Decolonizing Data: Moving Toward an Inclusive Count of American Indian/Alaska Native Students in a Pacific Northwest School District
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32674/vt95ts98Keywords:
American Indian, Alaska Native, decolonizing data, inclusive count, identification, aligning with Native practices, decolonizingAbstract
The prevalence of data use in education requires researchers to critically examine data-collection practices that could inform, obscure, or omit accurate representations of students. Thus, an innovative approach to accurate demographic collection and reporting can enable school districts to more accurately count and represent American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) students. This approach, developed in partnership with Pacific Northwest Indigenous communities, centers the perspectives of Native peoples. Utilizing critical Native theories, research for uninterrogated biases advises on pathways for improved representation practices that maximize accurate identification of a diverse Native presence. Data accuracy in educational decision-making supports resource allocation and efficacy in academic practices and policies. Therefore, this best practice article emphasizes representation practices for a change-interpretation of AI/AN student enrollment and graduation rates through student district responses that best suit Native communities, student academic needs, and student developmental expectations.
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