Postsecondary Aspirations of Rural Indigenous Adolescents and How Schools Support These Dreams, Goals, and Plans: A Literature Review and Synthesis

ABSTRACT

Myriad structural- and individual-level assets (e.g., close connections within and among families) and barriers (e.g., systemic racism) shape the postsecondary pathways of rural Indigenous students. The current literature review summarizes and synthesizes existing literature on rural Indigenous students’ postsecondary educational aspirations and how schools support these goals and plans. Results of a systematic literature search found six themes; (a) Indigenous students’ desire to continue education after high school; (b) gender-related aspirations and plans, (c) connection to family and place; (d) communication with family, teachers, and counselors about college; (e) posttraditional pathways to college; and (f) school partnerships. We draw on the themes gathered from the literature search to provide three key suggestions for future research focused on supporting rural Indigenous adolescents as they aspire to and plan for postsecondary education.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Charlotte A. Agger

Charlotte A. Agger (she/her) is Assistant Professor in the Human Development program in the Counseling & Educational Psychology Department in the School of Education at Indiana University. She received her PhD in Educational Psychology, Measurement, and Evaluation from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research focuses on the schooling experiences of rural, Black, and LGBTQ+ adolescents and young adults. More specifically, she studies how family and school contexts, especially STEM-related contexts, interact with students’ motivation, feelings of belonging, performance, and persistence across high school and into college. In doing this work, she collaborates across disciplines, integrates critical theories and methods, and utilizes a variety of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches. She is an editorial board member of the Journal of Youth and Adolescence.

Wamnuga Win (Kiva Sam)

Wamnuga Win (Kiva Sam) is a Citizen of the Oglala Sioux Tribe from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. She is in her final year of her doctoral program at the University of South Dakota. She continues to mentor Indigenous students in high school as well as those who are attending college off the reservation. Kiva has previous experience in the areas of education, government and political advocacy, health care, and research. She is passionate about problem-solving and collaborating for solutions pertaining to systemic inequities by educating others in a way that elevates marginalized voices. EDUCATION is her HEALING, her RESISTANCE, and her ACTIVISM. Kiva serves on NASP’s Indigenous American Subcommittee. She was a recipient of the APA Minority Fellowship Program for Doctoral Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

Lisa N. Aguilar

Lisa N. Aguilar is an Indigenous (enrolled member of MHA Nation, Lakota, Dakota, and Chicanx) Researcher, Relative, and Assistant Professor of School Psychology at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Aguilar’s work aims to decolonize educational space and Indigenize school psychology by working alongside Indigenous youth and their families. She is concerned with the concepts of identity, specifically Indigeneity, and cultural humility and their influence on Indigenous youth and families' experiences in schools. Dr. Aguilar is the Cochair of NASP’s Indigenous American Subcommittee of which the goal is to increase the number of Indigenous school psychologists and advocate for Indigenous children. She is also an Editorial Board Member of School Psychology Review, Communique, a Board Member of Minnesota School Psychology Association, and a nationally certified School Psychologist.