Parents

The following resources are for parents.

Teachers

The following resources are for teachers.

Students

The following resources are for students.

TANF – No. of TANF recipients without GED and Reservation Indians percent of FAIM (Families Achieving Independence in Montana)

NIEA Needs Assessment – 2001

Needs Assessment, 1994 MIEA Conference

Needs Assessment, 1999 Statewide Indian Parent Forum

Available alternatives through state accreditation and Rules
Excerpts from Linda McCulloch’s State of Education Address to Legislature
February 16, 2001:

“…And it is just as true that education is the key to making sure they can fulfill that future right here in Montana. Education IS the key to economic development. Businesses simply will not locate in Montana unless we provide them with an educated workforce and a place where they will want to move their families and their school age children.”

“…I also pledge to work just as hard on the other challenges that face our schools: ending school violence, facing the approaching crisis in teacher shortages, better integrating Montana public schools and institutions of higher education, and fighting the devastatingly high drop out rate among American Indian students. Something must be done to address these issue, and together we can find a solution.

“…Some of our gravest educational concerns are the challenges faced by our American Indian students. I will spotlight those challenges and continue to work with the tribal governments and colleges, the governor, and local school districts to help our Indian students get the education they need. I am committed to thinking outside the box and working to find new ideas and solutions to address these serious issues. Right now we are losing too many of our Montana Indian students; they cannot be left behind.








Education Level-------------Median Income ($)

(Source: Self-Sufficiency Standards for Montana, 2002, Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Female Male
Less than High School ……….. $16,469 $22,589

High school Graduate………… $23,061 $33,184

Associates Degree……………. $30,919 $41,638

Bachelor’s Degree…………….. $37,993 $52,985

Master’s Degree………………. $48,097 $66,243

Doctorate Degree………………. $60,079 $81,687








Montana Statewide Dropout Report 2000-01

2000-01 School Enrollment -– 154,875 Total

86.2% (133,574) White 10.5% (16,293) American Indian
1.7% (2,658) Hispanic 0.8 % (1,308) Asians
0.6% (877) Black 0.1% (165) Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders

High School Dropout Rate
Using a 4-Year Average (l997-98, l998-99, l999-00, 2000-01)

Minority
American Indian………. 11.0%
Hispanic………………. 6.8%
Black…………………. 6.7%
Asian…………………. 2.7%

All Minority………….. 6.4%

White………………………... 3.6%

Statewide All Races………… 4.3%

Observations:

>American Indian students dropout out of high school at a rate more than three times that of white students.

>American Indian students drop out of grades 7 and 8 at a rate 12 times that of white students.

>Although minorities account for only 13.8% of the total school enrollment, they account for approximately 25% of the total dropouts.




Public High School Dropouts and Completers from the Common Core of Data: School Years 1998-99 and 1999-2000, US Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, NCES 2002-382
https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2002382
High School graduates, 4 year completion rate and dropout rate in public ele/sec. School by race/ethnicity and state 1999-2000

Figures below do not include Asian/Hispanic and Black student data since this was done to compare Indian and white student completion

State Total American Indian White
Graduates % Graduates % Graduates %

Alaska 6,683 77.3% 1,276 66.1% 4,611 81.7%

Minnesota 57,363 81.2% 629 42.7% 51,886 85.8%

Montana 10,902 82.4% 687 60.1% 9,974 84.7%

New Mexico 18,551 73.0% 2,012 72.1% 8,021 81.6%

North Dakota 8,606 88.9% 388 57.7% 8,040 91.6%

South Dakota 9,278 83.6% 326 33.8% 8,747 88.8%

Utah 32,822 81.4% 331 59.9% 30,179 84.1%

Wyoming 6,489 77.6% 90 45.9% 5,963 79.9%






Montana Statewide – All Public Schools – Indian and White Comparison of Freshmen
Enrollments and Graduation Rates in a 4-year period

Year Enrolled Freshmen Year No. and % Graduated
1991-92 Indian 987 1994-95 632 (64%)
White 10,615 9,250 (87%)


1992-93 Indian 1,049 1995-96 622 (59%)
White 10,947 9,272 (85%)


