Awards

Aaniiih Nakoda Teacher Preparation Project (MT) ($372,605)
S299B180009 (PDF, 13MB)

The Aaniiih Nakoda College (ANC) is a tribally controlled community college (TCU) located on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in north central Montana. In consortium with Montana State University-Northern (MSUN), ANC will work to address the critical shortage of qualified American Indian teachers in schools serving the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. Project partners will collaborate to achieve the following five objectives: (1) recruit and select 15 American Indian individuals to participate in the program; (2) train and support them in accredited education degree programs leading to a Bachelor of Science Education (B.S.Ed.) degree; (3) graduate participants with B.S.Ed. degrees and state teaching licensures; (4) place them in qualifying teaching positions; and (5) deliver induction services during their first two years of teaching in LEAs serving a high proportion of Indian students. The two primary project sites will be the campuses of ANC and MSUN.
Participants will perform field practicum experiences and some induction activities at LEAs located in the Fort Belknap Agency region. Key project design features include effective recruitment strategies, including those targeting participants of non-traditional student age; research-based academic programs that include additional cultural competencies, a combination of on-site and at-distance course offerings; relevant field practicum experiences in LEAs serving a high proportion of Indian students; induction services that include mentoring, professional development, job-embedded science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) or computer science subject activities and periodic performance assessments; and continuous payback obligation education and monitoring efforts. The Indian tribes involved in this project include the Aaniinen (White Clay People or Gros Ventre) and Nakoda (Assiniboine) nations of the Fort Belknap Indian Community (FBIC).

Fort Peck Community College (MT) ($395,673)
S299B180050 (PDF, 1MB)

The purpose of the Fort Peck Community College (FPCC) Indian Education Professional Development Project (IEPDP) is to alleviate the acute shortages of American Indian teachers within LEAs that serve a high proportion of American Indian students. This project goal is to successfully train and place 14 teachers.  Project participants will pursue either 1) an AAS degree in Native Language Instruction (NLI) from FPCC and achieving Class 7 Language Certification and B.S.Ed. degree; or 2) a B.S.Ed. degree from the partner institution, Montana State University-Northern (MSU-N) and state certification. FPCC’s goal is to graduate at least 14 participants within three years and place them in local schools, allowing them to take full advantage of induction services. There will be seven (7) sites: 1) FPCC Poplar Campus; 2) FPCC Wolf Point Campus; 3) MSU-N in Havre; 4) Frazer Public Schools; 5) Wolf Point Public Schools; 6) Poplar Public Schools; and, 7) Brockton Public Schools. FPCC will recruit students who are already attending FPCC or MSU-N and pursuing a degree leading to full State certification. The project will provide two years of induction services to graduates placed in local schools, including mentor teachers and induction seminars. FPCC will assist students in completing payback by placing graduates in eligible LEAs and providing support to students to facilitate service payback completion and minimize cash payback requirements.  The project involves the Assiniboine (Nakoda) and Sioux (Dakota) Tribes of the FPIR in Montana.

Stone Child College (MT) ($324,381)
S299B180052 (PDF, 15MB)

Stone Child College (SCC) is an accredited Tribal College on the Rocky Boy Reservation in Montana, home of the Chippewa Cree. SCC will provide support and training to Indian individuals to complete an education program before the end of the award period that enables the individuals to meet the requirements for full State certification or licensure as a teacher through (a) training that leads to a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education; or (b) in consortium with the University of Montana, training in a current or new specialized teaching assignment (special education) that requires a master’s degree and in which a documented teacher shortage exists. The overall goal of the project is to increase the number of Native American certified elementary and special education teachers in Montana’s public, private, and tribal schools, which serve significant numbers of Indian students, particularly the LEAs on or near the Rocky Boy Reservation. To accomplish this goal, project staff will provide educational, financial, and technological resources to a total of 20 participants (15 Elementary Education and 5 Special Education) who are American Indian pre-service candidates to complete a program that will lead to a bachelor’s degree in elementary education or a master’s degree in special education, and offer intensive, strength-based induction activities for graduates from the program for a minimum of two years.  SCC also will deliver in-depth training in five or more instructional strategies and pedagogical practices in STEM or computer science subjects through a year-long program course/course sequence and through required job-embedded activities during the induction period.

University of Oregon (OR) ($352,310)
S299B180043 (PDF, 27MB)

The University of Oregon (UO) College of Education (COE) and the nine federally recognized tribes of Oregon—The Burns Paiute Tribe, The Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians, The Coquille Indian Tribe, The Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians, The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, The Klamath Tribes, The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians of Oregon, The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation—have formed a consortium for The Sapsik’wałá (Teacher) Education Project: An Indigenous Professional Teacher Preparation Program Proposal. This is a comprehensive project for the recruitment, support, pre-service preparation, induction mentorship, and payback fulfillment of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) teachers in schools with a high proportion of AIAN students. The purpose of the project is to work with consortium partners to recruit 15 participants who will attend the teacher preparation program at the UO. This AI/AN faculty-led project supports Tribal self-determination by training highly qualified AI/AN teachers who serve AI/AN students and communities. Short-term project outcomes include the recruitment, licensure, and graduation of 15 AIAN teachers over the term of the grant, all of whom take part in a year-long seminar to increase the capacity for STEM+CS education in AI/communities. Additionally, the project will assist all 15 students in finding placements in schools that serve a high proportion of AI/AN students and provide two years of induction services that will increase the likelihood of retention of these teachers in the profession, while continuing to support the professional development of new teachers in STEM+CS teaching practices and instructional strategies. The project draws from the high quality of its nationally renowned teacher education program as well as its project-specific Indigenous Consortium, Cohort, and Community of Practice approach to AIAN teacher preparation. Through a consortium that includes the University of Oregon’s College of Education and each of the nine federally recognized Tribal Nations in Oregon, the Sapsik’wałá Program maintains an Indigenous cultural partnership that collaborates support for recruitment and placement of program participants as well as guidance for continuous program improvement efforts. Student teacher placements will be made in Bureau of Indian Education or Title VI schools across the region.

University of Arizona (AZ) ($304,678)
S299B180003 (PDF, 28MB)

The Indigenous Teacher Education Project (ITEP) will recruit a cohort of 14 Native American (NA) preservice teachers in the University of Arizona’s (UA) Elementary Education (EE) program. The UA will partner with five schools serving NA students: the Gila River Community Schools (Blackwater, Gila Crossing, Casa Blanca), Hopi Tribal Education Department, Navajo Nation Department of Diné Education, Sacaton Public School District, and Tohono O’odham Baboquivari Unified School District in this unique effort. The project objectives include efforts to: 1) train participants in culturally relevant pedagogy, curriculum, mentoring, and community partnerships, 2) prepare 14 qualified NA project participants to graduate and obtain certification, 3) facilitate employment and provide professional support and mentoring during induction services, 4) infuse culturally relevant STEM practices into the preparation of project participants, and 5) build strong partnerships with tribes, LEAs, and IHEs. This project seeks to build on the foundational components of Indigenous teacher education by infusing Indigenous knowledge, values, languages, histories, and cultures into the curriculum. The induction program will include contact with an assigned mentor; UA mentorship; focus group sessions in regional areas of the state; workshops by STEM organizations and consultants; and participation in induction services offered by their school/district.  UA will work closely with participants during the induction period (in-person, video/phone conference, and group sessions) to provide professional support to sustain employment in a school and to assist in ensuring participants update and submit required information for purposes of tracking progress toward successful completion of the service payback obligation.

Southeastern Oklahoma State University (OK) ($359,167)
S299B180044 (PDF, 24MB)

The Native American Excellence in Education-Teacher Preparation Project (NAEIETPP) is a consortium between Southeastern Oklahoma State University (SOSU), the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, and the Chickasaw Nation designed to increase the quantity and quality of certified Native American (NA) teachers in southeastern Oklahoma, home to the Choctaw and Chickasaw territories; 21 counties combined. SOSU is centrally located in between these two Native nations in Durant, Oklahoma, with a NA student population just over 30%. Oklahoma is currently experiencing a severe teacher shortage evidenced by schools relying on emergency certifications to fill vacancies and increasing class sizes due to the scarcity of qualified applicants. The NAEIE Project will recruit 12 applicants and selections will be done by committee consisting of a two-phase interview. Participants will progress through an academically sound educator preparation program to complete a bachelor’s degree in education, which enables them to meet requirements for full Oklahoma state certification. In addition to required coursework, participants will be provided with opportunities to enhance the educational experience of prospective NA teachers through supplemental professional development, additional STEM training, and NA history and culture sessions designed to assist new teachers in becoming capable, effective professionals with insight into Native educational barriers. The project seeks to support participants’ transition into employment in local school districts through an induction program designed to support and educate participants on how to become effective teachers and how to improve the quality of their teaching, thereby increasing their likelihood of persisting in the field to fulfill their service payback obligation.

Waadookodaading Ojibwe Language Institute, Inc.  (WI) ($387,457)
S299B180046 (PDF, 23MB)

The primary purpose of The Nandagikenjiganashk Project is to a) increase the number of highly qualified native educators capable of developing the cultural and scientific skills of the future tribal workforce and b) placing them in schools with high Ojibwe student populations. The project will seek to serve a total of 37 participants in teacher and administrator training tracks, across multiple cohorts over the five years of the grant. The project will include primary instructional, mentoring, induction, and placement sites at the Waadookodaading Ojibwe Immersion School and the Lac Courte Oreilles (LCO) Ojibwe School located on the LCO Reservation near Hayward, Wisconsin, and the additional mentoring, induction, and placement sites may include Hayward, Ashland, Bayfield, Lac du Flambeau, Lakeland, and Crandon School Districts located near Hayward, Ashland, Minocqua (two districts), and Crandon, Wisconsin.
Public and tribal schools with high proportions of native students in this region typically hire several native academic and cultural support staff that often have two year degrees in education-related fields or Ojibwe language, but are not licensed teachers. This pool of more than 40 native support staff will be the project’s primary recruitment pool. In addition, each school and each tribe have their own recruitment initiatives which seek candidates interested in working in schools with high proportions of native students. The consortium partner, Northland College, also will recruit qualified students into its educational degree and licensure program.

University of Alaska Southeast, (AK) ($363,240)
S299B180007 (PDF, 24MB)

A Consortium of the University of Alaska Southeast’s Alaska College of Education (AKCOE) and Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) will conduct the Indigenous Alaska Scholars project. Participants receive a graduate level Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) or a Master’s in Educational Leadership. Both the M.A.T. and Education Leadership graduate programs are accelerated, meaning participants enter as a cohort one summer and graduate with their degrees and certificates the next summer. During fall and spring semesters, M.A.T. candidates are placed with host teachers in a school where they complete a year-long internship. Education Leadership participants do a similar year-long mentorship under the guidance of an exemplary principal, again at a school. During these intense practicums participants are instructed via distance delivered courses, workshops and seminars. AKCOE faculty conducts observations, coaching, and assessments regularly on-site. SHI provides activities that fold cultural knowledge and relevance into both programs. Indigenous Alaska Scholars will provide graduate level training to qualified Alaska Natives and American Indians to become certificated teachers and administrators, with a focus on preparing them to work in schools with high numbers of Native students. Expected outcomes include the inclusion of non-traditional participants, such as those drawn from the military and industry; 100% program completion rate for a M.A.T. in Secondary Education or Educational Leadership; 88% job placement within one year and 100% job placement within two years; and provision of two years of induction activities for all participants.

