New American Indian College Fund Publication Shares Ways to Help Native Students Succeed

September 8, 2016

American Indian students have the lowest college graduation rate in the country, at just over 13%. In a new publication from the American Indian College Fund, several tribal colleges and universities share how to create systems and structures to promote Native student success.

The publication, titled “Achieving the Dream – Improving Student Success at Tribal Colleges and Universities,”is the culmination of the College Fund’s efforts over three years in the Achieving the Dream (ATD) initiative, a national reform network devoted to community college student success and completion. Two tribal colleges, Diné College in Tsaile, Arizona, and Salish Kootenai College in Pablo, Montana, participated in the initiative. The colleges’ participation in the Achieving the Dream program was supported by the Kresge Foundation, which provided tools, resources, and coaching to help the colleges engage in strategies based on data-driven decisions to address and close achievement gaps.

The publication will be shared across the 37-institution tribal college community to provide instruction in education best practices amongst Native students to promote similar success. It will also be published on the College Fund’s web site at aicf.nmcstaging.com.

“Native students are often overlooked in the national conversation on student success in higher education, and we hope this publication brings needed attention to the issue. Ideally it will also serve as a useful source of knowledge about what works for the dedicated practitioners who serve these students,” said Caroline Altman Smith, Kresge’s deputy director for the Education Program. “We’re proud to be a partner with the American Indian College Fund as it strives to support tribal colleges’ efforts to improve student outcomes for Native students.”

About the American Indian College Fund

Founded in 1989, the American Indian College Fund has been the nation’s largest charity supporting Native higher education for more than 25 years. The College Fund believes “Education is the answer” and has provided more than 100,000 scholarships since its inception and an average of 6,000 scholarships per year to American Indian students. The College Fund also supports a variety of academic and support programs, ensuring students have the tools to graduate and succeed in their careers. The College Fund consistently receives top ratings from independent charity evaluators. For more information about the American Indian College Fund, please visit aicf.nmcstaging.com.

About the Kresge Foundation

The Kresge Foundation is a $3.6 billion private, national foundation that works to expand opportunities in America’s cities through grant making and social investing in arts and culture, education, environment, health, human services, and community development in Detroit. In 2015, the Board of Trustees approved 370 grants totaling $125.2 million, and nine social investment commitments totaling $20.3 million. For more information, visit kresge.org