Student Engagemen Thesis

Another difficulty many Native American students are faced with is high absent rates. “In 2005 Native American eighth graders had the highest rate of absences of any race or ethnic group in the preceding month- 66 % of Native American students had been absent, and 30 % had been absent three of more times in the past month.” (Doak 37) It boils down to the fact that students need to be in school to succeed in school. These absences can be attributed to a uninviting school setting. Often times Native American students are overlooked in classrooms in favor of other students who are seem more likely to do well. A school environment that is unwelcoming can be a strong deterrent for any student. These students need to feel that their education is helping them, and that it is worthwhile.

Although there exists a plethora of troubling statistics and documented conditions surrounding the Natives, this information remains an afterthought in the national stage. The federal government has largely ignored the issues that Native Americans have suffered from. The notion of what it truly means to be a Native American is convoluted in the popular American perception and therefore, not regarded with much

To Entering and adjusting to college is often stressful on any student but for Native Americans it is often more stressful. The number of under-graduate students enrolled in college in the U.S. in fall of 2012, was17.7 million, Native Americans account for approximately .9% of the total population of college students. (U.S. Department of Education, 2015)On average, 57.5% of students who entered a four-yearinstitution of higher education in the United States in the year 2000 graduated within six years.Only 40.2% of Native American students who entered four-year institutions in that same year graduated within six years.(Crosby, 2011) Areas that can highly affect a Native Americans success at college are family support, structured social support,

Coming to college as an adult, we have many expectations and preconceptions of what college will or will not be. The expectations we have can influence our college life for the better or the worse. My experience since starting college has been an interesting one. People have misconceptions about college because they do not know what to expect. After doing some research, I have concluded that there are three major factors that are often misunderstood about college life. The first is the financial aspect of college. Second, is the relationship between the professors and students. Third is time management. These three factors play an important role in why people are afraid to go down the path to college.

The identity of Alaskan Natives and Native Americans and the ability to delineate tribal affiliation has been a subject of argument for many years. The demands of federal programs determine the blood volume required to be Native. As federal programs increase and decrease so does the blood volume required to obtain these benefits. Blood quantum is the display of colonialism and is gradually eroding and eradicating the roots of indigenous people and sets a precedence that a person’s blood relates to their cultural orientation and identity. “American Indians and non-Indians have defined Indian identity through law, biology, and culture. All three overlap in specific ways, but more significantly, all have ties to outdated blood quantum

The education system has demonstrably undermined the educational needs of Indigenous students in the past (Fletcher, 1989 and Eades, 1995 as stated In Hanlen; 2002). Though there has been much support invested through the use of money, programs and time, all working towards a decent objective in Indigenous education, there has still been minor developments in the results of indigenous education (Hanlen, 2002).

with the wide diversity of Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages as distinct cultural and

Created to promote tribal authority, revitalize native languages and sustain native cultures, Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) are a cornerstone in American higher education. With thirty-seven institutions that serve over 28,000 American Indian and Alaska Native students, TCUs seek to align their respective missions with community and tribal values (American Indian College Fund). Despite TCUs ambitions to sustain native culture and provide quality education for their populations, these institutions face innumerable challenges due to underfunding and a lack of intentional investment from U.S. governing bodies. Federal support for TCUs has been dreadfully insufficient in keeping up with the rapid expansion of these establishments, while poverty in Native communities greatly limits the amounts of tuition that can be collected; moreover, sustaining the will to endure in the face of structural inequalities is yet another barricade that TCU stakeholders face.

A comparison of native students and their non-native peers quickly brings one to the realization that native students are not experiencing a comparable degree of education success in Canadian schools. It is vital that native Canadians address this issue thoroughly, to insure that the nation is no longer faced with a semi-literate, unemployable population, requiring financial support. In order to fully address native educational underachievement it is important to examine the historical causes of the problem, the issues we are faced with today, as well as, identifying possible viable solutions.

There exists a moral conflict between the worldview of Alaska Natives and mainstream U.S. culture, in general. This moral conflict was expressed during the 1970’s by ‘Naugga Ciunerput’, a fictional character co-created by Inupiat educator, Fred Bigjim of Nome, Alaska, who wrote three letters to ‘Howard’ at the Tundra Times (Nabokov 393-396). Those letters gave voice to issues of importance to Alaskan ‘Eskimos’ (people of the arctic region) in relation to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), the largest land settlement claim in American history. ANCSA was designed to benefit Alaska Natives by indirectly conveying title to forty million acres of federal public land; and to benefit the United States, in general, by removing all other native claims to land, water, hunting, and fishing rights in Alaska,

For many Native Americans, there is an insightful feeling of being disregarded within our American society. While being ignored, Native Americans are expected to comply to the stereotypes and misunderstandings of what we know as Indians. If you were to speak with a person who was “Native American” they would culturally identify themselves as a part of their national tribe such as Apache, or Cherokee. In modern times, Native Americans are only discussed in their pre-1900 existence. Throughout schools nationwide, students learn about Native Americans twice yearly, (one lesson around Columbus Day and another lesson around Thanksgiving). In the essay “All Indians Are Dead?” Sarah Shear states, “Students are graduating from high school without even basic knowledge of contemporary Native challenges

In the Reclaiming the American Dream report (AACC, 2012), seven recommendations were suggested to meet the needs of the students, as well as having a strong community college system. Hence, these recommendation address redesigning students’ educational experiences, reinventing institutional roles, and resetting the system to create incentives for students and institutional triumphs.

Thanks to a bill signed by Governor Inslee last spring, however, Washington students will soon be learning a lot more about America's first inhabitants. Washington is the second state to mandate a Native American history curriculum in its public schools; Montana was the first. If all goes to plan, Washington parents can expect their children to bring home new knowledge – and possibly

So what does society really expect from students? It is clear to all who work in Higher Education that student expectations have changed over the years. These expectations are now of greater complexity. In the 1980’s what was expected from students in highest educational institutes? To obtain a degree, support by government funding, and few expectations of teaching quality. What about in 2005? Flexibility and choice in the delivery of education, a two way communication process between themselves and with the University, and honesty with respect to whether his or her needs can be met or not.

Institutions of higher education pride themselves in their ability to educate, serve, and meet the needs of the students in which it serves. This analysis shows collaboration on college/university campuses to foster success among first year students. With higher education today being in a state of dynamic change, it becomes crucial that faculty members recognize that their long time traditional roles have become somewhat non-existent. That is to say that there must be a relinquishing of past ideas and procedures.