In 2023, the Kapor Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on expanding access and equity within the technology ecosystem, partnered with the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) to release a report titled “The State of Tech Diversity: The Native Tech Ecosystem.”
This report reveals that the percentage of associate degrees in computer science awarded to American Indian/Alaskan Native students has remained stagnant at 1%, while for Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students, it stands at just 0.4%.
Despite an increase in computer science degrees conferred in higher education since 2020, enrollment of Native students in both two-year and four-year institutions has shown little to no growth.
Representation among these groups at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels has seen only marginal changes between 2019 and 2021.
Frieda McAlear, director of Seeding Innovation at the Kapor Foundation, noted that the data reflects concerns that Native people have expressed for generations: “Not only are Native and Indigenous communities excluded from working in tech, but they are also denied the opportunity to learn about computing and the potential for careers in this field that could support their families and communities.”
The report identified foundational barriers that prevent these communities from accessing computer science education and technology careers.
Alarmingly, only 59% of Native students attend schools that offer computer science courses, and just 20% of high schools located on reservations provide this education.
The authors of the report called for significant reforms and investments to address these inequities, emphasizing the inclusion of Native cultures, communities, and perspectives to create a more sustainable and equitable future.
This includes increasing access to K-12 computer science courses, providing culturally relevant pedagogy and curriculum, recruiting and retaining Native students in postsecondary computing pathways, diversifying recruitment strategies, forming partnerships with tribes, investing in early-stage entrepreneurs, supporting growth capital, and expanding the pool of Native investors who can deploy capital.
The report also emphasized the need to critically examine the systems that create and profit from structural disparities in the tech industry.
It called for a deeper understanding of these systems to avoid reinforcing harmful narratives about Native communities.
Dr. Kathy DeerInWater, vice president of programs and research at AISES, highlighted the report’s urgent call to eliminate disparities through ongoing awareness, advocacy, educational resources, and professional development designed for Native communities.
Furthermore, the report underscored the need for greater diversity in tech leadership roles.
Between 2021 and 2022, representation of board members from historically excluded communities increased from 6.2% to 10%.
However, the top 200 tech companies had no board members of American Indian/Native Alaskan descent and only one from Native Hawaiian/Native Pacific Islander descent.
In 2022, American Indian/Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander founders secured only $23 million out of the $156 billion invested in U.S.-based entrepreneurship.
The report also called for the creation of alternative pathways for Native individuals within the tech workforce.
The first step into the tech industry is education, and significant inequities still exist.
While the number of registered apprenticeships in the U.S. has risen by 25% over the last six years—especially with a remarkable 216% increase in registered technical apprenticeships—only 1.1% of American Indian/Alaskan Native individuals and 0.6% of Native Hawaiian/Native Pacific Islander individuals hold these positions.
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