Native American High School Graduation rates Continue to rise.
Great news for the community.
In what is great news for the Native American community, studies show the high school dropout rate continues to decline since 2016 as the graduation rate increases.
According to the Bismarck Tribune:
The high school graduation rate for Native American students in North Dakota continues to rise in 2017, and yet a significant gap persists when compared to the overall student population.
According to the latest data from the state Department of Public Instruction, the graduation rate for Native American students in 2017 was 67.3 percent, up from 65.2 percent in 2016. Dropout rates continue to decrease for Native American students, as well.
What is the cause of it? Well, it looks like the communication aspect and the cultural disconnect might have been addressed.
Baesler said, a few years ago, state and local district officials realized that more work needed to be done to improve Native American graduation rates. Since then, the state has looked at how instruction could be provided differently to Native American students both on and off the reservation. This includes creating a cultural component that could be added to K-12 curriculum, called Native American Essential Understandings.