NATIVE HIGHER EDUCATION SUCCESS STRATEGIES REPORT:
Strengthening policies, respecting tribal sovereignty, and leveraging data to address the decline in Native American higher education enrollment
Executive Summary of the Findings from the 2024 Native Higher Education Policy Convening
INTRODUCTION
For the past ten years, a troubling nationwide trend has reversed the progress of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIAN) in higher education in the United States (U.S.). Between 2010-2021 AIAN student enrollment in higher education declined by 40%, threatening to also reverse decades of progress made across Indian Country.
Concerned by these statistics and the long and short-term implications for Indigenous communities, The American Indian College Fund (the College Fund), with the Brookings Institution (Brookings) and the Institute for Higher Education (IHEP), convened in Washington, D.C. in the spring of 2024 to discuss policy and other recommendations to reverse this trend.
Contrary to widespread belief, the federal government does not offer universal benefits such as free education, housing, or healthcare to Native Americans. Many Tribes signed treaties with the United States government for support for self-governance; social and economic programs, and education. That support does not create free services, nor does it meet the needs of the 574 federally recognized Tribes in the U.S. Further, Native Americans’ identity is linked to treaty relationships and thus they have a unique political identity based on their status as tribal Nation citizens rather than racial identities.
The relationship between the U.S. and tribal Nations is complex and is even more complicated by issues tied to the federal and state recognition of Tribes. This complexity must be considered when examining access to higher education for Native populations.
Creating a pathway for Native students to higher education has always been the goal for the education policy organizations, non-profits, and professionals who gathered at the 2024 convening. Attendees discussed the need to create a platform to assess current Native higher education policies and practices to identify new strategies and policies that can improve the pathway to post-secondary success, while improving data and funding research in Native higher education to give policymakers an accurate picture of Indigenous students’ academic journey.
CHALLENGES AIAN STUDENTS FACE TO ENTERING
AND REMAINING IN
COLLEGE
The college enrollment rate of AIAN students is the lowest in the country—25%—of any racial and ethnic group in the U.S., compared to U.S. Pacific Islanders at 34%, Hispanics at 36%, Blacks at 36%, Whites at 43%, and Asians at 65% (National Center for Education Statistics, (n.d.-i).
Low college student enrollment among AIAN students is tied to many factors. Deliberate policy choices made by the federal government over centuries dispossessed Native people of their land and negatively impacted their political and socioeconomic status. Efforts to forcibly assimilate Native people into white American society through policies requiring Native children’s forced enrollment in assimilative boarding schools were particularly destructive. These policies, which began in the late 1700s and continue to present-day, are pertinent socioeconomic reasons for AIAN students’ low college enrollment.
High federal poverty rates in Indian Country (23% as compared to 13% of the rest of the U.S. population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau (2022)) are also linked to a lower high school graduation rate (75% of AIAN students compared to the rest of the U.S. general population (87%) (National Center for Education Statistics (n.d.-e). Without a high school diploma, a student must delay college to earn high school equivalency. Without completing high school coursework, college is a moot point.
There also is a lack of funding for college preparatory programs serving Native student populations in rural reservation communities, where transportation options are often limited. Students may face additional barriers that make it difficult for them to access educational opportunities such as distance from education institutions and access to tutoring and academic success services. This also leads to low levels of college preparedness. These obstacles, combined with the high cost of education, including lack of access to academic scholarships, make attending college off the reservation even less attainable for most Native students. Tribal colleges are an important and essential option for Native students. Tribal colleges and universities serve reservation communities and employ a significant number of Native faculty, provide culturally relevant pedagogy and curriculum, and are open enrollment institutions. Yet, they too face challenges with being under-resourced, creating additional access barriers.
When a Native student succeeds at entering college, a new level of challenges awaits. Non-welcoming policies and institutional environments that lack AIAN representation among faculty/staff at non-tribal colleges are just two roadblocks Native students encounter. Only 27% of AIAN students graduate from a public community college within three years, which is the same rate as Latinx people (27%), is higher than Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander (23%) and Black students (21%), and is far below that of Asian American (42%) and White students (36%). The graduation rate is even lower at public four-year colleges, where 37% of AIAN students graduate in six years, the lowest of all groups as compared to Black students (42%) and Asian American students (74%).
