Native American students miss school at higher rates. It only got worse during the pandemic

By Cheyanne Mumphrey, Felix Clary, Sharon Lurye, Morgan Lee and Alia Wong

While covering the pandemic’s missing students, the Education team uncovered a troubling trend: Native American/Alaska Native students face disproportionately high rates of chronic absenteeism. AP collaborated with ICT (formerly Indian Country Today) to dig into the issue.

AP education data reporter Sharon Lurye analyzed school absenteeism in 34 states, providing an unprecedented look at demographic differences. AP education reporter Cheyanne Mumphrey spent weeks building trust with leaders and families on Arizona’s San Carlos Apache Reservation. ICT reporter Felix Clary delivered a solutions story on Oklahoma, where Native youth defy the trend with above-average attendance rates. Collaborations editor Alia Wong shepherded the partnership with ICT and pulled together a webinar for local journalists, where Clary, Mumphrey and U.S. news reporter Morgan Lee gave extension tips for covering Native students.

AP’s data and journalism were shared in advance with nearly 90 partners in the Education Reporting Network, powering local coverage. 

The unprecedented national data reverberated across social media and in newsletters and the package was widely used by AP customers.

The judges noted that the AP has owned this story and has worked throughout to elevate the resonance, crafting  strong Localize Its, proactively sharing local data and leaning into its contacts with news organizations throughout the U.S.

For exclusive state-by-state data, respectful and contextualized coverage of absenteeism in Native communities, this team earns Best of the Week — Second Winner.

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