Meeting the Needs of American Indian/Native American Students
This publication was based on a request from the Minnesota Department of Education for information on best practices for closing American Indian students’ achievement gap. Following an established Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Midwest research protocol, the REL Midwest conducted a search for research reports as well as descriptive and policy-oriented briefs and articles on improving academic outcomes for AI students. The sources searched included federally funded organizations, additional research institutions, several educational research databases, and a general Internet search using Google and other search engines.
The content and methodology of this seven-page resource review are excellent, providing important links to studies that have investigated methods for reducing American Indian student achievement gaps. Communications quality is equally solid, with direct links to reviewed resources provided when available. Utility should be very high based on the relative recency of the review and the high quality of the recommended studies. While relatively few randomly controlled studies are referenced, the overall quality of the studies and resources is high. Effectiveness as a resource is not addressed, but the overall quality of this publication suggests a positive impact on learning.