FY 2016 Awards

2016 NATIVE YOUTH COMMUNITY PROJECTS

Alaska Gateway School District (AK) $787,544 S299A160048 (PDF, 25MB)

The Alaska Gateway School District has proposed the Alaska – Care and Husbandry Instruction for Lifelong Living (A-CHILL) as their Native Youth Community Project. The geographic area to be served by this project is the Alaska Gateway School District and Yukon-Koyukuk School District covering an area of approximately 93,000 miles. The Hughes Village Council, Kaltag Tribal Council, Manley Hot Spring Traditional Council, Koyukuk Tribal Council, Ruby Tribal Council, Chief’s Conference, Mushers Association, Brightways Learning, the University of Alaska Fairbanks and partners seek to create systemic, sustainable change for Alaska Native youth by addressing career and post-secondary educational needs for students in grades 7-12. The barriers identified by the community survey and through analysis of the youth data are: graduation rates below 50% for Alaska Native students, lack of career readiness upon leaving school, lack of exposure to higher education opportunities and the need for greater exposure to cultural heritage. A-CHILL proposes to make changes through the development of a career educational program involving veterinary sciences, animal husbandry and cultural training. By leveraging expertise from high school programs, UAF programs and tribal elders related to the dog sledding industry, students will be incentivized to stay in school and consider the region’s rich cultural heritage involving mushing and the myriad of learning and employment opportunities that surround the industry. This project extends the existing pilot project, the Frank Attla Youth & Dog Mushing program, that now exists at the Jimmy Huntington school in Huslia. Project A-CHILL will leverage community volunteers and tribal elders to expand students’ knowledge of mushing, animal husbandry, related businesses and cultural heritage.

Annette Island School District (AK) $221,634 S299A160068 (PDF, 17MB)

The Annette Island School District (AISD) Empowering our Future Generations Project will focus on increasing Metlakatla students’ college- and career-readiness. Building on the evidence-based and community context, AISD will focus on increasing Tsimshian cultural identity, developing shared family-school partnerships, improving student independent living skills, and providing essential mentoring. Annette Island School District (lead applicant) is partnering with Metlakatla Indian Community (partner applicant and federally recognized tribal entity) and Association of Alaska School Boards (a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization). AISD is in a rural local community and currently has an Alaska Native Education Program grant. Program objectives include: increasing student connection to Tsimshian culture and cultural identity; increasing family and community involvement in students’ education and support for student higher education; increasing family and community involvement in educational outcomes; and improving school district and community capacity and infrastructure to support student independent living skills.

Chugach School District (AK) $541,033 S299A160008 (PDF, 18MB)

The purpose of the Voyage To Excellence – Generation Indigenous (VTE-GI) project is to provide for nine 1- to 2-week-long residential career development phases and 1 month-long residential summer career camp each serving up to 28 students. Curriculum will include contextually-based, relevant academic instruction; intensive career planning with a focus on careers available in rural Alaska Native communities; personal and life skill development necessary in both rural and urban environments; and a foundation of Alaska Native cultural identity through Alaska Native cultural learning opportunities, interactions, and on-the-job training opportunities with Alaska Native industry professionals. Community-based strategies include: providing focused, contextual academic instruction in personally relevant fields of interest; providing opportunities to apply technical mathematics, reading, and writing in real life situations; promoting work readiness and employability skills training during phases and camps that focus on careers available in rural Alaska Native communities; facilitating career exploration/job shadowing; offering occupational endorsements and certifications in local industry professions; developing college-readiness skills; developing positive social, personal and life skills; providing cultural learning opportunities, interactions, and on-the-job training opportunities with Alaska Native industry professionals. The project will also include yearly staff training to increase knowledge and skills in strategies for integrating Alaska Native culture into VTE-GI phases. By staging the VTE-GI phases at a residential school in Anchorage, students will have access to the largest employers and business partners in Alaska who are eager to make a favorable impression on the future workforce.

Goldbelt Heritage Foundation (AK) $981,075 S299A160051 (PDF, 26MB)

The Goldbelt Heritage Foundation, in partnership with the Juneau School District (LEA), the Chatham School District (LEA), Douglas Indian Association (Tribe), CCTHITA (Tribe), and the Alaska Learning Network proposes to ensure that Alaska Native and American Indian students are prepared for college and careers by carrying out the I Kusteeyi Shakaadei eelgen—Looking to Your Future—grant initiative. The program will concretely provide culturally relevant strategies designed to improve the educational and life outcomes for youth within Southeast Alaska tribal communities. The overall project goal is to increase the number of graduates, among Southeast Alaska Native/American Indian students, who finish high school in four years and enroll in colleges or pursue career-ready training opportunities. Barriers to postsecondary success for Native students include low graduation and high dropout rate, limited achievement, lack of equity, lack of 21st Century skills, limited college- and career-ready topics, limited college and career-ready role models, lack of leadership opportunities, limited credit recovery, limited pathways to college- and career-ready programs and disconnectedness to place, governance, and history.

Throughout time the Tlingit Native people of Southeast Alaska learned to turn barriers into opportunities by varying the strategies of their approach to education. Through this project, with the strong partnership of Goldbelt Heritage Foundation, the Juneau School District, Chatham School District, the Alaska Learning Network/University of Alaska Southeast, and Central Council Tlingit Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, and the support of the Douglas Indian Association, I Kusteeyi Shakaadei eelgen—Looking to Your Future—will embrace the opportunity to carry out community and educational self-determination utilizing the wise counsel of the past. Looking to your Future will serve a minimum of 1,095 students.