Cultural dispossession, poverty, lack of preparedness, or financial aid, taken in and of itself, is a barrier for AIAN students’ access to higher learning opportunities. When combined, these multi-level and systemic barriers create the perfect storm for AIAN students that resulted in the decline in college enrollment rates among Native students. In addition, significant misunderstandings around Native people and Native higher education institutions remain within the general U.S. public, creating challenges with curriculum and support. These misunderstandings lead to stereotypes and misconceptions that create unwelcoming environments, and impact funding, and influence public perception regarding policy decisions. Combating these misunderstandings requires a multi-layered, multi-sectored, nuanced approach to creating policies and strategies that increase Native student college access, enrollment, and graduation.
To that end, this Native Higher Education Success Strategies Report highlights the current inadequacies of the U.S. higher education system identified at the convening and the existing policies and complex political and legal structures that do not serve—or do not adequately serve—tribal people. The report also provides recommendations for actions to remedy these issues.
The Key Issues Impacting American Indian and
Alaska Native Higher Education
Convening attendees identified the following key issues that impact Indigenous students’ higher education:
Data Capacity and Accuracy: Data specific to Native people continues to be limited and inaccurate, fueling misinformation about student outcomes and experiences. This may be because of shortcomings in the federal government’s data collection and data systems, inconsistent policy design, and recent court rulings that weakened the quality of higher education data.
INSTITUTIONAL PRIORITIES
Communication: Too little effective communication and collaboration among stakeholders in early education and beyond is a key factor preventing many Native students from progressing.
Limited Funding: Insufficient financial resources to fully fund Native student access, such as scholarships, prevent Native students from accessing quality education, further hindering their chances of success at the college level. TCUs, which educate between 10-13% of all Native college students, are not fully funded for operational support. A similar percentage of Natives attend Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institutions which are also inadequately funded to provide the necessary, robust, comprehensive support Native students need to succeed in college.
Policies in Conflict: Education policy can be complicated for Native people. Tribal and state education systems, as well as institutions, do not always pull in the same direction, making it difficult to tackle the challenges in Native higher education effectively.
Legal Complexity: Because of the political and legal complexities associated with tribal sovereignty, appropriate educational policy initiatives are often difficult to execute due to the disconnect between tribal, state, and federal government structures.
Historical Barriers: Systemic and historical barriers persist and impede Native students’ access to, and success in, higher education.
Non-Inclusive Institutional Priorities: Institutional priorities often do not include AIAN voices or needs, and leave Native people out of the decision-making processes that impact their education.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Convening attendees made the following recommendations to remedy the identified issues and challenges facing AIAN students in higher education as follows.
Data Capacity and Accuracy
Collaborate when conducting research with tribal communities. Co-create agendas and policies. Explore existing models of collaboration where university systems partner closely with Tribes to provide critical support for tribal health, natural resources, education, and other priorities.
Access to increased funding is necessary for substantive research and policy development. Funding mechanisms must be grounded in trust-based giving that honors the lived experiences and needs of Native communities.
Federal, state, tribal, and institutional budget allocations require intentional consultation with education experts such as Native-serving nonprofits, Native scholars, and tribal education departments to be the norm. At minimum, policy organizations should build a network of tribal scholars and advocates to support decisions about funding priorities focused on research and advocacy.
Philanthropy should use its role as an innovative investor in community-driven opportunities to intentionally and quickly allocate more resources to action-based research to inform audiences about the successes and challenges of Native students and Native higher education. Solutions should be rooted in community participation.
Create opportunities to promote Native inclusion and systemic change by allocating resources to tribal liaisons who work with higher education institutions, policy and nonprofit organizations, and scholars.
Use resources and roadmaps of work being done successfully.
Disaggregate data to subgroups, standardize data across systems, work with smaller sample sizes to prevent suppression, and employ oversampling strategies with Native communities to increase Native representation in research findings. This includes collecting information on students from both federal and state-recognized Tribes. Native people are diverse and do not want to be seen as a monolithic culture.
