OGDEN — Native American students have the lowest achievement levels of any ethnic group in Utah, but there is one bright spot among them, a tribe that outperforms all others.
It's not the Ute, the Paiute, the Goshute or the Navajo. It's simply called "Other."
Many Native Americans do not wish to identify their tribe, leaving state education officials with a hole in their knowledge of which Native Americans are succeeding in school, and where they live.
"It's really frustrating because we could be missing something big here," Paul Peterson, data steward for the Utah State Office of Education, said Wednesday at the fifth annual Native American Summit.
Discussion of what state Superintendent of Public Instruction Larry Shumway called "inexcusable achievement gaps" kicked off a passionate back-and-forth discussion about who is to blame and what can be done.
Among the 8,218 Native American students in Utah schools last year — 1.4 percent of the state's student population — only 58 percent were proficient in language arts, 42 percent in math and 39 percent in science.
Their dropout rate, though down dramatically from three years ago, still sits at 45 percent, and 41 percent of the students are labeled "chronically absent," meaning they missed at least 20 days of school.
Shumway called on parents and communities to take the lead in making their children successful in school.
"I don't want to excuse schools. Schools have a role that is crucial and we have to step forward," he said. "But if we want to totally close the achievement gap, we have to close the engagement gap, where families are fully engaged."
Gov. Gary Herbert, who is presenting the summit along with Lt. Gov. Greg Bell, will send an open letter next week along with Shumway to parents across the state, urging them to do homework with their kids and attend parent-teacher conferences.
"If (teachers) know who you are, it makes a difference," Shumway said.
But some attendees said Native American students face a unique challenge: how to hold on to their traditional culture, including speaking their tribe's language, while also assimilating into the dominant American culture.
Forrest Cuch, director of the state Division of Indian Affairs, said more-assimilated students tend to earn higher grades. That includes many in the "Other" category.
Those who are more involved in their native culture fall behind in gaining the skills needed to succeed in business and manage reservation resources.
"That's what's stopping our development right now," Cuch said.
One woman said she taught her kids English only, believing that sacrificing part of their indigenous culture would make them more successful. They are now doing well in college, she said.
The Paiute tribe of south-central Utah has a student recruitment partnership with Southern Utah University, including holding youth conferences on campus. Still, fewer than 1,900 Native Americans were enrolled in Utah colleges last year.
Besides the cultural balancing act, Native American students face economic hurdles, with 72 percent living in low-income families, according to state figures.
And some parents think teachers are not doing enough to encourage the children. Leona Eyetoo, a White Mesa Ute tribal leader, recalled a San Juan County schoolteacher telling her she "would never amount to anything."
"I've sat in classrooms and heard teachers tell my people they were nothing," she said. "How can we expect to have our kids learn something if they're going to be treated that way?"
Ed Napia, special projects manager at the aid-focused Indian Walk-In Center in Salt Lake City, criticized the summit for lacking more involvement from legislators and school administrators.
"The purpose of this meeting needs to change," he said. "We need to come up with solutions and strategies."
Napia also took issue with the idea that parents, who may have had bad experiences when they were in school, should be doing more: "How can we get parents involved if the education system has failed them?"
e-mail: pkoepp@desnews.com