
American Indian Education Program
Monthly Newsletter - April 2021
Boozhoo District 196 Teachers!
This month's Indian Education Newsletter will focus on
1. District 196's Native American Parent Advisory Committee
2. The American Indian Education Program
3. Title VI Indian Education / MDE Indian Education
4. History of Boarding Schools and Intergenerational Trauma
Background Photo of a wood collage/mural by Ojibwe artist George Morrison (Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa)
Chairperson: Nicole Lonetree Brovold
Ho-Chunk Nation
Lily- 5th grader
Colton- Kindergarten
Peyton- ECFE
I joined NAPAC because I worked for the St. Paul Indian Education Program as their Elementary Cultural Teacher for a number of years. I know the positive impact Indian Education classes/experiences have on our Native American students and I want my children to have those experiences throughout their educational careers. I know of the important work Native American Parent Advisory Committees do throughout districts across the country. I joined NAPAC to help guide our Indian Education Program and District 196 into providing high quality Indian Education to our Native students and all students of ISD 196. We are fortunate to have an amazing NAPAC board and Indian Education Program in ISD 196 and I am honored to serve on this board.
Vice-Chairperson: Austin Corbine & Student Rep: Keeley (9th Grade)
Tribal Affiliation: Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in Northern Wisconsin (God's Country)
We joined NAPAC to be a part of the Native community within District 196, hoping to be an active member in our student's educational and cultural teachings. We are so proud of all the hard work everyone has done with our students, parents, teachers and staff ensuring that our Native students are successful in whatever they choose.
Secretary: Danielle Goodwin
Anishinaabe Name: “Biidaabaanookwe” meaning “Day Break Woman”
Tribal Affiliation: Bois Forte Band of Chippewa Tribe
Quinn - 5th grade
Kyrie - Preschool
Sunflower - ECFE
I joined NAPAC because it was a place where my children and I fit in. It has become a place for us to continuously learn and be proud our culture and who we are as Native American people. It’s always been a wonderful experience for us, and I’m very blessed to be a part of this amazing group of people.
MDE At Large Representative: Mark Lonetree
Mark LoneTree
Ho-Chunk Nation
Brandon- 4th grader
I became a member of NAPAC because I had a positive experience growing up with Indian Education and working in Indian Education. I want my son and all Native students of District 196 to have an encouraging community where they learn about their culture and history. I enjoy being a part of this board and all of the people I am able to work with throughout District 196.
Teacher Rep: Ms. Katie Coulson
ᎧᏃᎮᏢᏍᎩ (Storyteller)
Tribal Affiliation: Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma
4th Grade Teacher- Thomas Lake Elementary
I joined NAPAC as the teacher representative almost seven years ago. However, I have been a part of the program for much longer. I moved to District 196 when I was in the 3rd grade and have been involved ever since. I was the student representative on the board throughout High School and jumped at the chance to be the teacher rep when there was an opening. Working with these wonderful people provides me with more time to learn about different native cultures than my own and it’s another way for me to support my students. ᏩᏙ (Thank You)
Student Rep: Sequoia Jarski
12th Grade
Tribal Affiliation: 3 Affiliated Tribes (Mandan, Hidatsa, & Arikara)Francisca El Zeenny
White Earth Nation; Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
Assigned Schools:
School of Environmental Studies
Falcon Ridge Middle
Scott Highlands Middle
Cedar Park Elementary
East Lake Elementary
Highland Elementary
Parkview Elementary
Thomas Lake Elementary
Westview Elementary
Lisa Turgeon
St. Croix Ojibwe Indians of WI; Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe; White Earth Nation
Assigned Schools:
Eagan High School
Black Hawk Middle
Dakota Hills Middle
Deerwood Elementary
Glacier Hills Elementary
Northview Elementary
Pinewood Elementary
Red Pine Elementary
Woodland Elementary
Jorja Valandra
Osage Nation of OK; Comanche Nation of OK; Nez Perce Tribe of Idaho
Assigned Schools:
Apple Valley High School
Area Learning Center
Eastview High School
Dakota Ridge
Valley Middle School
Echo Park Elementary
Greenleaf Elementary
Oak Ridge Elementary
Southview Elementary
Fonda Smith
Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe; White Earth Nation
Assigned Schools:
Rosemount High School
Rosemount Middle
Diamond Path Elementary
Rosemount Elementary
Megan Bard-Pankow
Supervises Indian Education Tutoring Program
ACT Preparation Course instructor
American Indian Education Website
“Every society needs educated people, but the primary responsibility of educated people is to bring wisdom back into the community and make it available to others so that the lives they are leading make sense.”
- Vine Deloria Jr.