Kake City School District (AK) $194,708 S299A160073 (PDF, 15MB)

With the support of $778,833 in Indian Education Demonstration grant funds over four years, Kake City School District (KCSD) and its project partners, the Organized Village of Kake and the Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) will launch Responsive, Aspirational Support Networks (REASON), a comprehensive Native Youth Community Project comprised of academic supports and college-readiness programming that will dramatically impact outcomes for high poverty, high risk Alaska Native youth in Kake, Alaska, a rural, isolated village located on Kupreanof Island. Key barriers to student success include: academic failure; loss of Tlingit Language and Culture; lack of college-readiness; and lack of parental knowledge about how to support their children’s education, among others. Yet despite being a small, isolated village located on a remote Alaska island, KCSD has engaged community resources to support our Alaska Native students in improving their academic, college- and career-readiness outcomes. Specific opportunities to support our Alaska Native students include: 1) providing structured, comprehensive counseling services to Alaska Native students and their families; 2) supporting improved academic outcomes in core subjects by providing, engaging, hands-on, project-based learning activities tied to individual student needs; and 3) increasing students’ college- and career-readiness through structured exposure to postsecondary educational opportunities and experiences. REASON is a four-year initiative that will capitalize on powerful local resources to redesign the foundations of KCSD, promoting ongoing success. The goal of REASON is to support improved academic achievement, increased college- and career-readiness, as well as the emotional and behavioral needs of our students by deploying culturally-focused educational and enrichment activities.

Kenaitze Indian Tribe (AK) $230,630 S299A160070 (PDF, 43MB)

The NYCP project will develop a dropout prevention demonstration program designed to improve academic performance (Reading and Algebra I achievement, specifically) among American Indian/Alaska Native middle school students and improve engagement among American Indian/Alaska Native high school students. Intensive tutoring and coordination of support services, aligned with FAST (Families And Schools Together) teaching principles will work to address the achievement gaps, high rates of alcohol and/or substance use and socioeconomic barriers to college- and career-readiness American Indian/Alaska Native middle school students face. The development of a collaborative cultural credit program between Kenai Peninsula Borough School District (KPBSD) and Kenaitze will work to address the dropout rate among American Indian/Alaska Native high school students district-wide. Expected outcomes of the project include improved academic performance, leadership skill development, family cohesion and referral for services among targeted middle schoolers; and improved academic and cultural engagement, attendance and retention in Kenaitze programs among targeted high schoolers. The defined local geographic area to be served includes four KPBSD schools: Kenai, Seward and Homer middle schools, as well as Ninilchik School. This includes a service radius of about 190 miles on the Kenai Peninsula; the total number of American Indian/Alaska Native students to be served through intensive tutoring and service coordination includes 136 middle school students identified as requiring extra support through the Native Education Program’s Title VII Coordinator. Barriers to be addressed through Kenaitze’s Native Youth Community Project include the dropout rate among American Indian/Alaska Native KPBSD students; high rates of substance and/or alcohol use among American Indian/Alaska Native KPBSD students; achievement gaps in Reading and Algebra I among American Indian/Alaska Native KPBSD middle school students; and socioeconomic barriers to college and career readiness among American Indian/Alaska Native KPBSD students.

Community-based strategies to address barriers to college- and career-readiness include FAST and SAFE (Sequential; Active; Focused; Explicit) tutoring frameworks for middle school students; mental health first aid training for all tutors and/or interested KPBSD teaching staff; Positive Youth Development-focused tutoring and leadership opportunities available through Kenaitze Yaghanen program and Youth Council; and health and human services delivery for targeted students that is based on Trauma-Informed Care and Kenaitze’s Dene Model of holistic healthcare.

Kodiak Island Borough School District (AK) $939,055 S299A160045 (PDF, 68MB)

The purpose of the project is to increase the number of graduating native students who are college- and career-ready by 35% by the end of the funded period of the project in 2020. The project is designed to improve educational opportunities for our students, improving their preparation for college or a career following graduation from high school and increasing the opportunities for employment. Outcomes include: students will have access to a broad array of distance learning tools and video-conferencing technology, the area will have an established Native Youth Community Project, 8th grade Alaska Native youth will be able to make informed decisions about college and career choices, 8th grade AN youth will have Personal Learning Plans.

I Can Career Pathways Measures predict: 60% of students will raise their scores on the Alaska Measures of Progress (AMP), the ACT, and WorkKeys assessments; a minimum of 40% of Native Youth will complete 20+ hours of job-shadowing and internships each year; 100% of students following in the I Can Career Pathway will experience 80+ hours of technical, social, and cultural life outside of Kodiak; and 60% of students will earn at least one technical certification.

I Can College Pathway Measures predict: 60% of students will raise their scores on the Alaska Measures of Progress (AMP), the ACT, and AP assessments; 40% of Native Youth will complete 10+ hours of job-shadowing, internships and community service yearly; 100% of students following the I Can College Pathway will experience 80+ hours of professional, college, social, and cultural life outside of Kodiak; by graduation 60% will have earned at least 18 hours of college credit; and there will be a 50% increase of students that complete post-secondary programs or go to work.

Lower Kuskokwim School District (AK) $948,647 S299A160086 (PDF, 14MB)

The Lower Kuskokwim Early Learner Project (LKELP) project partners include the Lower Kuskokwim School District (LKSD) as the lead with tribal partners of the Native Villages of Kasigluk, Kwethluk, Kwigillingok, Kongiganak, Mekoryuk and Bethel (Orutsararmiut Native Council). The purpose of the Lower Kuskokwim Early Learner Project (LKELP) is to accelerate the acquisition of literacy skills in preschool age students, thus giving them an early, strong start in school. The major outcome is the creation of seven community preschools that thoroughly involve parents, the community and the tribes in learning about emerging literacy and then working directly with preschoolers, both in and out of the school setting. Secondary outcomes are a highly skilled preschool staff using research-based practices, a community equipped with essential emerging literacy teaching skills and many opportunities to use them, and a tribal leadership role in education. The geographic area to be served includes the Lower Kuskokwim river delta area of Alaska that encompasses about 22,000 square miles—the size of West Virginia—of coastal wetlands and interior treeless tundra. The delta has virtually no roads and travel is by Bush plane or by river boats in summer and snowmobiles in winter. Barriers in the region include early death by disease, accidents and intentional trauma; poor school performance; and the poor economic outlook for most villages, which blunts efforts to promote college- and career-readiness. The region contains villages that are culturally homogenous, with just about everyone being Yupik. The culture has not been lost and much pride is taken with promoting it; most Yupik people speak their language and, due to years of dual-language instruction in the schools, it is thriving. A cultural value of Yupik people is that of sharing, caring, and hard work, so community-oriented projects are generally well-supported.

