A recent study points to absenteeism as one major culprit in the underachievement of tribal students in Oregon. Additionally, tribal schools perform poorly in state rankings. The Spirit Mountain Community Fund sponsored this study in collaboration with the Chalkboard Project and ECONorthwest. Here are some bullet points of the findings:
- Of the 67,000 students statewide that are solely or part Native American, according to school records, only 3,200 students are enrolled at tribal schools
- 40% of Oregon tribal students perform at grade level in math
- 50% of Oregon tribal students perform at grade level in reading
- In the 2011 class, 59% earned their diploma compared to 72% of all Oregon students
- In 2011-12, one-third of tribal students missed 10% or more of school – extensive research indicates that chronic absenteeism can have significant negative consequences on attitudes towards school and academic achievement
- 30% of tribal students are enrolled in under-performing schools compared with 7% of students state-wide
Based on these alarming findings, the study authors urged a community-wide approach to develop solutions and suggested these approaches would need to incorporate the lives of tribal students at home and in school.
Kathleen George, Director of the Spirit Mountain Fund, adds: “It is disturbing to see that so many tribal member kids all across our state are not getting an effective education. We need to help foster a change in culture to help our children understand that showing up in school every day is the path to success in school and later in life.” Perhaps if authentic Native language learning were more prevalent in the educational experience of Oregon tribal students, the desire to attend school regularly would be natural and immediate.
Technology such as the computer is only a tool. Like any tool, it has possibilities and limitations. What most of us don’t think about is that the typical classroom is filled with technology tools that aid in learning and teaching. Pencils, erasers, OHPs, post-it notes, rulers, ball point pens, and even the chalkboard are all technologies. Each of these technologies have in turn revolutionized what could be done in the classroom when they were first invented and used. Think of how useful it was for a teacher for the first time to be able to write on a large chalkboard at the front of the class so all students could see the same thing, add their ideas and be able to save the board for future reference. Wow! Still, you wouldn’t use the chalkboard to write or copy a book that students were expected to read on their own. The right tool for the right job.