Salish Kootenai College (MT) ($356,858)
S299B180051 (PDF, 24MB)

The purpose of Indigenous STEM in Teacher Education (I-STEM) is to increase the number of licensed American Indian secondary math & science, elementary and early childhood PreK-3 teachers. Salish Kootenai College (SKC) proposes to accomplish these goals by providing fiscal, educational, and social support to a minimum of 20 American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) teacher candidates while engaging them in culturally relevant teacher education experiences and enhancing STEM components in all teaching programs specifically designed for effective teaching on reservations and in small schools. I-STEM encompasses and incorporates all cultural understandings, including communication/storytelling, arts, ways of knowing and being, and intergenerational knowledge transfer throughout the education programs. Although the emphasis is on the Se̓liš-Ql̓ispé and Ksanka people, SKC invites candidates from tribes across the U.S. and Canada. To accomplish this goal, SKC will partner with the American Indian Graduate Center (AIGC) to recruit pre-service teachers throughout the Northwest. In addition, SKC will recruit currently enrolled students and reach out to area school districts, public, private and tribal education programs so that eligible support staff is aware of the opportunity. Two years of induction services will be provided during the award period to participants after graduation while they are completing their first two years of work as teachers in school districts with significant Indian student populations.

Oglala Lakota College (SD) ($326,320)
S299B180037 (PDF, 19MB)

Oglala Lakota College (OLC) is an Indian IHE based on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation with Instructional Centers on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation and in Rapid City, SD. In partnership with local school districts and BIE-funded schools with high proportions of Indian students, OLC will recruit, select and assist 12 Native Americans to achieve undergraduate teaching degrees and Special Education endorsements in the State and have special skills for teaching STEM subjects. The project will serve the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation (a 2015 Promise Zone) which has 22 schools, the Rapid City School District which has 8 schools with significant numbers of Indian students and the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation schools which has seven schools with significant numbers of Indian students.
OLC will recruit in fall 2018 and spring 2019 and will advertise through local media, meet with schools and staff, and talk to current OLC education majors about pursuing a special education endorsement. OLC induction strategies will include mentoring by the program/field coordinator, pay for release time for consultation meetings, access to research materials through professional memberships, professional literature and research resources, technology mentors, and sessions with relevant experts including presentations by Lakota elders. OLC staff will meet with schools during the project to facilitate qualifying job placements for participant in order to fulfill the service payback requirement. Tribes involved in the project include Oglala Sioux, Cheyenne River Sioux and Rosebud Sioux Tribes.

Board of Regents of UW System for UW-Milwaukee (WI) ($307,471)
S299B180045 (PDF, 9MB)

The Electa Quinney Institute (EQI) Teacher Training and Administrative Leadership – STEM Focus program is a partnership among the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee’s School of Education (SoE), the Indian Community School (ICS), and Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). The project is designed to increase the number of qualified American Indian individuals that have chosen careers to become teachers and administrators in Wisconsin school districts and BIE schools that serve high proportions of Indian students by training up to 10 American Indian students enrolled at UWM to become teachers or administrators.   The four goals of the TTAL – STEM Focus program are to: 1) recruit traditional and non-traditional students 2) support participant retention 3) graduate all participants 4) assist all participants with finding qualifying jobs within twelve months of completion of the program and 5) provide two years of induction services during the award period to participants after graduation, certification or licensure.
The EQI team will recruit and train teachers who have degrees in the STEM fields. The Project Director will network and build partnerships with faculty in all professional schools at UWM to improve and build a pipeline of American Indian students to consider the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math or computer science.

University of Idaho (ID) ($255,799)
S299B180040 (PDF, 26MB)

The University of Idaho (UI), in conjunction with the 10 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Tribes—Idaho: the Nez Perce, Coeur d’Alene, Kootenai, Shoshone-Bannock, Shoshone- Paiute; Washington: Yakama, Kalispel, Colville, Spokane; and Oregon: Umatilla—seeks to implement a five year Professional Development Program in Moscow, Idaho, termed Indigenous Knowledge for Effective Education Program (IKEEP). IKEEP will provide comprehensive support and training to eight Native American IKEEP Scholars to complete a pre-service education program with concentration in Indigenous culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy that will qualify them to bring long-term educational improvements to the K-12 school experience of Native American youth. In partnership with the 10 MOU Tribes, IKEEP will recruit Native American students who have completed their general requirements for an IHE, and are eligible to enroll in degree-required coursework at the University of Idaho.
Non-traditional applications and applicants who hold a bachelor’s degree in a STEM-related field interested in pursuing a career change to teaching will be targeted for recruitment. IKEEP will infuse high-quality Indigenous focused STEM training across IKEEP coursework, workshops and applied field work ensuring that all IKEEP scholars gain knowledge and skills to support Native American student achievement. To ensure student participants complete their program and their service payback obligations IKEEP staff will provide: 1) monthly student support services, mentoring and academic advising to ensure degree completion, 2) specialized courses and workshops informed by culturally responsive research with an emphasis on Indigenous pedagogies, 3) professional development activities and workshops with an emphasis on Indigenous STEM expertise, 4) teacher mentorship partnership for career preparation and performance, and 5) two-year induction services including monthly in-service mentorship meetings and annual induction retreats to support effective teaching and the successful fulfillment of the required payback obligations.

Oglala Lakota College (SD) ($356,572)
S299B180049 (PDF, 18MB)

Oglala Lakota College (OLC), a tribally-chartered IHE based on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation with Instructional Centers on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation and in Rapid City, SD—in partnership with multiple LEAs and BIE-funded schools that have a large number of Indian students—will recruit, select and assist 10 Native Americans to achieve Masters of Lakota Leadership and Management: Education Administration degrees and Principal Endorsements in the state of SD and have special skills for advancing STEM in their schools. OLC will recruit 10 students in Fall 2018 and Spring 2019, advertising through local media, meeting with schools and staff, and talking to current OLC teachers and school staff about pursuing a Masters in Lakota Leadership and Management: Education Administration. Induction will include mentoring by a program/field coordinator, pay for release time for consultation meetings, access to research materials through memberships professional societies, technology mentors, one-day meetings each semester with all school supervisors to share information, one-day participant seminars during induction, and presentations by Lakota elders.
OLC will assure that incoming participants are aware of the payback requirements and will develop a plan with them for completing the service payback. Project staff will meet with schools during the grant period to facilitate participants’ job placement that fulfill the service payback requirement. Tribes involved include Oglala Sioux and Cheyenne River Sioux.

College of Menominee Nation (WI) ($342,075)
S299B180005 (PDF, 15MB)

The College of Menominee Nation (CMN) in partnership with the schools on the Menominee (Keshena and Neopit, WI) and Oneida (Hobart, WI) Reservations proposes Aspiring Native Educators: Espa͞ehkawak akekoh Mamāceqtawak Ka͞ehkenohamowekowak (Is pay key wuk ah key ko Mama chet taw wuk Kaeh kay no ha mo we ko wuk) which means “They rise up, those Indian Teachers” in Menominee. The goal of CMN’s Espa͞ehkawak akekoh Mamāceqtawak Ka͞ehkenohamowekowak: Aspiring Native Educators project is to provide professional development opportunities and financial support for new and current preservice students to complete their Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education and apply for WI licensure. CMN will work to provide highly qualified, licensed teachers to fill positions in surrounding school districts on and near the Menominee and Oneida reservations by 2023.
The project objectives include: (1) recruit and select a cohort of 14 student participants; (2) provide a culturally responsive, quality teacher education bachelor program that prepares preservice students to teach in their neighborhood schools; (3) provide monthly professional development for teacher education students and graduates on STEM Project-Based learning activities; (4) provide PRAXIS (Core and Praxis II), Wisconsin Foundations of Reading Test and Wisconsin’s Teacher Performance Assessment examination and assessment and academic support to ensure 20 pre-service teacher education students achieve the required qualifying scores in order to be eligible to apply for state licensure; (5) graduate 14 teacher education students with Bachelor of Science degree in education who obtain state licensure; and (6) place graduates in their neighborhood schools with a high percentage of American Indian students and provide two years of induction services (mentoring, continued training, and workshops).

Blackfeet Community College (MT) ($320,366)
S299B180011 (PDF, 18MB)

The Blackfeet Community College Indian Education Professional Development Program Indian Centered Education Project (ICEP) will partner with all LEAs on the reservation and the University of Montana-Western to recruit, train, employ, and provide induction for Indigenous teacher candidates. The ICEP will strengthen educational opportunities for children, youth and the Blackfeet Nation by training participants to integrate the best practices of western teacher pedagogy with ancient Blackfeet knowledge and pedagogy. The project will recruit 35 candidates and deliver preservice training to them in order to graduate with full state certification either in elementary education (K-8), post baccalaureate secondary education (K12 & 5-12) and special education (P12).
The ICEP staff will advise, mentor and counsel candidates, who tend to be nontraditional students. In addition, the ICEP staff will meet with partnering school administrators to arrange placements, supervision, promote employment and manage induction of candidates. The delivery model will be face-to-face instruction, supported by extensive practice in the field and aligned with the public school curricula.

Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (OK) ($330,981)
S299B180038 (PDF, 640KB)

Choctaw Nation’s Teach 2 Reach (T2R) program will prioritize pre-service to teachers by providing opportunities to a minimum of 51 Native American teacher candidates to achieve their degrees and certifications and transition into the classroom. This will achieve the goal of increasing the number of qualified Native American Educators in Oklahoma. Program activities will consist of matching participants with veteran teachers as mentors, assigning career counselors for program guidance, providing at least two annual professional development opportunities, and a culminating professional development opportunity available to all participants, mentors, and LEA and university partners. T2R will incorporate cultural components into each aspect of programming with opportunities to attend periodic classes/workshops on Choctaw history and culture. T2R will recruit students who have been accepted into the teaching program at one of the six partner universities: East Central University (ECU), Northeastern State University (NSU), Oklahoma State University (OSU), Southeastern Oklahoma State University (SOSU), University of Central Oklahoma (UCO), and University of Oklahoma (OU). Recruiting from students who have been accepted into the education program ensures the participant has already completed at least two years of higher education toward a teaching degree. CNCD will give preference for STEM-related degree pursuits. With CNCD current student participants pursuing an education degree, T2R will have a direct source to many potential candidates. All participants found to meet the eligibility guidelines will participate in a one-on-one meeting with CNCD staff to discuss program expectations, funding resources, payback responsibilities, and guidelines prior to receiving grant-based assistance. The participant will then sign the Choctaw Nation approved payback agreement explaining work-related and cash payback criteria after completion of teacher education degree plan. T2R will ensure each participant has the appropriate tools and experiences to launch a teaching career that will be rewarding for participants, ensure a support system is in place before and during induction, and guarantee better qualified staff for students in Oklahoma.

University of North Carolina at Pembroke (NC) ($274,599)
S299B180002 (PDF, 23MB)

The University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP) will implement the First Americans’ Educational Leadership (FAEL) pre-service administrator project to recruit, retain and serve 20 participants enrolled in the educational leadership program, and is designed to improve the quality of preparation services and culturally responsive leadership offered to American Indian (AI) graduates. FAEL will support AI students to: (1) attain a Master of School Administration (MSA) degree; or an add-on in school administration (2) acquire principal licensure; and (3) complete two years of administration successfully with ongoing support and professional development through induction support. Payback sessions will be held with eligible participants to discuss in-depth the payback agreement. The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina (LTNC), Public Schools of Robeson County (PSRC), Hoke County Schools and Scotland County Schools will collaborate with the LTNC to provide cultural enrichment activities, mentoring sessions and professional development activities to program participants that will begin immediately upon completion of the program.
The initial group of 10 FAEL Program participants will be enrolled in January 2019 and 10 additional students will be enrolled by January 2020 for a total enrollment of 20 students. The project will support graduation from the MSA Program or completion of the MSA add-on licensure program; completion of state licensure; and improvement of the first two years of administrative experience of newly certified AI administrators through a comprehensive mentoring and induction plan. UNC Pembroke will assist the 20 students with finding qualifying jobs within twelve months of training completion.