Northwest Arctic Borough School District (AK) $978,620 S299A160040 (PDF, 19MB)

The proposed 4-year project Bridging the GAP: Pre-K and Middle School (BTG) will target two student populations: Pre-K and Middle School. Pre-K classes currently exist in Northwest Arctic Borough School District (NWABSD). They have proven to be effective, but cost constraints have paraprofessionals teaching most of the classrooms. Research indicates the benefit of Pre-K classes having specifically designed curriculum and trained early childhood teachers. The project design includes an Early Childhood Specialist – duties to include the oversight of all Pre-K instructors, classroom observations, curriculum development, related PD, community outreach and other tasks. The ultimate goal is to increase the social and academic readiness of students to succeed throughout their schooling.

NWABSD has developed a strong career and technical education curriculum for high school within the Star of the Northwest Magnet school that focuses on 4 pillars – culinary arts, education, process technology and health. This grant would focus on middle school students to prepare them for college- and career-readiness through participation in Junior Achievement and the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program, a model STEM program for Alaska Native students supported by University of Alaska. Barriers have existed because of the cost to design and support the initial phases of both programs. Community, local entities and businesses support the efforts as demonstrated by previous discussions and designation of priorities. The proposed sites include all of NWABSD’s schools. Sites serving students K-12 include Ambler, Buckland, Deering, Kivalina, Kiana, Kobuk, Noatak, Noorvik, Shungnak and Selawik. Kotzebue houses two schools: June Nelson Elementary and Kotzebue Middle/Senior High. All sites outside of Kotzebue are served by air transport daily, the only way to regularly access the sites. The area to be served is a remote geographic region.

Yukon Flats School District (AK) $873,113 S299A160083 (PDF, 23MB)

The Yukon Flats School District (YFSD) in Fort Yukon, Alaska will develop college- and career-readiness among students in YFSD through a partnership between the Yukon Flats School District (YFSD) and the Gwichyaa Zhee Gwich’in Tribal Government. The defined local geographic area served by the project is the Northeastern region of Alaska called the Yukon Flats. The population is primarily Gwich’in Athabaskan with a strong cultural reliance on subsistence activities and traditions. There are seven rural villages spread throughout this region, all of whom are a part of the YFSD.

Barriers to success in college and career include geographic isolation, lack of qualified teachers, high unemployment, low income levels and high poverty rates, no Native families in the seven villages that hold Bachelor’s Degrees (most practice subsistence living), high drop-out rates and low graduation rates, a lack of persistence in pursuing challenging coursework, problems staying on the job and what is called “failure to launch,” which occurs when a student is fully qualified, fully prepared, has the necessary financial arrangements in place but at the last moment does not leave for college or other post-secondary education. Finally, and most importantly, there is no vocational education offered to students in YFSD at this time. Opportunities include the support of the Gwichyaa Zhee Tribal Government, the local community college which offers some vocational training, the presence of the University of Alaska Fairbanks which is only 45 minutes away by air, and multiple businesses that offer practicum and internship opportunities. Most important of all, there is a Vocational Technical Building equipped with dorms, a commercial kitchen and equipment needed to provide instruction in a variety of vocational fields. The community-based strategies include: doing a part of the coursework as a project-based learning experience, designing a project from the beginning, and planning, then executing, the project in the home village with advice and support from the local Native population. The project is designed to fill a need in the community, whether for an individual or for the village as a whole.

Gila River Indian Community (AZ) $919,386 S299A160067 (PDF, 34MB)

The Growing Readers and Developing Leaders project is designed to meet the absolute priority of ensuring Native American youth are college- and career-ready through a comprehensive, needs-based model that includes key community partners. The identified partners for this proposal include the Gila River Tribal Education Office (Lead), First One Hundred Institute (Coordinator), Blackwater Community School (BIE Pre-K-5), Casa Blanca Community School (BIE Pre-K-4), Gila Crossing Community School (BIE Pre-K–8) and Sacaton Elementary School District (Pre-K–8). The purpose of the project is to support the readiness of students on the Gila River Indian Reservation as they grow through key transitions from home to elementary school to middle school. The expected outcomes are to increase: 1) family engagement with reading, 2) kindergarten readiness, 3) knowledge of STEM and a habit of self-determined reading with K-8 students, and 4) reading proficiency scores for K-8 students.

The Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) is a 374,000-acre Indian Reservation located in South Central Arizona, bordering the Phoenix metropolitan area. The community lies south of the cities of Phoenix, Tempe, and Chandler, and north of Casa Grande. GRIC is the fourth largest federally recognized Native American Tribe in the United States and consists of two distinct tribes, the Pimas (Akimel O’Odham) and Maricopas (Pee Posh). The seeds for readiness are planted in the home—readiness for school, readiness for career success, readiness for college. Gila River Tribal families stand among thousands of Indian families nationwide who fight a continuing battle to achieve optimal conditions for growing career-oriented learners that are ready, in the words of Barack Obama, “for the special role they will play as citizens of tribal nations in defining the future of this country, and also in leading Native cultures, traditions, and governments into the next century.” This project is designed to establish a student-centered, community-based model that leverages existing programs and services to improve the educational opportunities and achievement of preschool, elementary, and secondary Indian students. We intend to grow readers and develop leaders across the Gila River Indian Reservation by overcoming the biggest barriers to college- and career-readiness—book scarcity and poor habits of self-determined reading; limited access to quality early childhood education; and low academic achievement in grades K-8.

Quechan Indian Tribe (AZ) $214,691 S299A160093 (PDF, 8MB)

The Quechan Indian Tribe, a federally recognized Indian Tribe, and the San Pasqual Valley Unified School District propose to partner to implement the objective of developing a shared vision of responsibility among tribal leaders, educational partners, and community-based organizations. This project will focus on the development of a Parent Academy to communicate and educate on issues based on the importance to American Indian (Indian) children’s academic success; to foster leadership values among Indian children through increased awareness in Quechan culture and heritage; and to increase career exploration and college readiness awareness among Indian children.

