Issues with Native American Education

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Education has been a topic of controversy for many years now, and will continue to be for years to come. The modern American society is best defined by its education. A good part of the average person’s life is spent at school, going to school, and paying for school. However, even though education is so obviously very important, there are many groups in America that are getting shorted. The Native Americans are a key group that has struggled the most. The largest obstacle they face is lack of proper education. The standard educational practices being used for the instruction of Native American peoples are not effective. There are many pieces to this road-block, and many solutions. This can be rectified by having more culturally aware teachers and parents, and by teaching the general population more about the Native American cultures. The main solution here is to understand both precious cultures and modern society. Many Native Americans do not graduate from high school. “15.5 percent of Native Americans between ages sixteen to twenty-four had dropped out of high school, behind only Hispanic young adults at 22.8 percent” (Doak 31) there are many reasons for this, many risk factors. One risk factor is poverty. Poverty rates on Native American reservations are a lot higher than they should be. These teenagers are the ones who are dropping out of school the most. It is this lack of a full education that causes this poverty, and it in turn is causing more Native American children to grow into poverty as well. “Children who are seriously disadvantaged economically and socially often lag behind their peers. Statistically, they start preschool education later or miss it entirely and thus are less ready to start school. T... ... middle of paper ... ...hooling as well. Works Cited Doak, Melissa J. “Minorities: Race and ethnicity in America.” Information Plus Reference series. 2009. Farmington Hills, MI. Erdoes, Richard. “American Indian Myths and Legends.” Pantheon Fairy Tale & Folklore Library. Pantheon Books. 1984. New York City. Giuliano, Gina. “Education: Reflecting our Society?” The Information Series on Current Topics. Thompson Gale. 2004. Farmington Hills, MI. Nerburn, Kent. “Native American Wisdom.” Classic Wisdom: New World Library. 1991. San Rafael, CA. Reyhner, Jon. “American Indians out of school: A Review of school-based Causes and Solutions.” Journal of American Indian Education. Nettrekker. 1992. Http://jaie.asu.edu/v31/v3153ind.htm Thompson, William N. “Native American Issues.” A Reference Handbook. Contemporary World Issues. ABC-CLEO, 1996. Santa Barbara, CA.

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