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In response to field requests for information about exclusionary discipline for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students, this report begins by defining the topic and some of the negative consequences that accompany its use. Presented are examples of how some states address problems of suspension and expulsion, which contribute to low graduation rates. These examples are accompanied by recent statistics that reveal adverse impacts on particular racial and ethnic groups. Additionally, specific recommendations for improving learning outcomes among AI/AN students are provided for policymakers and district leaders.

Resource Link: https://weeac.wested.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/WEEAC_Discipline_Equity_01.26-ADA-FINAL.pdf

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Discipline Equity for American Indian and Alaska Native Students: Recommendations for District Leaders

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In response to field requests for information about exclusionary discipline for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students, this report begins by defining the topic and some of the negative consequences that accompany its use. Presented are examples of how some states address problems of suspension and expulsion, which contribute to low graduation rates.

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This microcourse identifies culturally responsive college planning approaches for working with Indigenous students. The microcourse provides learners with resources to inform planning for college, career, and community life.

Target Audience: academic advisors, teachers, tribal education directors, high school students, school, district, county office of education, and state education agency personnel

Resource Link: https://wested.instructure.com/courses/3442845

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Indigenous Pathways in Planning for College, Career, and Community

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This microcourse identifies culturally responsive college planning approaches for working with Indigenous students. The microcourse provides learners with resources to inform planning for college, career, and community life.

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Flier Tribal Advocacy for Educational Change (1)

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Education Sovereignty: It Begins with Us 54th Annual NIEA Convention & Trade show 

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Education Sovereignty: It Begins with Us 54th Annual NIEA Convention & Trade show 

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Education Sovereignty: It Begins with Us

54th Annual NIEA Convention & Tradeshow in Albuquerque October 18-21, 2023.

Submission deadline is March 31:

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NIEA is accepting presenters for Workshops, Research Presentations, and Poster sessions that support and exemplify this year's theme, Education Sovereignty: It Begins with Us. The 54th Annual NIEA Convention & Tradeshow is hosted at the Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque, NM, October 18-21, 2023. Workshops are divided into 13 strands. Click HERE for more information about workshop strands.

We encourage submissions aligned to our theme that include but are not limited to topics such as building relationships that empower families and communities, language work, head start and early childhood programming, engaging elder knowledge, alignment of ecological knowledge and STEAM, whole child supports, post-secondary success, enacting Native education advocacy and policy, asset-based approaches to teaching and development, and culturally-grounded instructional practices for creating safe and healthy learning environments for students.

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2023 Call for Presenters - National Indian Education Association

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NIEA is accepting presenters for Workshops, Research Presentations, and Poster sessions that support and exemplify this year's theme, Education Sovereignty: It Begins with Us. The 54th Annual NIEA Convention & Tradeshow is hosted at the Albuquerque Convention Center in Albuquerque, NM, October 18-21, 2023. Workshops are divided into 13 strands.

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The Tribal Remedy Framework (TRF) is a comprehensive plan for meeting the educational needs of Native students and their tribal communities. It was created collectively by tribal community members and Indigenous education experts, following a series of tribal Community Education Institutes and Pueblo Convocations. The Tribal Remedy Framework has been endorsed by the leadership of New Mexico's 23 Nations, Tribes and Pueblos.

The TRF responds to the landmark 2018 Yazzie/Martinez v. State of New Mexico court ruling (visit our Research Page for additional information), which ordered the state to transform the public education system to ensure that all students receive the programs and services necessary to be college, career and community ready.

The TRF outlines initial steps for an overhaul of education governance, funding, programming and services. The proposals are aligned with the mandates of the Yazzie/Martinez ruling and the Indian Education Act of 2003. They are part of the Platform for Action developed by the broad-based coalition, Transform Education NM.

In its 2022 session, the New Mexico legislature unanimously passed , a Tribal Remedy Framework bill. This legislation will guarantee equal pay for Native language teachers. of the value of Native languages and the distinguished individuals who teach our languages." House Bill 60 The Chair of the All Pueblo Council of Governors, Mark Mitchell, said: "The cultural survival of Tribes depends on the preservation and revitalization of tribal languages. APCG welcomes this long overdue recognition
Read the APCG press release here.

Tribal Remedy Framework Report:

Pathways to Education SovereigntyReport: This report presents Indigenous solutions to New Mexico's education crisis and makes the case for a dramatic change in course to close the equity gap faced by Native children.

Download the report summary or the full-length report:

Tribal Remedy Framework Factsheets:

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Native American Budget and Policy Institute

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The Tribal Remedy Framework (TRF) is a comprehensive plan for meeting the educational needs of Native students and their tribal communities. It was created collectively by tribal community members and Indigenous education experts, following a series of tribal Community Education Institutes and Pueblo Convocations.

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Briefing in the Tribal Framework for Transforming Education 

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Briefing in the Tribal Framework for Transforming Education 

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Native American education advocates in NM seek long-term funding for reform

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Native American education advocates in NM seek long-term funding for reform

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Rep. Derrick Lente pursues $50 million to put tribes in the driver's seat and start a Tribal Education Trust Fund

Rep. Derrick Lente (D-Sandia Pueblo) received endorsements Monday for two bills intended to directly address the legacy of racism and disparity for Indigenous students in New Mexico's schools.

The bills would allocate millions in funding toward equitable education in the state, prioritizing tribal leadership and funding for tribal efforts to build culturally and linguistically relevant programs.

"Our proposals have been the most direct, targeted pieces of legislation for Native American education," Lente said. "The state has been throwing money at a problem, and that's not going to solve things."

He said the lack of targeted investments have been a hindrance to improving tribal education.

The Legislative Education Study Committee voted to endorse one bill that would amend the Indian Education Act. The other is asking the state for $50 million to upstart a trust fund to help tribes build educational programs and systems for tribal communities across New Mexico.

"It's about doggone time that we use these resources the way the communities that would most benefit from know-how to use them," Rep. Christine Trujillo (D-Albuquerque) said in support of the trust fund.

The Tribal Education Trust Fund, if passed, would pull $50 million from the Public Education Reform Fund with an annual 5% distribution starting in fiscal year 2025. Tribes would initially get about $100,000 each.

Lente plans to introduce the endorsed legislation later this week.

All Pueblo Council of Governors Chairman Mark Mitchell (Tesque) spoke in favor of the trust fund, quoting Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Single Garment of Destiny" speech where he said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."

Lente said the delays to bridging the education gaps for Native students has been denying those students the right to a good education.

"This goes right along with the same notion of how many Native American students have (been) denied ... an equitable (allotment) to allow them to learn how they want to learn in their own communities," he told the committee.

It's been almost five years since the landmark Yazzie-Martinez ruling found that New Mexico violates the constitutional rights of students learning English, living with disabilities or in poverty. The court also highlighted a public school system that failed Native American communities from pre-K to high school.

Despite more than $1 billion invested into the state's Public Education Department since the ruling in 2018 - and another request this year to the Legislature for more funding to meet the court's order - Yazzie-Martinez advocates maintain the state simply does not have the capacity to meet its obligations to the ruling.

The state should invest money into tribal education systems, advocates say, so they can take the wheel on things such as developing traditional language classes, classwork tied to cultural heritage, and developing teachers or administrators from Native communities.

Lente's bills stem from solutions to Yazzie-Martinez already identified by the Tribal Remedy Framework, a plan developed by the University of New Mexico's Native American Budget and Policy Institute with the input of Native students, parents and community leaders.

Sometimes changes the state is attempting to improve education overall don't fit with Indigenous students' needs, he said, pointing to the push to extend student learning time. The initiative was born without tribal input and "creates more inequities for Native and rural communities," Lente said.

Many students living on tribal land have to be bussed an hour or more away to attend public school, and requiring them to be in school longer means they now have to wake up even earlier to commute, unlike students who live in the area.

Lente said tribes would be given money to expand educational programs and resources for students closer to their homes, with funding provided by the trust fund. Native students often cannot explore after-school activities because they live far away. Allocating money to the tribes themselves would empower tribal self-determination and allow for better responsiveness to student needs, he argued.

New Mexico shared a plan to address the Yazzie-Martinez ruling with tribal leaders in 2022 that included parts of the Tribal Remedy Framework, but leaders behind the tribal education plans said this is not enough.

Regis Pecos, the former governor of Cochiti Pueblo and longtime advocate for education reform, said PED does not have the capacity to meet its obligations outlined in the Yazzie-Martinez decision.

"Nothing will change even if the state invests millions of dollars in the same systems that don't have the capacity to respond to this ruling," Pecos said. "The way you make a permanent investment is for the Tribal Education Trust Fund to be established so it's sustainable, and it's not a political fight every year, which is the sad reality."

He calls for a drastic change in the system that would abandon the Western model of education that excludes Native children.

The Yazzie-Martinez ruling compels New Mexico to create this new model of education to give students the opportunity to see themselves reflected in what they're learning. But funding the same exclusive systems fails to recognize that Native students are citizens of two nations, Pecos said.

For Native students, being educationally and civically ready also means being able to speak their language, a familiarity with their culture and a knowledge of traditional laws.

The New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty, which represented plaintiffs in the Yazzie-Martinez case, said in a statement Lente's bills are necessary, adding that "without a comprehensive education plan, any state appropriations will remain a piecemeal attempt that will not meet the court's order requiring an overhaul or a transformation of the way public education is funded."

Monday's endorsement by the Legislative Education Study Committee, an interim committee that meets throughout the year to discuss the proposal's it supported, is just another branch of support from vital state leaders.

New Mexico Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard, whose office funds public education with revenue from extractive industries on state land, voiced support for the trust fund while campaigning in October before the All Pueblo Council of Governors.

She said now is the optimal time to invest in improved tribal education because the office's total assets have surpassed $40 billion for the first time in its history.

Garcia Richard cited inequities in access to the internet, a lack of culturally competent schooling and the lack of availability of Native languages classes as areas that need more investment and could not successfully grow without the leadership of the tribes.

For Lente, the bills are about pushing the state to meet the same obligations to Native students that it does to everyone else.

"Education for me was the great equalizer that gave me more experiences," he said. "Intentional planning toward education means everyone can also have that shot. We're not trying to win the Olympics of oppression, but the court ruled that we are living in disparity as Native Americans."

To read more stories from Source NM, visit www.sourcenm.com.

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Native American education advocates in NM seek long-term funding for reform

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Rep. Derrick Lente pursues $50 million to put tribes in the driver's seat and start a Tribal Education Trust Fund Rep. Derrick Lente (D-Sandia Pueblo) received endorsements Monday for two bills intended to directly address the legacy of racism and disparity for Indigenous students in New Mexico's schools.

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This is the PDF of the Slide Deck for Tribal Advocacy for Educational Change March 28 2023

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Finding Strategies to Bring Teachers of Color and Indigenous Teachers into the Profession

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Finding Strategies to Bring Teachers of Color and Indigenous Teachers into the Profession

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Evaluation Tribal Advocacy for Education Change Session Three

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Evaluation Tribal Advocacy for Education Change Session Three

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Session Three - Summary of Key Themes Tribal Advocacy for Educational Change 3-28-23

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Session Three - Summary of Key Themes Tribal Advocacy for Educational Change 3-28-23

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Session 3 Themes - Tribal Advocacy for Educational Change

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Session Three: Tribal Advocacy for Educational Change Video Link to Recording

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Session Three: Tribal Advocacy for Educational Change Video Link to Recording

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Tribal leaders are advocating for systemic change to improve educational outcomes for
American Indian and Alaska Native students. In this session, panelists share ways that
tribal governments and Native-serving organizations are designing and funding the
nurturing of students for school, college, career, and community life

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This is the flier for Indigenous Educator Pathways II. Designing Our Systems on February 14th 2023 

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The Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s Office of Native Education (ONE)

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The Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s Office of Native Education (ONE)

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The Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s Office of Native Education (ONE) provides assistance to school districts in meeting the educational needs of American Indian and Alaskan Native (AI/AN) students.

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The Office of Native Education (ONE) provides assistance to school districts in meeting the educational needs of American Indian and Alaskan Native (AI/AN) students. ONE serves as a liaison between OSPI and school districts, tribal governments, State-Tribal Education Compact schools (STECs), tribal schools, Native communities, parents/guardians of Native children, and other groups and individuals.

RCW 28A.300.105 places the Office of Native Education into statute.

Right to Tribal Regalia Act

Effective March 18, 2020, RCW 28A.600.500 affirms the inherent rights assured through tribal sovereignty and expressly provides that school districts must allow American Indian and Alaska Native K-12 and higher education students who are members of federally recognized tribes to wear traditional tribal regalia and objects of cultural significance at graduation ceremonies and related events. In addition, school districts and higher education institutions are required, when necessary, to update relevant policies or procedures in accordance with this law.

Bulletin 045-20 was issued by OSPI Superintendent Reykdal to every district superintendent, school principal, and school counselor affirming the right of American Indian and Alaska Native students to wear traditional regalia and items of cultural significance at graduation and other related events.

Tribal History in Social Studies Curriculum

Requirements in Washington's Basic Education Act

As districts review and revise social studies and history curricula, there are two new requirements passed by the 2015 Washington state Legislature.

1. Integrate Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State into current and newly-adopted social studies or history curricula.

2. Collaborate with federally recognized Indian tribes within or neighboring district boundaries.

Bulletin & State Law

OSPI Bulletin 006-16: Implementing Senate Bill 5433 (2015) Requirements for Teaching Tribal History, Culture, and Government

State-Tribal Education Compact Schools (STECs)

In 2013 the Legislature passed House Bill 1154, authorizing state-tribal education compact schools ( RCW.28A.715). The bill authorizes the Superintendent of Public Instruction to enter into state-tribal education compacts. The legislation exempts schools that are the subjects of state-tribal education compacts from all existing state statutes and rules regarding school districts and district boards of directors; establishes standards for teachers, staff, and curriculum; outlines admissions policies and school funding; and establishes reporting requirements on student enrollment. Compact schools are encouraged to implement early learning pilot programs. The Department of Early Learning is directed to form a working group to develop early learning pilot programs.

The Office of Native Education provides consultation to eligible federally recognized tribes and BIE schools located in Washington state who are interested in starting a STECs.

Washington State Native American Education Advisory Committee (WSNAEAC)

The Washington State Native American Education Advisory Committee (WSNAEAC) reconvened in March 2019 with the purpose of promoting leadership and the unique principles and effective practices of Native American education which helps to assure academic success and cultural integrity at the community, school, state, and tribal levels. The committee consists of 21 members nominated by tribes and tribal organizations to provide consultation with OSPI on matters and issues related to the well-being and achievement of AI/AN students who attend public, STECs, and tribal schools in Washington state.

