This report presents information about the educational, home, and community experiences of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) fourth- and eighth-grade students that was collected during the National Indian Education Study (NIES) of 2007. AI/AN students represent about 1 percent of the student population in the United States. Approximately 10,000 AI/AN students in 1,700 schools at grade 4 and 11,000 AI/AN students from 1,800 schools at grade 8 participated in the study. Surveys were completed by students, their teachers, and their school administrators.The three major areas of findings that are described in this report include characteristics of AI/AN students, characteristics of their teachers and schools, and the integration of native language and culture in their homes and schools. Higher percentages of AI/AN students attended schools located in the South Central and Mountain regions of the country than other regions. Compared to their non-AI/AN peers, higher percentages of AI/AN students reported levels of family resources that indicated low socioeconomic status, such as eligibility for free school lunch.Approximately 7 percent of AI/AN students attended Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools, and approximately 89 percent attended public schools. Although the majority of all AI/AN students were taught by non-AI/AN teachers, higher percentages of students in BIE schools than in public schools had AI/AN teachers. Exposure to their native language at home was reported by a higher percentage of AI/AN students who attended schools in which at least 25 percent of the students were AI/AN (“high density” schools) than students attending low density schools. Higher percentages of students attending high density schools than low density schools received instruction on topics related to their native cultures.
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