Principals were also asked whether specific conditions, such as student absenteeism, tardiness, health problems, misbehavior, physical conflicts, and drug or alcohol use were problems in their schools. Other school conditions, such as lack of family involvement and low student expectations, were also explored.
In this indicator, school density refers to the percentage of American Indian/Alaska Native students enrolled. Low-density schools are schools in which American Indians/Alaska Natives account for less than 25 percent of the total enrollment. High-density schools are schools in which American Indians/Alaska Natives account for 25 percent or more of the total enrollment.
A higher percentage of American Indian/Alaska Native students in high-density schools had school administrators who reported specific problems as serious, compared to their peers in low-density schools. The specific problems more frequently reported as serious by administrators of high-density schools included student absenteeism, student tardiness, lack of family involvement, and low expectations. In 2007, administrators of 22 percent of 8th-graders in high-density schools reported student absenteeism as a serious problem, compared to administrators of 5 percent of 8th-graders in low-density schools. Administrators of 35 percent of 8th-graders in high-density schools reported lack of family involvement in school as a serious problem, compared to administrators of 12 percent of 8th-graders in low-density schools. Student misbehavior was also identified as a serious problem by a larger percentage of administrators of 8th-graders in high density schools (11 percent) than low density schools (1 percent).
View Table 5.6 |