New report highlights the need to address barriers that hinder Native communities’ access to CS education and tech careers

POSTED ON Nov 20, 2023

The Kapor Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access and equity in the technology ecosystem, has partnered with AISES to release a new report titled “The State of Tech Diversity: The Native Tech Ecosystem.”

The report highlights the need for the public to critically examine the systems that create and profit from structural disparities across the tech industry.

It calls for an understanding of these systems, so that the conclusions drawn do not reinforce harmful narratives about Native communities.

Dr. Kathy DeerInWater, vice president of programs and research at AISES, stated that the report underscores the pressing need to eliminate disparities through continued awareness and advocacy, educational resources, and professional development tailored to Native communities.

“We’re excited to partner with the Kapor Foundation to amplify our work to increase the representation of Indigenous communities in STEM fields and dismantle entry barriers that have historically left these populations out of the tech industry,” she added.

The report highlights the need to address foundational barriers that hinder Native communities’ access to computer science education and careers in technology.

Only 59% of Native students attend schools offering computer science, and only 20% of high schools on reservations provide it.

Although there has been a rise in the conferment of CS degrees in higher education since 2020, Native student enrollment at both two and four-year institutions has shown little to no growth.

The percentage of associate’s degrees in CS awarded has remained stagnant at 1% for American Indian/Alaskan Native students and 0.4% for Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students.

Similarly, representation among these communities at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels shows marginal shifts between 2019 and 2021.

Frieda McAlear, director of Seeding Innovation at the Kapor Foundation, said that the data underscores what Native people have been saying for generations.

“Not only are Native and Indigenous communities excluded from working in tech – they’re not even given the chance to learn about computing and the possibilities of working in computing fields to support their families and communities. The first step into the tech industry is education, and it’s clear there are still huge inequities in that step alone.”

The report also highlights the need for more alternative pathways for Natives within the tech workforce.

While the number of registered apprenticeships across the U.S. has grown by 25% over the last six years, with a 216% surge in the number of registered technical apprenticeships, only 1.1% of American Indian/Alaskan Native and 0.6% of Native Hawaiian/Native Pacific Islanders hold these positions.

Furthermore, there is a lack of diversity in tech leadership roles. Between 2021 and 2022, there was an increase in board members from historically excluded communities (from 6.2% to 10%).

Yet, the top 200 tech companies lacked any board members of American Indian/Native Alaskan descent and had only one board member of Native Hawaiian/Native Pacific Islander descent.

Finally, the report highlights the inequities that exist in venture capital, with only $23M in funding secured by American Indian/Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander founders, out of the $156B invested into U.S.-based entrepreneurship in 2022.

Based on these inequities, the report authors call for significant reforms and investments to include Native cultures, communities, and perspectives in efforts to build a more sustainable and equitable future.

This includes increasing access to CS K-12 courses, providing culturally revitalizing pedagogy and curriculum, recruiting and retaining Native students on postsecondary computing pathways, diversified recruitment strategies and partnerships with tribes, investments in developing early-stage entrepreneurs, supporting growth capital, and expanding the pool of Native investors deploying capital.

The Native #Tech Ecosystem, our NEW report w/ @AISES spotlights the barriers faced by Native Communities in the U.S. Tech Ecosystem! Learn more about recommendations for action to address these concerns to build a more sustainable and equitable future! https://t.co/1XWP9oQBw8 pic.twitter.com/yY6ruaAlk6

— Kapor Center (@KaporCenter) October 17, 2023