Indian Education in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah (2014)
This 2014 WestEd report was created by the West Comprehensive Center (WCC) working with the Arizona Department of Education (ADE), the Nevada Department of Education and the Utah State Office of Education (USOE). As a first step, the WCC reviewed state and national law, board rules and policy decisions related to Indian Education in Arizona, Nevada and Utah. WCC also identified prominent organizations that are concerned with improving Indian education in each of the states. This report represents a summary of what has been learned from these resources.
My Tribal Data
The Census Bureau collects data for the American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) population and publishes specific counts, estimates and statistics. My Tribal Area gives you quick and easy access to selected statistics from the American Community Survey (ACS). The ACS provides detailed demographic, social, economic and housing statistics every year for the nation's communities. My Tribal Area is powered by the Census Application Programming Interface (API).
Native American Indian Programs By State (2018)
2011 ED Programs American Indians and Alaska Natives
This Department of Education website provides a list of federal funding programs for American Indians and Alaskan Natives.
American Indian Science and Engineering Society
As noted at its website, "The American Indian Science and Engineering Society's (AISES) mission is to increase substantially the representation of American Indian and Alaskan Natives in engineering, science and other related technology disciplines."
American Indian and Alaska Native Data
This U.S. Census Bureau website provides data on American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
Indian Education Research
This Department of Education website showcases Indian Educational standards for Alaskan Native students, effective teaching methods (promoting reading and language) studied in Arizona and California, Creating Culturally Dynamic Materials for Rural Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Exceptional (CLDE) Students for Mexican-American and Native American students in rural Arizona and Common Curriculum Framework for Aboriginal Language and Culture Programs.
National Congress of American Indians (NCAI)
As noted at its website, "the NCAI was founded in 1944 in response to termination and assimilation policies that the United States forced upon the tribal governments in contradiction of their treaty rights and status as sovereigns. NCAI stressed the need for unity and cooperation among tribal governments for the protection of their treaty and sovereign rights. Since 1944, the National Congress of American Indians has been working to inform the public and Congress on the governmental rights of American Indians and Alaska Natives."
National Indian Education Association (NIEA)
As noted at its website, "The National Indian Education Association is a membership based organization committed to increasing educational opportunities and resources for American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian students while protecting our cultural and linguistic traditions."
National Indian Education Study (2015)
This link is to the National Center for Education Statistics' National Indian Education Study (NIES) studies describing the condition of education for American Indian and Alaska Native students in the United States. Download 2015 PDF Download 2019 PDF: 'A Closer Look'
National Indian Education Study Overview
The National Indian Education Study (NIES) is designed to describe the condition of education for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students in the United States. The study provides educators, policymakers and the public with information about the academic performance in reading and mathematics of AI/AN fourth- and eighth-graders, as well as their exposure to Native American culture. A Technical Review Panel whose members included American Indian and Alaska Native educators and researchers from across the country helped design the study. Conducted in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2015, NIES provides data on a nationally representative sample of American Indian and Alaska Native students in public, private, Department of Defense and Bureau of Indian Education funded schools. It is a reliable source of data on American Indian and Alaska Native students, especially for educators, administrators and policymakers who address the educational needs of students. Download a copy of the National Indian Education Study 2015. The National Indian Education (NIES) survey explores the educational experiences of the American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students participating in the NAEP assessments. Throughout the survey, questions were included to examine the extent to which AI/AN students were exposed to Native language and culture in their everyday lives and at school.
Tribal Government Sites
The resource provides links to Indian tribal government websites. Through these websites educators can gain an understanding of tribal heritage and the services and programs offered by each tribe.
*NEW video* Building Resilient Communities: A Moral Responsibility
In this June 2015 Tedx video, Nick Tilsen provides an educational and informative presentation on building resilient communities in Indian country. Tilsen is a citizen of the Oglala Lakota Nation and the founding Executive Director of the Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation, a community development organization that works with the local grassroots people and national organizations in the development of sustainable regenerative communities, that creates jobs, builds homes and creates a National model for alleviating poverty. Tilsen has over 15 years of experience in working with non-profits and Tribal Nations on projects that have a social mission. He is also the founder the Lakota Action Network which fought to protect Native American sacred sites and provide community organizing training while educating tribes in the implementation of sustainable renewable energy practices. He was selected by the White House to lead the Ladders of Opportunity and Promise Zone Initiatives on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. In 2014, he was selected as an Ashoka Fellow joining a global network of the worlds leading social innovators.