First Peoples' First Language, Culture, & Oral Traditions Teacher Certification Program

Certification Application Process and Supports: Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB)

Seal of Biliteracy

To earn the Seal of Biliteracy, students must present proficiency in English and one or more other languages, including Tribal languages.

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The Office of Native Education (ONE) provides assistance to school districts in meeting the educational needs of American Indian and Alaskan Native (AI/AN) students.

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Preparing and Recruiting Native Teachers and Educational Leaders 

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Preparing and Recruiting Native Teachers and Educational Leaders 

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This brief from the National Comprehensive Center covers preparing and recruiting Native teachers and educational leaders; developing an Native knowledge educator preparation program curriculum and professional learning for current teachers; and certifying tribal speakers and culture experts to teach in schools.

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This brief explores ways in which state education agencies, local education agencies, tribal education departments, schools, and educator preparation programs can support teachers and leaders as they preserve Native culture, knowledge, and language to improve the lives of Native children and youth. Specifically, this brief covers preparing and recruiting Native teachers and educational leaders; developing an Native knowledge educator preparation program curriculum and professional learning for current teachers; and certifying tribal speakers and culture experts to teach in schools.

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This brief explores ways in which state education agencies, local education agencies, tribal education departments, schools, and educator preparation programs can support teachers and leaders as they preserve Native culture, knowledge, and language to improve the lives of Native children and youth.

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Native leaders say tribal education trust fund would be a game changer.

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Native leaders say tribal education trust fund would be a game changer.

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Education programs run by Native American tribes in New Mexico rely in part on money from the state, but accessing those dollars makes it difficult to complete all of the work they envision.

Tribal leaders and advocates have long lobbied for a change. This year they want to make it happen.

Each year, tribes can apply for grants, and if their applications are approved, they must spend the money first and then submit documentation to the state for reimbursement.

On paper, it sounds straightforward. But in reality, sometimes tribes can't spend down all the money by an artificial deadline. In fiscal year 2020-2021, 22 tribes received grants under the Indian Education Act but only two requested reimbursement for the full amount they were awarded.

It's a cycle that repeats year after year, hampering their ability to realize the vision of educating their own children.

With state lawmakers heading into the 2023 legislative session with a multi-billion dollar surplus, Rep. Derrick Lente, a Democrat from Sandia Pueblo, said he will introduce legislation to create a $50 million tribal education trust fund that would provide tribes automatic funding every year.

Tribes would use annual interest earned on trust fund money for language revitalization efforts, resources such as wi-fi, and career readiness programs, among other priorities. It would give tribes greater autonomy, Lente said. Tribes could develop educational services guided entirely by their own communities rather than depend on small grants the state awards for specific uses.

Native people live in two societies with different educational focuses, he said, and tribes don't want one to overwhelm the other.

"One being the more Western-focused society, where you go to school, you earn a diploma, you get a job, and you work at that job to sustain a family, that's the Western style," he told New Mexico In Depth. "But there's also our more traditional, Indigenous style of education where you learn the language, you learn the traditions and the culture. You learn the songs, you learn the dances."

The All Pueblo Council of Governors in November passed a resolution calling on state lawmakers to create such a fund. It's time to make historic investments in the education and other needs of Native American children after decades of neglect, Lente and tribal leaders say.
The need for change
There's a profound need to improve education for Native students.

A landmark 2018 court ruling, Yazzie/Martinez v. State of New Mexico, found the state has failed its constitutional duty to provide an adequate education to Native children, along with low-income students, English language learners, and students with disabilities, who together represent 70% of students in the state.

That failure has resulted in poor outcomes for those student populations, including the lowest graduation rate in the country and low proficiency rates in reading and math.

Despite progress in recent years, Native students continue to graduate high school at lower rates than their peers, at 71.5% compared to 76.8% for all students in 2021.

In New Mexico's largest school district, Albuquerque Public Schools, Native students have the lowest proficiency in reading, math, and science of any student group, according to the district's latest Indian Education report. Math saw the worst rate of the three, with just 12.4% of Native students testing at or above proficient.

And in 2019, only one out of 10 Native American students completed an advanced placement exam that would earn the student college credits while still in high school, according to plaintiffs in the Yazzie/Martinez lawsuit.

Automatic year-over-year funding for tribal education departments and greater tribal control over the education of Native children are two of several recommendations in the Tribal Remedy Framework, a plan created in response to the court ruling that's endorsed by leadership of the state's 23 tribes, pueblos, and nations.

A trust fund that automatically generates interest revenue for tribally-controlled education would speak to both of those demands, which are rooted in a genocidal history regarding Indian education.

Between 1819 and 1969, the federal government operated more than 400 boarding schools designed to destroy Indigenous languages and cultures and assimilate Native children, who were taken from their families.

An untold number of children died, although the Department of the Interior has accounted for over 500 deaths according to a report published in May 2022 and expects that number could rise to the tens of thousands with continued investigation.

Another result of the boarding school era has been a dramatic and rapid decline in the number of Native language speakers.

When the government eventually shut most of the boarding schools, many Native children went into the public school system, over which tribes, again, haven't had authority and where children often aren't given the opportunity to learn their heritage language.

Take public school students in Albuquerque.

Roughly 4,000 students affiliated with the Navajo Nation are enrolled in the city's public schools, but as of late August, only about 200 of those students were taking Navajo language classes.

Philip Farson, director of the district's Indian Education Department, previously told New Mexico In Depth that the district would need to hire up to 100 Navajo language teachers over the next few years to meet the language programming needs of all Diné students.

The district, as of October, employed six.

There are other deficiencies as well.

"In tribal communities, there are few programs, few services, and very limited facilities," Lente told lawmakers at a joint meeting of the Indian Affairs and Legislative Education Study committees this fall. He and Regis Pecos, a former governor of Cochiti Pueblo and co-director of the Leadership Institute at Santa Fe Indian School, presented the trust fund proposal.

"In many cases, and I think this was really brought to light by COVID, but even prior to COVID, students don't have anywhere to go," Lente said. "We don't have anything on tribal lands. When you saw the pictures of the children huddled around a building outside simply to get their work done, that happened before COVID. It's happening today still."

Early on in the pandemic, some Native students could be seen sitting or parked on school grounds to connect to the schools' broadband internet because they didn't have it at home, according to court motions filed by school superintendents related to the 2018 Yazzie/Martinez court ruling.

Many children travel from their tribal communities to go to public schools and when they go home for the day or the weekend, they often leave behind "the opportunities and the abilities to continue to work like their peers and to learn like their peers," Lente said.

The majority of Native children in New Mexico attend public school rather than Bureau of Indian Education operated or tribally controlled schools - 40,759 students compared to 6,704 students, respectively, during the last school year, according to the state Public Education Department's latest tribal education status report.

The goal of the trust fund isn't to build schools in every tribal nation, Lente said, but rather educational hubs - safe spaces, with heating in the winter and cooling in the summer, that could provide, for example, internet, language classes, tutoring, and college and career readiness programs to all Native students, regardless of whether they attend school in their tribal nations or go to public school.

In Zia Pueblo, many of those services are already available to the pueblo's children, most of whom attend school in nearby Jemez Pueblo, Bernalillo, and elsewhere. The pueblo is currently building an early childhood education center that will also be used occasionally for community events.

Marsha Leno, Zia Pueblo's education director, said revenue the tribe can count on every year would help grow the pueblo's language program and staff to help guide students through an educational plan and ensure they're receiving support in school.

She'd also like to construct a building for her team to have offices and meeting space. They are currently spread out in a handful of buildings. A central location, she said, would make it easier for community members to connect with services, and added tutoring and other academic assistance could also be offered there.

Those ambitions are informed by community input that Leno, who's a member of Zia Pueblo and a Yazzie/Martinez plaintiff, said she worked hard to gather when she became director almost three years ago.

Leno worked for two other tribal education departments before returning to her home community as an early childhood education manager and then director.

"My thing was I was tired of making other tribal members from different tribes doctors, lawyers, sending them to school," Leno said. "Why can't I do it for my own people? That's why I'm here. I want my people to be successful, too."
A dysfunctional system
Tribes and school districts that serve Native American students apply for annual grants from the Indian Education Fund, set up by New Mexico's 2003 Indian Education Act, which is supposed to ensure equitable and culturally relevant education for Native children.

Education priorities identified in the grant requests vary by tribe.

Isleta Pueblo's priority for the roughly $92,000 it was awarded in 2020-2021, for instance, was "culture and identity development," according to the state education department. The grant's outcomes included 150 students engaging in Tiwa language lessons and 30 students receiving internet hotspots to continue those lessons virtually.

Santa Ana Pueblo, which was awarded nearly $100,000, focused on college, career, and life readiness, and reported that 12 students received credit recovery support and all middle and high schoolers got access to tutoring.

Neither pueblo requested reimbursement for the full award amounts.

One possible reason for that: Slow processing of funds by the Public Education Department can lead to grant recipients having less time to spend the funding, according to a January 2021 progress report by Legislative Finance Committee evaluators.

"It's a common occurrence and that's definitely where bureaucracy gets in the way and almost sets up tribes, education departments to fail," Lente said.

Between fiscal years 2018 and 2020, 29% of awards from the Indian Education Fund went unspent, according to the legislative report, which notes that grant recipients are required to submit documentation and invoices before the state releases funds.

A 2018 report from the same committee called on the state education department to "improve the timeliness of grant administrative processes."

It doesn't help that many tribal education departments are understaffed and experience high turnover due to underfunding, making spending grants even more difficult, according to a December 2020 report by the Tribal Education Alliance.

Zia and Jemez Pueblo were the only tribes that requested full reimbursement in 2020-2021.

Leno said despite Zia Pueblo's spending the full grant amount, she's been frustrated and at times confused by the state's grant process, including reporting requirements.

Grants go through a multi-stage approval process before they can be spent, which takes time away from implementation, Leno said. "Why waste our time there when we have other priorities here within our community? I know we need the funding but we need to move forward."

State education department spokesperson Kelly Pearce wrote in an email the department "has been actively streamlining the process to ensure that it is clear and consistent, easier to navigate and faster," but didn't offer specifics.

There's a need not only for consistent funding but also greater tribal control, Leno said.

"Allow us to run our departments the way we want to run them," she said.

Money generated by the proposed trust fund would be distributed to tribes annually based on a formula and the dollars that are unspent wouldn't return to the state.

Staff from the Legislative Education Study Committee and the State Investment Council, which manages investments for the state's four permanent funds, helped develop the concept.

"Given the nature of things in New Mexico, where oil and gas prices can drive budget cuts one year and deliver giant windfalls just a few years later, these funds help you plan for the future and help steady the ship when things get rough," Charles Wollmann, communications director for the investment council, told lawmakers at the September meeting where Lente and Pecos presented the proposal.

The trust fund wouldn't replace the Indian Education Fund, Pecos said in an interview, but would add to it, empowering tribes to create sustainable, community-based programs.

"It comes at a time when language and culture is at its most fragile state it's ever been," Pecos said. "And that's because of the waves of the onslaught of policies and laws to purposefully kill language and culture to assimilate our people, but the resistance has been 150 years of pushing back...If we don't succeed, we can see the end of language and as our elders say, when we lose language and we lose, subsequently, culture and a way of life, that will be the end of who we are as Indigenous peoples."

Pecos served for many years as executive director of the state Office of Indian Affairs and, later, chief of staff to the late Speaker of the state House of Representatives Ben Luján. He said that while his legislative history spans over almost 25 years, he considers the trust fund proposal to be the most important of his career.

"If we prevail, it may be the game-changer we've not had in the last 150 years," Pecos said.

Recent history, however, suggests the education trust fund might need substantial persuasion to pass muster with state lawmakers.

Lente sponsored two bills during the 2022 session that would've given tribes more than $40 million for education. One of the bills would have also created a recurring appropriation in the annual state budget that tribes could've counted on.

That effort failed, and the Indian Education Fund got $15 million.

The boost, while less than what Lente had sought, was a substantially greater amount than any previous year.

Neither the Legislature's nor Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's budget requests include funding for the education trust fund, but when asked whether the governor supports the proposal, spokesperson Nora Meyers Sackett said Lujan Grisham is asking for over $25 million, up from the current $15 million, for the Indian Education Fund.

At the request of tribal governments, her administration is also proposing budgetary language that would extend the grant cycle to two years, Meyers Sackett said, with the state education department able to extend that time period if needed through future appropriations language.

Asked whether he's optimistic about the trust fund proposal passing, Lente said: "I have to be. This is an initiative that we don't take a break from."

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Native leaders say tribal education trust fund would be game changer - New Mexico In Depth

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Education programs run by Native American tribes in New Mexico rely in part on money from the state, but accessing those dollars makes it difficult to complete all of the work they envision. Tribal leaders and advocates have long lobbied for a change. This year they want to make it happen.

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Slide Deck Indigenous Educator Pathways II February 14

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Evaluation for Indigenous Educator Pathways Webinar Session Two 

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Evaluation for Indigenous Educator Pathways Webinar Session Two 

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Indigenous Educator Pathways Webinar 2_Summary with open-ended responses_3.1.2023

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Summary of Key Themes - Indigenous Educator Pathways Session Two

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Summary of Key Themes - Indigenous Educator Pathways Session Two

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Indigenous Educator Pathways Session Two Video Link Recording

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Indigenous Educator Pathways Session Two Video Link Recording

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Making a Difference for American Indian and Alaska Native Students: Innovations and Wise Practices

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American Indian and Alaska Native Educators comprise 0.5 percent of the teacher workforce in the United States. Recruiting and sustaining this educator population in both urban and rural settings is a persistent challenge throughout the country. This session focuses on systemic efforts and innovations that prepare, place, and sustain American Indian and Alaska Native educators, including alternative licensure pathways.

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This is a three-part series, the first session focused ----, the second session focused on ,,,,,

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Indigenous Educator Pathways - Innovations and Wise Practices.pdf

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The Northern California Indian Development Council

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The Northern California Indian Development Council

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The Northern California Indian Development Council, Inc. was established in 1976 to research, develop and administer social and economic development programs designed to meet the needs of Indian and Native American Communities; to provide support and technical assistance for the development of such programs, and the conservation and preservation of historic and archeological sites and resources.

