A continuing focus for American Education is to bridge, lessen, and eliminate the persistent achievement gap that has existed for over 50 years. Due to mandates of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), each state currently creates an individualized plan to narrow the gap. This study allowed for understanding of how the percentage of the total…

This study examined institutional variables that contribute to the overall academic success of first-time, full-time freshman students pursuing bachelor's degrees in 60 public colleges and universities serving considerable numbers of Native American students. Utilizing a fixed-effects regression approach, several time-varying covariates (e.g.,…

This study examines how Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) build capacity for student success. By contrasting a community college on the West Coast and a regional comprehensive university on the East Coast, new pathways are forged to recognize the critical role that federally-funded AANAPISIs play…

This qualitative case study uses comparative case study methodology with discourse analysis to compare Arizona and New Jersey regulations, policies, procedures, and practices influencing high school graduation rates for Hispanic and Native American youth. National and state reports (NCES, 2019) indicated a gap between high school graduation rates…

A critical component of resilience for many Native American communities is their ability to sustain their culture and identity through deep connections with homelands, Native language, ceremonial practices, and tribal communities. Native American youth living off of tribal lands, often in urban regions, are faced with unique pressure to negotiate…

This chapter describes the development and implementation of an Indigenous Mentoring Program (IMP) for faculty who mentor American Indian/Alaska Native graduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The chapter also reviews steps taken in adapting and translating the IMP to non-Montana institutions that are…

This qualitative study examines the lived experiences of American Indian men who have completed their doctoral degrees through the positive exploration of portraiture methodology. Semi-structured interviews are conducted with subject-actors being asked to share stories from their earliest childhood memories and educational experiences through high…

Academic letter grades may potentially encourage or discourage Cherokee students from doing well in school and seeking advanced degrees beyond secondary school. Cherokee Nation has just over 100 public school districts located inside the reservation boundaries, in which more than 200,000 students are being served daily, with nearly 32,000 being…

Background/Context: Indigenous communities of the "Americas" have a long history of exercising sovereignty over and self-determination in the education of their children that predates colonial invasion. This was disrupted by the advent of colonial education and its assimilationist aims, and Indigenous communities have been in an ongoing…

The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience during participation in higher education of Kumeyaay Indian Nation college graduates. Specifically, the study investigated the factors graduates perceived to contribute to their persistence and attainment of a baccalaureate degree within six years of enrollment at a four-year…

Native American students face significant challenges in higher education, including lower enrollment, persistence, and graduation rates compared to other ethnic groups. Many of these students are first-generation and non-traditional learners, often balancing work and family responsibilities while navigating systemic barriers rooted in historical…

Numbers and languages are present around the world. While mathematics is deemed as universal, communities around the world have developed mathematical practices that align with their specific context and needs. Rooted in an Indigenous epistemological framework, this manuscript presents a dialogue among four co-researchers and teachers retelling…

Native Americans are a critically underserved and under researched population in the United States (US) higher education system. Not only do American Indians (AIs) and Alaska Natives (ANs) enroll in vastly lower percentages than their nonnative peers, but they are also far less likely to persist to graduation and attend graduate school than other…

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how family, tribal, and on-campus cultural-specific support can lead to higher educational and cultural outcomes for Native American college students through the lens of transculturation. To address the lack of quantitative empirical research on what it means to self-identify as Native American and thrive…

This article describes storywork and collaborative meaning making as relational practices that can support stakeholder learning about curricular sovereignty with(in) rural Indigenous-serving school districts. While various treaties and policies exist to protect the educational interests of Indigenous Nations, enacting curricular sovereignty often…