Exploring the Academic Outcomes of Native American Students: A Large Empirical Analysis

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 11:25 am
  In Roundtable Session: Indigeneity and Methodology (Table 6)

Abstract

The academic performance of racial groups in the United States is well documented. However, strikingly few analyses investigate the academic outcomes of Native American students. This study draws on state data containing over 120,000 Native American student observations in grades 3 to 8 in Oklahoma. Native American students exhibited lower academic performance than that of their White and Asian counterparts but higher academic performance than that of Black and Hispanic students. After controlling for student, school, and geographic characteristics, the gap between Native American students and their white counterparts decreased sharply. These findings offer evidence that after accounting for factors related to poverty, resources, and rurality, Native American students perform at higher levels than what some scholars predict.

Author

• Daniel Hamlin, University of Oklahoma