Tonight at 8:00 pm, Wyoming PBS will broadcast ‘Steps To Success For Wyoming’s Native American Students,’ a co-production with Wyoming Public Media.
For information on where to find Wyoming PBS in your area, click here. You can also be part of the discussion online. Share your questions and comments throughout the broadcast on Twitter, using the hashtag#WindRiverEducation.
The four-year graduation rate for students on the Wind River Indian Reservation hovers around 50 percent, compared to 80 percent in the rest of Wyoming. In this hour-long forum, Wyoming Public Radio's education reporter Aaron Schrank explores the many factors—from historical trauma to family poverty—that contribute to below average education outcomes for Native American students in Wyoming.
Schrank spoke with a panel of students and educators on the reservation about the dropout prevention programs that currently operate in the community—and how reservation schools can improve to better meet the needs of students.
Panelists:
- Johnna Nunez, Grants Coordinator at Wyoming Indian Schools
- Craig Ferris, Wyoming Indian Elementary School Home School Coordinator and Wyoming Indian High School head basketball coach
- Dodie White, Doctoral candidate in Education Administration at the University of Wyoming.
- Marcus Ute, Anthropology student at Stanford University in California.
- Feather Harding, Recent graduate of Wyoming Indian High School.
- Hudda Herrera, Laramie High School Freshman
We hope this panel discussion, recorded live at Central Wyoming College in Riverton, is a starting point for further discussion about Native American education issues in Wyoming.
Add to that discussion now, by sharing your questions and comments on Twitter, using the #WindRiverEducationhashtag.
This program is made possible through American Graduate – Let’s Make It Happen! -- a public media initiative to address the drop out crisis, supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
