to offer gifted and talented
collected (Pavel, Curtin, Thorne, Christenson,
programs for their students.
& Rudes, 1995). The chapter highlights are
presented below.
of the students in low enrollment public
In order to graduate, high school students in
schools were eligible.
BIA/tribal schools were required to com-
plete more coursework in core subject areas
Approximately one-third of the Indian
(English and language arts, mathematics,
students in BIA/tribal schools spoke a
social studies, and sciences) than students
language other than English in their homes;
in low Indian enrollment schools. Addi-
28 percent were identified by their schools
tionally, BIA/tribal schools were more
as having limited English proficiency. Only
likely than high and low Indian enrollment
a small fraction of Indian students in low
public schools to require coursework in
Indian enrollment schools spoke a language
computer science and foreign language.
other than English in their homes or had
limited English proficiency.
The student to teacher ratio in BIA/tribal
schools (14:1) was lower than the ratio in
BIA/tribal school students were just as
public schools with low Indian enrollment
likely as students in high and low Indian
(15:1). Additionally, the ratio of students to
enrollment public schools to receive
noninstructional staff was lower in BIA/
academic counseling, more likely to receive
tribal schools (43:1) than in either type of
alcohol- and drug-abuse counseling, and
public school (50:1 and 72:1).
less likely to receive career counseling.
Public schools with high and low Indian
Ten percent of the students enrolled in
student enrollment had higher graduation
BIA/tribal schools had dropped out or
rates for high school seniors than BIA/tribal
withdrawn from school at some time in
schools (91 percent for both types of public
their student careers; less than 5 percent of
schools vs. 86 percent); public schools with
the students in public schools with high and
low Indian enrollment also had larger
low Indian enrollment had dropped out or
percentages of students applying to college
withdrawn.
(58 percent vs. 47 percent for BIA/tribal
schools).
American Indian and Alaska Native
students were less likely than white, non-
Of the 491,936 American Indian and
Hispanic students to enroll in higher-level
Alaska Native students enrolled in kinder-
mathematics courses typically required for
garten through 12th grade (K-12) classes in
college admission.
publicly funded schools in the U.S. (i.e.,
BIA/tribal and public schools), 9 percent
attended BIA/tribal schools and 38 percent
CHAPTER 3: PRINCIPALS SERVING
attended public schools with high Indian
AMERICAN INDIAN AND ALASKA NATIVE
enrollment. Fifty-three percent of the Indian
STUDENTS
student population attended public schools
During the 1993-94 school year, 74,842
with relatively few Indian students.
principals administered publicly funded
schools in the U.S. Forty-seven percent of
Eighty-five percent of the students in
the BIA/tribal school principals were
BIA/tribal schools and 56 percent of the
Indian, and all of these were enrolled tribal
students in public schools with high Indian
members. Approximately 14 percent of the
enrollment were eligible for free or
principals in public schools with high
reduced-priced lunches. Less than one-third
Indian enrollment were Indian, and 84
percent were tribally enrolled. Less than 1
CHAPTER 4: TEACHERS SERVING AMERICAN
percent of the principals in low Indian
INDIAN AND ALASKA NATIVE STUDENTS
enrollment public schools were Indian, and
about half of them were tribal members. Less than 1 percent of the 2,564,000
teachers in BIA/tribal and public schools
Compared to their white, non-Hispanic
during the 1993-94 school year were
colleagues in BIA/tribal schools, Indian
American Indian or Alaska Native. In
principals had fewer years of teaching
BIA/tribal schools, 38 percent of the
experience and were less likely to hold
teachers were Indian or Alaska Native.
advanced degrees beyond the master's
Sixteen percent of the teachers in public
degree. In public schools with high Indian
schools with high Indian enrollment and
enrollment, tribally enrolled principals had
less than 1 percent of the teachers in low
comparable teaching experience but were
enrollment schools were Indian.
less likely than white principals to hold
degrees beyond the master's.
Most of the Indian teachers in BIA/tribal
schools (95 percent) and in public schools
Most principals have received inservice
with high Indian enrollment (84 percent)
training in evaluation and supervision.
were enrolled in a state or federally
However, BIA/tribal school principals and
recognized tribe. Thirty-eight percent of the
principals in high enrollment public schools
Indian teachers in public schools with low
were more likely to have received specific
Indian enrollment were tribal members.
training in Indian education administration.
Nationally, 6 percent of the publicly funded
The average salaries for principals in
schools have American Indian or Alaska
BIA/tribal schools, especially those with
Native teachers on staff. Ninety-five per-
master's degrees and more advanced
cent of BIA/tribal schools, 70 percent of
degrees, were comparable to those of
high Indian enrollment public schools, and
principals from public schools with high
5 percent of low Indian enrollment public
Indian enrollment but lower than principals
schools had Indian teachers.
in low Indian enrollment public schools.
