An Examination of the Relationship Between Academic Achievement and Federal Supplemental Revenue as It Relates to American Indian Students in a Public School District

Abstract

Using a vertical equity lens this study investigates the effect of federal funding on the academic achievement of American Indian students in a high Indian enrollment (HIE) public school district in Oklahoma. This single district exploratory case analysis incorporated cross-sectional data for 1,679 American Indian students enrolled in grades three through eight over a seven-year period. The researcher explored three research questions via quantitative methodology in order to analyze a vertical equity argument regarding fiscal support for American Indian students. First, over the past seven years, what were the funding trends for a HIE public school district? Second, over the past seven years, what were the academic achievement trends of American Indian students attending a HIE public school district? Third, within a HIE public school district, is there a relationship between funding trends and academic achievement trends of American Indian students? The Oklahoma Core Curriculum Test (OCCT) reading scores were selected as constant formal assessment among grade levels. The Reading Sufficiency Act was passed by Oklahoma legislatorsion to encourage on-grade level reading for elementary students. Therefore, this study is critical to depict historically where American Indians have scored beyond third grade. Descriptive analyses reveal federal revenues were inconsistent during the period of analysis and Oklahoma Performance Test Indicators (OPTI) show American Indian students’ reading scores declined from grades three to eight and declined sharply following the transition from elementary to middle school. Multiple regression analyses for grades three through eight did not reveal a statistically significant relationship between federal revenue and reading scores.