University of Mary (ND) ($398,718)
S299B180001 (PDF, 23MB)

In consortium with Turtle Mountain Community College (TMCC), Turtle Mountain Community Schools (BIE), and Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, the University of Mary (UMary) will provide support for 33 Native American undergraduate and graduate students of traditional and non-traditional age as they pursue a B.S. in Teacher Education (elementary or secondary science) or a M.Ed. in K-12 administration or special education strategist.  UMary will serve as the lead agency and will provide graduate level programs and two years of induction services for 19 M.Ed. program participants. TMCC will provide a B.S. in education program and two years of induction services for 14 B.S. program students. Additionally, a robust STEM education component will enrich the instructional capabilities of teachers from TMCC with newly developed undergraduate coursework and seminars. Both schools will provide assistance in completing service payback obligations.
Extensive 2-year induction services will be provided to all program graduates, including mentoring, trauma sensitive schools training and targeted professional development. Based on the critical teacher and administrator shortage in tribal schools, the opportunities for employment are strong. Graduate placement services available on both campuses will be enhanced through strategic partnerships.

University of North Dakota (ND) ($334,868)
S299B180042 (PDF, 20MB)

The University of North Dakota’s (UND) College of Education and Human Development will implement the Lakota Education Action Plan (LEAP) which will create a Lakota Language Teaching & Learning (LLTL) program to address the critical need for Native educators among Native-student-serving LEA schools. To achieve this goal, LEAP has three fundamental objectives. The program objectives are to 1) develop a new pre-service certification opportunity through the Lakota Language Teaching and Learning (LLTL) program; 2) expand an already-established intensive professional development education program, the Lakota Summer Institute, and 3) provide financial support, student mentoring, job placement, and induction services to 14 students who will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in education and a concentration in Lakota teaching and learning. Participants will receive off-site and on-site mentoring and induction services through monthly web meetings with the project coordinator and an on-site mentor. Professional development induction training will occur at the Lakota Summer Institute where each participant will receive 90 hours of classroom instruction in Lakota language teaching each summer throughout the project period.

University of Massachusetts Boston (MA) ($349,051)
S299B180010 (PDF, 19MB)

The University of Massachusetts Boston (UMB) proposes to continue its Native American Early Childhood Education Scholars (NAECES) bachelor’s degree cohort program in collaboration with tribes and Head Start facilities serving significant numbers of Native children. The purpose of this project is to address the need for more high quality Native early childhood educators through its research-based Early Education and Care in Inclusive Settings (EECIS) bachelor’s degree program and to provide job placement and induction supports for transitioning into the field at LEAs and BIE-funded programs serving a high proportion of Indian children. The NAECES goals are to: 1) recruit 10 Native American students into NAECES program resulting in a Bachelor’s degree and ECE state credential; 2) retain 10 Native American students to continue in the NAECES program each year; 3) help 10 Native American students to graduate from the NAECES program with a bachelor’s degree and state early childhood education (ECE) credential, and 4) assist all NAECES graduates with finding qualifying jobs within 12 months of completion. Through UMB’s Institute for New England Native American Studies (INENAS), the only institute focused on university and tribal collaborations in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, NAECES has developed relationships with tribes in a number of states throughout the mid-Atlantic region and have identified pathways for recruitment and induction of future students who can enter with an Associate of Arts degree or comparable credits, and can therefore complete the B.A. degree within 3 years. The project’s research-based curriculum includes specialized intensive STEM education training with two full-semester 3-credit required courses, totaling one year of STEM-based instruction.

Disclaimer Grant Applications

Claremont Graduate University (CA) $377,259

Claremont Graduate University (CGU) will advance the goals of the Claremont Native American Initiative (CNAI) Project: to prepare 12 outstanding teachers of Native American descent to work in K-12 schools serving a substantial number of Native American students. CNAI Fellows will earn their California teaching credential and Master of Arts Degree in Education; receive Induction Mentorship while in their first year of (post-credential) employment; and develop a “next steps for success” plan. CGU’s curriculum will prepare Participants in subject matter competency, developing the social/emotional competencies of their students, differentiating instruction to meet the various levels of students in their classrooms, and working with English Language Learners and students with diverse backgrounds. The training, mentoring, and post-program support will be designed to help CGU achieve its goals to 1) establish and support a team of people committed to the educational attainment, career options, and overall well-being of Native Americans; 2) provide schools serving Native American students with highly qualified teachers of Native American descent; 3) enable Native Americans to not incur substantial student loans/debt while in a full-time teacher preparation program; and 4) contribute to what is known about the preparation of Native American teachers.

Haskell Indian Nations University (KS) $266,225

The goal of the Haskell Indian Nations University’s Connect – Nurture – Vitalize project is to increase the number of qualified American Indian and Alaska Native teachers (AI/AN) who serve in tribal communities while building Haskell’s capacity to recruit, induct and provide training in proven strategies for teaching AI/AN elementary and college students so they may achieve academically. Haskell’s nationally accredited School of Education will connect with, recruit and train 10, 15, and 20 project participants in Years 1, 2, and 3 respectively, to achieve full acceptance into and completion of the Elementary Teacher Education Program (ETEP) that will lead to teacher licensure and placement in elementary schools with high Indian populations. The project will ensure job placement and induction services to graduates during their first year of teaching. Haskell will work to vitalize educational service to AI/AN students by providing training to participants and educators in cultural competency and effective teaching strategies that are proven to help AI/AN students achieve academically. In addition, the program will also provide instructional strategies to other institutions of higher learning to enhance the academic success of AI/AN college students.

Pala Band of Mission Indians (CA) $318,850

The Pala Tribe of Mission Indians proposes the Tew’naanwenesh Chimiqi Che’ Mixeni or “Grow Our Own.” This project meets the Absolute Priorities 1 & 2 by creating cohorts of 12 American Indian educators as teachers and administrators over a four year period. The project evidences written support from the regional tribal school of intent to hire successful program participants. The project, while led by the Pala Tribe, is collaboration between the tribe, the local school district, and the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center and College of Education at California State University San Marcos. The project’s primary location is California State University-San Marcos for the delivery of classes. The location for the summer institutes is on both the reservation and the campus. Additionally, the Southern California Tribal Chairman’s Association will provide assist with recruitment and placement.

Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee (WI) $361,198

The Elect Quinney Institute (EQI) Teacher and Administrative Leadership Project is a partnership between the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee’s School of Education and the EQI, Indian Community School (ICS) and the Stockbridge Munsee Mohican Tribal Community. This project is aimed to increase the number of qualified American Indian individuals that have chosen careers to become Teachers and Administrative Leadership positions in schools throughout the State of Wisconsin. EQI will provide a supportive learning environment for students enrolled at UWM that fosters student success and contributes to excellence in teacher certification and administrative leadership for schools with high populations of American Indian children. The partnership will work collaboratively to recruit and enroll a total of 20 qualified American Indians to receive training to become teachers or administrators in educational institutions throughout the State of Wisconsin and to develop a combined mentoring program titled Research and Mentoring Meetings for students in both programs in order to strengthen their understanding of instruction and management. Every month students will work one-on-one with faculty from the Departments of Curriculum and Instruction and Administrative Leadership. Throughout the program, EQI staff will work with each student to document milestones of progress in their program and all of the experiences will be articulated in their portfolio and resume. A mentoring program will guide each student through networking, interviewing and placement.

Salish Kootenai College (SKC) (MT) $384,167
S299B160008 (PDF, 13M)

Proposes to recruit, enroll, educate, certify, and assist in the employment of 30 Native American teacher candidates (Participants) in elementary or early childhood P-3 education through the project titled Support with Engaging Education: Teacher Growth for Reservation and Small Schools: A Collaborative Model for Indian Teacher Education (SWEETGRASS). The SKC staff will recruit 30 Native American Participants and engage them in culturally relevant teacher education experiences designed for effective teaching on reservations and small schools. Working in partnership with Stone Child College and Little Big Horn College, SKC will support Participants residing on the Rocky Boy Reservation, the Crow Reservation, and the Flathead Reservation. In addition to providing job seeking and preparation skills and support, the SWEETGRASS Project will support Participant placement efforts by leveraging SKC Career Services and the support of local reservation schools and local education agencies, including Polson School District, Arlee School District No. 8, Ronan School District No. 30, Charlo School District 7J, and Two Eagle River School.

Sitting Bull College (ND) $290,837
S299B160016 (PDF, 9M)

Sitting Bull College on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North and South Dakota, will provide training and support for 10 Native American college students who are pursuing a Bachelor’s degree and certification in early childhood, elementary, or secondary science education. Based on needs that Sitting Bull College has identified through continuing contact with the 10 school systems on the reservation, the project will take these 10 junior and senior students through graduation and teacher certification in three years. In the fourth and final year, the College will assist them in placement in their first teaching positions and provide induction services during that first year. Students will be selected for the project based on their selection in the teacher training program with priority given to seniors. The ultimate result of the project will be 10 more certified Indian teachers on the reservation which will substantially reduce the high turnover rate that is brought about by rural isolation and the need for teachers to commute. A full-time Project Director will manage the project and grant-funded student stipends will allow students to devote their full attention to learning.

University of North Carolina, Pembroke’s (NC) $351,876
S299B160011 (PDF, 17M)

Pre-service teacher training project, the First Americans’ Teacher Education (FATE) Program will support American Indian (AI) university students to: (1) attain a bachelor’s degree in education or a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree; (2) acquire NC teacher licensure; and (3) complete the first year of teaching successfully with the provision of induction support. The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina (LTNC), Public Schools of Robeson County (PSRC), Hoke County Schools and Scotland County Schools will partner in training and securing placement for project Participants to address the shortage of American Indian (AI) teachers in public school districts that have a significant AI student population. The 12 FATE Program participants will be enrolled in January 2017 and 12 additional students will be enrolled each year for a total enrollment of 36 students. The project will offer participant support for tuition, school and test fees, dependent allowance, instructional supplies/textbooks, stipends for room, board, and personal living expenses, and mentoring services. As part of the induction services, LTNC will collaborate with the College to provide cultural enrichment activities, mentoring sessions and professional development activities to program participants.

The project is designed to counter the challenges faced by Robeson County, which is located in southeastern North Carolina. The region continues to suffer the highest poverty rate in the state at 33.1% (2014) due to a decline in the agricultural economy and the loss of textile and tobacco industries. More than 39% of the area population is Native American (U.S. Census Bureau). The consistently high unemployment and poverty rates pose significant barriers to individuals pursuing postsecondary education.

University of Mary (ND) $367,702
S299B160002 (PDF, 13M)

The University of Maryland will provide support for Native Americans who are pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Teacher Education (Early Childhood, Elementary Education, and Secondary Science); or a Master of Education degree in Elementary Administration, Secondary Administration, or Special Education Strategist with the goal of obtaining employment as teachers or administrators in schools with a high percentage of Native American students. This collaborative project will involve the University of Mary as lead agency and provider of graduate level studies, and Turtle Mountain Community College as provider of Bachelor’s level courses.