The three goals of the program will serve to address an overarching problem that the Picacho Project can make an impact on—chronic absenteeism and truancy rates, which are among the top barriers to student achievement. The Picacho Project aims to reach the approximately 300 American Indian/Alaska Native students from K-12th grade of the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation and adjacent district townships of Bard, Winterhaven, Andrade and Felicity, California. The Parent Academy’s objectives will be to educate and create awareness of the importance of attendance, examine extensive barriers that cause attendance problems/truancy, foster parent to parent support, improve parent to school district rapport and parent involvement in community activities. The enhanced tutoring segment will augment the Johnson O’Malley (JOM) program’s afterschool and summer tutoring programs by utilizing a teacher’s pool from the school district that will infuse teachers whom can assist the JOM program staff and tutors with developing curriculum for tutoring, while training JOM tutors on styles and methods in the process.

The Cultural and Heritage Awareness program objective will be to promote and expand upon existing programs as a means to ignite and revive parents of and AI/AN students with one of the most critical aspects of the indigenous spirit – its culture. This objective will bring local and regional speakers on culture to teach Quechan culture and create Tribal cultural awareness on a broader level. This objective will also provide support to the school district staff through cultural awareness workshops that will focus on cultural sensitivity, explaining customs and how they affect learning and attendance and other necessary information to address early intervention of problematic issues.

The Career Exploration objectives will expose AI/AN students to pathways leading to career or job readiness upon high school graduation. Trips to local and regional industries and services will allow the students to explore the types of jobs in demand, thus learning of coursework needed to obtain certificates, skills and degrees to achieve career goals. Opportunities for participation in local community events and regional youth leadership conferences that focus on STEM and other driving industries will bolster the exploration experience.

Karuk Tribe (CA) $252,012 S299A160032 (PDF, 26MB)

The purpose of the proposed Karuk Pikyav (“fix-it”) Field Institute Project is to improve the academic performance and college- and career-readiness of AI/AN students in the Karuk Tribal Service Area. The project lead is the federally recognized Karuk Tribe, whose service area spans the rural and underserved communities of northern California’s mountainous and riverine landscape in both Humboldt and Siskiyou Counties. The proposed project has grown out of an unprecedented communitywide strategically developed proposal through which the tribe’s Department of Natural Resources will partner with the Tribe’s education program and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Program. Partners include the Mid Klamath Watershed Council, a nonprofit organization dedicated to environmental restoration, and four public schools: Orleans Elementary (Humboldt County’s Klamath-Trinity Joint Unified School District); Junction, Forks of Salmon, and Happy Camp Elementary schools (three independent LEAs identified as small rural schools in Siskiyou County). Additionally, the project has the committed support of the University of California, Berkeley; the University of California, Davis; Humboldt State University; the University of Oregon; and the U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station’s Fire and Fuels Program. Barriers to be addressed include: poverty, lack of culturally appropriate instructional material and culturally competent instructors, and pervasive perceptions among both students and parents that college and career opportunities are severely restricted. Opportunities include community, tribal departments, tribal parents and the large number of existing career options in the natural resources.

Project goals include focusing on academic performance by using culturally relevant and academically challenging lessons based on the Karuk cultural heritage and modern day science principles, improving college and career readiness of participating students through local partner resources such as Humboldt State University’s, Indian Natural Resources and Science and Engineering program enabling them to be better prepared for college or career once they leave high school.

Pinoleville Pomo Nation (CA) $739,521 S299A160006 (PDF, 25MB)

The Pinoleville Pomo Nation (PPN) project will support 585 Native American students (Pre-K to 12th grade) in Ukiah Unified School District (UUSD) to achieve college and career success. The project partners with UUSD, Arbor Youth Resource Center & PPN Vocational Rehabilitation Program, and other tribes in the greater Ukiah area to implement three major strategies to address critical challenges faced by the American Indian (AI) students.

The purpose of the project is to: a) Increase cultural awareness & education among AI students and school district staff; b) Increase AI students’ attendance, college admission, vocational programs enrollment and standard test scores; c) Increase peer to peer support and parent involvement;

San Diego County Superintendent of Schools (CA) $247,892 S299A160071 (PDF, 16MB)

Circles of Equity for Native American Youth Community Project (Equity Project) aims to unite and leverage district and tribal educational support efforts to improve the educational opportunities and achievement of Native American (NA) youth in San Diego County. The official partners include the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) and the Viejas Tribal Educational Agency. Other partners include local San Diego county school districts and tribes, such as Campo Band of Kumeyaay Indians. Additionally, experts from California State San Marcos’ California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center and the Kumeyaay Community College will advise the project. The Equity Project will (1) increase the high school graduation rate of NA youth; (2) increase University of California and California State University eligibility through minimum freshman eligibility requirement completion rates of NA youth; (3) increase the academic achievement of NA youth; (4) improve social-emotional health, including a positive cultural identity and self-image of NA youth; (5) increase the number of in-service teachers prepared to understand, develop, and implement culturally responsive literacy aligned to the state language arts framework; (6) increase the percentage of San Diego County district staff prepared to provide culturally- and community-responsive systems; (7) develop a framework, titled Circles of Equity, a Blueprint for Creating Community Responsive Environments for the Achievement of Native American Youth.

Coeur d’Alene Tribe (ID) $583,423 S299A160001 (PDF, 25MB)

overarching goal of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe Native Youth Community Project is to create a successful school-, college- and career-readiness program for middle school students. This project utilizes partnerships among the Coeur d’Alene Tribe Department of Education, the Coeur d’Alene Tribal School in DeSmet, Idaho, Plummer/Worley School District in Plummer, Idaho on the Coeur d’Alene Tribe Reservation, families, Tribal leaders, Tribal program staff, community members, and local colleges and universities. The project has three objectives: 1) create and implement an in-school and afterschool program to increase school, college, and career success; 2) develop a culturally centered and holistic wellness program that encompasses social-emotional, physical, and nutritional health to prepare youth for school success, college, and career, and 3) design a plan to increase school and community engagement and safety to increase youth and family protective factors. The Coeur d’Alene Tribe Department of Education 2016 Native Youth Community Grant has community strategies and measurable objectives involving academic challenges to promote college and career readiness, as well as health and wellness opportunities, to develop the self to be prepared physically, mentally and socially for the future ahead.

program will offer a holistic college and career program using research-based and community-based strategies with measureable objectives. The program will be implemented in partnership with Tribal programs, families, community partners and supported by local policies, existing programs, practices, service providers, and funding sources. Regularly scheduled activities to support students’ college- and career-readiness, school success, mental health, and physical health will take place during the school day, after school, and on early release days for middle school students (grades 5-8) who attend the Coeur d’Alene Tribal School and Plummer-Worley Schools. As a result of this project, there will be a measurable increase in several areas of student engagement, achievement, and family engagement including: GPA in core middle school courses, students scoring proficient or higher on state assessment, high school students applying for scholarships and FAFSA, student participation in college- and career-readiness activities, participation rate of youth in summer internships, and parent engagement in college- and career-readiness activities. In addition, there will be a measurable increase in participation in healthy living activities, motivation/persistence, healthy relationships, financial literacy and physical and cultural activities.

