Key Levers In PreparingKeyLeversInPreparingandSupportingIndigenousYouthforS d Ed iSecondaryEducationRochelle Van Dijk, MAj

Disclosure SlideDisclosureSlideI have no relevant financial relationships with the manufacturer(s) of commercial services discussed in ( )this CME activity

I do not intend to discuss any unapproved/investigative use of a commercial product/device in my presentation

Session ObjectivesSessionObjectives• Recognize the link between higher educationRecognize the link between higher education and health outcomes in indigenous youth

• Identify barriers faced by indigenous youth when pursuing higher educationwhen pursuing higher education

D ib k l f i d• Describe key levers for encouraging and preparing indigenous youth for higher educationeducation

IntroductionIntroduction• Rochelle Van DijkRochelle Van Dijk• Cherokee• African‐AmericanAfrican American• Mother of 3• Undergraduate degree in Psychology from• Undergraduate degree in Psychology from Harvard

• Masters Degree in Educational Psychology fromMasters Degree in Educational Psychology from University of Colorado

• Teacher, Principal, Chief of SchoolsTeacher, Principal, Chief of Schools

ResultsResults• In first year had the highest growth of any school in the state of Colorado in math and second highest in reading

• In second year closed the achievement gap in math amongst 10th graders• In second year closed the achievement gap in math amongst 10th graders• ¾ of students qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch Program• FRL students at DSST out perform (not just out grow, but out perform) their non‐FRL D P bli S h l t t ACTFRL Denver Public School counterparts on ACT

• Won award in every single category awarded by the Colorado Department of Education

• Second best school in the state of Colorado for ACT average for free and reduced lunch students (22.3)

• 100% of students have been accepted to 4‐year college• Transitioned to chief of schools with DSST 100% of students accepted to 4‐year college,  9 of the top 12 schools in Denver.  Top 10% of ACT scores in Colorado.  80% minority, 70% FRL, 96% attendance, 2/3rds first in their family to attend college

ACRONYMSACRONYMS• DSST: Denver School of Science and Technology• ACT: American College Testing• FRL: Students that qualify for the free and reduced lunch program

• NA/AN/AI: Native American, Alaskan Native, American Indian

• SES: Socio‐Economic Status• SBHC: School‐based health centers

NA/ANStudentsbythenumbersintheUS•1.5 percent of the US population –.5 pe ce t o t e US popu at oaround 4.5 million individuals – self‐identifies American Indian or Alaska N i (AI/AN) dNative (AI/AN) descent•.5 million students (roughly 1 percent)• 90% of native American students are in traditional publics schools in the US (National Center for Education Statistics)(National Center for Education Statistics)

National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education StatisticsUS Census Bureau

ExperienceofNA/ANinUSPublicSchools

• 2014: Kindergarten students are held back at nearly twice the t f hit ki d t t d t (Whit H R t)rate of white kindergarten students (White House Report)

• In 2011: only 18 percent of Native 4th graders were proficient or advanced in reading compared to 42% of white 4th graders (NAEP)g p g ( )

• Between 2005 and 2011, 4th grade results for all other minority students rose, but results for Native children stayed flat (NAEP)Hi h h l d i i 6 h l f• High school graduation rate is 67 percent, the lowest of any ethnic group (White House Report)

• Least likely to attend a school that offers Advanced PlacementLeast likely to attend a school that offers Advanced Placement classes (White House Report)

ExperienceofNA/ANinUSPublicSchools(Continued)• 14.1% of NA/AN have bachelors degree.  Compared to 33% f / g pof general public (US Census Bureau)

• 54% of NA/AN (who took ACT in 2015) students failed to meet even 1 college readiness standards on the ACTmeet even 1 college readiness standards on the ACT (Equity in Learning Report ACT 2016)

• 67% of all NA/AN students graduate high school• Of those, only 5% enroll in 4‐year colleges• Of those, only 10% persist and graduate from college in 4‐5 yearyear

• That means…For every 500 NA/AN students, only 1 will graduate from college in 4‐5 years (National Center for Education Statistics)Education Statistics)

Shouldweadvocateforhighereducationatall?“Kill the Indian in him and save the man”Richard Henry Pratt (The Carlisle Indian Industrial School)

• Education can be a tool used to assimilate• Education can be a tool used to assimilate and acculturate

• The US government engineered an educationThe US government engineered an education policy for native people requiring children to attend boarding schools.  They were removed from their home and culture. 