With partnership support from the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, the project will support three cohorts in undergraduate K-12 teacher education at Turtle Mountain Community College, and the University of Mary will support graduate candidates for Elementary Administration, Secondary Administration, and Special Education. This consortium-based project includes strategic partnerships with key entities in the training, placement, and success of teachers and administrators. Consortium partner Turtle Mountain Community Schools represents the major employer for teacher and administrator graduates. In addition to the support provided by consortium partner Turtle Mountain Community Schools in placing teacher and administrator graduates, participants will benefit from job placement services that are available on both college campuses.

Stone Child College (MT) $380,200
S299B160009 (PDF, 11M)

Stone Child College will implement a program in which a minimum of 18 students per year will receive support toward completion of a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree program in Education. During the same project period, Stone Child College will work collaboratively with the Salish Kootenai College (SKC) and Montana State University-Northern (MSU-N) to 1) select participants, 2) convene instructor-to-instructor collaboration bimonthly, 3) conduct outreach and support to participants (Stone Child College will provide mentoring support to each participant with at least two meetings per student occurring monthly throughout the school year). During the same project period, Stone Child College will support an induction program including mentoring, professional development, and cohort meetings. The College has also received active support from nearby Box Elder Schools and Rocky Boy Schools to support the placement of participants who successfully complete the program.

Oglala Lakota College (SD) $385,945
S299B160017 (PDF, 16M)

Oglala Lakota College, is an Indian Institution of Higher Education based on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation with Instructional Centers on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation and in Rapid City, SD, proposes to recruit, train and place 18 Indian student participants as part of proposed Waonspekiya Waste (Wah own spay’ kee yah Wash day’) 2020, which means “good teachers” in Lakota. Oglala Lakota College (OLC) will work in partnership with a number of local education agencies and Bureau of Indian Education-funded schools to prepare teacher candidates to teach in schools with Indian students. The grant award will support OLC’s efforts to do the following: refine course outcomes, assessment-based standards and best practice; offer a mix of course delivery methods that include field-based experiences; and utilize the OLC Education Department Assessment System to monitor participant progress and competency attainment to make data driven decisions. As a consortium grantee, OLC will work with Rapid City and Cheyenne-Eagle Butte School Districts and Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)-funded (Wounded Knee, American Horse, Crazy Horse, Little Wound, Pine Ridge, and Porcupine) schools to assure that the participant graduates meet their needs, and to facilitate recruitment and placement of participants who successfully complete the training program with full South Dakota State teacher licensure.

Northern Arizona University’s (AZ) $374,197
S299B160024 (PDF, 19M)

Northern Arizona University’s College of Education—in consortium with the Diné, Hopi, White Mountain and San Carlos tribes and Navajo Technical University—will implement the American Indian School Leadership (AISL) project to annually serve 24 pre-service administrators enrolled in a Master’s degree program in Educational Leadership to qualify for a principal’s licensure. Project AISL is planned for 48 months and designed to improve the quality and diversity of services offered to American Indian and Alaskan Native graduate students by graduating them on time and preparing them as advanced instructional leaders who will succeed in a high-stakes accountability environment with a strong background in instructional leadership, assessment literacy and cultural school leadership skills. The objectives include: 1) Provide financial support for part-time pre-service administrators as a means of reducing personal costs borne by pursuing postsecondary education and acquiring learning tools needed to ensure college success; 2) Deliver a Master’s Degree in Education Leadership that provides support for degree completion and a principal licensure and is informed by active contributions from tribal partners and Navajo Technical University; 3) Provide mentoring support for pre-service principals engaged in instructional leadership, assessment literacy and cultural responsive school leadership training; and 4) Provide graduates with induction support to ensure certification and job placement success.

California State University, Chico (CA) $335,247
S299B160013 (PDF, 11M)

California State University will recruit, prepare and support 20 American Indians/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) individuals pursuing teaching careers in education as part of a consortium-led project, the Northeastern California Preparation and Retention of Indian Educators (NorCAL PRIE II or PRIE II). California State University, Chico’s (CSU, Chico) Center for Bilingual/Multicultural Studies (CBMS) within the School of Education (SOE) will serve as the lead entity of a consortium that includes the following tribal partners: Mooretown Rancheria of Maidu Indians, Tyme Maidu Tribe-Berry Creek Rancheria, Enterprise Rancheria Estom Yumeka Maidu Tribe, Meechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria and Four Winds of Indian Education, Inc. to plan, recruit, and train qualified Indian individuals for NorCAL PRIE II participation.. CSU, Chico is the sole public higher education institution preparing educators within a 38,000 square mile high-poverty rural region. NorCAL PRIE II will provide a substantive response to the challenges of preparing teachers to serve American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) students in a vast rural region experiencing chronic shortages of American Indian educational personnel. The project offers multiple teacher preparation pathways to meet the diverse needs of AI/AN students. Within these pathways, eligible and qualified Indian candidates pursuing teacher certification will be supported from pre-baccalaureate coursework through professional preparation and induction leading to graduation and State teacher certification. PRIE II objectives include: 1) Increase the number of highly qualified AI/AN teachers in rural regions of Northeastern California; 2) Prepare 20 highly effective rural American Indian/Alaskan Native teachers to meet the diverse needs of children and youth; 3) Develop a support network/induction services to ensure candidates’ persistence and success in the preparation program as well as in the profession; and 4) Collect, analyze, and use high-quality data that focus on improving postsecondary student outcomes relating to enrollment, persistence, and completion; and leading to career success.

University of Idaho (ID) $356,737
S299B160015 (PDF, 18M)

The University of Idaho seeks to implement a four year Professional Development Program, the Indigenous Knowledge for Effective Education Program (IKEEP), in consortium with the following tribes: Nez Perce, Coeur d’Alene, Kootenai, Shoshone-Bannock, and Shoshone-Paiute in Idaho; Yakama, Kalispel, Colville, Spokane in Washington; and Umatilla in Oregon. Support and training will be provided to 12 Native American IKEEP Participants to complete a pre-service education program with specialization in culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy that will qualify them to meet the requirements for full state certification or licensure as a teacher in a K-12 school setting. The program will target Native American students from reservations of the aforementioned tribes who have completed their general requirements with the two-year IHE and/or are eligible to enroll in degree-required coursework at the University of Idaho. The IKEEP Participants will be eligible for State certification or licensure in time to participate in induction services within the four-year grant period.

The following activities would be implemented to ensure IKEEP Participants complete their four-year degree teacher education program: 1) adequate student support services, mentoring and academic advising to assure bachelor’s degree completion, 2) access to culturally responsive research material on teaching and learning with an emphasis on Indigenous pedagogies, 3) professional development activities and workshops to expand skills and abilities of participants, and 4) one-year induction services after graduation that will assist participants in finding teaching placement in a school with a significant Indian student population. Induction services will also include in-service professional development activities/workshops and specialized teacher mentorship. IKEEP will offer critical capacity building opportunities to strengthen the current educational initiatives for improving Native school achievement led by the Nez Perce and Coeur d’Alene tribes and their State Tribal Education Partnership Projects (STEP).

University of Oregon (OR) $374,554
S299B160020 (PDF, 62M)

College of Education (COE) and the nine federally recognized tribes of Oregon‒The Burns Paiute Tribe; The Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indian; The Coquille Indian Tribe; The Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians; The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde; The Klamath Tribes; The Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians of Oregon; The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation; and the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation‒have formed a consortium for the formation of The Sapsik’wałá (Teacher) Education Project: An Indigenous Professional Teacher Preparation Program Proposal. This is a comprehensive project for the recruitment, support, pre-service preparation, and induction mentorship of AI/AN teachers serving AI/AN communities. The long term purpose of the project is to prepare AI/AN teachers whose knowledge, skills, and cultural responsiveness will bring about long-term, educational improvements in the school experiences of AI/AN youth in both rural and urban settings. The project will accomplish this through general teacher education curriculum and its project-specific Indigenous Consortium, Cohort, and Community of Practice approach to teacher preparation.

Short-term expected project outcomes include the recruitment, licensure, and graduation of a total of 14 AI/AN teachers over the term of the grant. Additionally, the project will assist these students in finding placements in schools that serve at least 5% AI/AN students and provide one year of induction services that will increase the likelihood of retention of these teachers in the profession.

Student teacher placements will be made in BIE or Title VII schools across the region when possible within the constraints of student family obligations. The project will provide job placement support through the identification of pay-back eligible schools in the region and securing written commitment from these schools to consider program participants for available positions.

American Indian Resource Center (OK) $371,756
S299B160012 (PDF, 12M)

The American Indian Resource Center, in consortium with Northeastern State University; Cherokee Nation Education Department and Bureau of Indian Education funded School-Sequoyah; Kenwood Schools; and Rocky Mountain Schools propose to increase the percentage of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) licensed/certified teachers in public schools serving a high population of AI/AN students in documented shortage areas including Math, Science, Elementary Education, Early Childhood Development, Special Education, and Social Studies. BIE schools are included in this purpose. Participants will receive field experience, as well as induction services, in schools with significant Indian populations. The project will support training for 15 teacher candidates and the program emphasis will target educational strategies for Indian students in rural Oklahoma.

In partnership, AIRC and NSU will prepare participants to meet state requirements for teacher licensure/certification, and earn a bachelor’s degree within a three year period; and/or (2) provide teacher certification training in a current or new specialized assignment to currently certified teachers who already have at least a bachelor’s degree and are seeking new certification in areas where a documented teacher shortage exists; and (3) provides all pre-service program graduates with one year of induction services provided by NSU while they are working in schools with significant Indian student populations. In addition NSU career placement will work with the NETSTAR taking their special need to be placed in school systems that have a high population of AI/AN students. AIRC staff will assist in identifying employment opportunities for the participants.

Montana State University (MT) $388,697
S299B160004 (PDF, 18M)

The Montana State University, in consortium with Little Big Horn Tribal College (LBHC), will recruit, educate, certify, install and induct 25 American Indian (AI) educators into school leadership positions with the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to facilitate school improvement and student achievement in schools on or near the Indian reservations in four states: Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota and North Dakota. All completers of the project will complete a graduate level M.Ed. in educational leadership from MSU. The project is a direct response to the fact that AI administrators in Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, and North Dakota are not representative of the AI population in these states. There are 104 schools in Montana alone that have populations of 25% or more AI students. To place at least one AI administrator in each of these schools, 82 AI administrators would need to be recruited, trained and placed in schools serving AI students.

In the recruiting phase, MSU and LBHC will collaborate and use their networks to publicize the program. During the instructional phase, the instructional teams – state level Indian Education experts, tribal members and local school officials and faculty members at LBHC and MSU – will collaborate to link instruction with authentic school improvement activities. The instructional phase will include a cohort-building orientation; both distance learning and face-to-face course meetings, cultural leadership workshops hosted in part by LBHC, and field experiences in public schools serving AI students. The cultural leadership and field experience activities are synchronized to course content, establishing a clear connection between theory and practice. AI experienced school leaders educated at the post-masters level will mentor each participant on a semi-monthly basis throughout the program. In the placement phase, the network of mentors, instructors and advisory board members will assist successful placement of candidates by providing leads to administrative openings and by promoting the candidates to the appropriate selection officials. Superintendents of several LEAs have committed to considering and potentially hiring project completers.

Regents of the University of New Mexico (NM) $344,325
S299B160010 (PDF, 13M)

The Regents of the University of New Mexico will carry out the the American Indian Professional Educators’ Collaborative (AIPEC), a four-year project focused on increasing the number of American Indian teachers and administrators in New Mexico. This initiative proposes a comprehensive and collaborative support network of services between the Teacher Education and Educational Leadership Program (TEELP) and the American Indian Language Policy Research and Teacher Training Center. Both the Department of TEELP and the AILPRTTC are based within the University of New Mexico’s College of Education (UNM COE). The project encompasses a comprehensive new approach to partnering with Local Education Agencies (LEAs) and Tribes to engage in a partner relationship that will provide induction support services and job placement opportunities for teachers and administrators completing their degrees in the UNM COE. AIPEC will recruit a total of 12 participants to receive financial support for training, completing their degrees, achieving State licensure, and benefit from placement services.

