Patterns of Educational Opportunity for Native American Students in the United States

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 1
  In Roundtable Session: Indigenous Educational Opportunities

Abstract

One percent of all U.S. public school students identify as Native American. Nationally, this population performs below-average on standardized tests, but little is known about how performance varies among U.S. communities. This paper provides a detailed description of Native American students’ educational opportunities in U.S. school districts. Similar to national findings, Native American students’ average test scores fall below the national average in third grade in most U.S. school districts; however, in many of these districts, Native American students are learning at higher-than-average rates. Disproportionate exposure to poverty appears to be one of the biggest drivers of both the below-average test scores of Native American students and the test score disparities between White and Native American students within districts.

Author

• Erin Michelle Fahle, Northwest Evaluation Association