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For More Info Contact:
Indian Education Program
888 4th Street
Crescent City, CA 95531
Phone: 707-460-6592
Fax: 707-460-6595

"Let us put our minds together and see what life we will make for our children."
~Sitting Bull~

New! Teaching about American Indians (download the pdf!)
Approximately 100 local families receive direct services from the Del Norte Indian Education Program. The program has developed a network of services that focuses on the needs of families and children to encourage both scholastic and personal attainment. These services are center-based and fulfill the need to have a central location designed to provide access to educational services, academic resources, and social service referrals. Advocacy is provided to families for meetings with school officials or for other related needs. In addition, the Indian Education Program provides a suitable meeting and conference room for students, parents and the community. Students are served as a cooperative effort between local Tribes, the School District, and the Johnson O'Malley and Title IX Indian Education Programs.

Mission Statement for the
California State Department Of Education American Indian Education Office:
"The Mission of the American Indian Education Office is to lead, serve and motivate educational agencies of California to provide high quality and efficient educational programs which allow American Indian students to develop to the highest degree possible in the language, academic, and social skills necessary to participate fully in all aspects of life without compromising their unique cultural heritage." Scholarships for Native American Students DNIEC Goals:

Improve academic achievement of Native American students with an emphasis on reading, language arts, and mathematics.
Improve self concept of American Indian students.

Establish and maintain liaison relationships between parents schools and communities.

Provide educational, training and leadership opportunities for parents.

Serve as a resource center for the community.

Provide school district with support for staff training and curriculum development.

DNIEC Services:

Academic and other appropriate assistance for students, parents, school staff and community members

Access to computers

Career and Academic counseling

Cultural Classes

Resource Library

Advocacy services

Social Service referrals

Community Center for workshops and meetings

Assist with GED and Adult Vocational Training as needed

Liaison between Native community and public schools

Del Norte Indian Education Prorgam Resources Links to information about American Indian Education Student Study Resources and Links Scholarships for Native American Students
For More Information Contact:
Indian Education Program
888 4th Street
Crescent City, CA 95531
Phone: 707-460-6592
Fax 707-460-6595

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For More Info Contact: Indian Education Program 888 4th Street Crescent City, CA 95531 Phone: 707-460-6592 Fax: 707-460-6595 "Let us put our minds together and see what life we will make for our children." ~Sitting Bull~ New! Teaching about American Indians (download the pdf!)

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Diversifying the Teacher Workforce with ‘Grow Your Own’ Programs

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Diversifying the Teacher Workforce with ‘Grow Your Own’ Programs

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https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/edcentral/diversifying-teacher-workforce-grow-your-own-pathways/

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Diversifying the Teacher Workforce with ‘Grow Your Own’ Programs

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Across the country, Grow Your Own programs aim to bridge the diversity gap between teachers and students.

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The First Migratory Learners, guided by Patricia Whitefoot and produced by REL NW.

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Northern Arizona University Indigenous Teacher Prep Program

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Northern Arizona University Indigenous Teacher Prep Program

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Preparing Indigenous Teachers for Arizona Schools (PITAS)

Preparing Indigenous Teachers for Arizona Schools (PITAS) is designed for para-professionals, educational assistants, and others in Native-serving schools across Arizona who want to become certified K-8 teachers. You will earn either your bachelor's or master's degree in Elementary Education and teaching certification in two years, while you stay in your home community and continue working in your school. Classes will be delivered in a hybrid format that accommodates your work schedule; and you will participate in occasional weekend community residencies and a summer residency at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff.

The program begins in October 2022, and ends in June 2024.

PITAS is designed to allow you to stay in your home community and school while also earning your degree to become a teacher! In partnership with the College of Education, INE staff will work with the PITAS cohort to ensure each person's successful journey through coursework, graduation, and into a teaching position.

PITAS cohort members will receive a small stipend and laptop. As an admitted student in the BSED/MED Elementary Education program, you are eligible to participate in the Arizona Teachers Academy (ATA) which will cover your tuition and mandatory fees after all other scholarships and gift aid are applied. To receive this funding, you will need to complete a FAFSA every year along with seeking ATA support, and remain in good academic standing at NAU. As a result of receiving this funding, you will commit to teaching at an Arizona public school for the number of years you receive the funding.

PITAS was developed because Indigenous leaders and educators requested a pathway for community members to become certified classroom teachers. Housed in NAU's Institute for Native-serving Educators (INE), PITAS centers Indigenous educational approaches and knowledge. Our goal is to prepare culturally responsive teachers for schools serving Arizona's 22 Native Nations.

Eligibility criteria

Individuals working as Para-Professionals, Educational Assistants, etc. in schools on or bordering any of Arizona's 22 Native Nations are eligible if they can provide a fingerprint clearance card and have the following:

For the master's degree pathway:

A completed bachelor's degree from an accredited institution.

GPA of 3.0 = full admittance

Below 3.0 undergraduate gpa must petition the College of Education Admissions Committee to achieve conditional admittance with allowance to achieve 3.0 in graduate-level work with first nine (9) graduate credit hours

College Algebra or equivalent with a minimum grade of C

ENG foundation composition course(s) with a minimum cumulative English GPA of 3.0
If the English composition GPA is not 3.0, the applicant can complete one of the following NAU courses (or an advisor approved writing course) with a minimum grade of B: ENG 105, ENG 205, 210, 211, 220, 270, 302W or 310W.

One lab science with a minimum grade of C

A copy of IVP fingerprint clearance card

For the full list of requirements, please refer to the "how to get started" tab.

How to get started

1. Gather your unofficial transcripts

2. Contact the Assistant Director of INE and Anchor Faculty for PITAS program Jimmy (James) Snyder: 505-860-6133, James.Snyder@nau.edu

3. Set up an appointment with Josh Perkins (NAU Coordinator) www.calendly.com/naujoshperkins

4. Jimmy and Josh will assist you through the application process

5. Click here to see the full list of prerequisites for the bachelor's program, and click here for the prerequisites for the master's program

For questions about program requirements and application, contact Josh Perkins: 602-298-4014, northvalley@nau.edu

PITAS schedule

The program begins in mid-October 2022, and ends in June 2024. Virtual classes will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5-8pm. The cohort will have occasional weekend in-person meetings and a summer residency at NAU in Flagstaff.

We encourage you to apply right away in order to ensure you are ready for Fall classes!

Benefits of program participation

The program is designed for para-professionals and others working in Native-serving schools

You will remain in your community while completing your courses synchronously online (via Zoom)

Cohort members are eligible to apply for ATA funding, which covers tuition and mandatory fees after all other scholarships and gift aid are applied

Cohort members will receive a laptop and an $800 stipend each semester

All education classes will be taken with the cohort, and classes will be designed for relevance to teaching in Arizona's Native-serving schools

Faculty and staff will provide mentorship and support

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PITAS | Institute for Native-serving Educators

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Preparing Indigenous Teachers for Arizona Schools (PITAS) is designed for para-professionals, educational assistants, and others in Native-serving schools across Arizona who want to become certified K-8 teachers. You will earn either your bachelor's or master's degree in Elementary Education and teaching certification in two years, while you stay in your home community and continue working in your school.

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https://www.alaska.edu/educatorsrising/

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Home - Dual Language Education of New Mexico

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Home - Dual Language Education of New Mexico

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Dual Language Education of New Mexico’s mission is to develop, support, and advocate for high-quality dual language education in New Mexico, and beyond

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Home - Dual Language Education of New Mexico

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Latest news concerning our dual language communities in New Mexico and the U.S.

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Systems and Supports to Develop Indigenous Educators

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Systems and Supports to Develop Indigenous Educators

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Systems and Supports to Develop Indigenous Educators | A Landscape Analysis | Region 16 Comprehensive Center

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Obscured Identities: Improving the Accuracy of Identification of American Indian and Alaska Native Students (2017)

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Obscured Identities: Improving the Accuracy of Identification of American Indian and Alaska Native Students (2017)

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This brief serves as a resource for K-12 districts, state education agencies, higher education institutions and district Title VI Indian education offices. The brief outlines the challenges in identifying American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) students, provides federal definitions and offers a set of promising practices for different audiences.

American Indians are the only group in the country that must prove their race or ethnicity through membership or descendancy to receive designated federal services and funding.

This is critical for several reasons. One is that the definition of who qualifies as (AI/AN) influences the funding, programs and policies available to Indian Country. Inaccurate identification of AI/AN students can also present serious noncompliance issues with the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The ways AI/AN students are defined and identified vary-which has created many challenges, including dramatic fluctuations in AI/AN student counts. Differences between federal definitions of who qualifies as AI/AN, as well as revised data-collection processes that do not allow multiple races and ethnicities to be recorded, have led to significant under-identification of K-12 Native students. This is particularly true for students with complex ancestries.

Inaccurate data impact the statistics generated from ethnic and racial classifications, such as graduation and dropout rates, attendance rates and percentages of students meeting academic standards. Without accurate data, it is impossible to track the improvements or declines in AI/AN student success-which undermines confidence in data on Native students. It also suggests students who are eligible for educational services and opportunities may not be receiving them.

Accurate student counts are necessary to ensure treaty obligations are fulfilled, programs designed to meet the needs of Native students are appropriately funded, and the performance of AI/AN students can be reliably tracked.

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Obscured Identities: Improving the Accuracy of Identification of American Indian and Alaska Native Students

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This brief serves as a resource for K-12 districts, state education agencies, higher education institutions and district Title VI Indian education offices. The brief outlines the challenges in identifying American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) students, provides federal definitions and offers a set of promising practices for different audiences.

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Strategic Investments of One-Time Funds for Tribal Governments

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Strategic Investments of One-Time Funds for Tribal Governments

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This brief provides insights from tribal leaders who offer strategies for directing one-time federal funds to improve educational outcomes and strengthen infrastructure for the 574 federally recognized tribes in the United States.

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Strategic Investments of One-Time Funds for Tribal Governments

Description

The disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 virus on Native American peoples has amplified educational and health care inequities that have persisted for Native peoples throughout the United States resulting from federal policies that disrupted and attempted to erase Indigenous educational systems, family structures, and languages.

As tribal citizens and government leaders continue to take action to protect their communities, the allocation of $20 billion in one-time federal relief funds in response to the COVID-19 pandemic offers a way to help address immediate needs as well as those that tribal leaders have been working to address for generations.

This brief provides insights from tribal leaders who offer strategies for directing one-time federal funds to improve educational outcomes and strengthen infrastructure for the 574 federally recognized tribes in the United States.

Resource Details

Product Information

Copyright: 2022
Pages: 8
Publisher: WestEd

Related Resources

This Federal Aid Policy Brief offers five strategies that state and local education agency leaders can use to ensure federal aid is allocated equitably at the school level based on need - so that students who face the highest barriers to learning during the pandemic receive additional support.

This policy brief provides context on the sheer magnitude of federal COVID-19 relief aid for K-12 education and describes the opportunities and challenges that the funding brings.

This brief provides an overview of three strategies for planning for sustainability, or long-term improvements in local and state education systems, when investing one-time federal funds.

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Strategic Investments of One-Time Funds for Tribal Governments

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Strategic Investments of One-Time Funds for Tribal Governments The disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 virus on Native American peoples has amplified educational and health care inequities that have persisted for Native peoples throughout the United States resulting from federal policies that disrupted and attempted to erase Indigenous educational systems, family structures, and languages.

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Improving the Accuracy of Native Student Identification (2021)

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Improving the Accuracy of Native Student Identification (2021)

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American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) students are eligible to receive unique educational supports from a variety of programs. However, many Native students do not receive the services they are entitled to, simply because they are not identified as Native when they enroll in school.

To ensure AIAN students receive these resources and benefits-and other supports they need to succeed in school-the adults in their lives must have the information they need to advocate for them.

Native Youth Count, a resource guide for families of AIAN students, explains the importance of accurate identification, describes the different services and programs Native students may be eligible for, and more.

In addition, a video created for schools and districts explains how properly identifying Native youth can help ensure appropriate program funding, uphold treaty obligations, and track student achievement. It also suggests how to create school- or district-wide engagement plans for reaching out to Native families and caregivers.

These resources, produced by REL Northwest at Education Northwest and the Northwest Tribal Educators Alliance, build on the partnership's May 2017 research brief, Obscured Identities: Improving the Accuracy of Identification of American Indian and Alaska Native Students.

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Improving the Accuracy of Native Student Identification

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American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) students are eligible to receive unique educational supports from a variety of programs. However, many Native students do not receive the services they are entitled to, simply because they are not identified as Native when they enroll in school.

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"You are never too little to understand your culture”: Strengthening early childhood teachers through the Diné Institute for Navajo Nation Educators.

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"You are never too little to understand your culture”: Strengthening early childhood teachers through the Diné Institute for Navajo Nation Educators.

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Teacher shortages are pervasive in Native schools across the country. The National Indian Education Association (NIEA) and TNTP are working collaboratively to recruit and retain effective teachers and unleash the power of the seventh generation of Native students.

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Teacher shortages are pervasive in Native schools across the country. The National Indian Education Association (NIEA) and TNTP are working collaboratively to recruit and retain effective teachers and unleash the power of the seventh generation of Native students.

THE OPPORTUNITY. From big cities to the most remote villages, schools across the country are developing and implementing innovative, community-based strategies for solving their teacher pipeline challenges. Native schools demonstrate great potential for growth, yet rural isolation, small budgets, and low visibility on the job market hamper efforts to find new teachers and educators that will thrive in Native schools. NIEA launched the National Educator Initiative to share best practices and to create a first of its kind national recruitment website and job board designed specifically for Native schools.

WHAT WE'VE DONE SO FAR. We partnered with a Native design firm to create teach.niea.org, a website that highlights the benefits of working in Native schools and have enrolled public school districts, tribally-controlled schools, and the Bureau of Indian Education to post open teaching positions and search for applicants who are uniquely qualified for those roles.

By housing vacancies in Native schools in one place, we're streamlining the job search for teachers who are interested in working in Native schools, reducing their time to apply, and opening the door to recruiting a new audience of teachers who hadn't previously considered working in Native schools. For schools, we're providing the chance to search for applicants by tribal affiliation, culture and language certification, and culturally-relevant teaching experience. And we conduct basic eligibility screens of teachers to check that they have appropriate certification. The National Educator Initiative job board currently comes at no cost to schools or teachers. Click below to visit the job board.

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National Educator Initiative Project - National Indian Education Association

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Teacher shortages are pervasive in Native schools across the country. The National Indian Education Association (NIEA) and TNTP are working collaboratively to recruit and retain effective teachers and unleash the power of the seventh generation of Native students. THE OPPORTUNITY.