Washington State University (WA) $92,588
S299B160022 (PDF, 23M)

The College of Education, in consortium with the Nez Perce tribe and the Nez Perce Tribal Education Department, will implement Ti’tooqan Cuukweneewit: Native Teaching and Learning Community Project, a culturally responsive project providing support and training for 10 Native participants who will earn their Bachelor’s degrees in Education at WSU and meet the qualifications for state certification as teachers in the State of Washington, with reciprocity in the State of Idaho; or receive a WSU Principal Certification while simultaneously working towards completion of the Masters of Education (M.Ed.) program through WSU’s Educational Leadership program. Graduates of the program will serve as teachers and or administrators in tribal communities in the region. The mission of this project pedagogically involves the integration of a culturally responsive education utilizing the recent Washington state mandated Since Time Immemorial tribal sovereignty curriculum and training in the teaching and learning of Native professionals.

This project will address the critical shortage and need for the recruitment, retention, graduation, and job placement of Native professionals, principally in the Nez Perce tribe and area MOU tribal nations. With recent landmark state legislation that mandates the integration of Washington State’s Since Time Immemorial tribal sovereignty curriculum in “common schools,” it has also similarly mandated this integration for all state teacher preparation programs. This mandate, which requires school districts to partner with tribal nations to develop culturally responsive curriculum that reflects local tribal history, governance, and culture, also requires WSU to further develop the current teacher professional workforce in collaboration with area tribal nations. Project outcomes will include successful completion of the project by pre-service teachers and school administrators that maintain eligibility and receive financial support each year.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln (NE) $322,405
S299B160027 (PDF, 25M)

The University will implement the Indigenous Roots Teacher Education Program (IRTE) to improve the teaching and learning of American Indian students in Nebraska through a strong partnership between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), Little Priest Tribal College (LPTC), and the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE), and working in collaboration with four school districts: the Umonhon Nation School, Santee Community School, Walthill Public School, and Winnebago Public School (target school districts). The program’s primary purpose is to recruit, train, graduate and certify up to 22 American Indian students as elementary, English Language Learning (ELL), and special education teachers to ensure their employment in school districts that serve American Indian students. IRTE success will be judged by the program’s ability to satisfy two measurable outcomes: 1) a minimum of 80% of participants graduate with a B.S. in education from UNL (and/or qualify for Nebraska teaching certificates) or with additional certification in ESL and/or Special Education; and 2) a minimum of 80% of graduates are successfully placed in educational settings/schools serving American Indian students.

IRTE will address barriers currently limiting the number of American Indian students pursuing degrees in higher education by bringing the program to the students who live and work in the target communities. IRTE will support Nebraska’s reservation schools by helping to renew native language, placing American Indian role models in K-12 classrooms, and integrating local culture and history into school curriculum.

Elmira College’s (NY) $228,537
S299B160007 (PDF, 14M)

Empowering Relationships Project: Creating Highly Qualified Indigenous Teachers (ERP) will prepare Indigenous teacher education students to become highly qualified Indigenous teachers who will then support and promote the academic success of their students and contribute to nation-building efforts of their nations. The projected outcome of this project is to recruit, train, graduate and support successful State teacher certification of five (5) transfer students to begin the project at the beginning of their junior year.

The ERP consists of two major components, described in research, that underpin the strategies of this project. The first component is the responsibilities and relationships students have with their families and communities. The second component included to promote success rates for this project is that of nation building, deliberate work that places sovereignty and self-determination of the Indigenous community at the center and begins with action to restore or sustain pride in Indigenous traditions, languages and knowledge (Brayboy, et. al., 2012). With consideration of these two components as the foundation of the project, the major strategies to promote success include: two community project-based courses; student teaching practicum sites in or near the participants’ home communities; and one travel course that will take the participants across various Indigenous nations where they will experience Indigenous education in practice in places such as immersion schools, and other schools that focus on Indigenous knowledge for their youth. These strategies all work to promote success and increase the marketability of the participants. The Elmira College ERP has partnered with Seneca Nation of Indians in Western New York and Jamestown Community College in Jamestown, NY, and is supported by Salamanca City School District and the Gowanda Central School District.

Portland State University (OR) $370,937
S299B160018 (PDF, 19M)

Portland State University, Oregon’s largest and most diverse public university, has long served the needs of Tribal reservation and urban communities. This project is proposed by the Portland State University Graduate School of Education (PSU) in consortium with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. The goals of the AITP are to: (1) prepare 15 highly qualified American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) teachers to meet the demonstrated shortage of culturally responsive teachers in Oregon urban/reservation schools serving AI/AN students; and (2) provide a quality Indigenized teacher preparation program that supports the unique needs of Native teachers throughout their coursework and first year of teaching.

This proposal would further extend Portland State University’s (PSU’s) services by offering a program of professional development for the recruitment, retention and support of AI/AN teachers who can better reflect Oregon’s student population. AI/AN students currently comprise 1.8% of K-12 Oregon public school enrollment, but only 0.6% of the teachers are AI/AN. Through this grant, the American Indian Teacher Preparation program will prepare 15 additional AI/AN certified teachers by 2019. Among PSU’s findings is that almost one-third of Oregon Tribally Educated students attend underperforming Title I priority or focus schools targeted for mandatory intervention by State and Federal rules while only 6% of all Oregon students are enrolled in priority schools. Given this context, it is critically important that our Tribal students in public schools are able to learn from teachers who are role models and who have participated in a specialized teacher preparation program that offers instruction in culturally responsive teaching and practices, including culture-based education curriculum.

University of Arizona (AZ) $305,289
S299B160006 (PDF, 20M)

The University of Arizona will develop and implement a pre-service Elementary Education program for project participants focused on Indigenous education. The University of Arizona (UA) will partner with the Tohono O’odham Baboquivari Indian Oasis School District, Gila River Community Schools (Casa Blanca, Blackwater, Gila Crossing), Sacaton Public School District, Pascua Yaqui Tribal Education Department, Tohono O’odham Community College, and Tucson Unified School District in this unique effort. The purposes of the project include building capacity within Tribal communities, developing social justice educators, and grounding existing Elementary Education curriculum and pedagogy with an Indigenous focus. The project will build on the UA Elementary Education program that will ensure the scholars’ compliance with UA and State requirements in a timely manner.

Unique to the UA program is the site-based format for teaching courses. Participants will form their own cohort and take classes in one of the partner schools. Important to the project is the availability of the American Indian Language Development Institute (AILDI). Internationally recognized and based at the UA, AILDI strengthens efforts to revitalize and promote the use of Indigenous languages across generations through outreach, transformative teaching, purposeful research, and collaborative partnerships. UA project scholars will attend AILDI to begin grounding their own integration of Indigenous language and cultures into the teaching experiences of NA students. Project partners will assist with Participant recruitment and retention. Nine schools within the partner districts will serve as practicum sites. A mentoring group has been developed to support the students, modify the curriculum, and identify community resources. UA faculty will lead project efforts to create new, Indigenous resources for undergraduates.

Blackfeet Community College (MT) $330,609

The Blackfeet Community College will partner with the University of Montana-Western (UMW) and the University of Montana (UM) to attract Indian students to the field of education, deliver hybrid course (online and face-to-face), and enhance the preparation of educators and effective teaching of American Indian elementary students through culturally adapted curriculum. By uniting the faculty of these Montana institutions of higher education, a consortium can work effectively to recruit, train, and mentor students in the collaboration to Build Tribal Community Teacher Capacity (TCTC) program. The TCTC Project will recruit and train 40 American Indian higher education students: 20 teachers in Early Childhood Education defined as Prekindergarten through Grade 3 (PK-3) and 20 teachers in Elementary Education defined as Kindergarten through Grade 8 (K-8). Many of the 40 teacher candidates have already been recruited for the TCTC program and have completed Associates of Science degrees in Education from BCC. Montana higher education consortium participants include BCC, an accredited tribal college located on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Browning; UMW, an undergraduate university based in Dillon; and public research university, UM, based in Missoula. Additional consortium members come from two Local Educational Agencies (LEAs), both of which are located on the Blackfeet reservation and educate the vast majority of Blackfeet children: Browning Public School (BPS) District #9 and Heart Butte Public School (HBPS) District #1. With student data from BPS and HBPS indicating a strong need for academic enrichment, it reinforces the need to better train and prepare educators to effectively impact academic achievement in the schools’ largely Indian populations.

Fond du Lac Tribal College (MN) $356,797
S299B160003 (PDF, 12M)

Fond du Lac Tribal College, in collaboration with Winona State University, will implement this project to prepare 10 newly licensed American Indian (AI) teachers in elementary education with a major in Elementary Education, and an Anishinaabe emphasis throughout the curriculum, with the goal of increasing AI educational success. The 10 new teachers that graduate from the proposed project will be able to implement Best Practices in AI education and support other teachers, both Native and non-Native, to enhance AI education. The project will support participants through: paying project participants a stipend and providing financial support for books, computers, tuition, and fees. Together the partner entities will provide program management, oversight and student academic and social advising also known as holistic advising. Classes will be offered at the Fond du Lac Tribal College (FDLTC) site for the purpose of transitioning the student to the four year college life. Project staff and key personnel will work in collaboration at both sites to provide academic assistance, instructional support and the needed resources to ensure the project participants’ success. Students will utilize both campuses to increase their options of successful college life. With the support of the Fond du Lac Ojibwe school, students will become involved in the community activities for a much needed experience. This allows students to have a pre-service experience at a tribal school as well as the opportunity to apply for positions in the future, while completing their year of induction.

University of Massachusetts Boston (Massachusetts)
S299B140003

Native American Early Childhood Education Scholars (NAECES) Program The University of Massachusetts Boston proposes to develop an integrated early childhood education cohort program in collaboration with tribes and Head Start facilities serving significant numbers of Native children to increase the number of highly qualified Native early childhood educators serving Native children. The purpose of the project is to address the need for more high quality, Native early childhood educators and early intervention specialists through our research-based Early Education and Care Inclusive Settings Bachelor’s degree program. This grant will support the recruitment, education, and induction of 10 undergraduate Native American students to earn their bachelor’s degree with a concentration in Infant/Toddler Care, Early Intervention (EI), or Preschool education. Students will be able to complete classes on-campus or in an online program. The proposal addresses Absolute Priority 2.

Number of participants: 10
Contact:: Jeffrey Smith
100 Morrissey Boulevard
Boston, MA 02125-3393

EMail: Jeffrey.Smith@umb.edu

Portland University – (Oregon)
S299B140025

This proposal would further extend PSU’s services for the professional development of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) teachers. AI/AN students currently comprise 1.8% of K-12 Oregon public school enrollment, but only 0.6% of the teachers are AI/AN. This same inequity of representation exists in PPS. Through this grant, the AIUTP, which was initiated in 2010, will prepare 15 additional AI/AN teachers by 2017. This will have a significant impact on moving toward parity in the percentage of Native teachers in the Portland metropolitan area and across Oregon. Among its primary goals, the AIUTP will: (1) prepare 15 highly qualified AI/AN teachers to meet the demonstrated shortage of culturally responsive teachers in Oregon urban/reservation schools serving AI/AN students; (2) provide a quality indigenized teacher preparation program that supports the unique needs of Native teachers throughout their coursework and first year of teaching; (3) collaborate with partners within and external to PSU to sustain and build the capacity of the program to provide high quality educational service s to tribes and Native communities; (4) monitor and collect data on participant outcomes for ongoing formative evaluation of the program. The AIUTP resides within PSU’s Graduate School of Education (GSE), which prepares more teachers than any other institution in Oregon. The AIUTP offers a rigorous graduate program integrating clinical experience with an evidence based academic program to prepare Native students to become highly qualified teachers who use culturally responsive instructional approaches that honor the traditions and knowledge of their students while supporting their competency in meeting rigorous preparation standards. This project proposed by consortium partners-the GSE and the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, Siletz, Umatilla, and Warm Springs-meets Absolute Priorities One and Two and Competitive Preference Priority One.