1993-94 Indian 1,103 1996-97 636 (58%)
White 11,331 9,394 (83%)


1994-95 Indian 1,163 1997-98 626 (54%)
White 11,877 9,752 (82%)


1995-96 Indian 1,278 1998-99 667 (52%)
White 12,299 9,964 (81%)


1996-97 Indian 1,372 1999-00 681 (50%)
White 13,100 9,983 (76%)

Total of Six years Indian 6,952 3,864 (55.6%)………..loss of 3,088

White 70,169 57,615 (82.1%)……….loss of 12,554


Note: Percentage (%) of graduation has declined for both Indian (9%) and White (5%) in these six years

Fiscal Impact to Schools? 3,088 Indian students lost for ANB counts in these 6 years
12,554 White students lost for ANB counts in these 6 years
Five (5) year data on Indian Freshmen (9th grade) enrollment and graduation rates in Montana’s
Public Schools on/near the seven Indian reservations in Montana.
(data is taken from OPI’s Fall Reports)


American Indian No & % American Indian
Year Freshmen Enrolled Year Seniors Graduating

1993-1994* 697 1996-1997 366 ----- 53%


1994-1995 797 1997-l998 402 ---- 50%


1995-1996 822 1998-l999 381 ---- 46%


1996-l997 910 1999-2000 411 ---- 45%


1997-l998 976 2000-2001 459 ---- 47%


Total 4,202 2,019 ---- 48%

(*Note: Lame Deer High School stats for 93-94 to 96-97 are not included as there were no freshmen reported in l993-l994, but their numbers are included in next 4 years)

Schools reflected in the data reported above
Reservation School
Blackfeet: Browning and Heart Butte
Crow: Hardin, Lodge Grass, Plenty Coups
Northern Cheyenne: Lame Deer High School, Colstrip
Confederated Salish & Kootenai: Arlee, Polson, St.Ignatius, Ronan, Charlo, Hot Spring
Fort Belknap: Harlem, Hays Lodge Pole
Fort Peck: Poplar, Wolf Point, Brockton, Frazer
Rocky Boy: Box Elder, Rocky Boy
(Data does not include Busby, St. Labre and Two Eagle River School

Graduation Rate of American Indian Students Enrolled in Montana’s Public Schools on and near Montana’s Seven Indian Reservation.
Enrolled freshmen and graduates reported four years later between 1994-95 to 2001-2002

Data taken from OPI Fall Reports submitted by all public schools - Data is compiled from the following five years of reports:
1998-1999 Freshmen to 2001–2002 Graduates
1997-1998 Freshmen to 2000-2001 Graduates
1996-l997 Freshmen to 1999-2000 Graduates
1995-1996 Freshmen to 1998-1999 Graduates
1994-1995 Freshmen to 1997-1998 Graduates

Indian Indian % of 9th
Reservations Freshmen Graduates grade
Blackfeet 1,373 546 40%
Crow 919 452 49%
Northern Cheyenne 375 219 58%
Flathead 810 417 51%
Fort Belknap 411 249 61%
Fort Peck 931 411 44%
Rocky Boy 334 182 55%
Total 5,153 2,476 48%

Urban Areas* 768 401 52%

Total Res/Urban 5,921 2,877 48.5%



Urban Schools include: Billings, Great Falls, Havre, Helena and Missoula

Fiscal Impacts of loss of students
Estimate based on $8,000 per student received from Federal/State Funding

School A……Enrollment of students 1995-96 and following that group of freshmen through their senior year with an estimate of what that group of students brought the school in terms of funding per student.

Note: This is a very rough estimate of funding, as there are various factors that play a role in funding schools based on source, but this scenario provides an overview of financial implications to a school who can keep more kids enrolled.


