The Impact of Socioeconomic Status on the Academic Performance of American Indian and White Students

• In Event: 16.056 - Roundtable Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: 16.056-17 - Schooling and Academic Performance of Indigenous Learning Communities

Abstract

This paper reports findings regarding the impact of socioeconomic status (SES) on the academic performance of American Indian and White students. This mixed-methods study involved 2,700 students in seven school districts residing on or near the White Earth Indian Reservation in northwestern Minnesota. The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) was utilized for purposes of determining SES, and scholastic performance was determined by the reading and math scores on the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment and the Measures of Academic Progress tests and the Appraisal of Academic Influences Inventory. Data analysis revealed that the NSLP status had no impact the measured outcome variables for American Indians, but it did impact Whites.

Authors

• Ximena Patricia Suarez-Sousa, Minnesota State University - Moorhead

• Boyd Lee Bradbury, Minnesota State University - Moorhead