Contact: Kevin Marsman
PO Box 751 (RSP)
Portland, OR 97207
EMail: Kevin Marsman@pdx.edu

Research Foundation SUNY Potsdam – (New York)
S299B140007

SUNY Potsdam proposes to train Native American pre-service teachers in a program developed through best-practices and data-based decision-making to address their needs. This project proposes a collaboration among SUNY Potsdam School of Education, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe at Akwesasne, and local school districts with a significant number of native students, all entities located within 30 miles of each other in ‘upstate’ New York. Need in New York is signaled by the fact that the state has the 6th largest population of Native Americans in the United States, but no tribal colleges and few reservation schools. To step into this gap, this project has two inherently related objectives: in the short-term, to train a cohort of Native American teachers for success in local schools, and in the long-term, to attract and train future cohorts through the development of an education curriculum which features Native American pedagogy as part of a culturally-responsive professional approach to teaching. The project’s activities include 1) collaboration between the tribe and SUNY Potsdam to recruit, select, and support a project educator and student participants, to design an innovative course hosted and taught solely by Mohawk educators, and also to bring Native American issues into the regular curriculum through the faculty advocate; 2) collaboration with the local schools with high percentages of Native American students to host participant field experience and practice teaching; 3) development of a network of support for new Native American educators both through the in-service program focused on mentoring and through cohort attendance at the Native American Educators of New York annual conference.

Number of Participants:
Contact: Sheila Marshall
44 Pierrepont Ave
St. Lawrence, NY 13676
EMail: marshasm@potsdam.edu

Arizona Board of Regents ASU – (Arizona)
S299B140010

The Apache Teacher Corps Project represents a partnership between Arizona State University, the San Carlos Apache Tribe and the San Carlos Unified School District in San Carlos, Arizona. The purpose of this project is to recruit, prepare, and retain 15 American Indian participants as teachers in local education agencies that enroll 5 percent or more American Indian students in the San Carlos Apache Nation. The goals of the Project are the following: (1) Increase the enrollment, persistence, and completion of American Indian teacher candidates. (2) Train effective and reflective teachers who make instructional decisions based on student needs, local and state data, and research-based best practices, and (3) Train (and graduate) teacher candidates who are employed in a local education agency that enrolls 5 percent or more American Indian students, who complete the service requirement on schedule, and who are efficacious first year teachers.

Number of Participants: 15
Contact: Tamara Deuser
PO Box 876011
Tempe, AZ 85287
EMail: asu.awards@asu.edu

Southeastern OK State University

The Native American Excellence in Education Early Childhood Teacher Project is a consortium between the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, the Chickasaw Nation, and Southeastern Oklahoma State University (SOSU) to increase the number and quality of certified Native American teachers in Early Childhood and Special Education. The state of Oklahoma trails only California in number of American Indian/Alaska Native residents with 273,230 identified as Native American. SOSU has a student population that is 29% Native American and has a long history of providing highly qualified educators across the region. This project is designed to provide comprehensive and financial support to 12 qualified future Native American educators who are specifically seeking certification as Early Childhood or Special Education teachers. Research has shown that Native American teachers impact Native American students’ success and persistence. Native American teachers also provide connectivity to the community and aremore likely to be aware of Native American learning styles and utilize this in the classroom.

Data-based decisions will be at the heart of the project and will include monthly grade and attendance reports for each participant. Based on the gathered data, adjustments in services such as tutoring and mentoring will be made in coordination with the participant, staff, and faculty. Additionally, the consortium between SOSU, the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, and the Chickasaw Nation with collaborative agreements from local school districts, this project is designed to enhance the educational experience of future Native American teachers, support their transition into local school districts.

Number of Participants: 12
Contact: Gladys Skinner
1405 N. 4th Ave. PMB 4140
Durant, OK 74701
EMail: gskinner@se.edu

Northern Arizona University – (Arizona)
S299B130032

Project AISL will improve the quality and diversity of services offered to American Indians and Alaskan Natives (AIAN) graduate students by graduating them on time, preparing them as highly qualified Indian principals who will succeed in a high-stakes accountability environment with a strong background in instructional leadership, assessment literacy knowledge and culturally responsive school leadership skills. AISL is a multi-layered project aligned to needs, gaps, and objectives and based on current scientific research and effective practices. (Absolute Priority 3): The project will provide: Financial Support; Masters in EDL; Mentoring and Coaching assistance; and induction services. The mentors will provide in-class observation, mentoring, and coaching to increase a successful beginning as a first year principal. Analysis of evaluation data will be extensive and ongoing to ensure a constant flow of feedback to facilitate program improvement. Evaluator will monitor all layers of the project design to examine the effectiveness of the program as it evolves. AISL goals, objectives and Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) will serve as the primary indicators used to assess progress; additional indicators will assess specific services and activities to determine the impact of each element. Project Outcomes will include: Successful completion of project by pre-service administrators who maintain eligibility and receive financial support each year; Attendance and completion of EDL courses; Monthly advising sessions and maintenance of minimum grade point average; Mentoring and coaching; Application of instructional leadership, assessment literacy and culturally responsive school leadership skills; and Attaining highly qualified status. Evaluation monitoring and course correction (if needed) will identify effective AISL strategies worthy of replication in other programs working in similar areas targeted for preparing highly qualified Indian administrators. Prioritization will help the NAU/Tribal and Navajo Technical College partnership at it seeks to expand AISL programs into other tribal communities in Arizona and the southwest.

Number of Participants: 25
Contact: Mr. Joe Martin
1298 S. Knoles Drive
Coconino, AZ 86011
Phone: 928-523-9331

Aaniiih Nakoda College – (Montana)
S299B130021

Aaniiih Nakoda College in consortium with Montana State University-Billings will provide an American Indian teacher training program to train and graduate 20 American Indian pre-service teachers who will earn their bachelor’s degrees in Education and state teaching licensure. Key design features and project activities include effective cultural competencies, student cohort groups, a combination of on-site and at-distance course offerings, comprehensive student support services, relevant field practicum experiences, and integrated job placement and induction services. Graduates will teach the students living on and around the Fort Belknap reservation.

Number of Participants: 20
Contact: Ms. Carmen Taylor
1 Blackfeet Street
P.O. Box 159
Blaine, MT 59526
Phone: 406-353-2607

Fort Peck Community College – (Montana)
S299B130018

Number of Participants: 20
The goal of this project is to address the critical shortage of highly qualified American Indian teachers in schools serving the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. The achievement of this goal requires the project partners to collaborate to provide a teacher training program that will 1) recruit, train, and graduate 25 American Indian pre-service teachers who will earn their bachelor’s degrees and state licensure; 2) placement of 100% of program participants in teaching positions at local educational agencies (LEAs) upon graduation; and 3) provide induction services to all program graduates during their first year of teaching. The placement of these graduates will all be in schools with high American Indian student enrollment. Primary project design features and activities include: effective recruitment strategies, research-based academic programs that include an emphasis on American Indian cultural competencies, student cohort model, a combination of distance learning modalities and on-site courses, comprehensive student support services, relevant field practicum experiences, and integrated job placement and induction services. The Project will facilitate the success of every participant and provide them with the training experiences needed to meet the unique educational needs of American Indian children living on or near the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.

The Project goals, objectives, activities, and outcomes are designed to meet the requirements of the Indian Education Professional Development Program’s Absolute Priority One as it will collect, analyze, and use high-quality and timely data including data on program participant outcomes that improve overall student outcomes relating to enrollment, persistence, and completion as well as leading to career success through the utilization of its Jenzabar Integrated software and the data reports for AIMS/AKIS. The Project specifically addresses “Pre-Service” teacher training for American Indians which meets the Program’s Absolute Priority Two.

Contact: Wayne Two Bulls
605 Indian Avenue
Roosevelt, MT 59526
Phone: 406-768-6300

Turtle Mountain Community College – (North Dakota)
S299B130026

Turtle Mountain Community College (TMCC) will conduct the Geekiinoo’ amaagewatt (Ojibwa for teacher) project. This project will provide for 17 American Indian individuals to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. The project will support the participants in developing the skills and behaviors expected of highly qualified teachers through strong reading and writing instruction, a balanced curriculum which meets North Dakota state standards, academic advisement each semester, Praxis test preparation, attendance support and mentoring by the faculty and currently employed school teachers. Newly hired teachers will receive one induction year of support through mentoring by a classroom teacher and the TMCC faculty.

Number of Participants: 17
Contact: Larretta Hall
Box 340
Belcourte, ND 58316
Phone: 701-477-7986

Oglala Lakota College – (South Dakota)
S299B130005

Oglala Lakota College in partnership with Little Wound School, Kyle, SD, Cheyenne-Eagle Butte Schools, Eagle Butte, SD, and Rapid City Schools, Rapid City, SD, proposes Waonspekiya Waste (Wah own spay’ kee yah Wash day’) which means “good teachers” in Lakota to prepare 15 Indian individuals to complete a Bachelors degree in Education and achieve teacher licensure. The new graduate teachers will teach on the Pine Ridge or Cheyenne River Reservations or in Rapid City Public Schools – all in South Dakota.

Number of Participants: 15
Contact: Thomas Raymond
490 Piya Wiconi Road
Kyle, SD 57752
Phone: 605-455-6012

Oglala Lakota College – (South Dakota)
S299B130028

Oglala Lakota College (OLC) in partnership with Little Wound School, Kyle, SD, Cheyenne-Eagle Butte Schools, Eagle Butte, SD, and Rapid City Schools, Rapid City, South Dakota will implement a project to assist 14 Indian individuals to complete a Masters Degree in Lakota Leadership Management/Education Administration and achieve state principal endorsement. Graduates will be administrators on the Pine Ridge or Cheyenne River Reservations or in Rapid City Public Schools all in SD. The project will closely monitor its progress with participant satisfaction surveys, student evaluation of courses, partner school administrator surveys, and minutes of staff meetings to support student development.

Number of Participants: 14
Contact: Dawn Frank
490 Piya Wiconi Road
Kyle, SD 5772
Phone: 605-455-6007

Sinte Gleska University State – (South Dakota) S299B130033

The Sinte Gleska University (SGU) Indian Professional Development Project will provide support and training for 20 Native American participants to complete either a Bachelor’s degree in Education at SGU and meet the qualifications for state certification as a teacher in the state of South Dakota, or receive a Masters degree in Educational Administration and state endorsement as a principal, a reading specialist, or in special education. The teachers and administrators will receive one year of induction services while completing their first year of work as a teacher and or administrator. The program promises to improve the educational outlook for Native American students in K-12 schools located on or near South Dakota’s nine reservations.

