Native education programs try to make up for lost time

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By JoANNE YOUNG / Lincoln Journal Star

Since 1776, the United States has failed in numerous attempts to educate its Native children. Now, the government is trying to make up for lost time.

In Nebraska, says Carol Rempp, Native American statewide coordinator with the Nebraska Department of Education, indications are Native children are making progress.

The percentage of Native children proficient in state reading and mathematics achievement tests is improving.

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Lillian Lovejoy, 14, of Macy, laughs during a three-week class offered by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to provide help for teachers who have native students by getting opinions and thoughts from native families. (LJS File)

Lillian Lovejoy, 14, of Macy, laughs during a three-week class offered by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to provide help for teachers who have native students by getting opinions and thoughts from native families. (LJS File)

Graduation rates are going up.

The number of Native teachers is increasing.

There are areas, however, where Nebraska has not seen the success that the country, as a whole, has seen.

Nationally, from 1995 to 2005, the number of Native students taking the PSAT exam, to qualify for a National Merit Scholarship, has increased from 11,207 to 19,700.

In Nebraska, in the same time period, the number of Native students taking the PSAT exam has gone from 49 to 48, according to College Board statistics.

Between 1995 and 2005, the number of Native students nationwide taking high school Advanced Placement exams, for which students can get college credit, more than doubled from 2,442 to 5,707.

Nebraska has had an increase, too, but the numbers are small. 

In 2005, in Nebraska, only six  Native students took Advanced Placement exams, Rempp said. That’s up from three in 2000 and two in 1995.  

Those students were most likely from metro areas, Rempp said.

"That is very disturbing to me," Rempp said.

Native students have lots of obstacles to overcome.

At least 80  percent of Native students are signed up for free or reduced-price meals, an indication of the high poverty among Native families.

Estimates are that between one-third and close to 100 percent  move  from school to school, city to city.

The mobility rate, frequently blamed for school failure,  is affected by many factors, including  family crisis, divorce, death of a parent, imprisonment of a parent, parents who go back to college, families that can’t afford to heat their homes, parents moving to find better jobs.

Sometimes students change schools anticipating  better sports or academic opportunities. Sometimes bullying causes a move. 

In addition to high mobility rates, Native students are more likely to have higher rates of absenteeism, according to studies.

In Nebraska, 13 schools, including Lincoln and Omaha schools, get Title VII Indian education formula grant funds. By next year, Rempp said, at least six more schools will be added.

Title VII funds provide about $225 a student. For LPS’ approximately 500 students, those funds bring schools a total of about $112,500.

"Schools out there are really stepping up to the plate and doing things on their own," Rempp said.

Normally, only about 6 percent of Native students go to college. When they do, studies show, many experience culture shock and homesickness that can cause them to drop out. They can also experience prejudice, money problems and language barriers.

The number of Native students enrolling in Nebraska colleges increased about 3.7 percent between 1995 and 2005 — from 845 to 876.

At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, enrollment of Native students increased 55 percent in three years, from 105 in 2003 to 163 in 2005.

Creighton University saw a 145 percent increase in 10 years, from 29 in 1995 to 71 in 2005.

At the University of Nebraska at Omaha, however, enrollment went  down, from 70 students in 1995 to 57 in 2005.

Studies show that Native students with Native teachers do better. The number of Native teachers and other professionals has to increase in Nebraska, Rempp said, so that Native children have role models.

Nancy Engen-Wedin, director of the UNL’s new Indigenous Roots teacher education program, said a former program — the Native American Career Ladder — graduated 20 students. The Indigenous Roots program has  enrolled 16 students, who take UNL classes in their northeast Nebraska community.

The students’ focus is on elementary and English Language Learner education. They are learning to integrate culture into what they will be teaching, with emphasis on Native language.

Students with college degrees make better tribal leaders, employees, business owners and political leaders, Rempp said.

Mary Ann Losh, administrator with the state Department of Education, said that even with the progress, the state has a way to go.

“We’re all learners in what we need to be doing to help challenged kids to do better in school,” she said.

Reach JoAnne Young at 473-7228 or jyoung@journalstar.com.

Native students by the numbers

5 — Nebraska school districts with 225 or more Native students

6 — districts with 100-200 Native students

45 — districts with at least 10 Native students

192 — districts with Native students

5,057 — pre-kindergarten-12 Native students statewide