Native Education

American Indian and Alaska Native students often have unique needs that call for alternative approaches to narrowing opportunity and achievement gaps. Education Northwest is committed to partnering with Northwest tribes and Native educators to develop culturally relevant resources to incorporate into the curriculum. We are also committed to supporting your efforts to evaluate and scale up effective, culturally responsive strategies.

Services

Program Evaluation

A fresh, independent evaluation of your programs, policies, or student outcomes is a powerful way to identify needs in your community or school district, make informed decisions, and start important conversations about equity. We regularly collaborate with tribes, districts, and nonprofits to develop and conduct evaluations of grant programs (e.g., grants through the federal Office of Indian Education, other federal grants, and state grants).

Technical Assistance

Culturally based education can enhance students’ motivation and build their self-esteem, while also promoting the engagement families, elders, and tribal members. Our staff has experience partnering with tribes to develop resources and curricula that reflect indigenous culture, traditions, and values. We can support state education agencies, school districts, and tribes as they work together to implement Indian Education curriculum mandates or modify existing curriculum to make it culturally relevant.

Tribal Consultation

The federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) stresses the importance of improving educational outcomes for American Indian and Alaska Native students. ESSA has created opportunities for tribes to work more closely with state and local education agencies in support of Native students. We can help you develop and implement a process for genuine and meaningful consultation and support you in preparing specific requests.

Resources

New Statewide Curriculum Recognizes the History and Contributions of American Indian and Alaska Native People in Oregon

Mandy Smoker Broaddus writes about Oregon S.B. 13 as a way for tribal peoples to have their presence validated across the state and in...
Together, We Own Our Education: How Alaska Native Classrooms Can Become More Responsive to Culture

Sonta Hamilton Roach writes about creating an education system that embraces culture and fits the needs of students, families and community...
Creating a More Welcoming and Culturally Responsive School Community to Engage American Indian and Alaska Native Families

Culturally responsive systems are the key to improving outcomes for American Indian and Alaska Native students in school and in life.
Actions Educators Can Take to Interrupt Narratives That Are Damaging to American Indian and Alaska Native Students

Teachers can engage in self-education and open up their classrooms to culture in forming strategies to end persistent and damaging stereotypes.
Affirming Tribal Sovereignty Through Tribally Operated Compact and Charter Schools

Legislation that establishes tribal K-12 schools is a step toward honoring meaningful self-determination policy for Native people. It's also a...
Improving the Identification of Native Students at the University of Oregon

Guest Blogger Jason Younker writes on the challenges colleges face in identifying their American Indian and Alaska Native students and the...

Steven R. Nelson Native Educator Scholarship Program

The Steven R. Nelson Native Educator Scholarship Program seeks to increase the number of Alaska Native, American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander students who pursue graduate degrees that will qualify them for careers in education policy, leadership, technical assistance, or research in the Northwest region.

Education Northwest