Native American Students Flag Holes in Instruction

Fewer than a third of children who identify themselves as American Indian or Alaska Native say that they know “a lot” about their tribe or group, according to a study on the teaching of Native American culture and language released today by a branch of the U.S. Department of Education.

A significant number of children who are classified as American Indian or Alaska Native by their schools—26 percent of 4th graders and 17 percent of 8th graders—don’t even consider themselves to have those identities, the Institute of Education Sciences study found.

Native American communities in the United States have experienced tremendous loss of their traditional languages. The study indicates that little is happening in schools, and many homes, to...