Grants Awarded
Grantee: Nez Perce Tribe
PR#: S415A230002
Project Name: Idaho Tribal Education Agencies (TEA) Consortium STEP Program
Number of Students Served: 50+
Tribe(s): Coeur D’Alene, Nez Perce, and Shoshone Bannock Tribes
Location: Idaho
Grade Levels: K – 12
Funding Amount: $466,388
Abstract
Objective: The project’s objectives are to (1) engage in cross-agency coordination and consultation between a consortium of Tribal Education Agencies (TEA) from Idaho Tribes, Idaho State Education Agency (SEA), Idaho State Department of Education (SDE), and targeted Local Education Agencies (LEA); (2) identify and minimize barriers for access to Native American student data through cross-agency data sharing agreements and culturally responsive methods to support Native American student identification; and (3) administer one Indian education program as responsible fiscal agents, previously assumed by the SEA, 5 SDE, or partner LEAs, and expand their responsibilities in implementation of Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) programs that impact Native American student academic achievement, college readiness, and career pathways preparation
Population Served: K – 12 Native American Students
Primary Activities: This project will complete the final written agreement and the tribal consultation plan; conduct LEA professional development on tribal history, language, and culture and culturally responsive strategies; conduct monthly TEA-LEA leadership team meetings; and participate in student and community engagement.
Outcomes: Strengthen relationships and meaningful consultation between a consortium of TEAs from Idaho Tribes, the Idaho SEA, the Idaho SDE, and targeted LEAs. The project will serve more than 50 Native American K – 12 students with the critical need for improved academic achievement and accurate identification in student counts.
Grantee: Sac & Fox Nation of Oklahoma (OK) PR#: S415A230004 Project Name: Oklahoma STEP Project Number of Students Served: 1,139 Tribe(s): Absentee Shawnee, KIOWA and Sac and Fox Nation Location: Oklahoma Grade Levels: K – 12 Funding Amount: $502,510 Abstract Objective: The OK STEP Project has four goals with associated objectives: (1) to promote Tribal self-determination among the Absentee Shawnee Tribe, Kiowa Tribe, and Sac and Fox Nation to empower participating TEA to shape their education systems and align education programs with cultural values and aspirations; (2) to improve the academic achievement of Native students among the three TEAs to identify evidence-based practices and culturally responsive approaches and document the specific needs of Native students enrolled in participating LEA; (3) to foster coordination/collaboration among the three TEAs, the OK State Department of Education, and nine LEAs will establish effective collaboration and communication channels and create an informed and collaborative educational environment; and (4) to strengthen community engagement among the participating TEAs to involve Tribal parents and stakeholders and foster a sense of ownership and shared responsibility for achieving desired outcomes. Population Served: K – 12 American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Students Primary Activities: This project will enhance the identification of Native students eligible for the Title VI Indian Education Formula Grant Program; develop methods to identify and support under-identified Native students; increase the capacity of early-stage TEAs; and facilitate systemic change in key areas like college readiness, workforce development, and family engagement. Outcomes: To increase the capacity of early tribal education agencies among three eligible Oklahoma tribes: Absentee Shawnee Tribe, Kiowa Tribe, and Sac and Fox Nation.
Grantee: Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians PR#: S415A230006 Project Name: Expand Capacity of Early TEA and Ojibwe Language Teacher Training Program Tribe(s): Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians Location: Wisconsin Grade Levels: K – 5 Funding Amount: $500,000 Abstract Objective: The goals of this project are to (1) promote learning across generations, acknowledging the value of modern education while honoring the wisdom of our Anishinaabe ancestors so that all Tribal members can walk in two worlds, and (2) increase Ojibwe Language Immersion education opportunities by completing teacher language capacity training programs. Population Served: K through 5 Native American Students Primary Activities: This project will provide leadership in strengthening existing relationships with the LEA and SEA through formal agreements and implement cohort-based Ojibwe Language Teacher Training programs to ensure that Red Cliff has built the capacity to initiate an Ojibwe Language Immersion School with qualified and proficient language teachers. Outcomes: To expand the project’s TEA capacity to support community aspirations for a healthy and prosperous community through education/workforce development, language preservation and revitalization.
