Heitkamp Brings Together Native American Education Leaders, Pushes for Improvements for Native Students

Statement

U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp, a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, today brought together students, education leaders, and social workers to speak about how her bill to create a Commission on Native Children aims to help Native kids get the opportunities they need to succeed.

Far too often, Native children face higher hurdles as the national graduation rate for Native high school students hovers around 50 percent compared to more than 75 percent for white students. During a roundtable discussion at United Tribes Technical College, Heitkamp discussed with participants how her bill would work to improve educational opportunities and performance for Native students and help bridge academic achievement gaps between Native and non-Native students.

"Native children are often already behind the eight ball by the time they start kindergarten," said Heitkamp. "Those aren't odds any parent wants to hear. Today, we talked about how we can change this course, and how the steps that schools like UTTC are taking to help put students on the right path from early education all the way through college are making great strides. My Commission on Native Children aims to take another step by creating a roadmap for how we can make sure kids stay enthusiastic about learning and give tribal governments a stronger voice in the education of Native children to reduce dropout rates and close the achievement gap. By working together, we can give Native students the futures they deserve -- that's something all North Dakotans should want to invest in."

Last month, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights issued documents finding that Native students are disproportionately expelled, suspended, and held back. The statistics about the education challenges Native children face are stark.

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