Number of Participants: 20
Contact: Debra Bordeaux
P.O. Box 105
Mission, SD 57555
Phone: 605-856-8217

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Arizona State University (Arizona)

S299B120009

The Gila River Early Educators Attaining Teaching Excellence (GREATE) Project is a partnership between Arizona State University and the Gila River Head Start and Child Care programs to prepare American Indian para professionals students for a Bachelor of Arts program, with an Early Childhood concentration. The GREATE project will focus on: integrated early years curriculum planning, child development, family involvement, language and literature and language and culture issues; successful transition from Head Start to K-3 tribal and public schools with culturally focused teaching pedagogy and practices.

Number of participants: 16
Contact: Dr. Bryan Brayboy
Arizona State University
P.O. Box 874902 Tempe, AZ 85287-4902
Phone: 480-965-5327

California State University – Chico (California)

S299B120038

California State University at Chico and the Chico Research Foundation in consortioum with four tribes and the Four Winds of Indian Education will implement a teacher and administrator training project. The project will provide a variety of preparation programs so that AI/AN individuals may pursue an elementary or secondary teaching degree and include bilingual and or special education training for certification or licensure. Additionally the project will provide for AI/AN graduate studies to pursue an educational leadership and supervision program that will prepare them to meet state licensure to serve as a principal.

Number of participants: 20
Contact: Michelle Cepello
California State University
Tehama Hall, Room 411
Chico, CA 95929
Phone: 530-898-6281

Little Big Horn Tribal College (Montana)
S299B120031

The I Lead Project is a consortium between Little Big Horn College and Montana State University to recruit, educate, certify, install and induct American Indian teachers into school administrator positions. The project is designed to provide a rigorous program integrating the Educational Leadership Consortium Council standards-based instruction with authentic activities focused on improving public schools. I Lead will provide a variety of high quality delivery methods to integrate experiences of university faculty, tribal elders, tribal college faculty, and school leadership practitioners in schools with significant proportions of American Indian students. I Lead plans to establish networks of support in all phases of students’ development to ensure success and graduation with a Masters Degree in Education Supervision and Leadership.

Number of participants: 40
Contact: Federica Left Hand
P.O. Box 370
Crow Agency, MT 59022
Phone: 406-638-3100

Salish Kootenai College (Montana)
S299B120036

Salish Kootenai College in consortium with the University of Montana will implement a project to increase the number of Indian elementary and special education teachers in Montana’s public, private and tribal schools that serve significant numbers of Indian students. The project will provide educational, financial, and technological resources for participants to complete a Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education and/or obtain a Montana Special Education Endorsement. This project will employ a data-based model for informing all participants and stakeholders regarding recruitment, class enrollment, persistence, and program completion. The project will offer intensive, personalized, strength-based induction activities for all graduates.

Number of participants: 30
Contact: Dr. Luana Ross
P.O. Box 70
Pablo, MT. 59855-0070
406-275-4752

Stone Child College (Montana)
S299B 120011

This project is a consortium between Stone Child College and Montana State University – Northern, to support American Indian students toward earning a Bachelors or Masters Degree in Education. Each institution will provide a faculty member to serve as liaison for communication and collaboration with students and the project goals and objectives. Monthly meetings for each participant will be scheduled throughout the school year for to provide individual mentoring. In addition, graduates as first year teachers will receive mentoring support, professional development seminars and cohort meetings to support their success as a first year teacher.

Number of participants: 18
Contact: Drummer Kadene
8294 Upper Box Elder Road
Box Elder, MT. 59521
Phone: 406-395-4875

University of Oregon (Oregon)
S299B120024

The University of Oregon in consortium with nine federally recognized tribes will implement a teacher training project “Sapsik’wala: An Indigenous Community Project”. Participants will enroll in a seamless teacher preparation project that focuses on teacher development within an indigenous community of practice while earning a Master’s Degree in Education and Oregon teacher licensure. The framework for the project utilizes an Indigenous Consortium, an Indigenous Cohort, and an Indigenous Community Practice.

Number of participants: 14
Contact: Alison Ball
5219 University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403
Phone: 541-346-1485

United Tribes Technical College (South Dakota)
S299B120027

The United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) in consortium with Sinte Gleska University will implement the Collaboration for Educator Development and Retention project or Project CEDAR to serve American Indian students enrolled in a Bachelor Degree program in Elementary and Special Education. Project CEDAR objectives include: pre-service teacher summer enrichment activities in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and the humanities. A project CEDAR highlight will include a summer seminar provided by staff from the National Museum of the American Indian. Project CEDAR has developed a network of support for pre-service teachers to promote degree completion and induction services to ensure certification and placement.

Number of participants: 25
Contact: Lisa Azure
3315 University Drive
Bismark, ND 58504
Phone: 701-255-3285

Lac Courte Orielles Ojibwe Tribe (Wisconsin)
S299B120020

The Future Indian Teachers (FIT) project is a consortium between the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Ojibwe (LCO), the LCO Ojibwe Community College (LCOOCC) and the University of Wisconsin to train and certify teachers with Bachelor’s Degrees in Elementary Education. The teachers will serve Ojibwe youth attending tribal and public schools on or near the LCO reservation. Consortium partners will analyze and use data through the Equity Scorecard Process, academic and non-academic records, and dual culture support systems to drive decision-making. An additional goal is to support five participants to receive advanced training in Ojibwe oral fluency and immersion pedagogy so that the Ojibwe Immersion Charter School will increase its capacity to serve three more grade levels.

Number of participants: 15
Contact: Beth Papp
Lac Courte Orielles Ojibwe Community College
13466 Trepania Road
Hayward, WI 54843
Phone: 715-634-4790

The University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee (Wisconsin)
S299B120043

The University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee’s Electa Quinney Institute for American Indian Education is conducting a project to meet shortages of American Indian early education teachers in pre-K – grade 3. The project is a consortium that includes the Institute, Milwaukee Indian School and three tribal entities: Ho Chunk, Oneida, and Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican. The project is designed to link students together in order to develop supportive bonds and aid retention. Mentors will be drawn from academic faculty and student support services to create a new American Indian Teacher Network. Weekly seminars and other activities will further enhance retention. Upon placement in schools with high American Indian populations, the project will further serve participants during their induction year as a new teacher.

Number of participants: 20
Contact: Dr. David Beaulieu
Electa Quinney Institute for American Indian Education
P.O. Box 413
Milwaukee, WI 53201-0413
Phone: 414-229-5540

Wind River Tribal College (Wyoming)
S299B120039

The Wind River Tribal College in consortium with the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and the Red Stone Group will implement the Instruct and Teach project. This project will enable 15 American Indians from the Wind River Reservation to obtain a Bachelor’s degree in Education as well as dual teacher certification in both Wisconsin and Wyoming. Through distance and on campus learning participants will be supported to engage in rigorous coursework. All graduates will be provided first year teacher induction services.

Number of participants: 15
Contact: Marlin Spoonhunter
P.O. Box 1190
Fort Washakie, WY 82514
Phone: 307-335-8243

University of Alaska Southeast (Alaska)

S299B110002

The University of Alaska Southeast Village Teacher (VT) project is a project to train a cohort of Alaska Native participants to graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education or a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration. Graduates will serve as teachers and or administrators in tribal communities in Alaska. The training will be provided at the University of Alaska Southeast located in Juneau, AK, or by distance education.
Number of participants: 25
First year funding $395,177
Contact: Deborah Lo
Phone: 907-796-6551

The Hopi Tribe (Arizona)

S299B110049

This project addresses the chronic shortage of certified Hopi Elementary School Educators with a Bilingual Endorsement for the six elementary schools on the Hopi reservation. The project will provide a three-year innovative, coherent, and sustained teacher education coursework, a concentration area in Hopi history, language and culture, and a four-year induction program to prepare 15 exemplary Hopi elementary school educators with a Bilingual Endorsement. Founded upon a strong partnership between the Hopi Tribe and Northern Arizona University (NAU), this program will be housed at the Hopi Department of Education, and the Hopi Department of Education will serve as the fiscal agent. The project will be guided by an Advisory Committee comprised of Hopi teachers and administrators, Hopi university students, representatives from the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office, Cultural Resources Advisory Task Team, and the NAU university faculty and administrators. Culturally-responsive, research-based, multi-disciplinary, curriculum and pedagogy will be implemented by NAU faculty members in the College of Education and the Hopi Institute.
Number of participants: 15
First year funding at $380,833
Contact: Dr.Noreen Sakiestewa
Phone: 928-734-3501

Montana State University – Bozeman (Montana)

The Montana State University – Bozeman Early Childhood Education Distance Partnership (ECEDP) project will assist and train tribal early childhood educators on six Montana reservations to meet national Head Start requirements and obtain a Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood Education from Montana State University. Additionally the training provided will prepare the participants to meet Montana state early childhood teacher certification requirements. Training will be provided through distance delivered courses and on-site student teaching and internship projects. The ECEDP project will train 25 tribal head start teachers.
Number of participants: 25
First year funding $399,731
Contact: Laura Massey
Phone: 406-994-3300

University of Nebraska (Nebraska)

S299B110041

The project’s primary goal is to certify American Indian students as elementary education and ESL, and special education teachers and to ensure their employment in school districts that serve American Indian students. Program objectives are to: Recruit and train 10 American Indian undergraduate and graduate students to earn teacher certification in elementary education and ESL (provisional); Expand service to recruit and train an additional 8 American Indian practicing teachers, to earn additional certification(s) or masters degrees in high need areas (special education and/or K-12 ESL); Graduate, certify, and place program graduates in school districts serving student populations at least 5% American Indian; and provide induction services for project participants.
Number of participants: 18
First Year Funding: $364,380
Contact: Dr. Nancy Engen-Wedin
Phone: 402-472-3856

University of North Carolina – Pembroke (North Carolina)

S299B110058

This project will support students in: the completion of a bachelor’s degree in education; the acquisition of state teacher licensure; and the successful completion of the first year of teaching by project graduates via induction services. Project participants will be those students who have have been admitted or are eligible for admission into the Teacher Education Program. The project design includes support for tuition, fees, dependent allowance, instructional supplies, textbooks, laptops, stipends for room/board/personal living expenses, PRAXIS I and II examination fees, mentoring services, classroom resource support, and continued professional development.
Number of participants: 30
First Year Funding: $298,393
Contact: Dr. Zoe Locklear
Phone: 910-775-4041

Arizona State College (Arizona)

The Project will prepare, certify, and provide a one-year induction period for 16 American Indian elementary educators currently working in Navajo Nation schools, who are serving as paraprofessionals. The project that is designed to prepare teachers with a specialized knowledge base to meet the academic and cultural needs of American Indian students. The project is also a strategic capacity-building alliance between the Department of Diné Education and Arizona State University’s Center for Indian Education, in cooperation with Navajo Nation schools. The participants will obtain licensure while completing bachelor’s degrees in Indian Education, and will be part of a culturally relevant program that trains teachers to be learners and leaders in education.
Number of participants: 16
Year one funding: $359,668
Project Director: Bryan Brayboy
Phone: 480-965-5327

Fond du Lac Tribal College (Minnesota)

The proposed project is a partnership between Fond du Lac Tribal College and The College of St. Scholastica’s Ojibwe Culture and Language Education Program. Fond du Lac Tribal College will serve as the fiscal agent of the project and the College of St Scholastica will serve as the degree granting institution. The project will serve northeastern Minnesota, a rurally isolated area with five major Indian reservations as well as an urban American Indian population in Duluth. The project will prepare American Indian teachers in elementary education with the goal of increasing American Indian educational success. The new teachers that graduate from the project will be able to implement Best Practices in American Indian Education and support other teachers-both Native and non-Native to enhance American Indian education.
Number of participants: 10
Year one funding: $399,656
Project Director: Amy Bergstrom
Phone: 218-878-7504

