State ofEducation for Tribal Members 2004

Public Schools: A majority of Tribal children attend public schools in the Uintah Basin .  Most of the students in grades K – 9 attend Lapoint Elementary School, Todd Elementary School, and West Junior High School .   A large percentage of the students at Todd and West are Native American students, 80% and 75% respectively (2004).  Lapoint Elementary School hosts a 40% Native American student body (2004).  Historically students in these schools have struggled to learn.  Presently, all three schools seem to be improving their students’ test scores while at the same time improving the schools’ environments.

Lapoint Elementary School teachers have been receiving multicultural training in an English as a Second Language program and special training through an ASPIRE grant.  Neither of these programs focus primarily on Ute culture and the school would welcome ongoing training in this area.  The school is able to offer 30 minutes of individualized reading instruction to every child identified as at some risk or at risk.  They are now able to conduct weekly reading tests and use that data to individualize reading instruction for the students.

Todd Elementary School has been notified that they are meeting the Federal Adequate Yearly Progress standards in improving students’ test scores under the No Child Left Behind Act.  This progress has been made in spite of the fact that 90% of the children come to kindergarten not ready to learn, approximately 85% of their parents do not have a high school diploma, and there is a 29% student turnover rate.  The school maintains a 93% attendance rate and has an active communication system with the parents, even though 50% of the parents do not have phone service at any one time. 

West Junior High School , under Native American principal Bart Stevens, is developing activities to help the school teachers better understand the Ute culture.  Instructional methods effective for Native American students are being introduced to the teachers through a variety of workshops and in-services.  Because of the high number of English Language Learners in the school, small group testing on standardized tests will be used in the near future.  Small group testing will allow the test monitors the opportunity to encourage the students to do their best on the tests and not just randomly fill them out.  Ute elders have been brought in to talk with the students.  The Ute individuals in the teacher education program have been helping teach in the classrooms.  The Native American principal is able to address cultural issues as they come up in staff meetings or during meetings with families.  Textbooks are checked for bias by a district level book adoption committee. The specific school goals are to improve their test scores and reduce behavioral referrals.

High school students attend Union High School in Roosevelt, Uintah High School in Vernal, or Uintah River High School (URHS) in Ft. Duchesne .  From 60 to 80% of these students do not graduate from high school.  URHS was designed as an alternative school to help students stay in school and complete their high school degrees.  URHS is now a tribally controlled charter high school and is discussed below.