Sabine Parish School Board (LA) $825,125 S299A160055 (PDF, 17MB)

Promising Futures NYCP Project represents the partnership between the Sabine Parish School Board and the Choctaw-Apache Tribe of Ebarb. The overall outcomes of the project are to increase the college- and career-readiness of American Indian students in grades 4-12 in rural Louisiana. Outcomes include improved academic achievement and readiness, informed career planning (e.g., based on interests), leveraging technology to boost communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking, and building the capacity of the partners to maintain this college- and career-readiness culture.

We will be serving approximately 722 Indian students in grades 4-12 in Sabine Parish, Louisiana. The project is located in rural west central Louisiana. Deemed the worst flooding in the state since 1948, the disastrous floods of 2015 and 2016 brought not only high waters but destruction and heart break. The disaster continues to have a deep and devastating impact on families living in Sabine Parish. Sabine Parish was declared a federal disaster area, one of the thirty-seven named within Louisiana. A needs assessment and analysis of data sources determined the greatest barriers both in and out of school include 1) area demographics, 2) limited cultural awareness, 3) lack of appropriate homework environments, 4) lack of access to computer and technology for learning, 5) low student academic engagement and opportunities for active learning, and, 6) lack of systematic effort to improve preparation for college, career, and leadership. Common barriers to Indian student academic achievement and career aspirations include adverse socioeconomic factors, limited access to high quality teachers and instruction, and low levels of family and community involvement.

Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana (LA) $547,425 S299A160104 (PDF, 17MB)

The Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana is requesting funding for educational support to Tunica-Biloxi tribal students to prevent drop-outs. Currently, students of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana lack access to robust educational supports that are able to provide culturally appropriate services to our targeted population to help them to achieve at the same level as non-tribal students while making them college- and career-ready. On average, Tunica-Biloxi will be modifying the Check and Connect Evaluated Evidence Based Strategy to meet the needs of the Native American population. Expected Outcomes include reduction in drop-out rates, improved academic performance, and school completion rates. The Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of LA plans to partner with the Avoyelles Parish School System, the Inter-Tribal Council of Louisiana, the Institute for Indian Development, Tulane University, and Tunica Biloxi Vocational Rehabilitation Program. Areas to be served include the Tunica-Biloxi Reservation and Avoyelles Parish.

Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe (MA) $231,123 S299A160065 (PDF, 14MB)

The goal of the Mâyuhtyâôk Program is to increase the readiness of Mashpee Wampanoag tribal youth for both college and long-term careers. Based on a series of both quantitative and qualitative community-based needs assessments, there were four barriers and related opportunities for support that emerged. as shown in the table below: In order to address poor academic performance in reading, writing and math, the project will provide academic support to youth to improve grades and performance in stated subject areas. In order to address limited experience in basic life skills, the project will teach basic life skills (money management, time management, food planning, etc.) so youth feel confident living on their own. In order to address the issue of little to no understanding of the college or career planning process, the project will expose youth to the process of planning for and applying to college and expose youth to career possibilities through mentorships and internships. In order to address limited wampanoag traditional and cultural knowledge, the project will and teach youth selected cultural practices including hunting, fishing, and Wôpanâak language.

To support the program goal and address both the barriers and the opportunities, the Education Department of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, a federally-recognized Indian Tribe and the lead tribal agency for the program (TEA), is partnering with two local education agencies (LEAs), namely the Mashpee School District and the Barnstable School District, in the towns with the highest percentage of Mashpee Wampanoag Youth, to support the program implementation. The Mâyuhtyâôk Program will serve Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal youth who are located geographically in Barnstable County, on Cape Cod in Southeastern Massachusetts.

Salish Kootenai College (MT) $798,026 S299A160098 (PDF, 21MB)

Salish Kootenai College, the Tribal College (IHE) of the Flathead Indian Reservation, proposes to partner with the Tribal Education Department of the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes (CSKT), Two Eagle River School – the BIE-funded Tribal High School, the University of Montana Broader Impacts Group, three local LEAs, (Arlee, Dixon, and St. Ignatius) and two early childhood centers (SKC Early Learning Center and Early Childhood Services Head Start) to provide a comprehensive and strategic process to improve the college- and career-readiness of American Indian students from preschool through high school. The project emphasizes academic and career preparation for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) careers and Health Sciences Careers, as there is a critical shortage in these areas on reservations and in the general workforce.

The name of the project, “Es Xcimi”, is Salish for “getting ready or becoming prepared.” Thus, this is the focus of the project: to teach and support American Indian (AI) youth in culturally responsive ways so they become better prepared for success in their lives through an array of career and college choices. Es Xcimi: Braiding Resources to Increase College and Career Readiness of American Indian Students (BRICCR) will serve the Flathead Reservation in Northwest Montana. This project plans to increase the college and career mentoring and education of AI students through the following goals: 1) to enhance the discipline-based literacy skills of PreK-12th grade students; 2) to enhance the STEM career awareness and readiness skills for PreK-12th grade students; 3) to implement culturally relevant, research-based instructional methods to enhance PreK-12th grade student academic mindsets and other related non-cognitive factors; 4) to create a model, data-driven, collaborative structure for improving the college- and career-readiness of PreK-12th grade AI students that can be replicated throughout the Flathead Reservation, the state on Montana, and nationally, as well.

