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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2022)
sNok signflz NOVEMBER 1, 2022 9 On-time graduation rates increase for Native students By Danielle Harrison Smoke Signals assistant editor/staff writer Tribal students have rebounded since the COVID-19 pandemic, posting graduation rates that are in line with those during the 2018-19 school year, according to informa- tion released by the Oregon Depart- ment of Education. “As a district we have been diligent- ly working on the goals outlined in our continuous improvement plan,” Willamina School District Superin- tendent Carrie Zimbrick said. “Es- pecially improving student outcomes in core classes, with an emphasis on literacy and math and improving the culture of our school environment.” The Education Department re- leased its school and district report cards on Thursday, Oct. 20, which are intended to provide a snapshot of information to local communi- ties. The profiles include statistics on school attendance, district de- mographics, graduation rates for different racial and ethnic groups, career and technical education courses, advanced course work and extracurricular opportunities. The Willamina School District estimates are that approximately 40 percent of the students are Native American, with most being Grand Ronde Tribal members or descen- dants. In 2022, Willamina Native stu- dents’ on-time graduation rate was 86 percent, up from 73 the previous year. Eighty-eight percent of ninth- grade Native students were on-track to graduate, compared with 71 per- cent the year before. The 2022 statewide profile has not been released yet, so compar- ison statistics were unavailable. However, an Education Department press release noted that ninth grade on-track graduation rates rose 9 percent in 2022, although this is still not quite at pre-pandemic levels. “While we must continue to back students with the academic, social, emotional and mental health sup- port they need, it’s encouraging to see the critical ninth grade on-track numbers rise as students returned to in-person instruction,” Oregon Department of Education Director Colt Gill said. “Daily in-person instruction helps students receive the close attention and support they need to learn and thrive. The more students can come to school, the more we can meet their individual needs and help them succeed.” Zimbrick said that Willamina High School has a student success team that meets monthly and focus- es on ensuring students graduate on time. “All students have an advisory teacher that helps support academic plans,” she said. “We also hired a full-time academic guidance coun- selor that meets with students indi- vidually to plan a path to graduation and beyond. Bottom line: Our entire staff is committed to student success and go above and beyond to support students.” The state has set a goal of a 90 percent on-time graduation rate by 2025. Zimbrick said continuing to focus on improvement will help the district reach that goal, along with offering expanded courses in career and technical education. OREGON SCHOOL REPORT CARDS: 2021 Willamina School District Native students on-time graduation: 73% Native ninth-grade students on-track to graduate: 71% 2022 Willamina School District Native students on-time graduation: 86% Native ninth-grade students on-track to graduate: 88% Statewide 2021 Native students on-time graduation: 67% Native ninth-grade students on-track to graduate: 57.6% 0 20 40 60 80 100 *2022 statewide statistics are not yet available. Graph by Samuel Briggs III “One hundred percent of our stu- dents that take CTE (Career Tech- nical Education) classes graduate on time,” she said. “We are seeing a rise in the number of students taking the classes at Willamina High School.” Currently, the high school has two full-time CTE instructors and students can choose from classes in construction, welding, drones, woodworking, small engine repair, horticulture, ag-science, veterinary science and robotics. For more information, visit ore- gon.gov/ode/schools-and-districts/ reportcards. American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month: NOVEMBER 2022 In 1990, more than seven decades later, then-President George H.W. Bush signed a joint congressional resolution designating the month of November, National American Indian Heritage Month. Similar proclamations have been issued every year since 1994 to recognize what is now called, American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month. Red Fox James at the White House, 1915 The first American Indian Day was celebrated in May 1916 in New York. The event culminated an effort by Red Fox James, a member of the Blackfeet Nation, who rode across the nation on horseback seeking approval from 24 state governments to have a day to honor American Indians. Blackfeet Nation, Montana 3.7 million 574 120,944 The nation’s American Indian and Alaska Native population alone in 2020. This pop- ulation group identifies as AIAN only and did not identify with any other race. The number of federally recog- nized Indian tribes in 2022. The number of single-race American Indian and Alaska Native veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces in 2021. 324 10.1 million The number of distinct, federally recognized American Indian reservations in 2022, including fed- eral reservations and off-reservation trust land. The projected American Indian and Alaska Native population alone or in combination with other race groups on July 1, 2060, about 2.5% of the projected total U.S. pop- ulation. See a detailed profile of the American Indian and Alaska Native population alone or in combination with one or more other races from the 2020 Census and the 2021 American Community Survey at www.census.gov. Source: 2020 U.S. Census Bureau. If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at www.census.gov/about/contact-us.html Ad by Samuel Briggs III
