School psychologists’ supporting American Indian students on the path to academic success: a community cultural wealth approach

Purpose This study involves a content analysis of research published from 2000 to 2018 about American Indian students with the principal aim to identify investigations addressing the supportive factors that contribute to student academic success. Secondary aims involved better understanding the parameters of the investigations, such as sample tribal affiliations and journal outlets. Design/methodology/approach Out of 6,341 total articles published in PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO and Education Resources Information Center over the time period, 86 articles covering the pre-school to college age years were identified, almost evenly distributed between pre-college (n = 42, 48.8%); and college age samples (n = 44, 51.2%). The 86 articles account for a mere 1.4% of all published articles over the 19 year period. A community cultural wealth approach (Yosso, 2005) was used as a framework for understanding the myriad of strengths students bring to their school experiences and was used as a lens for interpreting the study findings. Findings When disaggregated, the most common supports for pre-college age youth were culturally-sensitive schooling, personal/intrinsic qualities along with family and social support. For college age students, the most common supports were university personnel, community-based supports and student intrinsic factors. Further results, study limitations and implications are discussed. Originality/value This research is original.

Postbaccalaureate terminal degree and career choices of students who performed undergraduate research

This study analyzed terminal degree and career choices of students who performed undergraduate research. In one analysis, the study compared terminal degree and career choices between a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) and traditional non-course-based undergraduate research experiences at one primarily undergraduate institution (PUI). Students who pursued postbaccalaureate programs chose terminal degrees at levels exceeding 75%, with no significant difference between a CURE experience and a traditional research experience. Analysis of terminal degree and career choices at four PUIs providing traditional research experiences showed a marked difference in the number of students pursuing terminal degrees. Two PUIs showed rates > 75%, whereas students at the other two PUIs pursued terminal degrees <50% of the time. The majority of students not pursuing terminal degrees chose M.S. degrees in education and healthcare. An analysis was also performed among students participating in traditional summer undergraduate research on a research-intensive university (RIU) campus with a medical school. Students were accepted from two programs, an NIH IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) program recruiting students from the RIU and an NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program recruiting undergraduates from rural PUIs and minority-serving institutions, particularly tribal colleges. Analysis showed that >70% of the students who pursued postbaccalaureate programs chose terminal degrees. INBRE undergraduates displayed a marked preference for the M.D. degree (73.9% vs. 17.4%), whereas the REU students chose the Ph.D. degree (75.0% vs. 22.9%). American Indian students were also analyzed separately for career choice and showed an equal preference for the M.D. and Ph.D. degrees when pursuing postbaccalaureate education. Overall, the results provide evidence that undergraduate student research stimulates student careers in areas needed by the nation’s citizen stakeholders.

The Role of Parental Involvement, Including Parenting Beliefs and Styles, in the Academic Success of American Indian Students

We collected data on parental involvement from 101 American Indian parents in the Southeastern United States with children enrolled in kindergarten–12th grade. We analyzed the data using Pearson product–moment correlation coefficients and multiple regression modeling. Findings suggested that parental involvement is related to student achievement. Rational beliefs accounted for a significant amount of variance explained in authoritative parenting. School counselors familiar with the impact of parenting on student achievement are best positioned to support the success of American Indian students.

Achievement, Politics, and Policy Shifts: Expert Report on Achievement for Martínez/Yazzie v. New Mexico

The achievement levels from 2007 to 2016 in the state of New Mexico demonstrate an educational system that is failing its Hispanic, American Indian, and English learner students. During this period of time, close to 30% of Hispanic students were proficient or above in reading, math, and science, and close to 25% of American Indian students were proficient or above. Moreover, a change in politics that informed changes in curriculum and testing policies during this period of time show lowering proficiency rates and grater disparities between groups. Further and more problematically for a state that is historically bilingual, and as bilingual students tend to be Hispanic and American Indian, English learners in most recent years tested at the lowest levels of proficiency and above. These sobering achievement levels highlighted in this article were used as evidence and as testimony in the expert report in the conjoined educational opportunity cases Martínez v. New Mexico (2019) and Yazzie v. New Mexico (2019), which was a case filed on behalf of underrepresented families and students in New Mexico against the state’s Public Education Department. The result was a landmark decision that decided children in New Mexico indeed have a right to an education and mandated the state to respond immediately to these disparities. Herein are the findings and conclusions from the expert report and testimony from the Martínez v. New Mexico (2019) and Yazzie v. New Mexico (2019) Trial Declaration of Cristobal Rodriguez.