The Dropout/Graduation Crisis among American Indians and Alaska Native Students

A 2010 study by the UCLA Civil Rights Project finds that graduation rates for American Indian and Alaska Native students in 12 states averages just 46.4 percent, compared with 71 percent among non-Natives nationally. Graduation rates for Indians are lower than for all other racial and ethnic groups.

Among the possible causes cited in the report: “Student-level factors specific to American Indian and Alaska Native students include feeling ‘pushed out’ of schools, poor quality of student-teacher relationships, lack of parental support, peer pressure, distance from school, difficulty with classes, poor attendance, legal problems and language barriers.”

The report makes recommendations for addressing this issue, including revising school policies that may make American Indian students feel alienated.