Data-collecting agencies and organizations must collaborate on definitions at the federal level through the advocacy of education policy organizations. They can be further supported by research from think tanks and similar organizations, including convening partners and attendees.
Policy organizations must raise the profile of Native scholars and provide context to non-Native people to inform policy by the lived experiences of Native people.
Representation must include consultation and the direct participation of Tribes, Native-serving nonprofits, and Native scholars.
Policy Engagement
Build institutional commitments to tribal students’ political identity by creating institutional policies and practices that reflect tribal citizens’ political classifications to help shield Native students and programs from anti-DEI policies and program reduction and to honor Native students’ unique experiences.
Understand the barriers to access and success many Native students encounter, including economic hardship, remoteness, and the absence of culturally relevant support services which inhibit Native advancement and retention in education. Specific investments in financial aid, virtual access, and cultural competency training can reduce structural barriers.
Higher education institutions can offer valuable support through access to cultural and spiritual activities. This includes creating safe spaces and resources to maintain students’ connection to identity when navigating an unfamiliar place; public activities supporting family and community ties; providing opportunities to remain connected to community and family; creating connections with peers, faculty, campus staff, and Native student gathering places; providing visible representation and inclusion in campus marketing and advocacy resources; teaching curriculum reflecting contemporary and historical contributions of Tribes; and training staff and faculty on Indigenous knowledge systems and the high-value impact of DEI programming.
Build strong, reciprocal relationships between higher education institutions that serve Native students and their communities to instill a sense of belonging, increase academic success, and promote and maintain Native student cultural identity within the educational environment.
Acknowledge and respect cultural practices and how work and relationships are approached in Indian Country to build trusting, mutually beneficial relationships.
Ensure diverse representation in policy discussions to gather varying perspectives, including Native voices, tribal government representatives, education organizations and departments, Native scholars, students, and those who left higher education.
Increase awareness about tribal community challenges. Endorse culturally responsive policies recommended by Tribes that possess insight into their needs and how to support their communities, foster trust, and support decisions.
Create culturally responsive policies to ensure sufficient funds are allocated to Native student groups for campus-based cultural programming. Provide a place on campus for students who want access to ceremonial resources.
Advocate and call for direct funding and resources for Native-led organizations that actively contribute to Native higher education policies as stakeholders who are invested in their communities. Ensure these organizations are recognized as coequal collaboration partners.
Develop non-transactional relationships emphasizing relationships as an ongoing process with Native communities. Focus on social engagement and values, rather than outcomes, to demonstrate dedication to Native communities’ well-being.
Provide information for potential and existing partners on how to navigate tribal communities and institutions serving Native communities.
Promote inclusion of Indigenous faculty, staff, students, and leaders within higher education institutions. Make them part of change-making for sustainable representation. Collaborate with Tribes and advocates to drive narrative change by redefining Indigenous identity as a political identity rooted in Tribes' Nation-to-Nation status.
Consult narrative change resources to increase awareness of Indigenous people.
Build relationships with policy organizations, Native advocates, and scholars.
Develop meaningful relationships with Native scholars rooted in ongoing engagement. Create open communication to build authentic relationships leading to collaborative research projects and initiatives. Offer Native scholars the opportunity to lead or partner in research to build Native research capabilities.
Ensure Native inclusion by using Indigenous research, community engagement, and evaluation methodologies.
Support professional development and advocacy through partnerships with policy organizations, higher education, and Native nonprofits to target resources and programs which support the professional development of Native scholars, through career promotion, networking, and making meaningful contributions to their field and tribal community.
Policy organizations and higher education can train Native scholars to translate critical research about their communities into policy and support their understanding of processes to move policy through systems, such as legislatures.
Actively seek and incorporate tribal leadership perspectives on higher education and policy. Understand the views of Native community members to shape more relevant and effective education policies.
Elevate tribal nation engagement with higher education policy.
Include tribal representatives in policy frameworks to ensure the incorporation unique perspective and cultural heritage of Native communities, leading to decision-making resulting in more equitable outcomes across the education sector.
