Eliza Loeks Mr. Michell English H 3/4 1 October 2016 Traditional Culture and Academic Success among American Indian Children in the Upper Midwest This article is about the studies that have been done on the academic success of American Indian children across the Upper Midwest. There were studies done on fifth through eighth graders who live among three American Indian reservations. The study was based off of the influence of traditional culture to academics. ​The variables used for these studies included age, gender, family structure, parent occupation and income, maternal warmth, extracurricular activities, enculturation, and self-esteem (Whitbeck, Hoyt, Stubben LaFromboise 1-2). There was no correlation between self esteem/enculturation, and academic performance. However, the results show that traditional culture and celebrating their origin in a number of ways positively influences the children's performance in school. Aside from that, there also can be difficulty originating from celebrating culture. While it might improve academic success, it can cause emotional/social distress. "Second, traditional culture may result in a cultural discontinuity that occurs when American Indian children find themselves in an intensive socialization environment that contradicts their traditional values and worldviews. From this point of view cultural conflict creates discomfort, lowers self-esteem, and fosters a sense of inadequacy that is continually reinforced in a European-American school system (Dehyle, 1992; Hornett, 1990; Sanders, 1987)" (Whitbeck, Hoyt, Stubben LaFromboise 1-2). Eliza Loeks Mr. Michell English H 3/4 1 October