Northern Arizona University (Arizona)
S299B090017

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

Arizona State University, West Campus (Arizona)
S299B090031

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

Arizona State University (Arizona)
S299B090041

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

College of St.Scholastica (Minnesota)
S299B090022

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

Fort Belknap College (Montana)
S299B09B0046

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

Salish Kootenai College (Montana)
S299B090050

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

Nebraska Indian Community College (Nebraska)
S299B090044

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

Southeastern Oklahoma State University (Oklahoma)
S299B090003

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

University of Oregon (Oregon)
S299B090033

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

Lakota College (South Dakota)
S299B090019

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

Sinte Gleska University (South Dakota)
S299B090037

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

FY 2008 Indian Professional Development Awards

Salish Kootenai College (Montana)
S299B080040

Salish Kootenai College (SKC) is proposing the creation of a professional development project that would support Native American students seeking certification to become licensed elementary teachers. SKC's course requirements are designed to improve the academic success for Indian students by offering pre-service Native American students living stipends, affordable tuition, effective student services, and competency based/culturally relevant instruction. Mentoring teachers will also assist in the graduation and induction of 20 Elementary Bachelor Degree students who are eligible for Montana K-8 certification.
Number of participants: 20

Stone Child College (Montana)
S299B080024

Stone Child College will implement a program in which a minimum of 20 students will receive support to pursue a Bachelors degree in Education and certification as a teacher in Montana by the end of the project period. The project will enhance the knowledge, skills, and abilities of participants to enable them to provide high quality education to American Indian youth. During this period the college will work collaboratively with Montana State University-Northern. Each participant will receive monthly mentoring support from the faculty. The final year of the project the college will provide induction services to include: mentoring, professional development, and cohort meetings for the new teachers.
Number of participants: 20

Oglala Lakota College (South Dakota)
S299B080010

Oglala Lakota College will recruit and select a cohort of 21 Native American participants to obtain a Bachelor's Degree in education and South Dakota teacher licensure. The project will enhance the knowledge, skills, and abilities of participants to enable them to provide high quality education to American Indian youth. The curriculum utilized will be based on best practices in collaboration with local school districts. Feedback loops will be employed as part of the intensive mentoring provided throughout the project. Induction services will be offered upon licensing and employment in the area in which each participant is certified.
Number of participants: 21

University of Alaska-Fairbanks (Alaska)
S299B080022

The University of Alaska-Fairbanks (UA) will recruit Native American individuals into a professional cadre of educators and education leaders. The project will provide support and pre-service training to 27 qualified individuals so they will earn bachelor's degrees in education or bachelor's degrees in endorsable areas with full state teacher certification. Graduates will offer induction services to successfully transition into the teaching profession in schools with significant Native American student populations. The School of Education at UA will provide a state approved, nationally (NCATE) accredited program to prepare graduates to teach students to district, state, and national standards.
Number of participants: 27

Pennsylvania State University (Pennsylvania)
S299B080016

The primary goal of this project is to prepare a cohort of Native Americans to be effective leaders in schools that serve significant numbers of Native Americans students. A national recruitment effort will identify, select and admit 8 highly qualified Native Americans into the Educational Leadership / American Indian Leadership Programs. Each of the 8 participants will earn a Master's of Education degree in Educational Leadership and be certified as a school principal. Induction services will be provided to help ensure a successful and effective transition from an academic program to an educational leadership position.
Number of participants: 8
July 7, 2008

FY 2007 Indian Professional Development Awards

Diné College - Center for Diné Teacher Education
Tsaile, AZ

The Navajo School Administrator Preparation Project conducts coursework, mentoring and internships in the first three years, leading to a Master's degree in Educational Administration and Arizona teacher licensure. The final year of the project focuses on induction for each participant employed within a school on the Navajo Nation. This project supports15 teachers in K - 12 schools on the Navajo Nation. Throughout the project, Navajo instructors will engage students in culturally relevant issues, social responsibility and community service through action research projects, internships, and other coursework.
Project duration: 48 months, 7/01/07 - 6/30/11
Contact: Janel Hinrichsen (928) 724-6703