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Recruiting, Hiring, and Training Alaska’s Rural Teachers:How Superintendents Practice Place-Conscious Leadership

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Recruiting, Hiring, and Training Alaska’s Rural Teachers:How Superintendents Practice Place-Conscious Leadership

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Cultivating Nebraska's Indigenous Roots to Grow American Indian Teachers

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Cultivating Nebraska's Indigenous Roots to Grow American Indian Teachers

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Cultivating Nebraska’s Indigenous Roots to Grow American Indian Teachers

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A teacher preparation program in Nebraska aims to develop more American Indian teachers

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Schooled Radio Interview with Dr. Niki Sandoval

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Schooled Radio Interview with Dr. Niki Sandoval

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Launching our seventh season (and third year!) of Schooled Radio, we are honored to have as our guest Dr. Niki Sandoval, a graduate of the Gevirtz School and an advocate for education and community.

Dr. Niki Sandoval currently serves as the Senior Strategic Development Manager in the Strategic Resource Planning and Implementation team at WestEd, which offers support through capacity-building, facilitation of professional learning networks, policy implementation strategies, and analysis of financial data, including data on the effective use of resources. She brings rich expertise to her work with state, regional, and local education agencies in aligning their education policies, strategies, and accountability practices to achieve more equitable outcomes for students.

Prior to joining WestEd, Sandoval was the Education Director for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians for more than 10 years. She worked in partnership with tribal government leaders to refine education policies and strategic educational investments, including school readiness, educational attainment, and career transitions.

She extends her leadership as a Trustee of the Santa Barbara Foundation and served two terms as a member of the California State Board of Education from 2013 to 2020. In addition, Sandoval is a Continuing Lecturer in the Department of Education at UC Santa Barbara, where she works to engage undergraduates in the examination of equity issues in education. She frequently speaks on the topic of tribal governance and systematic approaches to improving educational outcomes for Native students. Sandoval's publications include a chapter titled "Tok'oy: a Circle of Promise for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians," which discusses the power of Tribal government policies and investments to transform educational outcomes for Native students, in the anthology On Indian Ground: A Return to Indigenous Knowledge - Generating Hope, Leadership and Sovereignty through Education (2017).

Sandoval began her career at the J. Paul Getty Museum of Art and continued at the Smithsonian Institution, where she held the position of Assistant Director of Community Services for the National Museum of the American Indian. Sandoval holds a Ph.D. in Education from the Gevirtz School at the University of California at Santa Barbara, a master's in Museum Studies from George Washington University, and a bachelor's degree in Public Relations from Pepperdine University.

Here are a few links Dr. Sandoval recommends or mentions during our discussion:

Bits of Music You May Notice: Yo La Tengo, "Georgia Vs. Yo La Tengo," Golden Palominos, "Pure," Roxy Music, "If There Is Something."
This episode was first broadcast on KCSB-FM 91.9 on Thursday, October 6, 2022.

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Creating Equitable Outcomes with Dr. Niki Sandoval - Schooled Radio

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Launching our seventh season (and third year!) of Schooled Radio, we are honored to have as our guest Dr. Niki Sandoval, a graduate of the Gevirtz School and an advocate for education and community.

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Equitable Outcomes for Indigenous Students: Q&A with WestEd's Niki Sandoval

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Equitable Outcomes for Indigenous Students: Q&A with WestEd's Niki Sandoval

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In this Equity in Focus post, we feature a Q&A with Niki Sandoval, Senior Strategic Development Manager at WestEd. Dr. Sandoval has spent her career addressing inequity in education, and in this Q&A she highlights practices that can contribute to equitable outcomes for Indigenous students.
Q: Tell us about yourself and your role at WestEd.
I work closely with tribal, state, federal, and local leaders to align their policies, strategies, and accountability practices in order to achieve more equitable outcomes for youth and adults. I am a member of WestEd's Strategic Resource Planning and Implementation team, which offers support through capacity building, facilitation of professional learning networks, policy implementation strategies, and research on the effective use of resources. I design and facilitate strategic resource planning, organizational reviews, communities of practice, and professional learning.
Q: Your work as education director for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians helped improve the graduation rates of tribal students in that community significantly. In what ways did you support the students?
I served as education director for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians from 2009 to 2020. By working strategically in partnership with tribal, school, health, and family leaders and educators over a 10-year period, our tribal students consistently attained 96 to 100 percent high school graduation rates and 76 to 84 percent college enrollment rates, and our college graduation rates grew exponentially. Tribal students in our community steadily experienced fewer out-of-school suspensions and expulsions. Students were also actively participating in culture and language activities throughout the year, which strengthened their identities and foundations. This success was a result of a systemic, holistic, and integrated approach to meeting individual student needs and the needs of their families.
Q: What kind of practices contribute to equitable outcomes for Indigenous students?
With tribal family and community members, taking an honest look at Native American student outcome data. Academic achievement, attendance, graduation, and disciplinary referral data tells an important part of the story about how Native students are experiencing school. For example, in 2019, 7.2 percent of American Indian students in California were suspended at least once compared with 2.9 percent of their White peers. Native American students experience persistent disparities in academic outcomes compared with other student groups. One example is evidenced by National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading scale scores for 4th grade American Indian students, which illustrate a pervasive gap from 1994 through 2017. High school graduation rates for American Indian students, at 74 percent, remain the lowest of any other ethnic group in the United States.

These facts are a source of anger, frustration, and deep sadness for Native students, families, and community members. Reviewing student outcomes with tribal, family, and school leaders helps us interpret the data within a fuller context, identify the root causes, and problem-solve together.

Listening to the perspective of Native American students, families, and communities on a consistent, year-round basis. Creating opportunities to listen and engage meaningfully with Native community members on an ongoing basis help us improve our practice as educators. This effort requires allocating the resources of time, personnel, and facilities to convene gatherings and offer learning opportunities that are centered on the well-being and academic growth of Native students. Hundreds of tribes are represented in the student populations of each state, with each tribe featuring distinct and complex cultural, economic, educational, historical, linguistic, political, and spiritual foundations. This rich diversity presents opportunities for welcoming and including tribally held cultural and educational resources that can benefit academic and social-emotional outcomes for Native American students.

Conducting resource allocation reviews and strategic planning. A resource allocation review is a first step in determining which investments have made a visible impact in the areas of education and wellness. Conducting such a review provides an opportunity to find patterns of behavior that have led to our desired outcomes. With strategic resource planning and community engagement, we strengthen and deepen the impact of existing investments. A facilitated process also creates space for us to think about investments of time and money that no longer serve students, staff, and families. Asking questions such as "Do we continue a program or service because 'we've always done it that way' or because it is making our outcomes measurably better over time?" is a good start. Divestments are difficult but essential considerations for leaders and community members. External facilitators may help navigate this challenging work so that leaders can participate fully in the deliberations. This is work I absolutely love to do.
Watch our archived webinar, A Framework for Working Respectfully with Indigenous Communities Around Data and Evidence. For another interesting interview with Dr. Sandoval about her work and perspectives, check out this article from the Santa Ynez Valley Star.

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Equitable Outcomes for Indigenous Students: Q&A with WestEd's Niki Sandoval

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In this Equity in Focus post, we feature a Q&A with Niki Sandoval, Senior Strategic Development Manager at WestEd. Dr. Sandoval has spent her career addressing inequity in education, and in this Q&A she highlights practices that can contribute to equitable outcomes for Indigenous students.

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Being a new teacher is hard. Having a good mentor can help

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Being a new teacher is hard. Having a good mentor can help

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NPR article about mentors in Alaska working with new teachers in rural villages, including from grow-your-own programs.

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Outside Chevak School, in western Alaska, the lake is ice, and the snowy tundra unfurls to the Bering Sea. But that doesn't stop new, first-grade teacher Amelia Tulim from trying to lighten the mood with an outdoor egg hunt. Inside the colorful plastic eggs: small, animal-shaped erasers.

Tulim grew up in Chevak, an Alaska Native community and home to the Cup'ik people. It's here, in the same school where she now works, that her third-grade teacher first inspired her to become an educator.

"She made learning fun," Tulim says, smiling. "I remember sitting in my desk and looking right at her and telling myself, 'One day, that's going to be you. You're going to make learning fun.' "

And she is. But being a new teacher is also hard, she admits.

The long hours of grading and lesson-prep can be exhausting. Poverty is also a challenge in Chevak, as it is in so many districts across the U.S., and often requires that teachers do far more than teach. There's also the long, snowy winters, though Tulim's used to those.

"We only have three cars here," she says, "the rest are ATVs and snowmobiles."

For many Alaska teachers, this math adds up to burnout. The state's rural communities are hit hard by teacher shortages, losing roughly one in four teachers every year.

Tulim, though, has a few advantages. She's teaching in the community where she grew up, and shares the Cup'ik culture with her students. Research shows teachers who were trained in Alaska, as Tulim was, are less likely to leave the classroom than outsiders, a trend that's also been seen in other communities, and that's fueled an explosion in grow-your-own teacher training programs across the U.S.

She also has Ed Sotelo.

The 70-year-old veteran teacher pops into her classroom, greeting the children as they return from their egg hunt - as if he'd simply walked across the hall.

In fact, Sotelo's journey required three plane flights, one of which was delayed because of volcanic ash from Russia, and a snowmobile ride across that frozen lake - all to serve as Tulim's mentor. His goal: to support a new teacher, and make her more likely to stay.

U.S. school districts have been struggling to staff classrooms, and that's especially true in isolated, remote places like Chevak. But years of research have found that high-quality mentoring - the kind Sotelo provides - can help new teachers feel better about their work and make them more likely to stick around. Not only that, it can also demonstrably improve their classroom skills and, as a result, increase student achievement.

Mentoring teachers in remote Alaska takes commitment - and a sleeping bag

Sotelo is one of fifteen retired teachers who now work as mentors for the Alaska Statewide Mentor Project (ASMP). The program began 20 years ago, through the University of Alaska, and later survived being gutted by statewide budget cuts; seeing the impact the mentors were having on their teachers, school districts themselves stepped in to keep the project funded.

Sotelo was, himself, once a young teacher hired to fill a hard-to-staff job in remote Gambell, Alaska. He and his family moved from Arizona in 1984, and he taught in some of Alaska's most remote schools for the next quarter-century before retiring, though in reality he's far from retired.

For the past 14 years he's worked as an ASMP mentor and is currently helping four new teachers, including Tulim. Once a month, he takes three planes from his home, in Homer - to Anchorage, then to Bethel and finally to Chevak - to get to Tulim's classroom.

Sotelo travels on a shoestring budget, packs his own food and spends almost all his time in the schools he visits.

"I sleep in the library," he says. "I've got a pad that I take everywhere and a little sleeping bag that goes down to below freezing."

Adding local culture (and animals) to classroom lessons

On these monthly visits, Sotelo does all sorts of things, including observe Tulim teach and offer constructive feedback.

"If you were to do that class over again, the one we just did, how would you do that differently?" he asks after one recent lesson she taught making puppets.

Tulim considers, then offers that she'd like to have her supplies just a little more ready next time. They also talk about her strengths. Like the third-grade teacher who inspired her, she loves putting her children at ease - as a way of winning their trust and earning their focus.

"Making them laugh. I like to dance up there," Tulim says, mimicking a bit she does that the children playfully protest. It doesn't take long, and makes the learning more fun.

Tulim and Sotelo also talk lesson-planning, classroom management and her least favorite subject: grading, which she admits to doing a little later than she'd like.

Some of the rookie teachers Sotelo works with are outsiders, like he was. But some are homegrown, like Tulim. He encourages those teachers to work the local culture they share with their students into their lessons. One example: Tulim's reading materials mention farming.

"They include cows. Do we have cows around here? No we don't!" Tulim laughs.

So she asked her students: What animals do we have around here?

Suddenly, they were engaged: Ducks, said one. Moose! said another.

Sotelo also encourages Tulim to reflect on her practice. Sometimes, she tells him, she worries about how important first grade is and getting her children on the path to reading and writing.

"Some days it's stressful," she admits, but then "you see their smile, you hear their laugh. You see that little a-ha - you see that little light bulb go - that makes it worth it!"

Sotelo reassures her. She's done well this year. Tulim says his visits have really helped.

"I was nervous at the beginning," she admits, as the school year comes to a close. "But towards the end, not only our relationship grew, but I feel like so did my teaching."

After his visit, Ed Sotelo packs up his sleeping bag and rides a snow machine back over the frozen lake to the airfield, where he catches a plane to another remote village. He'll spend the next 24 hours there, with another new teacher, sleep in another library, then head home.

It's a lot of coming and going, but worth it, Sotelo says, if he's the only one doing the leaving.
Edited by: Nicole Cohen
Visual design and development by: LA Johnson
Audio story produced by: Lauren Migaki
Audio story edited by: Nicole Cohen and Steve Drummond

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Being a new teacher is hard. Having a good mentor can help

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Outside Chevak School, in western Alaska, the lake is ice, and the snowy tundra unfurls to the Bering Sea. But that doesn't stop new, first-grade teacher Amelia Tulim from trying to lighten the mood with an outdoor egg hunt. Inside the colorful plastic eggs: small, animal-shaped erasers.

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New Mexico to Offer Equal Pay to Native American Teachers: EdWeeK

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New Mexico to Offer Equal Pay to Native American Teachers: EdWeeK

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This EdWeek story in March 2022 shares how New Mexico will begin to offer equal pay to dozens of Indigenous language teachers as part of a new law aimed at improving K-12 education for Native American students and preserving their languages and cultures.

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New Mexico to Offer Equal Pay to Native American Teachers

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Paid as “teaching assistants,” some had been earning as little as $14,000 a year.

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 Schurz Elementary Principal Returns to give back to hometown

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 Schurz Elementary Principal Returns to give back to hometown

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Many leave their hometowns, vowing to never return but for Lance West of Schurz, his dream was to return to the town he loved and give back.

As the principal of Schurz Elementary School, West would look at the job openings each summer looking for a position which would put his back at the school where he received his education.

Much to his delight, he saw the posting, applied for the position and was hired by Mineral County School District Superintendent Karen Watson.

"I focused on coming back [to Schurz]. I'm here to help my people," he explained to the Independent-News.

West understands the disadvantages that Native schools such as Schurz Elementary may face. He worked at McDermitt Combined School in north-central Nevada near the Oregon border as their principal. Miles from any services or other towns, he witnessed daily the struggles that his students and town faced. He chose to leave after one year and moved his family to Elko.

In Elko, West and his wife would raise their newborn daughter while West was working at Spring Creek High School.

The University of Nevada Reno graduate attended school at Schurz Elementary and high school in Yerington. He regrets, at times, choosing to go to Yerington as he hears about the friendships that Natives made with Mineral County High School students, which are now lifelong.

He understands that Schurz Elementary may have some disadvantages but he explained, "We will make sure that the students have the tools for slow growth in achievement."

Addressing rumors that Schurz Elementary is closing, he adamantly stated, "We aren't going anywhere. The school district has our back."