Stone Child College (MT) $529,781 S299A160057 (PDF, 14MB)

This project will use good attendance, peer mentoring, intensive educational projects, and dual enrollment to improve the educational opportunities and achievement of children on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation. The goal of the project is to strengthen the capacity of the Chippewa Cree Tribe, Stone Child College, Rocky Boy School, and Box Elder School to effectively and collaboratively improve the college- and career-readiness of Indian students on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation. Expected outcomes include improved attendance, increased graduation rate, and decreased dropout rate. The project will serve youth residing on or near the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation. These youth will be current students of Rocky Boy School and Box Elder School, the two schools serving the reservation youth. The number one barrier being addressed by this project is chronic absenteeism and the results of those absences (high dropout rate, low grade point average). Additional barriers addressed include drug and alcohol abuse and the reservation’s rural location and low income status. Opportunities include several programs already in place at the two partner schools and SCC. These programs, although a good start, are not enough to financially support the major barriers faced by the reservation youth. Other opportunities include a strong cultural/community support system and tribal departments all working toward a common goal of providing improved educational outcomes for community youth.

Turtle Mountain Community College (ND) $245,930

S299A160097 (PDF, 10MB)

The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians (federally recognized Tribe), Turtle Mountain Community College (eligible Tribal College applicant), Turtle Mountain Community Schools (Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) School), and two public schools (Dunseith and St. John) will partner to implement a high quality, comprehensive Native Youth Community Project (NYCP) to directly improve the quality of college- and career-readiness for participating youth. Project GOAL (Gaining Opportunities through Academic Leadership) will effectively provide opportunities for culturally relevant learning that will prepare youth with the knowledge and skills to improve their educational achievement and increase their readiness to pursue college and/or careers. Up to 800 Turtle Mountain high school students (9th-12th grade) will join in college and career awareness and youth/parent/family activities to explore careers with Native role models and resources for college- and career-readiness. Additionally, a group of 100 Turtle Mountain high school students will participate in focused activities to improve their academic scores, ACT scores, college readiness, and awareness of potential career opportunities and related educational requirements. Native culture will be highly integrated throughout all aspects of Project GOAL and be a component of the leadership and community service projects. Project GOAL will serve youth in the Turtle Mountain Reservation and encompassing Rolette County in North Dakota, which shares its border with Canada. The area is extremely rural and all partnering Schools are located in this rural, remote area. Despite its natural beauty, this geographically-isolated community suffers from multi-generational distress; persistent poverty (one of the poorest counties in the United States); high unemployment (69.25%); insufficient education (36.92% drop out rate); poor health/nutrition (Food Desert, 40% obesity, 15% diabetes); few jobs; and escalating crime with border drug trafficking issues.

American Indian Science and Engineering Society (NM) $158,361 S299A160085 (PDF, 18MB)

The project partners include: the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (Indian Organization), Cheyenne-Eagle Butte Schools (BIE-funded school), and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe (Tribe). All of the proposed project programs and activities will take place within the geographic area of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe (CRST) reservation and primarily within the Cheyenne-Eagle Butte (C-EB) school system. The proposed project will address barriers to college and career readiness, specifically in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students. There are a multitude of barriers to college- and career-readiness among C-EB and CRST students. Among those are community-wide issues like poverty, poor health, and substance abuse, issues that are pervasive and deeply rooted. Additionally, there is a clear need among C-EB Schools to improve the math and science proficiency of its students. To address these issues the proposed project seeks to increase interest and engagement in STEM subjects among students of all ages, build the capacity of C-EB Schools to support students in STEM, and generate CRST parent and community support of, and engagement in, STEM studies and careers, particularly for CRST youth. Improving STEM education by introducing a novel and culturally relevant curriculum and programs will provide C-EB students with opportunities to grow and flourish in new environments. This is the mission of the proposed collaborative project. The proposed project will build upon existing relationships, opportunities, and infrastructure to provide novel STEM programming to C-EB students, working towards restoring hope and paving a vibrant future in STEM for the whole CRST community.

Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (OK) $329,042 S299A160031 (PDF, 14MB)

The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma (Choctaw Nation or Nation) will implement Project Impact, an intensive four-year college and career counseling program intent on serving approximately 175 Native American junior high and high school students each year in partnership with Talihina Public Schools (which qualifies for the Small Rural, School Achievement Program). This project is informed by existing need, data analysis, and best practices proven to improve college and career readiness outcomes for Native American students. By analyzing educational data sources, evidence collected through an in-depth focus group and a Johnson O’Malley Needs Assessment, the Choctaw Nation found that Native American students at Talihina Public Schools are in need of math and science remediation, high school counseling services for college and career exploration, encouragement to attend school to graduate, guardian involvement, and confidence. Throughout the four year period, activities to support project goals will be administered in the classroom, during field trips and other special events, and by developing the Native American leader through junior high and high school summer camps. Students will be recruited through orientation events and flyer announcements with the assistance of Talihina Public Schools staff. Additionally, Project Impact intends to take advantage of all local resources to increase college- and career-readiness of Native American students at Talihina Public Schools. Kiamichi Technology Centers, Carl Albert State College, and Oklahoma State University – Institute of Technology have committed human resources and use of facilities to assist with project implementation. Each entity is eager to share college and career guidance via campus tours, speaking engagements, and summer leadership camps. In addition, local businessmen and community leaders have committed to speaking at engagements and offering project support when necessary.

Citizen Potawatomi Nation (OK) $117,411 S299A160021 (PDF, 39MB)

The Citizen Potawatomi Nation (CPN) will implement a college- and career-readiness program for Native American students in southern Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma. The CPN is the lead organization for this project with Asher, Macomb, Maud and Wanette school districts serving as the LEAs, and Oklahoma Baptist University, St. Gregory’s University, The University of Oklahoma, and the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education as official participants in the partnership agreement. The program, entitled Wzhitawen (Prepare) Project, will carry out its goal, which is to provide college- and career-readiness support to four schools in southern Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, beginning in the 8th grade and continuing until 11th grade when students will commit to college and career plans. Achievement of this goal will result in an overall positive change in the problem identified by the needs assessment, which was that, while Native Americans in our geographical area are completing high school at the same rate as their peers in the state and nationally, they are not prepared for college nor are they earning degrees. This project will achieve four objectives in support of its goal including: 1) in the first three months of the project, the project team will create a comprehensive, three-pronged (student, family, and school) resource guide for college- and career-readiness that includes culturally-relevant materials for Native students between the 8th and 11th grades; 2) beginning in project month 4 (January) and continuing until the end of the award, two college and career advisors will instruct Native American students in the four partner school districts about preparing for successful college completion and career attainment; 3) the college and career advisors will expose students to various postsecondary options through tours of college campuses and career training centers, visits from college admissions professionals, and an annual Native American college fair; and 4) each summer, the college and career advisors will instruct each grade level group of students in a one-week mentorship academy, where they will learn techniques to share what they have learned about college- and career-readiness with other Native students in the four partner districts. Fulfillment of these objectives will help Native students in the partner school districts overcome the barriers preventing college and career success, which are primarily lack of in-school counseling resources, lack of academic preparation, and lack of exposure to college campuses and college life which leads to an unnecessarily rough transition into post-secondary education.

