A University Tribal Colleges High Schools Partnership To Increase Native American College Graduates In Mathematics, Science, And Engineering

Over the last two decades, the relatively small percentage of Native American (NA) students earning science and engineering degrees has not increased in spite of the fact that one third of NA first-year students enrolled in four-year colleges and universities had the intention of majoring in science or engineering, according to a 1998 survey. Recent declines in engineering enrollment among the underrepresented minorities are disproportionately higher than the decline among non-minority students. Several factors including lack of adequate pre-college preparation, academic intervention programs, and financial assistance could contribute to the current situation. Regardless, programs to increase NA participation in and successful completion of engineering degrees are needed. Such programs need to render the pathways of NA students from middle school through tribal colleges to universities smooth. Activities directed toward precollege students in such programs need to involve tribal college, university, and school faculty in the development and implementation of those activities. This paper describes the experience of the authors in a multi-year, multi-site project funded by the Office of Naval Research providing enhancement activities for reservation middle and high school students and activities to facilitate smooth transfer of tribal college students to four-year colleges or universities. The student activities in the project were planned, designed and implemented jointly by tribal college, university, and high school teachers. The program has been a success not only in terms of the increased student enrollment in the activities but also by systemically impacting tribal college, university, and high school faculty. A core group continues to work together for the continuation and improvement of the activities. The paper focuses on the partnership development and the systemic impact of the project. For brevity details of the project activities are not included, but will be made available for discussion at the conference.