2018 Digest of Education Statistics (PG 51-240)
Released in February of 2018, the Digest's purpose is to provide a compilation of statistical information covering the broad field of education from pre-kindergarten through graduate school. The Digest contains data on a variety of topics, including the number of schools and colleges, teachers, enrollments and graduates, in addition to educational attainment, finances and federal funds for education, libraries and international comparisons. Refer to pages 51 through 240 for data on Native American Students, with multiple race/ethnicity by age table comparisons of Native American students and their peers from 1980 - 2016 on pages 67 - 240.
National Indian Education Study (2005 - 2019)
The National Indian Education Study (NIES) is designed to describe the condition of education for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students in the United States. This NIES study samples AI/AN students in public, private, Department of Defense and Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) funded schools. Conducted in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2015 and 2019, the study provides educators, policymakers and the public with information about the academic performance in reading and mathematics of AI/AN fourth-graders and eighth-graders. This NAEP site also presents s a brief video called, 'An Introduction to the National Indian Education Study.'
Surviving Disappearance, Re-Imagining & Humanizing Native Peoples
In this 2013 video, Matika Wilbur, one of the Pacific Northwest's leading photographers, asks her audience to think about how images of Native Americans in mainstream media is false. As a national and international artist whose photos are exhibited extensively in regional, national, and international venues such as the Seattle Art Museum, the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, The Tacoma Art Museum, the Royal British Columbia Museum of Fine Arts and the Nantes Museum of Fine Arts in France, Matika explains how becoming a certified teacher at Tulalip Heritage High School, providing inspiration for the youth of her own indigenous community.
PNPI Factsheets: Native American Students (2017)
This September 2017 PNPI (Postsecondary National Policy Institute) website, a non-profit funded by Bill and Melissa Gates, presents this Factsheet about Native American Students. This factsheet explores that because Native Americans (both American Indians and Alaska Natives) comprise only 1% of the U.S. undergraduate population and less than 1% of the graduate population, these students are often left out of postsecondary research and data reporting due to small sample size. What data is available indicates that only 10% of Native Americans attain bachelor’s degrees and only 17% attain associate’s degrees, making the case for a system that is more responsive to the specific needs of these students.
Reversing the Academic Trend for Rural Students: The Case of Michelle Opbroek
This 2005 44th Volume, Issue 3 of the Journal of American Indian Education features a case study that explores the interactions between a teacher, her students and a culturally-based math curriculum in a fifth- and sixth-grade classroom in rural Alaska. The case attempts to identify and illuminate factors that created a rich learning environment, while implementing Star Navigation: Explorations into Angles and Measurement, a module from the series, 'Math in a Cultural Context' (MCC). This case describes how the teacher facilitated the embedded Yup’ik cultural knowledge into lively, mathematical communication and learning made relevant to a non-Yup’ik group of students. Students’ pre- and post-test results showed strong gain scores, as well as high absolute post-test scores, placing this class in the small category where a rural treatment group outperformed all urban treatment and control groups. Thus, this compelling case provides an example of a classroom and curricular learning environment that reverses national trends for rural students in general and shows potential for Alaska Native students in particular.
American Indian Support Services (AISS)
American Indian Student Services provides academic support and cultural programming for American Indian students attending the Arizona University and the University of New Mexico.
Indian Education in New Mexico, 2025
In 2007, the New Mexico Indian Education Study, 2025, embarked on a statewide research. This study indicates that Best Practices in Indian Education entail providing a culturally responsive education for Native students. Culturally responsive education requires systemic reform and transformation in educational ideologies. Such a task is not easily accomplished in a rigid public school structure that is bound by state and federal laws.