The number of Native Alaska secondary students choosing not to complete high school is of great concern to educators and Native communities. In this study, schools in small communities throughout western Alaska were observed while teachers and dropouts were interviewed concerning their perceptions of the education process. It became very clear…

A Montana study of 46 Native American high school dropouts found salient factors were perceived irrelevance/cultural insensitivity of curricula, perceived teacher indifference/failure to help with students' work, desire to be with other dropouts, problems at home, and the requirement that students attend school for the entire senior year. (MH)

The socioeconomic status of Canadian native students may be more important than cultural differences when explaining their high dropout rate. Disadvantaged native and nonnative students share many experiences that isolate them from the mainstream school culture, including placement of disadvantaged students into lower-track courses and…