Grantee: Chugachmiut PR#: S415A230008 Project Name: Expanding Litnaurwik: A “Place of Learning” Number of Students Served: 255 Tribe(s): Nanwalek, Port Graham, Qutekcak Native Tribe (Seward), Tatitlek, Chenega, Native Village of Eyak (Cordova), and Valdez Native Tribe Location: Alaska Grade Levels: K – 12 Funding Amount: $210,065 Abstract Objective: The project’s objectives are to (1) support the staff capacity of Chugachmiut TEA; (2) conduct a community needs assessment survey to identify challenges in the region’s education delivery, gaps in services and opportunities for new programs and initiatives; and (3) establish and enhance partnerships with LEAs, educational nonprofits and Chugachmiut service departments. Population Served: K – 12 AI/AN Students Primary Activities: The project will: (a) perform a community needs and asset mapping survey; (b) assemble educators and stakeholders at a tribal education summit; (c) offer LEAs training and teaching tools for Suqpiaq language, history, and culture and (d) promote coordination and collaboration with local school districts and other community organizations. Outcomes: These action items will enable Chugachmiut to establish a robust education department grounded in relevant, timely data and informed by productive and mutually supportive relationships with LEAs throughout the region. With this expanded capacity, Chugachmiut’s Tribal Education Department will be well situated to strategize a slate of culturally informed programmatic offerings to advance the educational destinies of our region’s youth.
Grantee: Sac & Fox Nation of Oklahoma (OK) PR#: S415A230004 Project Name: Oklahoma STEP Project Number of Students Served: 1,139 Tribe(s): Absentee Shawnee, KIOWA and Sac and Fox Nation Location: Oklahoma Grade Levels: K – 12 Funding Amount: $502,510 Abstract Objective: The OK STEP Project has four goals with associated objectives: (1) to promote Tribal self-determination among the Absentee Shawnee Tribe, Kiowa Tribe, and Sac and Fox Nation to empower participating TEA to shape their education systems and align education programs with cultural values and aspirations; (2) to improve the academic achievement of Native students among the three TEAs to identify evidence-based practices and culturally responsive approaches and document the specific needs of Native students enrolled in participating LEA; (3) to foster coordination/collaboration among the three TEAs, the OK State Department of Education, and nine LEAs will establish effective collaboration and communication channels and create an informed and collaborative educational environment; and (4) to strengthen community engagement among the participating TEAs to involve Tribal parents and stakeholders and foster a sense of ownership and shared responsibility for achieving desired outcomes. Population Served: K – 12 American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Students Primary Activities: This project will enhance the identification of Native students eligible for the Title VI Indian Education Formula Grant Program; develop methods to identify and support under-identified Native students; increase the capacity of early-stage TEAs; and facilitate systemic change in key areas like college readiness, workforce development, and family engagement. Outcomes: To increase the capacity of early tribal education agencies among three eligible Oklahoma tribes: Absentee Shawnee Tribe, Kiowa Tribe, and Sac and Fox Nation.
Grantee: Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians PR#: S415A230006 Project Name: Expand Capacity of Early TEA and Ojibwe Language Teacher Training Program Tribe(s): Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians Location: Wisconsin Grade Levels: K – 5 Funding Amount: $500,000 Abstract Objective: The goals of this project are to (1) promote learning across generations, acknowledging the value of modern education while honoring the wisdom of our Anishinaabe ancestors so that all Tribal members can walk in two worlds, and (2) increase Ojibwe Language Immersion education opportunities by completing teacher language capacity training programs. Population Served: K through 5 Native American Students Primary Activities: This project will provide leadership in strengthening existing relationships with the LEA and SEA through formal agreements and implement cohort-based Ojibwe Language Teacher Training programs to ensure that Red Cliff has built the capacity to initiate an Ojibwe Language Immersion School with qualified and proficient language teachers. Outcomes: To expand the project’s TEA capacity to support community aspirations for a healthy and prosperous community through education/workforce development, language preservation and revitalization.
Grantee: Chugachmiut PR#: S415A230008 Project Name: Expanding Litnaurwik: A “Place of Learning” Number of Students Served: 255 Tribe(s): Nanwalek, Port Graham, Qutekcak Native Tribe (Seward), Tatitlek, Chenega, Native Village of Eyak (Cordova), and Valdez Native Tribe Location: Alaska Grade Levels: K – 12 Funding Amount: $210,065 Abstract Objective: The project’s objectives are to (1) support the staff capacity of Chugachmiut TEA; (2) conduct a community needs assessment survey to identify challenges in the region’s education delivery, gaps in services and opportunities for new programs and initiatives; and (3) establish and enhance partnerships with LEAs, educational nonprofits and Chugachmiut service departments. Population Served: K – 12 AI/AN Students Primary Activities: The project will: (a) perform a community needs and asset mapping survey; (b) assemble educators and stakeholders at a tribal education summit; (c) offer LEAs training and teaching tools for Suqpiaq language, history, and culture and (d) promote coordination and collaboration with local school districts and other community organizations. Outcomes: These action items will enable Chugachmiut to establish a robust education department grounded in relevant, timely data and informed by productive and mutually supportive relationships with LEAs throughout the region. With this expanded capacity, Chugachmiut’s Tribal Education Department will be well situated to strategize a slate of culturally informed programmatic offerings to advance the educational destinies of our region’s youth.
