The Office of Indian Education has compiled resources to help Native American teachers, students, and families, as well as educators and those serving Indigenous students.
Resources specific to one of Arizona’s 22 federally recognized tribes can be found here.
More information about the Arizona Department of Education's programs and resources can be found here.
The Native American Language Certification Policy R7-2-614(J) was unanimously adopted by the Arizona State Board of Education on August 27, 2012 and went into immediate effect at the Arizona Department of Education (ADE).
This policy allows for individuals with Native American language proficiency, whose proficiency is verified by tribal assessments, to apply for a Native Language Teacher Certificate at (ADE). This policy is an avenue for non-degreed language experts to teach only Native languages to students in Arizona schools.
In 2009, the Native American Language approved area was also passed for those meeting all other requirements for a regular teaching certificate.
Changing the Narrative: Challenging Misconceptions of Native Americans
IllumiNative is a new nonprofit initiative, created and led by Native Americans, to increase the visibility of – and challenge the negative narrative about – Native Nations and peoples in American society.
Reclaiming Native Truth’s Changing the Narrative About Native Americans: A Guide for Allies was put together by a group of diverse Native and non-Native stakeholders from across the country who conducted unprecedented research and developed a strategy to change this narrative as part of an initiative called Reclaiming Native Truth. This initiative is designed to eradicate harmful and toxic narratives, stereotypes, structural and institutional racism, dehumanization, and the invisibility of Native Americans. It aims to increase access to opportunities and rights and to ensure that Native Americans live in a society where they are celebrated as a vital part of the fabric of the United States as both leaders and key contributors.
Understanding the History of American Indian Boarding Schools
The Heard Museum's Away From Home: American Indian Boarding School Stories exhibit gathers stories and firsthand accounts of the Indian Board Schools and the US Government's ill-conceived attempt to assimilate American Indian children into “civilized” society by placing them in far-away boarding schools. Children were taken from families and transported to far-away schools where all signs of “Indian-ness” were stripped away. Students were trained for servitude and many went for years without familial contact—events that still have an impact on Native communities today. The Heard Museum has worked diligently to represent different perspectives and varying experiences at American Indian boarding schools.
The Heard Museum has a dedicated educator page for this exhibit where you can find information on booking a class field trip to this exhibit, access to the Away from Home Curriculum for high schoolers, and recommended resources for teachers and students.
Classroom Materials and Resources
Native Everyday is a resource for teachers in grades 4-12 to share more about the diversity in language, culture, histories, and governments among American Indian tribes.
Colorín Colorado is a national multimedia project that offers a wealth of bilingual, research-based information, activities, and advice for educators and families of English language learners (ELLs).
Share My Lesson is a destination for educators who dedicate their time and professional expertise to provide the best education for students everywhere.
Saving for College: Any person who desires to save for qualified higher education expenses, even for oneself, can open a 529 Arizona Education Savings Plan. Once an account is established, anyone can contribute to that account.
The Tribal College Dual Enrollment Program provides thousands of Arizona’s Native American high school students the opportunity to take college courses for both high school and college credit. A student’s Personally Identifiable Information (PII) must be protected. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records.
Becoming Visible Report is an analysis of the landscape of current state efforts to bring high-quality educational content about Native peoples and communities into all kindergarten to 12th grade (K-12) classrooms across the United States.
Bureau of Indian Education's (BIE) mission is to provide quality education opportunities from early childhood through life in accordance with a tribe’s needs for cultural and economic well-being, in keeping with the wide diversity of Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages as distinct cultural and governmental entities.
National Congress of American Indians, founded in 1944, is the oldest, largest, and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization serving the broad interests of tribal governments and communities.
National Indian Education Association (NIEA) advances comprehensive, culture-based educational opportunities for American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians.
American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) provides leadership and influences public policy on American Indian and Alaska Native higher education issues through advocacy, research, and programmatic initiatives; promotes and strengthens Indigenous languages, cultures, communities, lands, and tribal nations; and through its unique position, serves member institutions and emerging Tribal College and Universities (TCUs).
National Museum of the American Indian, part of the Smithsonian Institution, is the world's most expansive collection of Native artifacts, including objects, photographs, archives, and media covering the entire Western Hemisphere, from the Article Circle to Tierra del Fuego.
First Nations Development Institute improves economic conditions for Native Americans through direct financial grants, technical assistance & training, and advocacy & policy.
Native American Rights Fund provides legal assistance to Indian tribes, organizations, and individuals nationwide who might otherwise have gone without adequate representation.
Indian Law Resource Center provides legal assistance to indigenous peoples of the Americas to combat racism and oppression, protect their lands and environment, protect their cultures and ways of life, achieve sustainable economic development and genuine self-government, and realize their other human rights.
Reclaiming Native Truth Project is a national effort to foster cultural, social, and policy change by empowering Native Americans to counter discrimination, invisibility, and the dominant narratives that limit Native opportunity, access to justice, health, and self-determination.
Phoenix Indian Center provides a safe, supportive environment for American Indian people looking for an opportunity in this dynamic but unfamiliar and often challenging urban setting.
Native Health strives to provide the best health care available for urban American Indians, Alaska Natives, and other individuals who generally experience barriers to holistic, patient-centered, culturally sensitive health and wellness services.
Native American Connections owns and operates 21 sites throughout Central Phoenix offering a continuum of affordable housing, health, and community development services that touch and change the lives of over 10,000 individuals and families each year.
Resources
American Indian and Alaska Native students are eligible to receive unique educational supports from a variety of programs. However, many Native students do not receive the services they need and qualify for—simply because they are not identified as Native. This REL Northwest video explains the importance of properly identifying Native youth to ensure appropriate program funding, uphold treaty obligations, and track student achievement. It also suggests how to create school- or district-wide engagement plans for reaching out to Native families and caregivers. The companion family resource guide, Native Youth Count can help clarify the circumstances in which Native students are eligible for different services.
The Arizona Department of Education's Educator & School Excellence unit provide resources for community and family engagement.
OIE recommends adding radio stations that broadcast on Tribal Nations to your communications toolbox when working with or promoting resources to Tribal Nations. Find a complete list of radio stations that serve Tribal Nations in Arizona HERE.
Literature
Beyond the Mesas by Matthew Sakiestewa-Gilbert
Boarding School Seasons: American Indian Families, 1900-1940 by Brend J. Child
Education for Extinction: American Indians and the Boarding School Experience, 1875-1928 by David Wallace Adams
Pipestone: My Life in an Indian Boarding School by Adam Fortunate Eagle
They Called it Prairie Light: The Story of Chilocco Indian School by K. Tsianina Lomawaima
To Remain an Indian: Lessons in Democracy from a Century of Native American Education by K. Tsianina Lomawaima & Teresa McCarty