"We need to get rid of the stigma that we are shutting down [Schurz Elementary]. There are times that a community with a Native population gets second hand items and treated as second class citizens," he said.

"An advantage that we have is that Karen Watson and board member Candace Birchum are advocates for this school and community."

West explained that each day when he sees the children coming through the doors of the school, he can relate to them. "It's easy to relate to someone who looks like you." West explained that they currently are teaching the students the Paiute language one day a week and is working on other ideas for the school.

"I'm excited every day. It is pretty surreal. Seeing the sunrise and watching the kids get off the bus everyday is déjà vu," he concluded.

West has come full circle. Teaching in the school where he received his education and raising his family in the town that raised him.

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Schurz Elementary Principal Returns to Give Back to Hometown

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Many leave their hometowns, vowing to never return but for Lance West of Schurz, his dream was to return to the town he loved and give back. As the principal of Schurz Elementary School, West would look at the job openings each summer looking for a position which would put his back at the school where he received his education.

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Indigenous Educator Pathways 12.14.22 (2).pdf

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Rural Schools have a teacher shortage. Why don't people who live there, teach there? 

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Rural Schools have a teacher shortage. Why don't people who live there, teach there? 

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The article highlights an American Indian teacher from the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana.

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For the past six years, Shari Daniels has tried to be the person she wishes she had in her life as a student.

Daniels grew up on the Fort Peck Reservation, home to about 6,000 members of the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, in northeast Montana. Now 48, she struggles to remember the name of even one of her teachers, and she has no memory of making a personal connection with any of them. Raised by her grandmother, Daniels said she can't remember ever seeing a report card sent home.

"They always treated us like we were another number, especially the Native American students," said Daniels, who is Dakota Sioux from the Fort Peck Reservation. "It felt almost like they passed you [to the next grade] to get you out of their eyesight before they packed their bags."

More than two decades later, the teaching ranks of the Poplar School District, which serves about 900 students, 96 percent of whom are American Indian, look quite different than when Daniels was a student there. About a third of its teachers identify as Native American, including Daniels. But high turnover remains a problem.

Poplar schools lose about a fifth of their teachers each year - more than double the national attrition rate - and principals have struggled to fill vacancies across most grade levels and subjects. For about 1 in 10 positions there, the district last year reported hiring people with no formal training who needed an emergency waiver from the state to teach. The problem is the same across Montana - where 65 percent of rural schools in remote settings reported difficulty filling vacancies, compared with 35 percent of non-rural schools. This school year, with the pandemic making it even harder to import teachers from elsewhere, education leaders in the state issued the highest number of emergency waivers - 122 - for unlicensed teachers to work in classrooms since at least 2005.

Long before the coronavirus made the situation bad enough to break a record, rural - and especially tribal - schools had trouble finding and keeping qualified teachers. Principals in small towns across the West regularly import teachers from afar, even from abroad. They hire unlicensed teachers and stop offering specific courses. Elementary, fine arts and special education teachers are especially hard to find, according to a Hechinger Report analysis of state education data.

And though the communities hit hardest by the teacher shortage are small, the problem is large. Across the U.S., about 9.3 million public-school students - or nearly 1 in 5 of all students in the country - attend a rural school, according to a November 2019 report from the Rural School and Community Trust. At just below 75 percent, Montana has the highest share of rural schools of any state.

For many reasons, including low pay, isolation and scarcity of housing, hanging on to local talent is an especially acute problem in Montana. The state actually produces roughly six times as many teachers - 1,600 a year - as the labor market can absorb, according to data from the Montana Department of Labor & Industry. Still, Montana principals reported hiring nearly 400 people without full credentials over the past three years to lead classrooms, according to a Hechinger Report analysis of data from the state's Office of Public Instruction.
Related: Number of rural students planning on going to college plummets
Sheryl Kohl, who is white, was ready to teach when she moved to Daniels' hometown in 1983. She didn't expect to still be teaching there nearly four decades later.

"People arrive here, and they can't deal," said Kohl of the many teachers who come for a few years but don't stay. "Yeah, the mountains are beautiful, but they're nine hours away. If you want to fly anywhere, you drive 325 miles to Billings."

What convinced Kohl to stay? Her husband, an associate member of the Fort Peck Tribes, whom she met when he was making repairs on a friend's home. And the 55 kids the couple has fostered over the years. But arranging marriages to locals isn't a particularly practical plan for keeping out-of-town teachers in classrooms.

"The question comes up every 10 years or so: How do we recruit people to come here, and then how do we get them to stay?" Kohl said. "Pretty much the only thing anyone can come up with is there's pretty good hunting and fishing, but it's also 30 below in January and 110 in the summer."

One idea is to stop recruiting people to move and just focus on getting them to stay. Many of the recently funded government efforts have been aimed at convincing people who grow up in these towns to stay and teach. It's harder than it sounds, since rural areas tend to produce fewer people with the education levels necessary to become teachers. Those who do earn advanced degrees can be loath to return. And there's little evidence to say how well "grow your own" efforts work.

Nearly 1 in 5 public-school students in the United States attend a rural school

"Growing your own is a really good, very bright concept," said Sun Young Yoon, with the research organization Education Northwest. However, she added, "there's not a lot of empirical evidence looking at the impact on student or teacher outcomes."
Related: Hotspots no silver bullet for rural remote learning
Policymakers haven't entirely ignored the problem. In recent years, Montana has funded a patchwork of solutions, including so-called "grow your own" programs that recruit high schoolers to consider a career in education and student loan forgiveness for teachers who commit to working in critical shortage areas. The U.S. Department of Education has also chipped in, last year awarding $27.9 million in five-year grants to boost the preparation, recruitment and retention of teachers in rural schools. Some of that money has also gone to programs aimed at keeping local talent in local schools.

Driving east along the two-lane highway that bisects her hometown, Daniels passes an "Entering Poplar" sign just before arriving at the K-12 school complex she once attended. A few trees dot the main road, on which several businesses have shuttered in recent years. But Poplar still boasts two grocery stores, one restaurant and its namesake river, where ice fishers brave below-zero wind chills in the winter.

"It kind of almost looks like a ghost town," Daniels said. "You wonder who all lives here."

With no clear academic guidance as a student, Daniels hoped to escape to Rapid City, South Dakota, where she could train to become a flight attendant and travel the world. She graduated high school, got as far as Bismarck, North Dakota, and then returned home to care for her sickly grandmother. Daniels' own diagnosis with an autoimmune disease kept her in Poplar even longer. She took temp jobs as a teacher's aide in special education and early childhood classrooms to pay the bills. And then, in 2015, Daniels noticed an opening to teach special education. The elementary school principal, however, wondered if she'd rather lead her own kindergarten classroom.

Daniels went for it.

"I never thought I'd become a teacher," Daniels said. "It was never a calling or anything like that."

She soon earned a degree in elementary education from Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana. At first reluctant to take the kindergarten job - "I honestly wondered, 'Am I capable?' " - Daniels realized the importance that kindergarten would play in the lives of children in her community.

"It's such a strong foundation of what these kids will learn forever," she said. "I want to give them the encouragement I never got."

For school leaders in rural areas, finding people like Daniels more than once in a great while is no small task. That's why some states and districts have started thinking about how to nudge homegrown talent into the classroom and how to create more reasons for imported teachers to stay.

It's still unclear how much the pandemic will increase the rural teacher shortage, and there's a sense among some advocates that no one cares.

"We send a lot of our least prepared teachers to rural places, and then once they get that experience, they move on," said Veronica Womack, executive director of the Rural Studies Institute at Georgia College & State University. "And for the teachers already there, the mental toll of having to deal with Covid, the lack of broadband internet at home and then your pay still is not the best ... it's not like everyone will walk away, but enough of them probably will."
Related: One of the fairest school funding models in the nation - Wyoming's - may be about to fail

"Growing your own is a really good, very bright concept. [But] there's not a lot of empirical evidence looking at the impact on student or teacher outcomes."
Sun Young Yoon, researcher at Education Northwest

Low pay is part of the problem in Montana, according to Ann Ewbank, director of accreditation and operations for the Department of Education at Montana State University. She noted the average starting salary for teachers falls just below $31,500. Better salaries can help. In neighboring North Dakota, which reported a teacher shortage of just under 4 percent, recent graduates can start their teaching careers earning almost 20 percent more than in Montana. And in Wyoming, which issued emergency waivers for fewer than 2 percent of all teachers, starting pay tops $45,000.

In January, newly elected Gov. Greg Gianforte, a Republican, unveiled a two-year budget that called for $2.5 million in incentives for schools to raise new teacher pay. Although the National Education Association ranked Montana No. 45 in average teacher salaries in 2018-19, Gianforte has said his state had the absolute lowest starting pay.

"It makes it hard to recruit starting teachers," he said in announcing his budget. "The salary forces teachers to leave. We must do better."

Some rural teachers have had to stretch their low pay even further this year - to cover out-of-pocket purchases of personal protective equipment, cleaning supplies and other pandemic essentials. The pandemic also has heightened the solitude of working in isolated settings, making it harder to build a sense of community and belonging.

Yoon, with Education Northwest, and her colleague Ashley Pierson have studied teacher turnover in four Western states - Alaska, Idaho, Montana and Washington. They found higher turnover rates in rural schools in Alaska and Montana, with some rural districts losing teachers to urban and suburban neighbors. Turnover was especially high among Alaska teachers trained out of state.

"Both short- and long-term ideas might help, but it can be challenging to invest in all of these at once," Pierson said.

The pandemic upended many of the long-term solutions that federal and state policymakers had begun to invest in. Some of the federally funded partnerships crumbled due to budget cuts in local school districts. New teacher residency programs, specifically designed to help rural schools, scaled back or delayed their plans to train future educators as most instruction went remote. Principals have barely been able to find enough substitutes to fill classroom vacancies and in some cases, simply closed their schools after too many teachers entered quarantine at once.

"The question comes up every 10 years or so: How do we recruit people to come here, and then how do we get them to stay?"
Sheryl Kohl, teacher in Poplar, Montana

Vikki Howard, a professor of special education at the University of Montana Western, found that the pandemic affected even her plans to expand a successful "grow-your-own" teacher program from the Blackfeet Indian Reservation along the state's northern border with Canada to the Crow Reservation in south-central Montana. Since 2016, more than 90 percent of tribal members recruited in the Blackfeet program's inaugural group have continued teaching in local schools, she said.
Related: As coronavirus ravaged Indian Country, the federal government failed its schools
But a shoestring budget and courses shutting down due to unreliable internet on the reservation hampered the expansion of the program to the Crow community. While Howard initially hoped it would take just five years for the share of locally recruited teachers who are Indigenous to match student demographics, she has readjusted her goal to 10 years due to the pandemic.

"The teacher shortage may be especially intractable in the near future," she said. "Teachers have already left in droves and many more are likely to leave after this year. This is particularly the case in tribal communities, which have experienced great loss of life and significant disruption in schools."

Although participants have filled over 60 teaching positions since Howard's program first began, "the demand remains significant," she said.

Back in Poplar, school superintendent Dan Schmidt has tried many ways to attract and keep teachers in his community. The district offers a $1,500 signing bonus. It also starts new hires at a third-year salary level and even owns 16 housing units to keep rents low for transplants.

The most successful effort in Schmidt's estimation, however, is a different version of a grow-your-own program that allows prospective teachers to study at the local Fort Peck Community College before transferring to Montana State University-Northern and earning their classroom experience in Poplar.

"You have to be really from the area to want to come back," said Schmidt. "I've given up going to recruiting fairs in Bozeman and Missoula just because there's no interest from teachers unless they're from here. And if they are, I probably already know them."

As for Daniels, her tenure in the school district may have an expiration date. She soon will start studying to earn her master's degree in early education, but ultimately wants to become an instructor at Fort Peck Community College.

65 percent of rural schools in remote settings in Montana reported difficulty filling vacancies, nearly double the national average

This story about rural teachers was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for the Hechinger newsletter.
And while Daniels acknowledged her own departure from the elementary school will contribute to the rural teacher turnover, she remains committed to helping her hometown schools.

"I could maybe end up teaching my own replacement," she said.

For her work to make a difference in the rural teacher shortage, she'll need to train more than just one new teacher. She thinks she can, especially if she and other leaders work on better getting the message to local, Native young people that they are capable of being great teachers.

"We don't help them see the strong points in their life and how they can contribute to a community that's so desolate and so far from everything," she said of Poplar students. "We have to offer a future for students who can't or won't go away."

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Rural schools have a teacher shortage. Why don't people who live there, teach there?

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Get important education news and analysis delivered straight to your inbox For the past six years, Shari Daniels has tried to be the person she wishes she had in her life as a student. Daniels grew up on the Fort Peck Reservation, home to about 6,000 members of the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, in northeast Montana.

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University of Arizona Indigenous Teacher Prep Program

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University of Arizona Indigenous Teacher Prep Program

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The Indigenous Teacher Education Program (ITEP) is a Bachelor's Degree granting program that was founded in 2016, through a grant from the US Department of Education. Our mission is to increase the number of Indigenous teachers serving Indigenous students, schools, and communities. Our students graduate with a Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood or Elementary Education and a teaching certification.

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The Indigenous Teacher Education Program (ITEP) is a Bachelor's Degree granting program that was founded in 2016, through a grant from the US Department of Education. Our mission is to increase the number of Indigenous teachers serving Indigenous students, schools, and communities.

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University of New Mexico Native American Teacher Preparation Pathway

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University of New Mexico Native American Teacher Preparation Pathway

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Be a life-long learner

Give back to your community

Share your passion for knowledge

Explore your creativity

Inspire generations

Empower Indigenous youth

The Institute for American Indian Education (IAIE) at the University of New Mexico is building a community of aspiring Native American elementary, middle, and high school educators who will serve Indigenous Nations and communities across the state of New Mexico.
Apply to the Native American Teacher Preparation Pathway
Looking for help?
Schedule an advising appointment
Seeking

Indigenous undergraduate students in their final two semesters of an educator preparation program in AY 22-23

Indigenous college graduates who meet all requirements to enter an elementary or secondary educator preparation program in AY 22-23

Indigenous college graduates who need AY 22-23 to meet the requirements to enter an elementary or secondary educator preparation program at UNM in AY 23-24.

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Native American Teacher Preparation Pathway

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Be a life-long learner Give back to your community Share your passion for knowledge Explore your creativity Inspire generations Empower Indigenous youth The Institute for American Indian Education (IAIE) at the University of New Mexico is building a community of aspiring Native American elementary, middle, and high school educators who will serve Indigenous Nations and communities across the state of New Mexico.