Grantee: Blue Lake Rancheria
PR# S415200008
Project Name: Blue Lake Rancheria Tribal Education Agency Career Readiness Education Program
Absolute Priorities: 1 and 3
Tribe(s): Multiple
Location: California
Key Activities: Recruit/retain teachers; Work-based learning experiences
Funding Amount: $121,413
This project is focused on the following two objectives: (1) to recruit, retrain, and retain educators employed by the Blue Lake Rancheria Tribal Education Agency (TEA) or by the partnering local education agency; and (2) the promotion of experiential learning experiences for secondary students. The TEA will not provide direct services to students with STEP grant funds. As part of achieving both priorities, the TEA will create two complimentary programs: (1) Recruit, Retrain & Retain Educators (R3E); and (2) Modern Youth Apprenticeship Academies (MYAA), keystone secondary-level programs under the Career Readiness Education Program offerings. Information on how potential beneficiaries of the Tribe’s Career Readiness Education programming may fully participate in the R3E or MYAA design and implementation process will be provided during and after grant implementation.
Grantee: Knik Tribe
PR# S415A200002
Project Name: Knik Tribe Education Agency
Absolute Priorities: 1 and 3
Tribe(s): Knik Tribe
Location: Alaska
Key Activities: Recruit/retain teachers; Work-based learning experiences; Open a charter school
Funding Amount: $357,778
Knik Tribe seeks to develop its Tribal Education Agency. The recent adoption of a code of ordinances establishing the Knik Tribal Educational Agency, and a memorandum of agreement with the state and local education agencies, puts the Tribe in an excellent position to serve our American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) students. The Tribe remains focused on improving educational opportunities for the AI/AN population by building capacity among teachers and staff to further operationalize our recently created work-based learning program framework and partnerships. The Tribe aims to increase the availability of work-based learning experiences by developing additional job shadowing opportunities and developing new career exploration opportunities such as pre-apprenticeships and internships in high-demand industry occupations for the secondary students we serve. Additionally, the Tribe is ready to develop a Tribally operated charter school. Knik Tribe will conduct administrative planning, development and coordination required to complete and submit the state’s first charter school application from a federally recognized Tribe. In the third year of the grant, the Tribe will open a new charter school with the goal of promoting culturally relevant curriculum and pedagogy to better address the academic aspirations and career and technical course opportunities of AI/AN students.
Grantee: Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe
PR# S415200011
Project Name: MWT STEP Grant Application
Absolute Priorities: 1 and 2
Tribe(s): Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe
Location: Massachusetts
Key Activities: Recruit/retain teachers; Work-based learning experiences
Funding Amount: $362,133
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Education Agency (TEA), in partnership with the Mashpee School District (LEA) and Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (SEA), seeks to significantly improve the academic achievement of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) students through increased collaboration, capacity building and culturally responsive strategies. In meeting this objective, the TEA will collaborate with the LEA on the monitoring of selected SEA grant programs in Title I and Title II. Data-sharing agreements between the LEA and the TEA, with parent permission, will be a tool used to monitor the success of students and the impact of supplemental academic services offered by the TEA. Professional development opportunities designed to increase cultural competency of LEA and SEA staff will be delivered across the three-year project period, as will resources for improving student understanding of Native history and culture in the school district curriculum. The TEA will work toward expanding partnerships to offer more STEM-based internships and career building opportunities to Native students, along with supplemental academic support in reading and math, and afterschool programming to help students achieve their academic and postacademic goals. The TEA will also attend technical assistance opportunities offered by the LEA and SEA to build its own capacity to better serve students. Lastly, this project will fund two language professionals at the Mashpee Middle and High School to offer two additional Wôpanâak Language courses in all three years.
Grantee: Virginia Tribal Education Consortium
PR# S415200010
Project Name: Virginia STEP Capacity-Building Project
Absolute Priorities: 1 and 3
Tribe(s): Chickahominy Indian Tribe, Chickahominy Indian Tribe – Eastern Division, Monacan Indian Nation, Upper Mattaponi Tribe, Pamunkey Indian Tribe, Nansemond Indian Tribe, and the Rappahannock Tribe, Inc.
