Officials from five states met in Minnesota this week to discuss ways to improve Indian education.
In Minnesota, only 40 percent of Indian students graduated from high school on time. That's half the rate of the white student population.
To improve achievement levels, officials stressed the importance of cultural education, including Native language instruction. "If you don't develop a strong language base in the native language, in English, or both, you're going to have problems academically," Bill Demmert said, Minnesota Public Radio reported.
Keith Moore, South Dakota's Indian Education Director, said the state just passed an Indian Education Act to incorporate more tribal culture into the public school curriculum. About 12 percent of the student body is Indian.
Yvonne Novack, the Indian education supervisor for Minnesota, said the state needs to do more to include tribal culture and history in schools.
Get the Story:States told to improve American Indian student achievement (Minnesota Public Radio 5/16) National Indian Education Study:
Overview | Executive Summary | Full Report Relevant Links:
National Center for Education Statistics - http://nces.ed.gov
Nation's Report Card - http://www.nationsreportcard.gov Related Stories:
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