U.S. Department of Education

Institute of Education Sciences

NCES 2005-535

NCES Studies on American 

Indian and Alaska Native 

Education

U.S. Department of Education

Institute of Education Sciences

NCES 2005-535

NCES Studies on American 

Indian and Alaska Native 

Education

Sponsored by the Offi ce of 

Indian Education

October 2005
Offi ce of Indian Education

Victoria Vasques

Assistant Deputy Secretary and Director

U.S. Department of Education

Margaret Spellings

Secretary

Institute of Education Sciences

Grover J. Whitehurst

Director

National Center for Education Statistics

Grover J. Whitehurst

Acting Commissioner

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting, analyzing, and reporting 

data related to education in the United States and other nations. It fulfi lls a congressional mandate to collect, collate, 

analyze, and report full and complete statistics on the condition of education in the United States; conduct and publish 

reports and specialized analyses of the meaning and signifi cance of such statistics; assist state and local education agencies 

in improving their statistical systems; and review and report on education activities in foreign countries.

NCES activities are designed to address high-priority education data needs; provide consistent, reliable, complete, and 

accurate indicators of education status and trends; and report timely, useful, and high-quality data to the U.S. Department 

of Education, the Congress, the states, other education policymakers, practitioners, data users, and the general public. 

Unless specifi cally noted, all information contained herein is in the public domain.

For more information about this brochure contact Taslima Rahman at 202-502-7316.
3

Introduction

The Offi ce of Indian Education (OIE) helps support local education agencies, Indian tribes and organizations, 

postsecondary institutions, and other entities in their efforts to address the unique educational and culturally 

related academic needs of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) so that these students can meet the 

same challenging state standards as all students.

The Offi ce of Indian Education has worked with the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in the 

Institute of Education Sciences (IES) to identify issues for study and to design surveys that will inform these 

issues of concern to the community. This work has meant increasing the numbers of American Indian and Alaska 

Native children in study samples in some surveys to be able to report on the population. In the case of the 

National Indian Education Study (NIES), NCES has conducted a separate survey focusing on Indian education 

and the role of Indian culture in education. Other studies and reports make information on the educational 

status and progress of American Indians and Alaska Natives easily accessible from NCES and the U.S. Bureau of 

the Census.

The Executive Order on American Indian and Alaska Native Education is designed to assist American Indian and 

Alaska Native students in meeting the challenging student academic standards of the No Child Left Behind Act 

of 2001 (Public Law 107-110) in a manner that is consistent with tribal traditions, languages, and cultures. This 

order builds on the innovations, reforms, and high standards of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, including 

the following: stronger accountability for results; greater fl exibility in the use of federal funds; more choices for 

parents; and an emphasis on research-based instruction that works.

Section 3 of the Order states that the Secretary of Education, in coordination with the Working 

Group, shall conduct a multiyear study of American Indian and Alaska Native education in relation 

to the challenging student academic standards of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

This publication introduces some of those studies that have data and that can be used to examine 

the education of American Indian and Alaska Native students.
4

American Indian and Alaska Native Children:

Findings From the Base Year of the Early Childhood 

Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (ECLS-B)

Findings on American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) children at 9 months of age from ECLS-B are presented 

as an E.D. TAB, or a brief collection of tables to make data quickly accessible to the public. ECLS-B follows a 

nationally representative sample of children who were born in the United States in 2001 from infancy through 

kindergarten entry. This report presents fi ndings for both the overall sample and for various subgroups at 9 

months of age, the time of fi rst data collection. The characteristics of AI/AN children’s families, the children’s 

mental and physical skills, their fi rst experiences in child care, the children’s fathers, and their prenatal care 

were measured in this data collection. This E.D. TAB indicates about one-third of AI/AN children (34 percent) 

live in poverty; about one-third (34 percent) live in households where the mother has less than a high school 

education; three-quarters live in households with two parents; and about 1 in 10 (11 percent) were born to 

teenaged mothers. Nonetheless, AI/AN children at about 9 months of age do not perform signifi cantly differently 

from the general population of children in terms of early mental and physical skills, such as exploring objects in 

play, babbling, eye-hand coordination, and prewalking skills.

NCES Contact: Jennifer Park (jennifer.park@ed.gov)

OIE Contact: Jeff Johnson (jeff.johnson@ed.gov)

Report Release Date: August 2005

URL: http://nces.ed.gov/ecls/Birth.asp
5

Status and Trends in the Education 

of American Indians and Alaska Natives

Status and Trends in the Education of American Indians and Alaska Natives is part of a regular series of education 

indicator reports profi ling the status of and trends in the education of different population subgroups. This 

report presents the current conditions and recent trends in the education of American Indians and Alaska Natives 

(AI/AN) from early childhood through postsecondary participation. Its 44 indicators include demographic 

trends, family and social well-being, and economic outcomes that set a context for education.