Location: Virginia
Key Activities: Recruit/retain teachers; Work-based learning experiences
Funding Amount: $494,630
Virginia State Tribal Education Partnership (STEP) Capacity-Building Project is being led by the Virginia Tribal Education Consortium (VTEC), which includes all federally recognized tribes in Virginia serving as the Tribal Education Agency (TEA). The two goals of this three-year Virginia STEP Capacity-Building Project are to administer and coordinate education programs to (1) recruit/retain educators equipped to meet the needs of Virginia Native students, and (2) promote the availability of work-based learning experiences for Virginia Native students served by the TEA that align with in-demand industry sectors or occupations, without providing direct services. Notable outcomes of the Virginia STEP Capacity-Building Project will include (a) co-produced and supported facilitation for a suite of professional development materials to assist local education agencies (LEAs) in recruiting and retaining educators versed in Virginia Tribal languages, culture and history, particularly within the subject areas of history and social studies; (b) form and coordinate the activities of local collaboratives to develop work-based learning strategies and activities linked to statewide and national resources but designed and managed by the local collaboratives; (c) plan and provide materials and support for organized Tribal community and family engagement activities, provided in conjunction with their LEAs, to enhance efforts associated with educator recruitment and retention and work-based learning strategies and activities; and (d) design and demonstrate a replicable model to serve the educational interests of small, resource-poor Tribes aspiring to implement a TEA. Virginia STEP Capacity-Building Project performance measures are goal aligned.
Grantee: Blue Lake Rancheria
Funding Amount: $208,616
Blue Lake Rancheria proposes to establishment of a Tribal Education Agency (TEA). Objective 1 of phase 3 is the establishment of a TEA, Board of Education (BOE), and an Education Code (hereafter “Code”). Project staff will contract with LEAs for training on the establishment a BOE, and Code. This will begin immediately, and a BOE will be elected during the Tribe’s general election in December. With the BOE established, policies and procedures for the implementation of educational programming to improve the academic achievement of Indian children and youth and codify them.
Grantee: Chugachmiut
Funding Amount: $449,742
Chugachmiut proposes to create a Tribal Education Agency (Chugachmiut Education Department) and work with current and future partners to support systemic change in the education of preschool through adult education programs serving Alaska Native/American Indian tribal members who are beneficiaries of Chugachmiut services. The proposed activities include a range of issues such as enhancing Self-Determination in education by improving the infrastructure of Chugachmiut to meet the educational needs of all tribal members; increasing Alaska Native/American Indian student achievement by continuing partnerships with four school districts and the Alaska Pacific University; promoting sustainability through community engagement; and developing new collaboration opportunities to support systemic change in the education of preschool and adult education programs that serve Alaska Native/American Indian tribal members who are beneficiaries of Chugachmiut services.
Grantee: Knik Tribe
Funding Amount: 273,546
Knik Tribe proposes to develop and operate an education agency to secure relationships with each of the 39 schools and developed curriculum to integrate culture into classrooms of all the core subjects, for elementary, middle school, and high school. Also proposed are developing Native educational code to guide Native education in Matsu and to provide the framework for addressing STEM/CTE hands-on education through implementing a robust after-school program for youth and parents.
Grantee: Tribal Education Departments National Assembly (TEDNA)
Funding Amount: $530,248
Tribal Education Departments National Assembly (TEDNA) proposes to stablish and build the capacity of the Virginia Tribal Consortium consisting of five federally-recognized Tribes in Virginia that do not have a Tribal Education Agency (TEA): Chickahominy Indian Tribe, Chickahominy Indian Tribe – Eastern Division, Monacan Indian Nation, Pamunkey Indian Tribe, and the Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe. TEDNA proposes to serve as the Tribal Education Agency for the member Tribes, promote Tribal self-determination in education among Tribes in Virginia, improve the academic achievement of Indian children and youth, and promote the coordination and collaboration of participating Tribes with the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), Local Educational Agencies (LEAs), and other entities. TEDNA proposes to manage the Virginia STEP Project and provide expertise on the formation and operation of a Tribal Education Agency (TEA) in partnership with the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) and the Academic Development Institute (ADI) by providing key initiatives that include: TEA Governance Training, TEA Management Training, Virginia Tribal Consortium Outreach Seminar, Virginia Education Resources Training, Strategic Performance Management (SPM) Training, Educating Native Youth for Success, and Tribal Sovereignty and Education Code Training. The project will also produce a Virginia Tribal Consortium Guidebook and Virginia Tribal Consortium Website.
Grantee: Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska
Funding Amount: $115,080
Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska proposes to develop a Tribal Education Agency (TEA) to improve education needs for children and youth (PreK-12) who attend school within the boundaries of the Winnebago Indian Reservation. The goals are to promote tribal self-determination in education; improve academic achievement of Indian children and youth; promote the coordination and collaboration of Tribal Education Agencies (TEAs) with State Education Agencies (SEAs) and Local Education Agencies (LEAs); and meet the unique educational culturally related academic needs of Indian students. The Project has one objective: To formulate and develop the Winnebago Tribal Education Agency, enhance collaboration with Local Education Agencies, and the State Education Agencies (SEAs) within a 12-month period.