Stilwell Public Schools (OK) $500,365 S299A160081 (PDF, 11MB)

Stilwell Public Schools serves 1,410 high-need students in the small town of Stilwell, Oklahoma, “The Most Cherokee Community in the USA” and the poorest township in the state. According to the Census Bureau’s Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 40.5% of Stilwell students live in poverty. Stilwell Public Schools (SPS) serves this rural, isolated community on the Oklahoma /Arkansas border, and in 2015 it qualified for the Community Eligibility Program – resulting in a 100% Free Lunch rate within the district. SPS serves a diverse population of high-need, high-risk learners (61% Cherokee, 19% Caucasian, 20% Hispanic) who struggle to overcome community-based challenges such as intergenerational poverty, chronic unemployment (the 8% unemployment rate is twice national average), and widespread under-education (24% of adult residents do not have a high school diploma). Immediate action must be taken in order to provide Stilwell students with new opportunities to achieve academic success. Informed by our ongoing Needs Assessment process, Stilwell Public Schools has created a partnership with the Cherokee Nation Education Services Department and the Cherokee Programs Department at Northeastern State University (NSU) to design Rising Above, a comprehensive structure of academic supports and college readiness programming that will dramatically impact outcomes for high poverty, high risk Native American youth in Stilwell.

The Chickasaw Nation (OK) $999,314 S299A160003 (PDF, 21MB)

NYCP Grant funds provide wrap-around educational and family services for AI/AN youth. The Chickasaw Nation Department of Education will continue to provide the direct wrap-around educational and family services (tutoring in reading for kindergarten through 3rd grade levels, math and reading tutoring for 6th through 8th grade levels, counseling needs for youth and families entering junior high school and high school, tutoring in core subject areas and credit recovery to meet established goals) with a goal of increasing the number of AI/AN youth graduating high school in the targeted community with advanced knowledge and skill levels for college- and career-readiness. Grant funds will also be used to provide family intervention services outside what is already provided through the LEAs, as well as assist with school programs to help stabilize school climate issues affecting AI/AN youth. Finally, the project will support college- and career-readiness for high school students by providing ACT, PSAT, and AP courses; concurrent college enrollment; standard college and vocational admissions assistance; and career guidance.

Located in south-central Oklahoma, the Chickasaw Nation is a federally-recognized American Indian (AI) tribe with an established Tribal Education Agency (TEA). There are a total of 65 school districts within the TEA tribal boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation’s 7,648 square miles of jurisdictional territory. The proposed project will be implemented solely within the Chickasaw Nation’s tribal boundaries and will focus on Native American students enrolled in the 14 school districts located within Carter and Pontotoc Counties, which contain the highest Native American enrollment of all the counties in Chickasaw Nation’s tribal boundaries. In addition, the State Tribal Education Partnership Program’s referral system (information acquired from teachers, administrators, counselors, Indian education coordinators and parents/guardians) identified specific social, cultural and educational barriers that plague AI/AN students within the Chickasaw Nation’s tribal jurisdiction, including absences due to lack of transportation to school, utilities being disconnected, bullying due to appearance, undiagnosed hearing and vision conditions, juvenile delinquency as a result of substance abuse and a lack of parental involvement. The TEA will coordinate with local programs within Pontotoc County, as well as entities within Carter County to provide enhanced educational opportunities and counseling, as well as promote the development of strategies to address the identified barriers to educational success.

Jefferson County School District 509-J (OR) $257,162 S299A160079 (PDF, 16MB)

The 1,021 American Indian students in remote, rural Jefferson County School District (JCSD) face significant in- and out-of-school barriers that impact their educational success. Serving 2,859 students, JCSD has the highest percentage of American Indian youth in the state, with 36% American Indian (AI), 32% Hispanic, 30% White, and 2% other. While the majority of AI youth attend the Warm Springs K-8 Academy, located on the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Indian Reservation, the county’s only high school is located in the town of Madras, thus making the 8th to 9th grade transition even more challenging for students. To foster American Indian students’ school-, college- and career-readiness, the JCSD Circle, Culture and Learning Youth & Family Program will work with a myriad of tribal, parent, university and community partners to develop a coordinated system of school, family and community supports. The two goals of this program are to: a) increase college- and career-readiness for American Indian students and b) increase opportunities for family, tribal and community participation in students’ education and career aspirations. Activities designed to address these needs are: 1) development of a school year morning and afternoon extended day program and a 2-week extended year program at the K-8 reservation school, to include targeted math and literacy instruction, tutoring and homework help, tribal-led cultural activities and sports/PE programming; 2) provision of teacher training and expanded implementation of AVID school-day, summer and family involvement programs; 3) development of a 9th grade Freshman Summer Bridge program that includes AVID skill development, career college education, and extracurricular activities designed to promote engagement in high school; 4) creation of a Native Family University program that engages our partners to offer school-, college- and career-readiness and cultural programming to all AI families and students. Outcomes of this project will include increasing student achievement, attendance, retention and graduation; reducing student dropout; and enhancing family-community partnerships and involvement.

Little Wound School District (SD) $770,020 S299A160034 (PDF, 14MB)

Little Wound School District (LWS) and the Oglala Sioux Tribe (OST) are applying as partners under the Native Youth Community Projects program. LWS, as lead applicant, proposes to establish an Extension School by expanding services to meet the needs of un-served or under-served youth. Barriers will be addressed using a blended learning program to reach students who don’t attend school due to transportation, family obligations or other issues and provide an alternative path to entering higher education. Each student will have an individualized learning path. These students will work on computers and receive individual or small group instruction. Students that have dropped out or fallen behind the path to graduate can take advantage of credit recovery courses online, including enrichment or advanced coursework. Online programming will include career pathways and college test preparation. OLC will offer dual enrollment for college credit. Work experience with mentoring will help students develop appropriate work-related skills and explore various career opportunities. We will continue to use the American Indian Life Skills program. The online program we will use allows for adapting and designing courses that incorporate the Lakota language and culture with input from OST.