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Arizona State University Native Teacher Prep Program

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Arizona State University Native Teacher Prep Program

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Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College is dedicated to preparing educators for Arizona's Indigenous communities.

MLFTC is committed to increasing the number of educators in Indian communities across the state of Arizona. Take advantage of the flexible degree programs, learning experience and community educator opportunities offered by the college.

Submit the form below to learn more about stipends, tuition assistance and available programs.

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Preparing Educators for Arizona's Indian Communities | Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College

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MLFTC is committed to increasing the number of educators in Indian communities across the state of Arizona. Take advantage of the flexible degree programs, learning experience and community educator opportunities offered by the college. Submit the form below to learn more about stipends, tuition assistance and available programs.

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https://www.opb.org/article/2022/11/25/cow-creek-tribe-southern-oregon-works-to-restore-once-extinct-language/

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Your browser does not support the audio element.

The ancient Takelma language had been spoken at least since Europeans first arrived, according to Dr. Stephen Beckham, retired Pamplin Professor of History at Lewis & Clark College. The language disappeared over time as tribal members were removed onto English-speaking-only reservations.

Now, tribal members are in the process of restoring it.

At 21 years old, tribal member Elizabeth Bryant is the most fluent speaker of the language. She's the Lead Takelma Teacher Learner for the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians. And for the past three years, she and a few others have been working on creating a dictionary and teaching classes to tribal members. The goal is to revitalize important history.

"It really ties into that sense of my ancestors. And this is where I come from, these are my people who are no longer with us. And so it's very much an emotional connection to what they could have been thinking," she said.

In 2019, the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians received a three-year grant from the federal Administration for Native Americans to do this restoration work. They hired Curriculum Specialist and Applied Linguist Dave Prine to help.

Elizabeth Bryant teaches a Takelma language class at the tribal community center in Myrtle Creek.
Courtesy of Korina Worden / JPR

"We really got to use the language in context, we really got to play with the language, throw it back and forth with each other," he said.

It was historically spoken along the South Umpqua River and in the Rogue River and Cow Creek Valleys. The Cow Creek Band of Umpqua was the northernmost group that spoke Takelma. The Rogue River Indians, sometimes called the Takelma Tribe, lived in the Rogue River Valley.

But, how do you teach, or even learn, a language that no one speaks? Especially a language like Takelma, which Prine said has no related languages.

The tribe got lucky. In the early 1900s, anthropologist and linguist Edward Sapir made recordings of Frances Johnson, the last known speaker of Takelma. He also wrote down sound charts, translations, and extensive field notes.

"We take those papers, and we had a current linguist that looked at all of those and learned from there to then teach them to us and try and bounce ideas off of like, okay, well it looks like this is how a sentence is made, these are the sounds, we have 100% what the sounds sounded like," Bryant said.

The field notes provided more than just translations. Michael Rondeau, CEO of the tribe, said Sapir's writings provide explanations for customs that he has practiced for years, but never knew the origin of. One such custom was gifting visitors with meat.

"He wrote down that a custom of the tribe was that when someone would come to visit from far away, when they left, they would gift them with meat. It immediately just stuck in my mind. In the field notes that Sapir had written, it explains so much about the way we are," Rondeau said.

In this way, Takelma provides a cultural connection for the tribe as much as a linguistic one.

"I feel that we owe it to our ancestors to at least make sure that language is preserved in a way that's respectful to the tribe and to those elders that had passed on. It's a way of keeping the past alive and authentic," Rondeau said.

The group made extensive progress over the last three years, posting educational resources online, holding in-person and virtual classes, and creating a dictionary. At a recent virtual class, 17 people joined Bryant to learn the colors.

But, there's still much more left to do. That federal grant ended this summer, and Prine left. Bryant now has another year-long grant, but she'll have to keep applying for funding to continue her work. So far, she has worked with 250 tribal members on learning the language, and she said 30 regularly show up to classes.

The goal is to raise awareness about the language and encourage more people to speak it. Although participation by tribal members is prioritized, Bryant said classes are open to anyone who would like to learn the language.

Prine said he'd like to turn Takelma into a living language that evolves over time.

"There's just this wealth of knowledge that is spoken in other languages, and once you lose those languages, you lose that knowledge. And you're missing part of this glorious picture of what knowledge can be and culture and identity," he said.

For Bryant, the language is a connection to where she comes from, and it conveys the importance of her culture. She's motivated to continue doing this work by the cultural significance of the Takelma language.

"We're still here, and the reason we're doing this is because it's a connection to our culture, and the importance of connection to our culture I would say is at the root of why I'm here," she said.

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native americans | language | southern oregon

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Cow Creek Tribe works to restore once-extinct language

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Your browser does not support the audio element. The ancient Takelma language had been spoken at least since Europeans first arrived, according to Dr. Stephen Beckham, retired Pamplin Professor of History at Lewis & Clark College. The language disappeared over time as tribal members were removed onto English-speaking-only reservations.

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https://www.kgw.com/article/news/education/oregon-indigenous-native-college-students-grants/283-cbf006be-8f6e-417c-bbf7-be5fce081ae0

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Oregon lawmakers allocated $19 million in grant money to pay college expenses for Native students across the state next school year.

PORTLAND, Ore - Oregon has made a historic investment into providing access to higher education for Indigenous students. Governor Kate Brown, who proposed the program in the 2022 legislative session, pointed to the need for such a grant due to the systemic barriers that Native Americans have faced for decades.

Through the Oregon Tribal Student Grant, Oregon lawmakers allocated $19 million in grant money to pay college expenses for Native students across the state next school year, 2022-2023.

Athena Rilatos, who is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, is one of many Indigenous students familiar with the high cost of college.

"It's a real uphill battle," said Rilatos. "I actually lived out of my car for three years of my bachelor's."

She got her bachelor's degree in 2020. It took her 10 years - due, in part, to financial hardship.

Now she's gone through one year of schooling for her master's degree in architecture, but she had to stop.

"It's very expensive to get a master's and my family lives on the reservation in Siletz and, you know - we just don't have that kind of money," Rilatos said.

She hopes to get her master's in architecture so she can bring her expertise back to her Tribe and contribute by building more homes.

But the Oregon Tribal Student Grant is bringing some relief. The state has set aside $19 million to help Indigenous students from the nine federally recognized Tribes in Oregon. The money will pay for college-related expenses including tuition, housing, and books for next school year.

A spokesperson with Oregon's Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) said both new and current students can apply for the grant. State officials anticipate the money will help 700 or more students. The priority deadline to apply is August 1, and funding will be given until the money runs out.

Judy Bluehorse Skelton, who identifies as Nez Perce and Cherokee, is an assistant professor at Portland State University in the Indigenous Nation Studies department. Skelton said the grant money is much needed.

"All of our reservation communities are in rural parts of the state that are often not participating, for different reasons, with the prosperity that you might [have] say in Portland, or Salem, or Eugene," Skelton said.

Skelton said Native Americans as a whole have the highest poverty rate and in a press release, HECC said 40% of Native Americans who apply for financial aid in Oregon still can't afford college costs, despite additional financial support from other grants or contributions from family members. Additionally, Skelton said Indigenous people still struggle with the generational trauma and other fallout from historical events.

"The consequences of colonization and basically a program of genocide, from which we are always recovering from," explained Skelton.

That's why both Skelton and Rilatos said the grant is so important.

"Just to even see that as an opportunity for us ... feels really good," said Rilatos.

While they said the grant is a step in the right direction, they also say more needs to be done. The grant covers nine federally recognized Tribes but they say there are more tribes than that in the state.

Also, the grant is only for next school year. For funding to continue, the legislature will have to approve the grant for another year.

On top of funding, Skelton said more also needs to be done in terms of inclusion.

"It diminishes the financial barriers, but we still have the heavy work of when you get inside the institution that people feel welcomed. They see themselves represented," said Skelton. "We still run into the barriers of institutional racism, exclusion.

"Trust to go back inside a government institution, the trauma students and their families have to decide that they have that courage and stamina to endure because these institutions do not mirror our Indigenous culture."

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Hundreds of Oregon's Indigenous college students will receive grant assistance next year

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Oregon lawmakers allocated $19 million in grant money to pay college expenses for Native students across the state next school year. PORTLAND, Ore - Oregon has made a historic investment into providing access to higher education for Indigenous students.

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CTE Policy Conversation Series: A Conversation with U.S. Department of Education Assistant Secretary Dr. Amy Loyd Amy Loyd, Ed.L.D., is the Assistant Secretary 

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In June 2022, the United States Senate confirmed Dr. Amy Loyd as the new Assistant Secretary of the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE) at the U.S. Department of Education. This webinar features a conversation between Assistant Secretary Loyd and Advance CTE's Executive Director, Kimberly Green. Together, they conducted a far-reaching and engaging discussion that explored Dr. Loyd's pathway to her current position and her goals for her tenure at OCTAE. The discussion also included emerging trends and priorities in the Career Technical Education (CTE) community and how the federal government and states can continue to work together to advance high-quality and equitable CTE.

About Dr. Amy Loyd:

Amy Loyd, Ed.L.D., is the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education at the U.S. Department of Education. In this role, she oversees national programs related to career and technical education, community colleges, adult education and literacy, and correctional education.

Prior to joining the Biden-Harris Administration, Dr. Loyd was a Vice President at Jobs for the Future (JFF), where she designed and led programs across the United States that improve education and workforce outcomes. Her work at JFF focused on state and regional policies, practices, and cross-sector partnerships that engaged K-12 education, community colleges, adult education, workforce development, economic development, and employers to build systems of college and career pathways, leveraging career and technical education. She also oversaw JFF's work in workforce development with a lens on economic advancement, state and federal policy, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. She previously was the Director of Education at Cook Inlet Tribal Council, leading a network of schools providing culturally responsive education, training, and wraparound services to the Alaska Native and Native American communities.

Dr. Loyd attended Santa Fe Community College and Northern New Mexico Community College, and holds a bachelor's degree from St. John's College and a doctorate in education leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she was an adjunct lecturer on building career pathways to increase opportunity and equity.

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CTE Policy Conversation Series: A Conversation with U.S. Department of Education Assistant Secretary Dr. Amy Loyd

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In June 2022, the United States Senate confirmed Dr. Amy Loyd as the new Assistant Secretary of the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education (OCTAE) at the U.S. Department of Education. This webinar features a conversation between Assistant Secretary Loyd and Advance CTE's Executive Director, Kimberly Green.

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Preparing Teachers to Contribute to Educational Change in Native Communities: Navigating Safety Zones in Praxis

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Preparing Teachers to Contribute to Educational Change in Native Communities: Navigating Safety Zones in Praxis

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Journal of American Indian Education

Vol. 53, No. 3, Special Issue: Examining and Applying Safety Zone Theory: Current Policies, Practices, and Experiences (2014), pp. 25-41 (17 pages)

Published By: University of Minnesota Press

https://www. jstor .org/stable/43608729

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Preparing Teachers to Contribute to Educational Change in Native Communities: Navigating Safety Zones in Praxis on JSTOR

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Danielle R. Lansing, Preparing Teachers to Contribute to Educational Change in Native Communities: Navigating Safety Zones in Praxis, Journal of American Indian Education, Vol. 53, No. 3, Special Issue: Examining and Applying Safety Zone Theory: Current Policies, Practices, and Experiences (2014), pp. 25-41

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Native American Career Technical Education 

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Native American Career Technical Education 

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Panel member suggested contacting Patty Beltran to learn more.

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PCRN: Native American Career and Technical Education Program

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Each year under the Perkins statute, Congress authorizes roughly $16 million annually under the Native American Career and Technical Education Program (NACTEP) to federally-recognized Indian tribes, tribal organizations, Alaska Native entities, and eligible Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)-funded schools to provide career and technical education programs for Native Americans and Alaska Natives.

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Indigenous Educator Pathways Evaluation Summary for Session One.

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Indigenous Educator Pathways Evaluation Summary for Session One.

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We have to get more teachers to help our kids”: Recruitment and retention strategies for teacher education programs to increase the number of Indigenous teachers in Canada and abroad.

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We have to get more teachers to help our kids”: Recruitment and retention strategies for teacher education programs to increase the number of Indigenous teachers in Canada and abroad.

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Digital Commons @ University of South Florida

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Abstract

This paper discusses the findings of a research study that gathered and analyzed recruitment and retention strategies employed by 50 teacher education programs (TEPs) in Canada, the United States, New Zealand, and Australia to increase the number of Indigenous teachers. It discusses several recruitment and retention strategies that were found to be successful in this regard, highlighting the importance of facilitating access, eliminating financial barriers, and offering Indigenous-centric programs.

Keywords

Indigenous education, higher education, community-based education, Indigenous student support, decolonizing education

DOI

10.5038/2577-509X.5.1.1066

Recommended Citation

Landertinger, L., Tessaro, D., & Restoule, J. (2021). "We have to get more teachers to help our kids": Recruitment and retention strategies for teacher education programs to increase the number of Indigenous teachers in Canada and abroad. Journal of Global Education and Research, 5(1), 36-53. https://www.doi.org/10.5038/2577-509X.5.1.1066

DOWNLOADS

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"We have to get more teachers to help our kids": Recruitment and retention strategies for teacher education programs to increase the number of Indigenous teachers in Canada and abroad

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This paper discusses the findings of a research study that gathered and analyzed recruitment and retention strategies employed by 50 teacher education programs (TEPs) in Canada, the United States, New Zealand, and Australia to increase the number of Indigenous teachers.

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Indigenous teacher education is nation building: Reflections of capacity building and capacity strengthening in Idaho. 

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Indigenous teacher education is nation building: Reflections of capacity building and capacity strengthening in Idaho. 

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Chapter 4 (pp. 35-44) of Learn in Beauty: Indigenous Education for a New Century edited by Jon Reyhner, Joseph Martin, Louise Lockard, and W. Sakiestewa Gilbert. Copyright © 2000 by Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona. Also available as a pdf file.

Community-based Native Teacher Education Programs

Connie Heimbecker, Sam Minner, Greg Prater

School-based Native teacher education programs are relatively uncommon. This paper examines two pioneering programs based out of Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona, serving Navajo students and Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, serving members of the Nishnabe Nation of Northern Ontario.
Teacher education programs that prepare teachers within the context of functioning elementary and secondary schools are widely discussed and debated (Lapan & Minner, 1997). Studies show that effective preparation of good teachers includes intensive practical experience with K-12 students under carefully supervised conditions in collaboration with experienced teachers (Holmes Group, 1990; Carnegie Forum on Education, 1986; Wise & Darling-Hammond, 1987). School-based programs are a particularly effective way of recruiting minority teachers into the profession because they can stay in their home communities, which provide the social supports needed to enable them to graduate at a very high rate (Prater, Miller & Minner, 1997).
School-based Native teacher education programs are relatively uncommon in the United States and Canada. In this paper we describe some of the features of two exemplary school-based Native teacher education programs based out of Northern Arizona University (NAU) in Flagstaff, Arizona, serving Navajo students and Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, serving members of the Nishnabe Nation of Northern Ontario.