• Difficulty of “walking in two worlds”• Added challenge to identity formation

YESYES

•Connection between education and•Connection between education and poverty•Opportunity to be employed in roles in which we can affect changeroles in which we can affect change•Opportunity to access true history fof our people

•Skills acquired to navigate differentSkills acquired to navigate different social situations

PovertyPoverty• $38,530: The median household income of $ ,single‐race American Indian and Alaska Native households in 2015. This compares with $55 775 for the nation as a wholewith $55,775 for the nation as a whole.

• 26 6%: The percentage of single‐race• 26.6%: The percentage of single‐race American Indians and Alaska Natives who were in poverty in 2015, the highest rate of 

F h i h lany race group. For the nation as a whole, the poverty rate was 14.7 percent.

2015 American Community Survey: US Census Bureau

EducationandEarningPotential• 2014: American workers with a college2014: American workers with a college degree are paid 74 percent more than those with only a high school degree on y g gaverage• 2009: People with professional degrees2009: People with professional degrees earned 6x as much as people who did not graduate from high school (in 2009:not graduate from high school (in 2009: $128,000 vs. $20,000).

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

EducationandHealthOutcomes• Better Food (Diabetes, heart disease, obesity)• Better jobs with better health benefits (all health outcomes)• Leisure time to exercise (all health outcomes)• Greater access to green space (obesity depression)Greater access to green space (obesity, depression)• Sexual health • Access to mental health services (depression, anxiety, suicide)L d d ll i l d (d i i )• Lowered stress and allostatic load (depression, anxiety)

• Follow health recommendations and advocate for health needs

• Afford prescription medications (all health outcomes) • Seek and afford primary care (all health outcomes)• Lower exposure to crime and violence (trauma, PTSD)p ( , )• Lower exposure to toxins (asthma, lead poisoning)

Abilitytofindingmeaningfulwork and contribute positivelyworkandcontributepositivelytosocietyAmong NA/AI students who took ACT i 2015ACT in 2015:•Nursing #1Nursing #1•Pre‐Med #2

ACT Equity in Learning Report 2016 ‐ Among students who tookACT Equity in Learning Report 2016  Among students who took ACT in 2015 and chose a career interest on survey

UniqueBarriersfacedbyNativeStudentsDifficulty in Identity Formation:y y

Ninety‐five percent of American Indian and Alaska Natives in the US attend schools where they areNatives in the US attend schools where they are less than 10 percent of the population (National Center for Education Statistics)

Additionally, false and stereotyped views and curriculum make identity formation extremelycurriculum make identity formation extremely difficult

Unique Barriers (Continued)UniqueBarriers(Continued)• Vision Hearing and BreathingVision, Hearing, and Breathing

NA/AI students are more likely to haveNA/AI students are more likely to have foundation physiological barriers to accessing educationeducation

Unique Barriers (Continued)UniqueBarriers(Continued)Higher incidence of mental health challenges

Suicide is the 2nd leading cause ofSuicide is the 2nd leading cause of death – and 2.5 times the national t f AI/AN th i th 15 24rate – for AI/AN youth in the 15‐24 

age groupg g p

Center for Native American Youth at the Aspen Institute

Lever1:School‐basedHealthCareCenters• Access to SBHC decrease absenteeism• Improves screening and treatment for vision, hearing, and 

asthma• Increases health literacy• Increases health literacy• Decrease mental illness• Decreases health‐risk behaviors• Increase engagement• Normalizes health care

LowtomoderateSBHCusewasassociatedwitha33percentreductionindropoutcomparedtonon‐SBHCusers.Theassociationwasgreatestfort d t t hi h i k f d i tstudentsathighriskofdroppingout.

Kerns, S.E.U; Pullmann, M; Walker, S.C.; Lyon, A.R.; T.J., Cosgrove; E.J., Burns.“Adolescent Use of School‐Based Health Centers and High School gDropout.”Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine; 165 (2011): 7

Method: A cohort of students studied from 2005 to 2009 with the variable of SBHC use.

Ast dent ho feels connected to schoolandbelie es that theAstudentwhofeelsconnectedtoschoolandbelievesthattheotherstudentsandadultscareabouthis/herlearningandwellbeingengagesinhealthierbehaviors.Schoolhealthg g gprogramswereshowntoincreasethisconnectionforstudents.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “Healthy Youth! StudentCenters for Disease Control and Prevention  Healthy Youth! Student Health and Academic Achievement.” 

