Dr. Vanessa Esquivido article on Native American Youth and criminalization in California school systems
Check out this just released article on school suspensions and expulsions and the ways in which Native American youth in California are criminalized and held back from achievement in our state’s educational system by Dr. Vanessa Esquivido visiting Professor of American Indian Studies.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This report is a joint publication of the Sacramento Native American Higher Education Collaborative (SNAHEC) and the Community College Equity Assessment Lab (CCEAL) at San Diego State University (SDSU). This report exposes the dramatic inequities in the treatment of and outcomes for Native American youth in California. We present data from the California Department of Education on school suspensions and expulsions as reported by the institutions in their documentation to the state. We also present narratives contributed by the parents of Native American students. All these data points highlight the ways in which Native American youth in California are criminalized and held back from achievement in our state’s educational system.
- The statewide suspension rate for Native American children and youth is 7.2%, much higher than the statewide suspension average of 3.5%. Analyses indicated that Native American girls were suspended at a rate of 4.6%& Native American boys were suspended at a rate of 9.6%.
- The number one suspension district for Native American boys in California are Fortuna Union High in Humboldt County. This district suspends more than 71% of their Native American males. This is followed by Modoc Joint Unified in Modoc County at 42.5%.