Host regular consultations and workshops to address Native community needs, incorporating tribal perspectives into higher education strategies to build transparency and trust.
Schedule frequent meetings involving tribal leaders, community members, policy organizations, federal and state agencies, and higher education institutions to ensure policies reflect tribal priorities and uphold sovereignty.
Build capacity within communities to create a strong foundation for effective policymaking. Foster initiatives to encourage the sharing of knowledge and skills to strengthen the collective ability to address important issues impacting tribal communities. Experienced policymakers and tribal leaders should offer guidance and support to ensure community-building efforts are sustainable and impactful in Native communities.
Provide training and tools for tribal representatives to effectively participate in policy environments by developing more policy-focused learning experiences and resources for understanding policies. Engage with existing education stakeholders to amplify tribal perspectives in educational policies.
Provide communities with training and tools to foster understanding about educational policies impacting Native communities. Training can be offered by higher education institutions, especially when centers or divisions are specifically organized to support tribal development; federal and state agencies; and non-profits, especially those focused on tribal community and social development.
Tribal Opportunities for Engagement
Engage with policy organizations, higher education institutions, state and federal agencies, legislatures, and Native non-profits to explore opportunities for tribally led, tribally inclusive policy development.
Make higher education a tribal priority that is vital training for leadership and other roles, as well as tribal sovereignty and prosperity. Prioritize higher education in tribal advocacy to issue calls for needed research and related policy recommendations and to examine relationships focused on policy for inclusive practices and equitable resource allocation.
Engage with national and regional Native organizations that can serve as resources for tribal governments to learn more about policy engagement.
Develop data systems to track child, youth, and adult participation in education that exercises the right of Tribes to support their citizens’ wellbeing. Data systems inform investment, identify proven practices, and elevate successful attainment of both individual and tribal education priorities.
Remove barriers by ensuring young people and adults have access to career education and counseling through engagement with high schools, tribal education departments, and nonprofits.
Tribal scholarship support removes significant financial barriers. The National Native Scholarship Providers group, comprised of American Indian Science and Engineering Society, Native Forward Scholars, Indigenous Education Inc., and the College Fund have extensive resources to provide college access and funding for use by Tribes or tribal leaders.
State Policy Opportunities
Advocate for state policies supporting state tuition waivers for Native students for gap funding to assist students with enrollment who do not have full funding. Scholarship providers, state institutions, and even state and federal policy makers can act to expand descendancy requirements. This will relieve the financial burden for lowincome Native students and better address the financial inequalities and barriers that hinder Native student success. It will also increase retention, graduation, and graduate school enrollments.
Foster better relationships with Tribes, particularly those with historical, or modern, ties to the institution or local region.
Include Tribes and tribal organizations, including TCUs, in state economic and social initiatives to greater impact the well-being of Native communities served.
State agencies can ensure Tribes are always included in research opportunities early in research development and can respond to tribally initiated research in a timely, respectful manner. Research, whether for human or non-human subject matter, should always belong to and be housed with the Tribes, which have the option to house data with partners.
Ensure Native data is collected at institutional levels and aggregated at an appropriate level of detail to inform better decision-making for both institutions and Tribes.
CONCLUSION
Among the Lakota, and many other Tribes, there is a teaching that what is above — creation and the Creator — and what is below — human and non-human life on earth–are reflections of each other.
Two of the strategic approaches to deepening our understanding of Native higher education policy are reflected in this report. Shared throughout the report is one approach — our journey — providing the framing for critical issues and recommendations.
The other approach is the description of the landscape of Native higher education. That landscape reflected in this image shows the deep commitment to Indigenous values and relationships that is the foundation of our work. Our values are like the water in the river and lake, flowing through and around everything we do. Values are both the foundation of the work and are inclusive of what we want the work to accomplish: culture, vision, and community.
The mountains, which reach into the sky toward the sun, contain the many strategies that help Native students, and their communities, live prosperously. This circle of knowledge and relationships are the landscape in which Native students’ higher education access and success is strengthened.
Landscape Scan of Native Higher Education
