Facilitators of Educational Attainment in American Indian Young Adults

Abstract

American Indian (AI) students experience major inequities in educational attainment compared to non-Native people. In the state of Minnesota, the graduation rate for American Indian high school students in 2017 was 50.7%. The graduation rate of the total population of high schoolers in Minnesota was 82.7% that same year (Minnesota Report Card, 2018). Most research focuses on barriers to educational attainment, however, there are also known facilitators to educational attainment including enculturation, parental support, parental level of education, and engagement. The data used from the Healing Pathways Project found that Benevolent Childhood Experiences (BCEs) and level of parental education contributed to an increased level of education and completion of educational goals in AI young adults. These findings can be used in future intervention programs to promote positive childhood experiences.