Indian Education Act of 1972
The 1972 Indian Education Act was the landmark legislation establishing a comprehensive approach to meeting the unique needs of American Indian and Alaska Native students. The unique aspects of the original authority have been retained through subsequent legislative reauthorizing statutes, with the latest revision occurring with the amendments made by the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which reauthorized the program as Title VII Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
The Indian Education legislation is unique in the following ways:
It recognizes that American Indians have unique, educational and culturally related academic needs and distinct language and cultural needs;
It is the only comprehensive Federal Indian Education legislation, that deals with American Indian education from pre-school to graduate-level education and reflects the diversity of government involvement in Indian education;
It focuses national attention on the educational needs of American Indian learners, reaffirming the Federal government’s special responsibility related to the education of American Indians and Alaska Natives; and
It provides services to American Indians and Alaska Natives that are not provided by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The Indian Education Act empowers parents; funds student programs
Title VI: American Indian Education
The U.S. Office of Indian Education (OIE) administers the Indian Education Program of ESEA, as amended by ESSA (Title VI, Part A), which establishes policies and provides financial and technical assistance for supporting LEAs, Indian Tribes and organizations, post- secondary institutions and other entities in meeting the special educational and cultural related academic needs of American Indians and Alaska Natives, 20 U.S.C. 3423c and 7401 et. seq.
The OIE has three primary responsibilities:
- To meet the unique educational and culturally related academic needs of Indian students, so that such students can meet the challenging State academic standards;
- To ensure that Indian students gain knowledge and understanding of Native communities, languages, Tribal histories, traditions, and cultures; and
- To ensure that teachers, principals, other school leaders, and other staff who serve Indian students have the ability to provide culturally appropriate and effective instruction and supports to such students.
MN Department of Education: Office of Indian Education
The Office of American Indian Education works to strengthen and promote positive experiences and educational outcomes for American Indian students statewide.
MDE OIE works to accomplish this mission by:
- Building meaningful relationships
- Engaging in timely and courageous conversations
- Providing education and professional development
- Proposing and supporting policies
- Efficiently providing guidance and resources to districts and stakeholders
- Actualizing the Ten Minnesota Commitments to Equity
MDE OIE values:
- Language, culture, and the significant and complex history of Indigenous peoples
- The input of Minnesota's Tribal Nations and communities
- The perspective of parents and students
- The gifts and unique cultural needs of American Indian students
- Effective and innovative programming options
MDE OIE Vision Statement:
American Indian students will reach their full potential within their school communities through meaningful, equitable, and targeted educational experiences that affirms and values their unique cultural identities.
"Our children are now being taught the culture, & can express their identity without fear of punishment. This painting is a reminder to our own people of the struggles of our ancestors & a reminder to others to never again do this to any people."
- David Kanietakeron Fadden (Mohawk) (quote and photo are made by the same person)
Intergenerational Trauma
American Indian Boarding School Background
By the late 1800s, assimilation became another tool the U.S. government used to address what mainstream America called the “Indian problem.”
One tactic of the program of assimilation was making indigenous children attend boarding schools that forced them to abandon their customs and traditions, with the goal of having them adopt mainstream America’s beliefs and value systems.
This system of assimilation meant that children were separated from their families and communities for long periods of time. The government oversaw around a hundred Indian boarding schools, both on and off reservations. Tens of thousands of children were either forced to attend these schools or went because there was no other school available to them.
From: Understanding the Origin of American Indian Boarding Schools; By Sarah K. Elliott | POSTED 04.13.2020
American Indian Boarding School Experience
The U.S. stole generations of Indigenous children to open the West
Indian boarding schools held Native American youth hostage in exchange for land cessions.
Nick Estes Oct. 14, 2019
Thousands of Native American children were forced to attend boarding schools created to strip them of their culture. My mother was one of them.
By: MARY ANNETTE PEMBER (MARCH 8, 2019)'I've never told anyone': Stories of life in Indian boarding schools
By: Dan Gunderson (October 3, 2019)
“Kill the Indian, save the man”: Remembering the stories of Indian boarding schools
By Addison Kliewer, Miranda Mahmud and Brooklyn Wayland (Gaylord News)
Teacher Resources:
Away from Home: American Indian Boarding School Experiences, 1879-2000 Edited by: K. Tsianina Lomawaima, Brenda Child, Margaret Archuleta
By Shirley Sterling · 1992
Boarding School Seasons: American Indian Families, 1900-1940
By Brenda J. Child · 1998
Pipestone: My Life in an Indian Boarding School
By Adam Fortunate Eagle, Laurence M. Hauptman · 2012
By Larry Loyie, Constance Brissenden · 2005
By Larry Loyie (Sequel to As Long as the River Flows)
by Christy Jordan-Fenton, Margaret Pokiak-Fenton,