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The statistics are alarming: More than a third of all Native American students don't finish high school. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the high school completion rate in Northwest states ranges between 55 and 65 percent. In Oregon and Alaska, Native students are twice as likely to drop out as their white, non-Hispanic peers. In Montana, they're three times as likely to leave school.

As a result, efforts are underway across the region to stem the tide of youth leaving school without diplomas. Many of these programs seek to salve past injuries and engage the entire community in keeping students in school.

"We're looking at ways to foster trust and a relationship not only with the child, but with their family and their community," explains Julie Cajune, Indian education coordinator for the Ronan-Pablo School District in Montana. "Distrust is a community issue, not just a school issue. We need to recognize there are wounds in order for healing to take place."

The Ronan effort, funded by a $255,000 grant from the Kellogg Foundation, is directed by a steering committee representing the entire community: elders, school staff, business leaders, working people, and even middle and high school students. After conducting exit interviews with students who chose to leave school, the committee developed several strategies to address the most common causes.

Since teen pregnancy is one of the leading reasons, a child care facility now operates in a building donated by the tribe, enabling young parents to stay in school. To help failing students, computerized classes are offered after school so they can make up lost credits and still graduate with their peers. A mentoring program using community volunteers targets sixth-graders and high school freshmen because those are difficult transition years.

Because research shows that feeling connected to just one adult at school can increase a student's chances for academic success, faculty members meet daily with small groups of eight to 10 students and engage them in out-of-school activities throughout the year. These activities have included rafting, rock climbing, and camping trips, as well as community service projects such as tutoring elementary students or shoveling snow for elders.

"The idea," says Cajune, "is to build a community of belonging."

The approach seems to be working. A student Cajune describes as "never excited about school—let alone talking about a school activity" enthusiastically flags down Cajune in the library to show her photos of his school-sponsored rafting trip. Quantitative data are beginning to support the qualitative: During the program's first year, the dropout rate for American Indian students in the district fell below the rate for non-Native students for the first time in years, perhaps ever.

Increasing attendance has been an important goal for Ronan's Pablo Elementary School. In 1998, Pablo's schoolwide attendance was a dismal 78 percent; the goal has been to increase it to 95 percent. The key is to focus on the positive, and to celebrate attendance schoolwide every month, says Principal Andrea Johnson. If a student is absent from school, a teacher contacts the family either by phone or a handwritten note. When students miss days, the teachers emphasize to the families that the absence will affect their performance. The intent is not to criticize, but to ask if there is anything the staff can do to help. "We also tell parents that we have a partnership. And your part of the partnership is to make sure your children are in school," says Johnson.

The half-time social worker and full-time counselor work with the family support team to monitor and troubleshoot attendance. They will make daily visits to family homes, if necessary, to help and encourage. They help solve problems, such as arranging transportation, or with basic needs such as getting electricity hooked up.

The Ronan Business Committee and Ronan/Pablo Indian Education Committee sponsor awards each month for students meeting the 95 percent attendance goal. Family activities reward the entire family of students who reach the goal. The strategies have worked: Attendance has climbed to 92 percent for the last few years, and the school is still reaching toward that 95 percent goal.