Diné College - Center for Diné Teacher Education
Tsaile, AZ

The Integrity and Distinctiveness Model is a collaborative effort of Dine College and Arizona State University. The model supports 45 individuals to achieve a BA degree in Elementary Education (K-8), certification; the final year will include induction. An additional 15 students who already possess a BA and require certification and induction are also supported. The project supports Dine language, history and culture and prepares individuals for employment in a multi-cultural and technological world.
Project duration: 48 months, 7/01/07 - 6/30/11
Contact: Janel Hinrichsen 928-724-6703

Montana State University-Bozeman
Bozeman, MT

The Early Childhood Education Distance Partnership expands an existing network of Montana tribes' Head Start efforts that will result in the graduation of a new cohort of Tribal Head Start teachers with a Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education. The project will support the award of degrees to 20 - 25 current or prospective Head Start employees and will support these graduates through their first year of post-baccalaureate teaching. Students will develop skills in a wide range of early childhood areas as well as skills in assessment to document children's progress, parent/family needs and follow up referrals.
Project duration: 48 months, 7/01/07 - 6/30/11
Contact: Laura Massey at (406) 994-3300

Montana State University-Bozeman
Bozeman, MT

The I LEAD Project is a consortium between the University, Fort Peck Community College and Poplar Public Schools that provides American Indian teachers with access to a graduate degree program in school leadership. The project serves 30 American Indian educators via distance learning and local coursework, seminar and field experiences based on cultural issues, and theory and practice. Academic courses will be team taught by a university instructor and a current administrator from a school with high concentrations of American Indian students. Feedback will be gathered from students, instructors and mentors throughout the project and induction year support will be provided.
Project duration: 48 months, 7/01/07 - 6/30/11
Contact: William Ruff (406) 994-4182

Turtle Mountain Community College
Belcourt, ND

This project supports American Indian students pursuing an Elementary Education degree and ND licensure. Twenty one students will be supported through their first year of teaching. Culturally grounded concepts that emphasize collaboration and teamwork are utilized throughout the project. Activities such as tutoring, computer/counseling and study skills are emphasized. Local schools are also involved as cooperating members in students' preparation by identifying existing teachers to serve as mentors.
Project duration: 48 months, 7/01/07 - 6/30/11
Contact: Les LaFountain (701) 477-7862

University of Northern Colorado
Greely, CO

This project is a collaborative effort between the university and eight school districts to implement training for American Indian paraprofessional employees in the K - 12 partnership schools in Arizona and Colorado. The project supports attainment of a Bachelor degree and teacher licensure in the fields of language arts, mathematics and science, and social studies as well as native language and culture instruction. The project will assist a cohort of at least 18 paraprofessionals to become fully certified in these areas and will include supervision of the induction process for new teachers. Project activities include the writing of curriculum for on-line, on-site, and summer institute instruction.
Project duration: 48 months, 7/01/07 - 6/30/11
Contact: Michael Welsh at (970) 351-2223

University of Oregon
Eugene, OR

The Sapsik'wala Project is a collaborative effort between the University of Oregon and nine federally recognized tribes in Oregon. The project conducts recruitment, pre-service preparation and induction mentorship for American Indian teachers. Participants in this project will earn a master's degree and Oregon teacher licensure. This project serves 15 students in either regular or special education at the elementary or middle/high school levels. It integrates concepts to promote a cultural community, collegial relationships, and a 'communities of practice' approach whereby students share challenges regarding practices arising in the classroom.
Project duration: 48 months, 7/01/07 - 6/30/11
Contact: Patricia Rounds at (541) 346-1056

University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT

The Utah American Indian Teacher Training Program provides training, certification, and a one year induction for ten (10) American Indian secondary mathematics and science teachers. Its goals and activities to support the students include: the creation of resource group leaders to assist Indian pre-service teachers in reading and analyzing data to improve student achievement and to use appropriate methodological tools; the creation of a course on American Indian science, math and education that will be institutionalized within the University of Utah; and the development of a series of publications and presentations to assist institutions that are training American Indian teachers.
Project duration: 48 months, 7/01/07 - 6/30/11
Contact: Gwen Mudrow (801) 581-5877
(February 27, 2008)

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