RAISE Program in Kayenta, Arizona

The Reaching American Indian Special/Elementary Educators (RAISE) program is located in Kayenta, Arizona, on the Navajo Indian Reservation, which covers 24,000 square miles. With a population of approximately 5,000, Kayenta is one of the largest communities on the reservation. An important goal of the RAISE program is to decrease the attrition rate of special education teachers working on the Navajo Reservation. Lancaster (1992) surveyed 45 rural school districts on Arizona Reservations and found that some schools reported a 100% turnover rate of special education teachers, while the average attrition rate was 35%. Stressors such as challenges working with parents, geographical factors, cultural features, and professional and social isolation contributed to teacher retention and recruitment problems (Helge & Marrs, 1981; Helge, 1980).

Few special education teacher training programs focus on preparing teachers to work in rural and remote areas, and it is difficult to recruit and retain special education teachers to work on American Indian reservations (Helge, 1983; Peterson & Montfort, 1997). By providing experiential field-based training that immerses students in Navajo culture and by recruiting paraprofessionals in the Kayenta Unified School District (KUSD), the RAISE program develops teachers who are more likely to spend their entire professional careers teaching Navajo students. Many participants in this project commented that without the RAISE program they probably would not have become teachers.

The KUSD plays a significant role in the RAISE program. The KUSD's K-12 enrollment for the 1998-99 year was 2,740 students living in an area of 3,000 square miles. Home language surveys indicate that Navajo is the primary language spoken in 92% of student homes. The primary and intermediate schools both have one transitional bilingual classroom for each grade level, kindergarten through fifth, with approximately 18-25 students in each classroom. Twelve teachers in the District hold bilingual Navajo teaching endorsements. Beginning in fifth grade there is funding for an ESL program for which approximately 63% of students are eligible. Many students are in an ESL certified teacher's classroom, and all elementary teachers (grades 7-12) and language arts teachers (grades 7-12) are required to begin work on a 21 credit hour ESL endorsement within the first year that they are hired. Approximately 80% of students ride the bus to school every day, some for as long as 3 hours a day, and 223 students are enrolled in special education programs in the KUSD.

Funding for the RAISE program is through a three-year grant provided by the Department of Education's Office of Rehabilitation Services. This grant enables delivery of the year and a half long RAISE program to two cohorts of students for about $115,000 a year. Grant funds available for students' textbooks, fees, materials and professional development are crucial because of financial constraints faced by students, most of whom are adults with family responsibilities.

Every two years up to 18 participants are recruited for the next RAISE cohort. Usually about half of the participants are selected from the NAU Flagstaff campus and half from the Kayenta community. Students from Flagstaff campus find out about the program via a first year education course all education majors are required to take. They complete an application and write an essay detailing why they want to participate in the program. Applicants must be admitted to NAU's teacher education program before they may be considered for the RAISE program.

Navajo paraprofessionals employed by the KUSD are also encouraged to apply. The RAISE Project Director and Project Manager, who are NAU faculty, assist KUSD administrators in the selection of Kayenta applicants. Project personnel rely heavily upon input from the KUSD Special Education Director who is a long term resident of Kayenta and a well respected Navajo educator. Since 1992, the student makeup of cohorts with the RSEP and RAISE programs has varied from year to year. Typically students recruited from the main campus are non-Indian women in their early twenties following the traditional path towards an undergraduate degree and teacher certification. Kayenta participants are usually thirty-year-old Navajo women who are married with two or more children. Some students need to travel long distances in order to participate in the program. For many participants, their mother-tongue language is Navajo. English is a second language for them, but they are fully bilingual. Some Navajo students speak English as a first language, though this is rarely standard English. Similarly, different dialects of Navajo are spoken by different students coming from different parts of the reservation. Some students are biliterate in Navajo and English.

Throughout the RAISE program students learn about each other culturally, with all participants living on the reservation. Students in every new cohort participate in two orientations. The first orientation is on the Flagstaff campus where special education and Native American faculty and students make presentations to students. The goals of this presentation is to share information about Native American culture and to discuss potential issues that could arise during the year. Throughout RAISE classes, Anglo, Navajo, and Hopi cultures are discussed. Indian students are encouraged to act as cultural advisors to the Anglo students who in many cases have had minimal experience with Native American culture and traditions. Anglo students experience the culture first hand at such events as Navajo weddings, ceremonies, and the Navajo Nation Fair. The RAISE program also makes special efforts to engage students in the profession of education. Students in each cohort collaboratively research, write, submit, and deliver papers at local, regional, and national professional meetings. Many papers have been published in conference proceedings.

For example, one project involved interviewing students about their perceptions of what makes an effective teachers. Students answered the following survey questions:

" What kind of teacher do you learn the most from?"

I learn the most from teachers who have hands-on projects. They listen to your ideas. They don't make you feel uncomfortable when you talk to them.

Teachers that explain new ideas and show new ideas on how to learn different things in different ways.

Ones that show respect and teach me responsibility.

She can always help and explain things when you don't understand.

I learn the most from strict teachers who give homework, who are easy to be with, and have a good sense of humor.
"If you were a teacher, what will you do in your classroom? What wouldn't you do?" A summary of the responses indicates they will teach with patience and honesty, being careful to never put anyone down and to teach by the golden rule. Some of the students' responses were as follows:
Teach kids, be honest, and I wouldn't yell at my students. I will have to be patient.

As a teacher I will try to get to know each person individually. To see how they were doing at home and at school.

Help them but never put them down, help them understand and make learning be fun and interesting.

I will teach my class, treat them the way they want to be treated.
"What are some things that teachers do that may prevent you from learning?" Slams about their culture
Having boring lectures, talking too slow.

Letting kids mess around or talk when someone else is talking.

They move through a section of work too fast, and don't explain the work, often speak too quickly and don't repeat themselves
Another question important to elaborate on regarding cultural sensitivity was question six of the survey, "Do you believe effective teachers need to be aware and sensitive of the culture of the students they are teaching?" An overwhelming response was in favor of cultural sensitivity. They believed it was important so that their culture was not made fun of and so that the teacher will not be put in an unknowing situation that could allow them to offend their students. However, some students expressed the fact that they still want to be taught the basic skills: "reading, math, writing, with culture not being a big issue" (Prater, Rezzonico, Pyron, Chischille, Arthur, & Yellowhair, 1995).
Students enter the RAISE program with all required liberal arts courses completed. Admission requirements, course of studies, and student teaching expectations for the RAISE program are similar to those at the home campus, but all courses are highly contextualized for the settings in which students live and work. Ideas offered in class are related to students' classroom experience, while suggestions made during the Teacher Aide practicum are related to course work. When methods of data collection are discussed in class, students often practice the techniques in their practicum setting the following day. Participants employed by the KUSD work in their classrooms week days, while those from the main campus complete their Teacher Aide practicum requirements on weekday mornings or substitute teach throughout the day. All participants attended classes weekday evenings. Throughout the program, students complete all required elementary and special education courses. The 46 hours of coursework focus on foundations, methods, assessment, curriculum, and the teacher aide practicum. One student stated, "The time we spend in the KUSD classrooms is invaluable. I already feel like a real teacher."

Currently all coursework is delivered on site at the RAISE classroom situated within the KUSD intermediate school. The project manager typically teaches class two or three afternoons a week. Another faculty member travels to Kayenta to teach one night a week, and in the past has taught via Interactive Instructional Television. KUSD teachers and administrators with Masters degrees and expertise in certain areas serve as instructors for specific courses. Additional faculty from the home campus deliver guest lectures on special topics.

Students in the program enter as a cohort, see each other every week day, and are encouraged to work cooperatively in class and when working on assignments. Students assist and support each other in many ways (e.g., offering rides to class, helping with childcare, etc.). One student this year commented, "We all seem like one big family. We all support each other." This type of statement is made each year by various program participants. These and other factors such as highly contextualized and relevant curriculum and the focus on full professional development of project participants have contributed to a high RAISE and Rural Special Education Project (funded by an OSER's grant between 1992 and 1998) retention rate. Between 1992 and 1996, the retention rate of Native Americans in the early RSEP program, was 100%, with 36 participants completing the program.

On-going program evaluation has been built into the RSEP and RAISE programs. All participants are required to keep a daily journal of reflections, documenting their feelings and experiences with the program (courses, teaching, professional development activities, etc.). These journals are periodically reviewed by grant personnel. Student achievement of competencies outlined in the original program proposal are assessed in their practicum settings, under the supervision of program faculty and mentor teachers and through written and oral presentations in coursework. An informal survey conducted among 1994-95 RSEP participants showed that students had gained a great deal from the experience both culturally and educationally. Many Indians stated that RSEP had given them the opportunity to further their education without having to relocate families and move to the main campus. Others felt the program had given them the opportunity to view the Anglo culture in a different way than how they were taught. By the end of the program, both Native and Anglo participants felt more confident in the classroom.

Lakehead University's Native Teacher Education Program

From 1993 to 1996, Lakehead University (LU) offered three community-based Native teacher education programs in conjunction with program management committees for the Sioux Lookout District, the Rainy Lake Education Authority, and the Wabeseemoong Education Authority. The programs offered to each of these communities were very similar. Within this paper we will focus only on the Sioux Lookout District Program.

Lakehead University, in Thunder Bay, offers pre-service teacher education programs leading to provincial certification, in-service professional teacher education courses, and graduate Master of Education programs. It has offered an on-campus Native Teacher Education Program (NTEP) since 1974. In 1993, Lakehead University entered an agreement with the Northern Nishnabe Education Council (which delivers off-reserve education services to First Nation students from the Sioux Lookout District) and the Sioux Lookout District Native Teacher Education Program Management Committee. The goal of the Sioux Lookout District Native Teacher Education Program Management Committee (PMC) was to ensure the provision of a teacher education program that meets the needs of the District's First Nations peoples.

LU agreed to provide a two year Native Teacher Education Program in accordance with standards established by the LU Faculty of Education and the Ontario Ministry of Education. The LU program enabled candidates to obtain a Primary/Junior (kindergarten to grade six) Ontario Teacher Certificate. Supervision of student teachers was provided by qualified LU staff in a manner very similar to the on-campus program. LU provided education courses designed to train teachers to deliver a bilingual/bicultural program and meet the needs of First Nations communities. LU staffed the program according to university policies, with involvement of the PMC Coordinator. In conjunction with the PMC Coordinator, LU arranged practice teaching schedules and assessed candidates. Lakehead University ensured the design and delivery of the teacher education program that met the needs of the Sioux Lookout District First Nations by adapting courses to meet First Nations needs. LU monitored and evaluated the program, assisted with on-site student counseling, supervised students, and worked with district First Nations communities (Lakehead University, 1997).

LU's Sioux Lookout Program simultaneously served 23 different communities scattered throughout Northwestern Ontario between Lake Superior and Hudson Bay. They range in size from approximately 80 people to over 400. Most are "fly-in" communities, accessible only by plane. Each community has a school with three to 52 staff members and is populated primarily by members of the Nishnabe Nation. Virtually all communities are reserves with band controlled schools administered by the local First Nations Band Council versus the provincial Ministry of Education or the federal Department of Indian Affairs. As such, they are able to hire uncertified teachers for their schools. Each of these teachers assumes full responsibility for her or his classroom.

The First Nations of the Sioux Lookout District needed aboriginal teachers who were fluent in the Nishnabe language and knowledgeable of the Nishnabe culture. Such teachers could deliver bilingual/bicultural programs and act as role models to students in their schools. Teacher candidates could not drive to university campuses to take education courses. Mature and experienced classroom assistants and uncertified teachers usually have large families that cannot relocate to an urban center for four year university programs. Consequently, one of the primary goals of the Sioux Lookout Program was to instruct Native teacher candidates to develop and deliver high quality bilingual-bicultural programs in First Nations schools of the Sioux Lookout District. Native teacher candidates were taught to implement a variety of teaching strategies required to meet the needs of multigrade classrooms and classrooms with a wide range of student ability levels. Candidates learned to plan lessons, units, and activities that would meet the needs of Native First Language, English Second Language, and English Second Dialect students (Lakehead University, 1996).

First Nations communities recommended suitable teacher candidates to the program (i.e. adults fluent in the Native language who had classroom experience and were working or volunteering in a school). School principals agreed to release students with pay from teaching responsibilities to attend classes and the student teaching practicum. The Nishnabe Nation Education Council contracted with LU for delivery of the Sioux Lookout Program and paid for tuition and student and instructor travel and accommodations during coursework and student teaching. Wherever possible, LU supported the ongoing needs of the program via the university's application for provincial and federal funds. The Nishnabe Nation Education Council secured funding for the program primarily from federal grants.

The PMC and LU developed teacher candidate selection criteria similar to the University's admission regulations. The PMC and LU's Faculty of Education jointly reviewed applications and determined acceptance to the program. Selection criteria of PMC included that candidates had to be mature Native people fluent in a Native language with classroom experience. LU preferred that candidates have the requirements of a secondary graduation diploma or equivalent, but relevant life experience was included in the admission evaluation when an applicant had not completed grade 12. English and math courses offered during the first summer of the program were used to assess candidates' skills in terms of ability to handle course materials. Those candidates unable to successfully complete these courses were encouraged to enroll in upgrading courses and reapply to a later program.

Students who entered the NTEP were Nishnabe people who spoke Nishnabe as their first language and English as their second language. Many students were also biliterate. All students were mature adults with extensive classroom experience. Many were classroom teacher aides or uncertified teachers for five to ten years or more. Approximately two-thirds of the candidates were female. Candidates ranged in age from about 20 to 55 years old, with most between 25 and 35.

Students enrolled in the Sioux Lookout NTEP took only the education component of LU's four-year B.A./B.Ed. program. While typically students in a B.A./B.Ed. program took their Arts courses before their education courses, NTEP students began with their third and fourth year education courses. They were then able to take their first, second, and third year Arts courses after their education courses. The NTEP program included two introductory and orientation courses, seven and one-half B.A./B.Ed credit courses, two non-credit half courses, and a student teaching component.

Instructional delivery methods for these courses consisted of on-site instruction at Lakehead University's main campus and the Pelican Falls Education Center and two-way radio broadcast transmission via the Wahsa Distance Education network. Classroom interaction between students and faculty was supplemented by classes via simulcast radio. Approximately two-thirds of the coursework was done in each student's home community.

