The Office of Indian Education Newsletter
Fiscal Year 2022, Issue 1
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Hello, everyone! As we wrap up 2021 and head into 2022, we are pleased to share our fifth newsletter with you. In this edition, we announce the new American Rescue Plan-American Indian Resilience in Education (ARP-AIRE) grantees, spotlight how we celebrated Native American Heritage Month, share the results of our annual technical assistance survey, and highlight a number of upcoming events. In the spirit of the new year, we also want to hear from you about the types of features and information you would like to see in future editions of the OIE newsletter. Use the link below to share your great ideas!
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Congratulations to the New American Rescue Plan-American Indian Resilience in Education (ARP-AIRE) Grantees! |
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Fiscal Year 2021 Grant Awardees |
Congratulations to the new ARP-AIRE grant awardees! Last week, OIE announced 15 new ARP-AIRE grants totaling $6,637,821. These 3-year awards are intended to support Tribal education agencies (TEAs) in the provision of direct services to Indian children and youth. |
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- Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Tribal Government
- Burns Paiute Tribe
- Coeur d'Alene Tribe
- Douglas Indian Association
- Forest County Potawatomi Community
- Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes
- Karuk Education Department
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- Kenaitze Indian Tribe
- Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Schools
- Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe
- Navajo Nation
- Pinoleville Pomo Nation
- San Carlos Apache Tribe
- Seneca Nation of Indians
- Wichita and Affiliated Tribes
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OIE's Native American Heritage Month Celebration was held on November 9 and featured a variety of OIE discretionary grantees' programs. The celebration began with a virtual land acknowledgement; welcome by OIE Director, Julian Guerrero Jr.; and a beautiful song by Natiana King, a Navajo Preparatory scholar. Attendees were able to engage in vibrant discussion throughout the session using an online share board. Discussion topics ranged from high-quality education resources to favorite traditional recipes. The American Indian Science and Engineering Society, Oglala Lakota College, Navajo Preparatory School, and Tzicatl Community Development Corporation highlighted the accomplishments of their programs and students. The celebration closed with a communal sharing of words of gratitude. Click here to watch a recording of this powerful webinar. |
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Technical Assistance Survey Results |
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This past August, all five OIE discretionary grantee groups received a survey asking for feedback on the technical assistance they received during the contract year that began October 2020. As this graph shows, responses from 101 individuals indicated a high level of satisfaction with the support provided by the Office of Indian Education and its technical assistance provider, Synergy Enterprises, Inc. |
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Because OIE always strives to improve, we used the survey results to plan technical assistance events for the current (2021-22) grant year. Your feedback helped us make these decisions:
- Grantees said that sessions and assistance focused on reporting and budget requirements were most beneficial, so these areas are being featured at the beginning of the grant year. We’ve also scheduled separate reporting webinars for each grant program and will continue to provide orientation and budgeting workshops for new grantees.
- You indicated that the Project Director Meeting was the most effective technical assistance delivery method, which resulted in the decision to continue the miniconference style.
These are just a few ways that OIE incorporated grantee feedback results into this year’s plans. We want to ensure that you continue to feel supported and prepared to implement the programs that impact thousand of students nationwide.
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Check out these resources to help as you wrap up this year and head into 2022!
- The Library of Congress released Living Nations, Living Words: A Guide for Educators offering educators ideas for using U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo's signature project, "Living Nations, Living Words," in the classroom. Harjo's project gathers and highlights the diverse voices of 47 contemporary Native American poets. The free guide is designed for grades 7 and above.
- The Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health recently released Our Smallest Warriors, Our Strongest Medicine: Honoring Our Teachings during COVID-19, a sequel to their popular first storybook, Our Smallest Warriors, Our Strongest Medicine: Overcoming COVID-19. The sequel includes new information mirroring the changes experienced in Native communities throughout the pandemic, including vaccinations, changes to schooling, education about emotions and coping, and more. Learn more about both books and how to get copies here.
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The WoLakota Project in South Dakota and Teachings of Our Elders in North Dakota are sister projects designed to support students and guide educators to better implementation of each state's Essential Understandings. Each website features a wide variety of resources that include elder interviews, lesson plans, and more.
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Do You Follow Us on Twitter? |
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Here's an example of what you're missing if you don't! We share upcoming events, funding opportunities, useful resources, and interesting news stories.
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Save the Dates for These Events |
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Healthy Native Youth Community of Practice
Virtual | 2nd Wednesday of every month, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET
Healthy Native Youth hosts a free monthly community of practice connecting Native professionals to work together to uplift and support Native youth. Topics range from tackling trauma to concerning social media posts to growing and sustaining your program.
Visit the website to check out their winter/spring topics and register for an upcoming session. |
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Stories by the Fireside
Virtual | Saturdays in December, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET
Join the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center to enjoy the age-old tradition of storytelling around the bonfire! This virtual series is free and open to the public.
Visit the website for more information.
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A Framework for Working Respectfully with Indigenous Communities Around Data and Evidence
Virtual | December 14, from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET
In this free 90-minute webinar, REL West invites SEA staff to explore principles and practices for working respectfully with Indigenous community members to advance educational equity for Native American students.
In this webinar, SEA staff will—
- Explore practices that will better prepare them to work with Indigenous peoples in their states, particularly around planning, collecting, analyzing, and using findings from data collection and research efforts
- Learn strategies for partnering with tribal community leaders using data and research to improve academic and wellness outcomes for Native students
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40th Annual Protecting Our Children Conference
Orlando, FL and Online | April 3-6, 2022
Each year, National Indian Child Welfare Association hosts the largest national gathering on American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) child advocacy issues. With over 1,400 attendees—and growing every year—this three-day conference has become the premiere national event addressing tribal child welfare and well-being. Keynote speakers range from federal officials at the highest level of government to youth with lived experience in child welfare systems.
NICWA provides meaningful programming to conference attendees, creating a space where participants can learn about the latest developments and best practices from experts in the field and from one another. Participants represent a cross-section of fields and interests including child welfare, mental health, and juvenile justice service providers; legal professionals; students; advocates for children; and tribal, state, and federal leaders.
Visit the website for more information. |
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OIE Grantee Virtual Events
Office Hours | 4th Thursday of each month, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. ET
Talking Circles | Quarterly, Dates and times vary by program
Join the Office of Indian Education discretionary program officers and OIE TA Team each month during Office Hours to ask questions and discuss pressing issues in an informal setting.
Each OIE discretionary grant program has a quarterly Talking Circle where grantees and their program team have the opportunity to hear news and updates from OIE, learn together on important topics, receive reminders and information on upcoming deadlines and events, and participate in networking and sharing with their peers.
Visit the website for dates, times, and registration information.
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This is a reminder that you receive this email as a grantee of the Office of Indian Education or because you requested to join the OIE Newsletter distribution list. Don't forget to add [email protected] to your address book so we'll be sure to land in your inbox!
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