Parent voices needed: Public School Indian Education Programs enrich education for students

By Maajiitaaziibiikwe, Mary Sam

Public Indian Education Programs serve as a resource for encouraging and inspiring academic achievement, social and emotional development and cultural awareness. Indian Education programs provide leadership in promoting school success, student and family advocacy, family involvement, college readiness, leadership development, staff and professional development, curriculum development, events, cultural awareness and language, newsletter, and more.

Each year area public schools reach out to parents, guardians, and students attending their school to provide input into the education of their children. In addition to monthly American Indian Parent Advisory Council meetings, (note the name may be different within each district) districts hold a public hearing to provide input into how Indian Education funding is utilized and hold a Resolution of Concurrence or Nonconcurrence Annual Compliance vote prior to March 1 of each year. Parents, guardians, and student voices are essential to creating long-term change for our students.

American Indian Advisory Committees, under Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.78, subdivision 1, state that school districts where there are 10 or more American Indian students enrolled must establish an American Indian Parent Advisory Council. These committees and parent/guardian participation is a critical component to our student's success. Parent Committees must be made up of parents or guardians primarily, and other members can be staff, community members and even grandparents. Voting at the Annual Compliance Hearing is determined within the local districts Parent Committee bylaws.

Some local Parent Committees allow only Parent Committee members to vote, some require attendance at a Parent Advisory meeting prior to voting at the Annual Compliance Hearing, and others leave it open to anyone who attends. Parent Committees play a vital role, working with Indian Education staff and district leadership to ensure that our students are receiving culturally relevant and equitable opportunities within the school. One tool used by a local school Indian Education Program is the Minnesota Department of Education District and School Self-Assessment Rubric.

Minnesota Department of Education created a District and School Self-Assessment Rubric which is a voluntary assessment tool for Indian Education Parent Committees and schools to use to evaluate services provided to American Indian Students, families and communities. Both federal and state agencies understand the "unique education and culturally related academic needs of American Indian Students." (Policy 124D.72, in Minnesota Statues, Office of the Revisor of Statures. Students, families and schools evaluate whether the Indian Education Program and School District is not implementing an Indian Education plan, all the way to agreeing the district is fully implementing plans. The rubric creates a long-term action plan for both the Parent Committees, Indian Education Program and district leadership. Items scored by all parties in the evaluation include:

• Accurate identification of American Indian Students

• Established an American Indian Education Program

• Title VI American Indian student eligibility documentation

• Application for Federal Title VI funds

• Requirements for Johnson O'Malley (JOM) Program

• Federal Impact Aid application and consultation requirements

• Completion and submission of Minnesota American Indian Education Program Annual Plan

• American Indian administrator and staff representation

• American Indian teacher recruitment

• Community coordinators or American Indian home/ school liaisons

• Licenses for American Indian language and culture education teachers

• Collaboration with tribes and American Indian community agencies to identify policies/practices impacting American Indian Students performance/attendance

  • Staff awareness of policies or practices that impact American Indian students' performance and attendance

  • Formal support for tribal policies or cultural practices

  • Staff awareness of tribal services available to American Indian students

  • American Indian training for statt

  • Joint meetings for students transitioning between schools

  • American Indian Education Parent Advisory Committee

  • Community involvement in culturally relevant programs

  • Tribal leaders, elders, community representatives and parents are on campus

  • Training/learning opportunities for family members of American Indian students

  • District and school staff attendance at local community events and engagement with tribal community organizations

  • Current, grade appropriate American Indian materials and content

  Review process for cultural relevance, accuracy, and absence of bias in all American Indian curriculum

  • American Indian curriculum alignment and implementation fidelity

  • American Indian content integrated into curriculum and instruction across all grades and subjects

  • American Indian language/culture classes

  • Monitoring American Indian student satisfaction rates

  • Special education eligibility and placement of American Indian students

  • American Indian student dropout rates

  • American Indian student discipline (suspension and expulsion) rates

  • American Indian student attendance rates

  • American Indian student graduation rates

  Area public school American Indian Education Programs continue to encourage parents/guardians to be involved in their children's education. For a variety of reasons, parent/guardian involvement remains low across the region. Many local Indian Education programs continue to find avenues to create lasting change in the schools; and the work continues to be challenging at times. On a positive note, most of the schools are at least beginning to implement programming and some have made significant progress within the public school setting. Areas of concern seem to the need for more Native staff, curriculum changes, providing culture and language opportunities, professional development, collaboratively addressing truancy concerns, and expanding inclusion efforts.

  Areas to celebrate include having most local schools have an Indian Education model, they are providing some culturally relevant activities, offering some history and language opportunities, have some Native staff, are increasing graduation rates, seeing a reduction in suspensions, more students involve in athletics, speech, music, band, theater, are writers and more are attending community and technical colleges and universities.

  Creating a warm and welcoming environment seems to be a goal of the local schools. Parents, guardians and students play a role in helping to make this happen for our children. For more information on who leads your districts Indian Education programs or if your district does not have a program or American Indian Parent Advisory Committee contact the superintendent's office. Parent and student voices are needed, please consider getting involved.