Method: The CDC Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System looks at behaviors that impact death, disability, and social problems in youth in the United States.

AsignificantincreaseinschoolattendanceforSBHCmedicaluserscomparedtononusersandagradepointincreaseovertimeformentalhealthuserswhencomparedtononusers.Overall,theSBHCwasassociatedwithacademicimprovementsovertime.

Walker, S.C.; Kerns, S.E.U.; Lyon, A.R.; Bruns, E.J.; Cosgrove, T.J. “Impact of School‐Based Health Center Use on AcademicImpact of School‐Based Health Center Use on Academic Outcomes.” Journal of Adolescent Health; 46 (2010): 251‐257. 

Method: The researchers followed 2,306 ninth grade SBHC users and nonusers over five semesters from the fall 2005 to the fall of 2007. Results:

Absenteeismanddropoutratesdecreased for studentswhodecreasedforstudentswhoutilizedprenatalcareatanSBHC.

Barnet, B.; Arroyo, C.; Devoe, M.; Duggan, A.K. “Reduced School Dropout Rates among Adolescent Mothers Receiving SchoolDropout Rates among Adolescent Mothers Receiving School‐Based Prenatal Care.” Archives of Pediatric Medicine; 158 (2004): 262‐268. 

Method: A retrospective cohort study was performed using school and medical records for 431 adolescents attending an galternative high school in Baltimore, MD. Results:

Lever 2:MentoringLever2:Mentoring• clarifying relevance of learning material• helping to foster identity and positive sense of self

• helping to codify interests and life goals• Promoting engagement in school activitiesPromoting engagement in school activities• Promoting healthy attribution style • Discussing texts• Discussing texts• Discussing actual history• Connecting to health resources

Lever 3: Clinic EffortsLever3:ClinicEfforts• Having a student of the month (profile ofHaving a student of the month (profile of students interest, give away athletic gear or some other positive reward)

• Enquire about attendance and engagement in clubs/activities

• Give our school supplies, planners (in lieu of candy/stickers)

• Ask about favorite courses, books they are reading, ask for them to stump you with a math 

bl ti f th i h kproblem or question from their homework• Recommend limiting television

Lever4:Supporteffortsthatincrease diversify teaching staffincreasediversifyteachingstaffandimproveculturalcompetenceof teachersofteachers

50 million students in public education less50 million students in public education, less than half are white.  White teachers make up 82% of teachersWhite teachers make up 82% of teachers  Less than .5% of teachers identify as Native American

National center for education statistics (2011‐12)

Level5:SupportEffortstoRevise Standards andTextReviseStandardsandTextChoices• 4th, 5th, and 6th grade social studies• Determine and explain the historical context of key people, events, and ideas over time including the examination of different 

ti f l i l d T i t i l d b t t li it dperspectives from people involved. Topics to include but not limited to Aztec, Maya, Inca, Inuit, early Native American cultures of North America, major explorers, colonizers of countries in the Western Hemisphere, and the Columbian Exchange (DOK 1‐3)

• Importance of curriculumI t f i h d i d ti th t t• Importance of rich and varied perspectives, authors, content, applications

•Colorado Department of EducationColorado Department of Education

Lever6:InvestigateandEqualize School DisciplineEqualizeSchoolDisciplineSystemsyAN/NA students represent less than 1% of public school population

AN/NA are suspended more often: girls (7%) boys 13%white males (6%)  hi i l (2%)white girls (2%)

Office of civil rights school data (March 2014)

SummarySummary• Education in The US has dramatically failed Indigenous Youth• Acquiring advanced education is important in the US in order to have best quality of life as measured by a myriad of health and wellness outcomesI di th f lti l b i t d ti l tt i t• Indigenous youth face multiple barriers to educational attainment success related to poverty and additional struggle to develop a positive sense of self and identity as a result of mainstream oppression and stereotyping.pp yp g

• Indigenous youth have elevated rates of mental health challenges and are more likely to commit suicide

• 6 levers prove effective in supporting and encouraging Indigenous Youth for secondary education:• School‐based health centers, mentoring, clinic shifts, increasing diversity of teaching staff, revising standards and text choices, investigating and equalizing school discipline practicesinvestigating and equalizing school discipline practices.