School A - started with 200 freshmen in 1995-1996 and ended with 60 seniors graduating 4 years later – 30% graduation rate

Year 1995-1996 200 Freshman
Year 1996-1997 120 Sophomores
Year 1997-1998 90 Juniors
Year 1998-1999 60 Seniors (30%)
Total # students ……… 470 x $8,000…….. $3,760,000 (funding over the 4 years based on the ANB)


School A - If 50 more freshmen would have completed four years…55% graduation rate

Year 1995-1996 200 freshmen
Year 1996-1997 170 Sophomores
Year 1997-1998 140 Juniors
Year 1998-1999 110 Seniors (55%)
Total # students……….620 x $8,000………. $4,960,000



School A - If 75 more freshmen would have completed four years…68% graduation rate

Year 1995-1996 200 freshmen
Year 1996-1997 195 Sophomores
Year 1997-1998 165 Juniors
Year 1998-1999 135 Seniors (68%)
Total # of students…….695 x $8,000……. $5,560,000



TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families)
(Taken from DPHHS Reports)
September 1999 data on education level

Total Adults Recipients in TANF………… 4,439

Total Adults with less
Than a high school diploma……………….. 1,592 (36%)

Total of American Indian Adults
TANF without high school
diploma…………………………………………. 796 (50%) (estimate)*


*This estimate is based on report dated 2/5/01 received from DPHHS. They based this estimate on the fact that approximately 50% of the adults are Native American.

Also, this does not include any children of TANF recipients who are under 18 years of age who may have dropped out of high school.



Reservation Indians Percent of FAIM (Families Achieving
Independence in Montana) Caseload
(Taken from DPHHS Reports)

5,344 Total Cases in Montana 1999

American Indian……….2,079 ----(39%)

4,641 Total Cases in Montana 2000


American Indian………1,916 ----(41%)





NIEA Needs Assessment: Survey of Needs completed by Montana Participants at NIEA October 2001 = 131 Respondents

The top ten issues that you believe are the most important in providing a quality education to Indian children in grades K-12.

Top 10 Adult Responses are Bolded , Top 5 High School are bolded and underlined
Adult Responses High School Responses
Rank No. Responses Rank No. Responses
1 70 Drug and Alcohol use and abuse issues (students/parents) 3 13
2 69 Dropouts (students are leaving school before graduation) 3 13
3 67 Not enough Indian teachers/administrators in our school 2 14
4 57 Parents lack of support for their child/children in school. 8 7
5 54 Below grade level reading skills. 4 11
6 50 Inadequate teacher preparation to work with Indian students. 9 6
7 49 Dysfunctional family issues. 8 7
7 49 Lack of curriculum about American Indians. 6 9
8 45 Graduates lacking skills to compete in college/workforce. 7 8
8 45 Student Absenteeism. 8 7
9 44 Lack of positive adult role models. 6 9
9 44 Racial issues/discrimination. 7 8
9 44 Low expectations of students by school personnel 10 5
10 34 Discipline issues in our schools. 4 11
11 31 Low pay for teachers. 11 4
12 30 Lack of adequate financial support for our schools. 9 6
13 28 Low standardized test scores 4 11
14 27 Lack of Technology (computers) in homes. 7 8
15 27 Too much emphasis on athletics 8 7
15 26 Lack of involvement/support by Tribal Governments. 0 14
16 25 Schools are not responsive to parents/community. 11 4
17 22 Teen Pregnancy (young parents) 1 15
18 20 Lack of community support for our schools. 9 6
18 20 Fighting/violence in our schools. 5 10
19 18 Education is not valued in our community. 11 4
19 18 Student health needs (ADD/ADHD, FAS/FAE, etc..) 11 4
20 10 Lack of adequate instructional resources (texts, library, etc.) 12 2
21 2 Schools required to do too much for students 13 1
For a Comparision of the question above on priority issues facing our schools, following is the top issues for two other similar survey’s that were conducted by MWIEA. One in l994 and one in l999. The issues presented in each of these are similar, although the survey at NIEA had more choices than the l994 or l999 surveys.