The report profi les both the educational progress made by AI/AN children and adults in the United States as well 

as the challenges they face. Over the past 20 years, an increasing number of AI/AN students have completed 

high school and gone on to college, and their attainment expectations have substantially increased. Specifi cally, 

relatively more AI/AN high school students took Advanced Placement (AP) courses in 2003 than in prior years, 

and the number of AI/AN students earning postsecondary degrees more than doubled between 1976 and 2003. 

However, the report reveals that, despite these gains, progress has remained uneven. Differences persist 

between AI/AN and White students on key indicators of educational performance, including reading 

and mathematics scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), and on the 

percentage of the population that drops out of high school each year.

NCES Contact: Catherine Freeman (catherine.freeman@ed.gov)

OIE Contact: Jeff Johnson (jeff.johnson@ed.gov)

Report Release Date: August 2005

URL: http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2005108
6

The National Indian Education Study (NIES)

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) conducted NIES from January through May 2005 for the 

U.S. Department of Education, Offi ce of Indian Education (OIE). The study was conducted in a representative 

sample of schools selected from states across the nation. Its goal was to describe the condition of education 

of AI/AN students by focusing on both their academic achievement and educational experiences in fourth and 

eighth grades.

The study had two distinct parts—Part I (assessment) and Part II (survey). Part I was an augmentation of the 

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2005 reading and mathematics assessment samples of 

AI/AN students in the fourth and eighth grades. NAEP, also known as “the Nation’s Report Card,” is the only 

nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America’s students know and can do in various 

subject areas. Since 1969, NAEP has conducted assessments periodically in reading, mathematics, science, 

writing, U.S. history, civics, geography, and the arts. For Part I of NIES, about 2,500 schools per grade 

were sampled across the nation for the assessment. A report detailing the assessment results of 

AI/AN fourth- and eighth-grade students will be available in spring 2006.

Part II of NIES was a separate survey focusing on issues of Indian education, such 

as the role of Indian culture in their education. About 250 schools per grade were 

sampled across the nation for the survey. A report presenting the survey results will 

be available in summer 2006.

NCES Contact: Taslima Rahman (taslima.rahman@ed.gov)

OIE Contact: Jeff Johnson (jeff.johnson@ed.gov)

Report Release Date: Spring/Summer 2006

URL: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/studies/nies.asp
7

Educational Experiences and Outcomes 

of American Indians and Alaska Natives: 2000

This report uses the U.S. Bureau of the Census Year 2000 population data to describe the status of American 

Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) education. The report examines school enrollment, educational attainment, 

and related employment and economic outcomes of AI/AN persons. The report includes those who reported they 

were only American Indian or Alaska Native, as well as those who reported they were American Indian or Alaska 

Native along with one or more other races. The data were analyzed through comparisons with other racial/ethnic 

groups and different variables such as age, sex, disability, family type, poverty, and armed forces status. The 

focus of the report is national; however, some indicators are presented for selected states and selected 

American Indian reservations.

In addition to the report, the Offi ce of Indian Education (OIE) funded the creation of a series of tabulations 

providing detailed state and reservation data on the education of American Indians and Alaska Natives 

from the Year 2000 Census of Population. Although the tabulations were used in this report, the dataset itself 

is far larger and allows for more analyses at the state and reservation level than were possible in the report. The 

tabulations will be made available on the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) website.

NCES Contact: Edith McArthur (edith.mcarthur@ed.gov)

OIE Contact: Jeff Johnson (jeff.johnson@ed.gov)

Report Release Date: Spring 2006

URL: Not yet available
8

American Indians and Alaska Natives 

in Postsecondary Education at the Turn of the 21st Century

This report, funded by the Offi ce of Indian Education (OIE), is an update of American Indians and Alaska 

Natives in Postsecondary Education, a report published in 1998. It draws on datasets from the National Center 

for Education Statistics (NCES) and other agencies, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. 

Bureau of the Census, to present a detailed look at the access to, persistence of, funding for, and outcomes in 

postsecondary education for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN). Data are presented primarily 

for people who reported they were only American Indians or Alaska Natives. However, where possible, 

data for those who identifi ed themselves as American Indian or Alaska Native and one or more other 

races are also included.

The report highlights a range of issues and topics related to the education of AI/AN students. These 

include the context of education for AI/AN students; high school graduation rates and access to 

postsecondary education for AI/AN students; enrollment of AI/AN students by location; retention in 

postsecondary education of AI/AN students; types of degrees and fi elds of study of American Indians and Alaska 

Natives; fi nancial aid for AI/AN students, including cost of attendance, fi nancial need, and average costs after 

fi nancial aid; AI/AN faculty and staff; and tribally controlled colleges.

NCES Contact: Edith McArthur (edith.mcarthur@ed.gov)

OIE Contact: Jeff Johnson (jeff.johnson@ed.gov)

Report Release Date: Spring 2006

URL: Not yet available
For More Information

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

http://nces.ed.gov

Offi ce of Indian Education (OIE)

www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ods/oie/index.html

www.indianeducation.org

Institute of Education Sciences (IES)

www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ies/index.html

U.S. Department of Education (ED)

www.ed.gov

www.nclb.gov