On the RIGHT PATH

Beginning of article

OVER THE PAST 20 YEARS, COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES CONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF AMERICAN INDIAN/ALASKA NATIVE STUDENTS RECEIVING DEGREES

Accounting for only 1 percent of the total U.S. population, American Indians have a 60 percent to 70 percent high school dropout rate, the highest among all minority groups. At the same time, however, more American Indian students than ever are graduating from high school and leaving their home communities behind in pursuit of a higher education.

Leaving their communities behind also means trying to maintain a balance between their indigenous values and beliefs and that of the dominant culture's. And despite their …