Four San Diego County Indian tribes have secured more than half a million dollars in state funding to help their young people do better in public schools. KPBS Reporter Ana Tintocalis has more.
State test scores show most Native American students are doing poorly in English and math. In fact, they join black and Latino students on the losing end of the state's achievement gap.
State education officials hope the half-a-million dollars will reverse that trend in San Diego County by supporting tribal centers that offer intervention and tutoring programs for at-risk students.
The state's Ernestos Ruiz says many of the students do poorly because of the state's curriculum.
Ruiz : We want to make sure we have students who feel good about who they are and where they come from that there's that sense of belonging when they go to public schools. So the centers work with school districts to have try to have a better understanding of the needs of these students.
The tribes getting the funding include Pala, Rincon and Viejas.
Ana Tintocalis, KPBS News.
