Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Graduation Rates topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District outlines progress and barriers toward Native American four-year graduation goal
Summary
District leaders reported to the board on efforts to raise Native American students' four-year graduation rate, noting progress toward targets at the senior level and persistent barriers earlier in high school tied largely to chronic absenteeism.
District staff told the Grand Forks School Board on May 27 that the district is tracking progress toward a goal to increase Native American students' four-year graduation rate, and that while graduates at the senior level are meeting targets in some buildings, persistent chronic absenteeism among younger high-school cohorts remains the largest barrier.
"Grand Forks Public Schools will increase the Native American students 4 year graduation rate from 46 percent in 2023 to 80 percent by September of 2028," said Dr. Brenner in introducing the district goal and the monitoring framework used to track credits by semester and grade. The presentation compared credits-on-track metrics for Native American students and for all students at the district's high schools.
The presenters said native American students in some cohorts exceeded targets by senior year: at Central High School, for example, seniors were reported as 79% on track; at Red River, multiple grade levels met or exceeded on-track credit goals. However, the presenters highlighted that ninth-, tenth- and eleventh-grade cohorts show lower on-track percentages for the Native American subgroup than for all students.
Amy Barch, chief academic staff member presenting inputs and interventions, told the board the largest barrier identified was chronic absenteeism. "When we look at grade 9, our Native American students are 58 percent of them are chronically absent," Barch said, with similar high rates reported at district high schools. The team described a set of interventions: counselor tracking of earned credits, credit-recovery options (Edgenuity and summer cohorts), targeted attendance protocols and an attendance committee led by district staff to partner with community groups.
The district also described cultural and symbolic supports: the Native American liaison and parent council have organized ceremonial recognitions for students at key milestones (kindergarten, fifth, eighth and twelfth grades) to emphasize ceremony and community connection as part of graduation pathways.
Board members asked clarifying questions about equity across campuses and community partnerships; staff emphasized that the graduation rate work is connected to broader district attendance and relationship-building efforts intended to address root causes of absenteeism that begin before high school.
No formal board action was taken; staff said they will continue to monitor on-track credits by grade and return with updates.
