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WC provides the research and approach for all the programmatic and policy priorities NIEA has. Why include language and culture? Why include representation in curriculum? Why foster family, community, and tribal engagement? Because those things impact the wellbeing of Native children just as much as academics and schooling and so should be integrated.

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WC is a comprehensive and community driven investment in learning to ensure a child can thrive (across multiple contexts)- right now I think my current work is visioning pieces/partnerships that NIEA can bring to provide insight/data/services to communities to empower them to change or enhance their learning systems

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Use WC language and research to frame and strengthen our resources  

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Use WC language and research to frame and strengthen our resources  

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I think we could be more intentional about framing our resources, trainings, talking points, etc. through a whole child lens

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A theory of change, framework, foundation, that informs how we approach our education work, products, and goals in the education space. It provides strategic language and concepts that are based in Indigenous knowledge and epistemology that delineates "Indigenous education" from schooling.

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If our strategic priority is still whole child, we should be turning toward the report and research to ground our work (resources, tools, trainings, etc.)

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WC is more than the terminology we give it.

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WC is more than the terminology we give it.

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The whole child encompasses a child's spiritual, mental, and physical aspects. My work is connected to this definition because it helps me to figure out what pieces of legislation touch on this. What funding exists at the government and non-government levels, and what statistics/data exists to uplift this messaging regarding advocacy.

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I think we sunset WC as an initiative and its own bucket/scope. It should transfer into a driver of the more tangible aspects of our programming and policy. The report should eventually be archived and replaced with data/stories that we are doing in our communities with the report being our launching pad.

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is an approach that emphasizes the development of our wakenyaya-children, ensuring they are healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. The focus isn't solely on academic achievement, but looks for long-term success and well-being that is the whole child definition.

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Centering students through relational connectedness to support students in growing into their identity and through culture/language through developmental cognitive, social, community and wellness ..     My work is whole child - putting resources direct to students to prioritize their thriving success through "promising educational practices" and community engagement. 

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Centering students through relational connectedness to support students in growing into their identity and through culture/language through developmental cognitive, social, community and wellness ..     My work is whole child - putting resources direct to students to prioritize their thriving success through "promising educational practices" and community engagement. 

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I believe that WC needs to be a theoretical statement that says we can change XXXX if we do YYYYY. And then this becomes the driving force of the programs/buckets of work we commit to doing. This would also change our core pillars. Whole child should be our why statement and the space at which our programs intersect

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The language of whole child might become politicized in certain states. For example, SEL has been a target of conversative education reform in recent years.

There may be times where using a whole child approach or framing could be preventing some people from being open to our work.

What are our hard lines or non-negotiables when it comes to standing by the whole child approach?

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In the words of Diana, we need "learning systems that 'embrace what we know, how we know it, and how we apply it.'" She emphasized that educators must strive to meet children and youth’s social, emotional, cultural, spiritual, physical, and mental needs before turning to academic learning.

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There are several opportunities for what we can do for the WC Initiative and the report that was created. This allows NIEA to house the data that we have gathered from the report. We can also work at building more programs around WC by engaging with youth and cross collaborate with Native nonprofits/scholars in this space.

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From our understanding of the WC, we should individually create a one paragraph statement on how the work we are currently doing is informed by the WC. If there is a serious organizational want or need to continue the initiate, we should frame some specific end "products" around the initiative. We could also sunset the initiative and create our own response to the WC report.

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This aligns with my role as I support culturally-based curriculum development and implementation to support students, integrating SEL strategies in program and policy work; I collaborate with states, tribes, and organizations to create these environments for our students. I advocate for policies and programming at the federal, state, and tribal levels to support the autonomy of tribal communities in education that aligns with the whole child initiative.

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WC for NIEA should be a priority and incorporated into our strategic vision for the organization. This can make a powerful impact and great messaging for the board (help them reflect on what WC means to them, the work they do in the community, and how they view it within NIEA). This can also be seen as tangible things such as resources, training, and potential funding opportunities (micro-grants). Policy wise, this can be built out and advocated at all levels of government and how WC in Native communities have always been a way of life.

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How are we doing any of this?? FINDING #1: Promising educational practices for Native youth . FINDING #2: Educational sovereignty FINDING #3: State and regional initiatives FINDING #4: Compassionate healing practices FINDING #5: The unique experiences, strengths, and needs of individual tribes must be central to the education of Native youth. FINDING #6: More resources, better financing, research, and policy changes, as well as better maximization and leveraging of funds.

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If we want to use the WC model, we should develop a working group to fully develop it as a tangible model and finalize it as a group

1. 1 Working group drafts a model

2. 2 Org redlines the model

3. 3 Working group produces a final draft

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Set clear goals, develop an action plan, engage stakeholders, create professional development, and monitor and evaluate the program.

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WC Report Should be built upon... what are the gaps in this report, how are we meeting those gaps, what additional data to we need to do... I see this report as a needs assessment, or form of "asset" mapping for what we should be prioritizing in Native Education. Let's add quantifiable data , and what  identify what programming we have available that meets these gaps? 

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WC Report Should be built upon... what are the gaps in this report, how are we meeting those gaps, what additional data to we need to do... I see this report as a needs assessment, or form of "asset" mapping for what we should be prioritizing in Native Education. Let's add quantifiable data , and what  identify what programming we have available that meets these gaps? 

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The Whole Child framework nurtures all aspects of child development beyond academics, focusing on health, safety, engagement, support, and challenges in learning. It highlights the connection between academic success and overall well-being. My role connects directly to the Whole Child approach within Native communities by bridging education and prevention, providing holistic and culturally responsive support, addressing social determinants of health, and empowering tribal leadership and community engagement.

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How does a foundation of whole child work/belief look different in our work with adults vs. students? Do we keep everything centered from a school/learning center?

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WC should produce tangible resources and tools for communities

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WC should produce tangible resources and tools for communities

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The end goal is to produce useful work that can be used by communitutes. This should not just be an intellectual exercise but a tool the staff can use to produce public, outward facing tools and resources.

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Professional Development

Policy Advocacy

Community Involvement

Continuous Improvement

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Revisit the report and respond through the lens of NIEA... Reassess the Reports Findings, Frame the responses through NIEA's Priorities, Develop a Call to Action, Share the NIEA Response Strategically