Chief Dull Knife College (Montana)

In consortium with Montana State University Billings this project will provide teacher training for twelve Indian students to attain state certification as highly qualified teachers and who will work in schools with Indian student populations. Research-based, retention activities will lead to the graduation of these students. They will be trained not only in traditional philosophy and methodology of mainstream education, but also in best practices research in Indian education. Theory meets classroom reality in a triangulated mentoring partnership comprised of teacher training faculty, and local school districts including a model mentor school. The goal is to infuse authentic Montana tribal culture into teacher training curriculum and therefore ultimately also in the state’s K-12 schools. Goal achievement will promote systems improvement to respond to the achievement gap experienced by Montana’s Indian students.
Number of participants: 18
Year one funding: $341,842
Project Director: Michele Curlee
Phone: 406-477-6215

Salish Kootenai College (Montana)

The project is a partnership between the University of Montana and Salish Kootenai College and supports Native American teachers who are pursuing advanced degrees in Special Education and Educational Leadership. It supports a Graduate Project Director, Educational Technician, and financial support for 25 graduate students – 20 seeking Special Education endorsements and 5 pursuing master’s degrees in administration.
Number of participants: 25
Year one funding: $156,498
Project Director: Cindy O’Dell
Phone: 406-275-4753

Sitting Bull College (North Dakota)

This is a proposal submitted by Sitting Bull College, a Tribal College located in Fort Yates, North Dakota. The goal of the Project is to create three significant improvements in the training and teaching ability of new Native American teachers in the field of Lakota Language Teaching and Learning (LLTL): (1) increase the quality of training for new Lakota Language teachers; (2) increase the quantity of highly-qualified Lakota Language teachers; (3) serve as a model for similar programs through the region. The Project’s purpose is to provide an adequate supply of new Native American teachers professionally trained to meet the needs of 12 high-need Leading Education Agency (LEA) schools serving approximately 2,066 Lakota students (about 95% of the total student population) located on the Standing Rock Reservation.
Number of participants: 14
Year one funding: $339,114
Project Director: TBD
Phone: 701-854-8000

Portland State University (0regon)

The American Indian Urban Teacher Program will prepare 18 new, fully licensed teachers and have a significant impact on moving toward parity in the percentage of Native teachers in the Portland metropolitan area and across the state of Oregon. Portland State University is strategically located at the center of a large urban Native population, which has historically served Native students through academic programs and the Native American Student Community Center. The project will: Recruit 18 qualified Native students; Establish an indigenized professional development program; Develop the capacity of faculty, mentors, and others to meet the unique needs of Native students; Place the pre-service teachers in schools serving high numbers of Indian students in K-12 classrooms; Provide multidimensional induction to graduates during their first year of teaching.
Number of participants: 18
Year one funding: $387,199
Project Director: Dr. Cornel Pewewardy
Phone: 503-725-9689

University of South Dakota (South Dakota)

The goal of the Project is to create three significant improvements in the training and teaching ability of new Native American teachers in the field of Lakota Language Teaching and Learning:) increase the quality of training for new Lakota Language teachers; increase the quantity of highly-qualified Lakota Language teachers; serve as a model for similar programs through the region. The Project’s purpose is to provide an adequate supply of new Native American teachers professionally trained to meet the needs of schools located on the 9 Lakota Indian Reservations in South Dakota, which currently serve approximately 18,262 Lakota students (about 95% of the total student population).
Number of participants: 16
Year one funding: $343,399
Project Director: TBD
Phone: 605-677-6497

Wind River Tribal College (Wyoming)

The program will enable 15 Native American students from the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming, to enter a post-secondary program leading to a bachelor’s degree in education within three years, with a follow-up fourth year of induction services. This will be accomplished in consortium with the University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY. The Northern Arapaho Business Council has designated the Wind River Tribal College to be the fiscal agent for the proposed project.
Number of participants: 15
Year one funding: $302,976
Project Director: Marlin Spoonhunter
Phone: 307-335-8243
(September 30, 2010)

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Northern Arizona University (Arizona)
S299B090017

This cohort project proposes to increase the number of well-trained Indian educators to serve as principals in schools serving Indian students. A key assumption of this project is that participants will be committed to serving in a reservation-based school upon completion of a master’s degree in education leadership and obtain, a principal’s certificate. The four reservations to be served by this project are Navajo, Hopi, San Carlos, and White Mountain. This project will directly address the lack of qualified Indian principals by grounding them in the real world of reservation schools and classroom through daily exchanges and study. The objective is to credential a cohort of 25 K-12 principal candidates from these four reservation communities. The project will use a combination of a reservation based cohort, culturally responsive curriculum, and an induction and mentorship component in partnership with the four tribal groups and Navajo Technical College. We will utilize faculty knowledgeable about reservation-school leadership issues with courses taught on-site, and over the university’s distance learning facilities.
Number of participants: 25

Arizona State University, West Campus (Arizona)
S299B090031

The College of Teacher Education and Leadership, Arizona State University; the Navajo Nation, with Chinle Unified School District; and the Tohono O’odham Nation, with Indian Oasis-Baboquivari Unified School District, have formed a consortium. This partnership is established to provide recruitment, support, pre-service preparation, and induction of American Indian teachers in the Chinle and Sells communities. Features of the project include advising and academic support to ensure success, district-based immersion style initial teacher certification program in Elementary Education, and induction services during the first year of teaching. Participants are recruited from the communities where they live and will teach. Courses are delivered to them on-site in locations within the school districts, and remotely through interactive videoconferencing facilities. Upon completion of the coursework that leads to a Bachelor’s Degree, participants are authorized for licensure in Arizona.
Number of participants: 40

Arizona State University (Arizona)
S299B090041

The project will prepare two overlapping cohorts of ten Native participants each in the Early Childhood Education teacher certification program. Candidates will complete a specialized bachelor’s degree curriculum focusing on the unique needs of Native children, with a particular emphasis on language development and transition of children from Head Start and tribal pre-schools to K-3. The focus on language acquisition/development issues of Native children will prepare the teachers to engage a range of techniques to reinforce tribal languages and cultural patterns of communication while employing specific strategies to children’s acquisition of Standard English use, which is needed for academic achievement. The professional development curriculum and program format are based upon research linking high quality early childhood experiences provided by highly qualified teachers to greater child academic development.
Number of participants: 20

College of St.Scholastica (Minnesota)
S299B090022

The College of St. Scholastica grant will recruit, retain, and graduate 12 licensed American Indian teachers in Ojibwe Language and Culture Education. This will help address the shortage of licensed Minnesota teachers who have expertise working with American Indian youth. The project activities include: classes focusing on American Indian and multicultural education; a teacher education program infused with American Indian/LEP Best Practices; teaching resources supporting the integration of American Indian culture, history, and language into the K-12 curriculum; and field placements and student-teaching in schools with high native enrollments. The Program seeks to maintain and increase its retention rate through offering extensive support to promote student success, including: the Family Education Model, financial support, tutoring, mentoring, and networking.
Number of participants: 12

Fort Belknap College (Montana)
S299B09B0046

The overall goal of this project is to address the critical shortage of qualified American Indian teachers in schools serving the Fort Belknap and Fort Peck Indian reservations. To achieve this goal, project partners will collaborate to provide an American Indian teacher training program that will: recruit, train and graduate 30 American Indian pre-service teachers who will earn their bachelor’s degrees and state teaching licensure; place 100 percent of program graduates in teaching positions at local educational agencies with significant populations of Indian students; and provide induction services to all program graduates during their first year of teaching in local schools with large numbers of Indian students. Number of participants: 30

Salish Kootenai College (Montana)
S299B090050

Salish Kootenai College and the University of Montana are partnering to increase the professional development opportunities for Native Americans. The overarching goal of this partnership project is to graduate and refer for Montana certification 20 Native Americans for a Special Education Endorsement and 5 Native Americans for a Principal Administration Endorsement. The partnership project addresses three major concerns in Indian education: the shortage of qualified Native American teachers particularly in schools that serve significant numbers of Indian students; the relationship between the lack of Indian teachers and the low academic achievement and high dropout rates of K-12 Native American students as compared to their non-Indian peers; and the need for culturally responsive curriculum and research-based instructional and assessment practices. The project will offer financial and technological support, a local campus advisor, and a combination of face to face and technologically delivered courses. Number of participants: 25

Nebraska Indian Community College (Nebraska)
S299B090044

The project will provide resources and professional development to 10 Native American pre-service students to complete BA degrees in the Early Childhood Unified BA Degree. The University of Nebraska at Kearney will work with Nebraska Indian Community College to create an infrastructure for the BA degree to be taught on each of the three NICC campuses. In the program, students will receive professional development and supports to: learn the skills needed to be effective teachers of young children with diverse needs; strategies to infuse Native American language, culture, and teaching strategies into Western curriculum programs to effectively teach Native American students; and become certified to teach grades K-3 in elementary schools or children 0-5 in early childhood programs that predominantly serve Native Americans. The program will also ensure graduates are employed in these settings and that they receive sufficient support services in their fist year of employment to ensure high teaching skill levels and encourage retention.
Number of participants: 10

Southeastern Oklahoma State University (Oklahoma)
S299B090003

This project is a consortium between The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and Southeastern Oklahoma State University to increase the number and quality of certified Native American teachers in southeastern Oklahoma. The project is designed to provide comprehensive and financial support to twelve qualified future Native American educators. Research has shown that Native American teachers impact Native American student success, persistence, provide connectivity to the community and are more likely to be aware of Native American learning styles and utilize this in the classroom. Through the consortium between Southeastern Oklahoma State University and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma with collaborative agreements from local school districts, this project is designed to enhance the educational experience of future Native American teachers, support their transition into local school districts, and improve the educational experiences of every student they will be teaching.
Number of participants: 12

University of Oregon (Oregon)
S299B090033

The University of Oregon College of Education and the nine federally recognized tribes of Oregon have formed a consortium. The project will use a comprehensive approach for the recruitment, support, pre-service preparation, and induction mentorship of American Indian teachers serving American Indian communities. Project participants will enroll in a seamless teacher preparation project that focuses on teacher development within an indigenous community of practice while earning a master’s degree in education and Oregon teacher licensure. This project integrates research-based practices drawing on teacher effectiveness and teacher development findings, employing a multicultural education framework and the emerging research related to communities of practice and lesson study. Together this body of research provides an empirical foundation for designing the project services.
Number of participants: 12

Lakota College (South Dakota)
S299B090019

The goals are to increase the pool of Native American principals with full state licensure and fill positions in schools, with Native American students on or near reservations in North and South Dakota. The project will develop a sustainable, quality educational administrator Masters program. The project will prepare principals to administer schools with Indian Students by maintaining accreditation in 2 states, and increasing distance learning.
Number of participants: 21

Sinte Gleska University (South Dakota)
S299B090037

The program will provide support and training for 20 Native American individuals: five will complete a master’s degree in education administration at Sinte Gleska and receive state certification as a principal in the state of South Dakota; 15 will complete a bachelor’s degree in education and receive state certification as a teacher in the state of South Dakota. It will also provide one year of induction services while the new teachers and administrators are completing their first year of work. The programs will recruit participants from four public school districts, and from four schools located on the Rosebud, Lower Brule, Crow Creek, and Yankton Sioux Reservations. The project leads to a degree and certification that guides students through a culturally relevant, academically vigorous and personally sustaining program that will increase the number of Native American teachers and administrators in Native American-serving schools in South Dakota.
Number of participants: 20
(July 6, 2009)