April 1994 Needs Assessment completed at MIEA Conference in Missoula, Mt. 159 Respondents
Respondents were asked to pick the top 10 of the 22 issues listed.
Rank No. Responses: Issues confronting our schools today
1 130 Dropouts
2 119 Lack of Parental Support
3 110 Drug and Alcohol Issues
4 110 Dysfunctional Family Issues
5 104 Pupil Lack of Interest
6 96 Absenteeism
7 87 Graduates without skills for college or work
8 84 Low Reading Skills
9 76 Discipline Issues in our Schools
10 71 Lack of Community Support for Schools
11 71 Teenage Pregnancy
12 69 Lack of Adult Role Models
13 66 School Violence
14 61 Curriculum not addressing needs
15 57 Lack of financial support
16 54 Lack of Tribal Interest
17 41 Racial Issues/discrimination
18 37 Inadequate Teacher Preparation
19 34 Lack of Instructional Resources
20 33 School has too much responsibility for students
21 29 Low Pay for Teachers
22 24 Overcrowded/Inadequate schools







September 1999 Statewide Indian Parent Forum (Flathead Reservation) – 62 total respondents
(respondents were asked to pick top 10 of the 22 issues listed)
Rank No. Responses Issue
1 44 Dropouts (leaving school before graduation)
2 41 Lack of curriculum about Indians (language, history, culture, etc.)
3 41 Graduates lacking skills to compete in college or work force.
3 40 Drug and Alcohol use and abuse
4 37 Below grade level reading skills
5 36 Parents lack of support or interest
6 34 Dysfunctional family issues
7 33 Pupils lack of interest/motivation
7 33 Absenteeism in our schools
8 30 Racial Issues/Discrimination
9 26 Lack of Adult Role Models
9 26 Schools not responsive to parents/community (this item not on the ’94 survey)
10 21 Discipline issues in our schools
11 20 Fighting/violence in our schools
12 19 Inadequate teacher preparation
13 16 Lack of involvement by Tribal governments
13 16 Lack of adequate financial support for our schools
14 13 Low pay for teachers
14 13 Teen Pregnancy (young parent)
14 13 Schools have assumed too much responsibility for students
15 11 Lack of community support for our schools
15 11 Lack of instructional resources (library/texts/supplies)












Available Alternatives through State accreditation and Rules

10.55.604 Variances to Standards

(1) A school district may apply to the board of public education through the office of public instruction to implement an alternative to a standard or a section of standards, excluding standards stating a statutory criteria, standards pertaining to teacher certification and content and performance standards as defined by the board of public education and provided in guidance from the office of public instruction.
(2) – Charter Schools - “A school district may apply to the board of public education through the office of public instruction to create a charter school.”

l0.55.803 Learner Access

(2) (b) take into account individual and cultural diversity and differences among learners. Cultural and language differences should be viewed as valuable and enriching resources and should take into account the unique needs of American Indian students and other minority students.
(i) identify, using the school’s own criteria, students who may be at risk or in need of special services.

10.55.905 Graduation Requirements

(1) As a minimum, a school district’s requirement for graduation shall include a total of 20 units of study that enable all students to meet the content and performance standards.
(4) – In accordance with the policies of the local board of trustees, students may be graduated from high school with less
than four years enrollment.

l0.55.906 –High School Credit (Alternative Ways Students can earn credits)

(2) A student who is unable to attend class for the required amount of time may be given fractional credit for partial completion of a course, with the local administrator’s permission.

(3) Each governing authority may waive specific course requirements based on individual student needs and performance levels. Waiver requests shall also be considered with respect to age, maturity, interest, and aspirations of the students and shall be in consultation with the parents or guardians.
(4) With the permission of the school district trustees, a student may be given credit for a course satisfactorily completed in a period of time shorter or longer than normally required and, provided that the course meets the district’s curriculum and assessment requirements, which are aligned with the content and performance standards stated in the education program. Examples of acceptable course work include correspondence and extension courses, distance learning courses, adult education, summer school, work-study, specially designed courses and challenges to current courses. Any acceptable program must be consistent with local board policy.

55-2, 10.55.603(a) Curriculum Development and Assessment:

The examination of program effectiveness using assessment results shall be supplemented with information about graduates and other students no longer in attendance."

Taken from memo dated August l998 – Overview of Enrollment Issues from Office of Public Instruction (Administrative Rules)

Page 3: Can a high school student be enrolled in an alternative degree program or GED preparation program and be counted as enrolled for ANB purposes?

Answer: If the student is enrolled in a program that meets accreditation standards and his enrollment provides the
minimum days and hours required by law, the student may be included in the ANB.