Goals are to improve academic skills, improve college/career readiness and increase high school completion. Objectives are to increase proficiency on the reading and math state test by 10%; increase graduation rate by 20%; decrease dropout rate by 3% or to zero; improve average ACT score to 20; increase college ready benchmarks by 5%; and increase students taking dual enrollment or advanced placement courses to half of 11-12th grade students. All objectives will be within the context of increasing Lakota language and cultural pride. We will make full use of the existing programs that address these areas and add the services that will address unmet needs. Anticipated outcomes are improved academic achievement, increased high school completion, college- and career-readiness, and ultimately more opportunities for youth to have improved economic status and educational attainment.

Pine Ridge Chamber of Commerce (SD) $249,757 S299A160041 (PDF, 18MB)

Partners for Oglala Lakota Love of Learning include the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Education, Oglala Sioux Tribe Higher Education Department, Little Wound and Crazy Horse Schools, Oglala Lakota College, Pejuta Haka College Center and Pine Ridge Area Chamber of Commerce. The purpose of the project is to increase the percentage of Oglala Lakota youth who successfully transition from high school to jobs or higher education through participating in life skills training designed to promote healing from trauma as well as increased self-sufficiency. The geographic area being serviced is Jackson and Oglala Lakota (formerly Shannon) Counties on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The assessed needs and barriers for this project include the extreme effect of poverty, and trauma, and the lack of resources specifically designed to heal this trauma, so real life skills could be learned. This project will use an evidence-based curriculum supplemented by applying life skills through hands-on work experiences, community and cultural resource people and organizations working regularly in the schools, and increased and improved partnerships to support schools. Dedicated time during the school day is set aside for youth to heal and learn, together with community people, the life skills they need to cope with and thrive today. Youth will also go out into the community to practice these skills in real-life settings with support to facilitate “success.” Older youth in turn will share their experiences with younger children.

Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, (SD) $992,539 S299A160084 (PDF, 34MB)

The Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Wiyukcan ka Ecunpi project titled “Thinking and Doing” is an action project based on assessment and survey data of needs for the youth of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Indian Reservation located in the northeast corner of South Dakota. The Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate (SWO) includes: 3 tribal schools of which 2 are involved in this project (Tiospa Zina Tribal School and Enemy Swim Day School), 3 Head Start attendance centers, a Family and Child Education Program, a SWO Youth Department and the Tribal Education Department (TED) entities. The TED entities include the college, GED programs and other entities offering educational services.

The SWO grant will develop, and sustain in the future, the following activities: 1) learning academies through partnerships to ensure all students are college- and career-ready and 2) wrap-around programs that will actively teach, reinforce and instill protective factors. Barriers that the SWO youth face include: lack of opportunity due to the rural setting, below-proficiency academic performance for students at tribal schools, lack of career and technical education available for students, suicide completion and ideation increasing every year for the past years (lack comprehensive data prior to that), negative behavior that impacts and impedes education opportunity, poor attendance, and lack of digital/technological instruction and usage to engage students in meaningful opportunities. The educational and wrap-around opportunities that will be addressed in this project are within the Tribal schools, Head Start, and the Youth Department.

The design will utilize the Collective Impact Model (CIM) to create systemic change that will sustain the action oriented goals. The CIM utilizes a structured process to create social change. It brings a full team of focused individuals and concentrates efforts to implement a full education turn-around model that will instill a system change. The project will employ research- and evidence-based implementation of curriculum to create a wrap-around model for students.

San Juan School District (UT) $986,570 S299A160114 (PDF, 17MB)

San Juan School District (SJSD), partnering with the Navajo Nation and Ute Mountain Ute tribes, will implement a comprehensive Native Youth Community Project. The project has four main components. 1) The project will promote culturally appropriate approaches to solve student discipline challenges and to provide opportunities for students and families to engage in ongoing cultural learning through Navajo and Ute Peacemaking services and afterschool activities. Increased cultural training will be provided for educators at target schools. 2) The project will hire 6 Native Youth Advocates/School Social Workers (NYAs) who will carry a case management load of the most needy students, offering direct services and support. The NYAs will collaborate weekly with school personnel to staff most at-risk students and will meet monthly with tribal and agency partners to coordinate services. 3) The project will develop, with partners, a three tiered service model for students, including preventative activities for all students, interventions for students and an intensive service component for high risk students and families who need a wrap-around system. Collaborative groups will work to bring clarity to referral services and follow-up. 4) The project will contract with Dream Navigator to develop a Navajo and a Ute version of a college and career curriculum. Secondary schools will implement this curriculum in order to help Native Youth to make future plans that incorporate Native values and will also offer a Native Student Leadership/Service opportunity.

SJSD is located in Southeastern Utah in the Four Corners area. The project will serve approximately 1,600 San Juan School District Native American students, both Navajo and Ute, located in 9 district schools. Five of the schools are located within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation. The other four are in close proximity of both the White Mesa Ute Community and the Navajo Nation.

SJSD Native Youth often face barriers such as: fragmented services due to jurisdiction challenges and poor communication between providers and the school; ineffective and culturally inappropriate school discipline measures; and poor preparation for college and career futures due in part to lack of culturally relevant curriculum. Opportunities to address barriers are: a great willingness of all partners to engage in the project to improve quality of services; a realization from the district that changes in discipline approaches are needed and will be more successful; and the discovery of Dream Navigator, a company who specializes in indigenous people’s curriculum development. Community-based strategies include establishing an Executive Council Steering Committee of representatives from the Navajo and Ute tribes, agencies and schools which will meet biannually to review project progress and make recommendations for improvements. School communities will hold a monthly collaborative staffing meeting where members will plan for services for the most needy students and their families. A Ute Mountain Ute committee will develop their own version of Peacemaking.