Nationally, few teachers reported college
BIA/tribal school principals were less likely
majors or minors in Indian education (less
than principals in low Indian enrollment
than 0.05 percent). Even in BIA/tribal
public schools to receive medical and
schools, where teachers most often held
dental insurance and to receive in-kind
these credentials, only 2 percent of the
benefits.
teachers held such a major or minor.
Principals in BIA/tribal schools were more
On average, teachers in BIA/tribal schools
likely than their colleagues in either type of
had fewer years of teaching experience than
public school to report that poverty,
their counterparts in public schools.
parental alcoholism and drug abuse, and
lack of parental involvement were serious
problems in their schools.
8
or grade levels to fill the vacant classes, and
American Indian and Alaska Native
to employ long- or short-term substitutes to
teachers were more likely than white,
fill vacant positions.
non-Hispanic teachers to begin teaching
after first holding nonteaching positions in
BIA/tribal schools were more likely than
education (e.g., clerk or another type of
high and low Indian enrollment schools to
noninstructional staff).
provide free retraining to staff members to
prepare for careers in fields with current or
Beginning teacher salaries were higher in
anticipated teacher shortages.
BIA/tribal schools and high Indian enroll-
ment districts than in public districts with
BIA/tribal schools were more likely than
low Indian enrollment. On the other hand,
high and low Indian enrollment schools to
experienced teachers were better paid in
use pay incentives to recruit teachers in
low enrollment districts than in BIA/tribal
fields with current or anticipated teacher
and high Indian enrollment districts.
shortages.
At least half of the teachers in BIA/tribal
schools reported that parental alcoholism
AMERICAN INDIAN AND
6:
CHAPTER
1990-91
and drug abuse, lack of parental involve-
ALASKA NATIVE EDUCATION SINCE
ment, and poverty were serious problems in
BIA/tribal schools accounted for
their schools. At least one-third of the
approximately 0.2 percent of the publicly
teachers in high Indian enrollment schools
funded schools in the United States during
saw these issues as serious problems.
both the 1990-91 and 1993-94 school years.
Teachers in low Indian enrollment schools
were less likely to report these problems.
The majority of American Indian and
Alaska Native students attended public
CHAPTER 5: TEACHER SUPPLY AND DEMAND
schools with low Indian student enrollment
in both 1990-91 and 1993-94, and this
Overall, teachers in BIA/tribal schools were
percentage was stable during the reporting
less likely than their colleagues in public
period.
schools to be certified in their teaching
area. Notably, newly hired teachers in
The percentage of BIA/tribal schools
BIA/tribal schools were more likely than
offering Chapter 1 services decreased
their public colleagues to be certified in
slightly (4 percent) between 1990-91 and
their teaching area.
1993-94. However, this decrease was not
accompanied by reductions in other pro-
Vacant teaching positions in BIA/tribal
grams for at-risk students (e.g., ESL,
schools were more likely than teaching
bilingual education, or remedial math-
positions in high and low Indian enrollment
ematics instruction). BIA/tribal schools
schools to remain vacant or to be filled by
offering gifted/talented programming
substitute teachers because qualified
increased 15 percent during the same
candidates could not be found.
period.
BIA/tribal schools were more likely than
Graduation rates for high school seniors
public schools with low Indian enrollment
remained steady in public schools with high
to cancel classes, to hire less-qualified
Indian enrollment and BIA/tribal schools
teachers, to use teachers from other subjects
9
vi
between the 1990-91 and 1993-94 school
Poverty was, and continues to be, the prob-
years; the rate declined slightly in low Indian
lem most frequently identified as serious by
enrollment schools (from 94 to 91 percent).
principals in BIA/tribal schools and public
schools. Principals' concerns with the roles
The percentage of students in BIA/tribal
played by parents (e.g., alcoholism/drug
schools applying to college rose from 33 to
abuse and lack of involvement) have
47 percent during the reporting period. No
decreased over the last 3 years.
change was apparent in public schools with
high Indian student enrollment.
No change in the percentages of American
Indian and Alaska Native teachers in the
Graduation requirements for many high
three Indian school types or in the percent-
school students increased between the
ages of Indian teachers enrolled in a state or
1990-91 and 1993-94 school years. Course
federally recognized tribes was apparent.
completion requirements for mathematics
instruction increased to 3 years in BIA/
BIA/tribal schools were less likely to report
tribal schools and to 2.5 years in public
teaching position vacancies during the
schools with low Indian student enrollment.
1993-94 school year than in 1990-91.
Vacancies decreased in special education,
Few changes in the qualifications and
English, mathematics, and foreign
experiences of principals, their opinions
languages.
about school problems and goals, or their
career plans were apparent between the
BIA/tribal schools and public schools with
1990-91 and 1993-94 school years.
low Indian student enrollment were more
Notably, however, principals in public
likely to provide free retraining to school
schools with low Indian student enrollment
staff preparing to teach in fields with
were more likely to have received
current and anticipated shortages in 1993-
specialized training in Indian education
94 than in 1990-91.
administration in 1993-94.
vii
10