The PMC coordinator stated that "One of the greatest challenges of the NTEP program to be resolved is how to keep the students committed for the duration of the program." The program was condensed into a very demanding two-year program, and unlike on campus students, NTEP students were working full time as educators throughout the duration of the program (often with primary responsibility for the classrooms in which they work). In contrast to the on-campus program, the majority of students were women with obligations to the family as homemaker, mother, and wife. When candidates were released from their classroom responsibilities for student teaching, they were often required to prepare weeks of lesson plans for substitute teachers (Levi, 1998a).

The coordinator also cited reasons students gave for dropping out of the program. These included feelings of guilt for neglecting their families and work; loneliness during summer sessions and practicum; feeling overwhelmed by obligations of family, work and school; lack of time to complete assignments; being assigned full classroom responsibilities without sufficient direction or feedback; lack of support from family, friends, employer, and colleagues; poor organizational and time management skills; and social problems and unresolved personal issues. One response to these issues was to implement a mentor program. School principals were consulted and asked to select a teacher/mentor for each student. The mentor worked closely with the student on a daily basis, providing an example of professional behavior and additional support (Levi, 1998a).

The graduation rate for the Sioux Lookout Community Based Native Teacher Education Program was high considering the numerous demands, responsibilities, and challenges that candidates have faced. Of the 20 students registered in the first 1993-1995 program, 15 students graduated (75%). From among the 35 students registered in the second 1995-1997 program, 25 graduated (72%). With a total of 55 graduates in four years, as of 1998, 44 were teachers, three were principals, two were working in non-teaching jobs, one was employed as a teacher assistant, and one was employed as a tutor escort (Levi, 1998b).

During the summer of 1998, the PMC coordinator conducted a program evaluation for the 1997-1999 program (Levi, 1998a). Participants were asked to list the strengths and weaknesses of the program and to make suggestions for improvement and other comments. Program strengths included:

The instructors know their field and share that knowledge with us.

There is a good selection of courses to meet the requirements.

This program shows encouragement to have Native teachers.

The radio teleconferencing courses are effective and very convenient.

Funding provides the practical resources we need for our studies.

Most of the courses are interesting and challenging.

It has helped having the opportunity to get experience in the classroom and in other schools.

I would not be able to take classes like this if the program was not brought to the North.

Working with other students is a real incentive and encouragement.
Weaknesses included:
Scheduling of courses is too close to holidays.

Some of the lectures are too long.

More hands on activities are needed to gain even more practical experience.

There is a lack of student input into schedules, it would help if the students' were consulted on scheduling too.

We need more resources. There is a lack of research materials for assignments.

A one week course is too little time to cover everything.
Additionally, students mention that it was a great program and that it gave them the opportunity to stay in their communities and be with their family and friends.
Conclusion

The most significant differences between these programs are what we perceive as their highlights. Many students perceive the highlight of the RAISE program to be the opportunity to research, write, and present an academic paper at a minimum of one national conference. Over the years of the program, students have presented in Tucson (Arizona), Albuquerque (New Mexico), and Washington (D.C.). In contrast, students of LU's NTEP have often cited the highlight of their program as being the opportunity to student teach in First Nations communities and schools other than their own.

We think that these programs provide a tremendous opportunity for indigenous students, their schools, and their communities. Educators who otherwise may never have the chance to pursue teacher training are becoming teachers, department heads, principals, and role models in remote and rural Native communities. Furthermore, they are able to pursue this training while continuing to contribute to the educational endeavors of their schools and communities. Consequently, key educators are not leaving the community at a crucial time in their community's development.

References

Carnegie Forum on Education and the Economy. (1986). A nation prepared: Teachers for the 21st century. New York: Author.

Helge, D. (1983). Models for serving rural children with low-incidence handicapping conditions. Murray, KY: Murray state University, National Rural Research and Preparation Project.

Helge, D. (1980). National research identifying problems in implementing comprehensive special education programming in rural areas. Murray, KY: Murray state University, National Rural Research and Preparation Project.

Helge, D., & Marrs, L. (1981). Personnel recruitment and retention in rural America. Bellingham, WA: Western Washington University.

Holmes Group. (1990). Tomorrow's schools. East Lansing, MI: Author.

Lakehead University Faculty of Education. (1996). Program articulation for a Sioux Lookout district Native teacher education program. Thunder Bay, Ontario: Lakehead University.

Lakehead University School of Education. (1994). Community based Native teacher education program (program description). Thunder Bay, Ontario: Lakehead University.

Lancaster, L. (1992). Recruitment and retention of special education teachers in Native American reservation schools. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff.

Lapan, S., & Minner, S. (Ed.). (1997). Perspectives: School-university partnerships. Center For Excellence in Education. Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona.

Levi, Ann Marie. (1998a). NTEP Program evaluation: student teachers summer 1998. Unpublished raw data.

Levi, Ann Marie. (1998b). The drop out rate of the NTEP program, Unpublished raw data.

Peterson, P.J., & Montfort, L.B. (1997). The rural multicultural training collaborative: A university-local school partnership. In J. Reyhner (Ed.), Partnerships in education: Preparing teachers for the twenty-first century (pp. 143-155). Flagstaff, AZ: Northern Arizona University.

Prater, G., Miller, S. & Minner, S. (1997). Preparing special education teachers for rural areas: The rural special education project. In S. D. Lapan & S. Minner (Eds.), School-University Partnerships (pp. 73-83). Flagstaff, AZ: Center for Excellence in Education, Northern Arizona University.

Prater, G., Rezzonico, A., Pyron, R., Chischille, J., Arthur, V., & Yellowhair, B. (1995). Effective teachers: perceptions of Native American students in rural areas. Proceedings of the American Council on Rural Special Education, USA, 95, 358-361.

Wise, A.E. & Darling-Hammond, L. (1987). Licensing teachers: Design for a teaching profession. Santa Monica, CA: The RAND Corporation.

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Chapter 4 (pp. 35-44) of Learn in Beauty: Indigenous Education for a New Century edited by Jon Reyhner, Joseph Martin, Louise Lockard, and W. Sakiestewa Gilbert. Copyright © 2000 by Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona. Also available as a pdf file. School-based Native teacher education programs are relatively uncommon.

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Effective Mentoring Practices for Teachers of Color and Indigenous Teachers

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Effective Mentoring Practices for Teachers of Color and Indigenous Teachers

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Retention of Indigenous pre-service teachers enrolled in an Australian regional university.

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Retention of Indigenous pre-service teachers enrolled in an Australian regional university.

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Abstract

Retention of Indigenous pre-service teachers is critical to increasing the number of Indigenous teachers in Australian schools. The aim of this research was to identify factors impacting on retention within one regional university in Queensland. Using a narrative inquiry research design, interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of Aboriginal students (n = 14) over a two year period. Issues and themes impacting on decisions to exit prior to completion were identified that are being used to enhance operations within the university as well as broader systemic issues which contribute to higher education evidence and understanding for policy discussion and development.

Introduction

Higher education is widely understood to be important to Indigenous people globally and increasing the numbers of Indigenous teachers is a key factor in enabling leaders and communities, and in the development and understanding of and respect for Indigenous histories, cultures and language through de-colonisation (Avison, 2004; Battiste, 2013; Carr-Stewart, Balzer, & Cottrell, 2013; Dénommé-Welch & Montero, 2014; Keskitalo, Määttä, & Uusiautti, 2012). In Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education has been a focus of government many years (Bourke, Dow, Lucas, & Budby, 1993), however Indigenous people, are significantly under-represented in Australian universities (Nakata, 2004; Trudgett, 2009). In order to better prepare Indigenous people for research and leadership roles it is important to promote opportunities for Indigenous participation in higher education and as teachers. The available literature indicates clear need for aspiring Indigenous students to be able to connect with higher education programs that align to their own cultural experience in order to better prepare educated people for leadership roles (Pechenkina, Kowal & Paradies, 2011) and future workforce needs (IHEAC, 2006) including roles in education. However, Aboriginal Australians, like Indigenous people globally, continue to be significantly under-represented in both student and staff numbers within universities (DiGregorio, Farrington, & Page, 2000; Nakata, 2004; Ottmann, 2013; Trudgett, 2009). In Canada, Malatest and Associates (2004) reported that whilst recruitment and retention of Indigenous people in higher education have increased, participation rates are significantly lower than for non-Indigenous students, and they continue to face socio-economic, institutional and cultural barriers. Similarly in Australia, the Federal Government commissioned report, Higher Education Access and Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People (Behrendt, Larkin, Griew, & Kelly, 2012) outlines key recommendations including more than doubling the proportion of Indigenous students at universities. Concerns over participation, retention and support of Indigenous students within higher education institutions in general are well documented. Higher education reviews such as the Malatest and Associates (2004) and the Bradley Review's 10-year plan to reform higher education (Bradley, Noonan, Nugent, & Scales, 2008) have identified and highlighted these concerns and made recommendations to improve the historical under-representation issues. The long term aim is to provide sustainable solution-focused and change-focused (Reed, 2006) strategies to support Indigenous higher education students.

Within Australian tertiary institutions, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander retention and completion rates in teacher education have been a major concern for many years (Behrendt et al., 2012; Bourke et al., 1993; Bradley et al., 2008; Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, 2008; IHEAC, 2006). Given that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teachers are significantly under-represented in Australian schools and universities (DiGregorio et al., 2000; Nakata, 2004; Trudgett, 2011) identification of factors which support completion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pre-service teachers is a significant issue for higher education institutions. Increasing the numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teachers is paramount in fostering student engagement and improving educational outcomes for Indigenous students (Patton, Hong, Lampert, Burnett & Anderson, 2012) and is also a key factor are in enabling all students to develop understanding of and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and language (MCEECDYA, 2010; Patton et al., 2012; Perso, 2012). Whilst governments, education providers and communities share aspirations for a growing number of Indigenous people to be trained as teachers and recruitment has increased, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are still significantly under-represented in all higher education programs (Anderson & Potok, 2011; Behrendt et al., 2012) and in the profession in schools (Patton et al., 2012; Price, 2015). There are currently a number of initiatives occurring in Australia arising from the More Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Teachers Initiative (MATSITI) (Buckskin, 2016) to improve recruitment, however exacerbating the problem of Indigenous teacher numbers is the significant loss of Indigenous students during their pre-service training (Patton et al., 2012). In addition, there is a significant loss of all newly employed teachers within the first five years of employment as a teacher (Buchanan et al., 2013; Mason & Matas, 2015) which also adds to the problem of increasing numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teachers in schools.

High attrition rates in teacher education and in the teaching industry have contributed to a slow growth rate in the numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teachers. Research undertaken in 1979 showed that there were as few as 72 Indigenous teachers in classrooms (ACER, 2016). The NAEC realised its aim of 1000 teachers in classrooms by 1990 (Hughes & Willmot, 2012) and there was an increase of 500 Indigenous teachers between 2001 and 2008 (MATSITI, 2017), but the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Workforce Analysis (MATSITI, 2014), indicated that Indigenous teachers were under-represented in Australian schools with these numbers still only accounting for 1.2 per cent of teaching staff in government schools who identified as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Whilst Price (2015) indicated that this has since risen to 1.3%, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people constituting 2.5% of the total population and 5% of school students (Price, 2015) due to higher birth rates, recruitment and retention of Indigenous teachers remains a pressing and significant issue in Australia today.

The higher education sector currently attracts more Indigenous students to its teacher education programs than many other disciplines, but high enrolments do not necessarily result in high completions (Pechenkina, Kowal & Paradies, 2011). A finding that emerged from research undertaken as part of the MATSITI Project is that of all Indigenous students who commence Initial Teacher Education, only approximately 32% complete (Patton et al., 2012). The annual rate of exiting before graduation remains high. This study aimed to identify and respond to the problem of this higher exit rate for Indigenous students from education programs prior to completion through the identification of factors impacting on student exit decisions. The research questions guiding the study were:

1.

What factors do pre-service teachers identify as relating to their decision to continue or exit their preparation program; and

2.

How can this university develop, facilitate and maintain opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander pre-service teachers to complete teacher programs within this regional university in Queensland, Australia.

Aboriginal students enrolled in, recently graduated in their first year of teaching, and students who had exited the program prior to completion over the past year were interviewed over 2014-2015 using a culturally sensitive narrative inquiry approach. Issues and themes discussed by students included systemic issues beyond the scope of any individual university as well as factors where systems, processes and practice within the university where the study was based could be enhanced or developed. This paper focuses on the first of these research questions and therefore contributes to knowledge regarding issues impacting exit decisions for education faculties but also to evidence and understanding of broader systemic issues impacting retention of Indigenous higher education students.

Section snippets

Literature review

The literature review commences with consideration of factors that have been found to impact on retention for Indigenous higher education students in Australia including education programs. Nakata (2002, 2007a, 2007b) Theory of Cultural Interface is discussed as the conceptual theory most relevant to the context of higher education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and is used as a lens for this study. This theory seeks to find common ground in the "Third Cultural Space" in

Methodology

Voices of current and exiting students need to be heard to ascertain factors assisting completion and those creating barriers. This project aimed to identify factors impacting on retention and ways to develop, facilitate and maintain opportunities for Aboriginal pre-service teachers to complete teacher education programs. At the commencement of this project the regional university where the study was conducted attracted 66 students in 2013 with an average of 48 enrolments each year since 2010

Findings and discussion

The emerging themes were relatively consistent across the participants' experiences, though there were some differences dependent on the campus attended. These emerging themes were also consistent with the experiences of Indigenous peoples studying at a higher education institutions as reported in the literature (DiGregorio et al., 2000; Nakata, 2004; Ottmann, 2013; Patton et al., 2012; Perso, 2012; Trudgett, 2009). This provided confidence in the results and the trustworthiness of the data. It

Conclusion

Through a project conducted as part the nationally funded More Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Teachers Initiative (MATSITI) this study aimed to gain an insight into the reasons that impact Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student's decisions to exit their program prior to completion. Through the conduct of focus groups and interviews with two graduating cohorts of self-identified Aboriginal students, rich data was gathered to gain an understanding of the factors impacting on exit

Funding

This work was supported by the More Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Teachers Initiative (MATSITI) administered through the University of South Australia.

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Retention of Indigenous pre-service teachers enrolled in an Australian regional university

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Retention of Indigenous pre-service teachers is critical to increasing the number of Indigenous teachers in Australian schools. The aim of this research was to identify factors impacting on retention within one regional university in Queensland. Using a narrative inquiry research design, interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of Aboriginal students (n = 14) over a two year period.

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