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American Indian Education

strong resilient indigenous banner

Championing indigenized professional learning and culturally responsive instruction

A large part of the equity-related work that San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) champions directly supports California American Indian students and populations. These efforts include featuring information in the SDCOE Equity Blueprint for Action that addresses the needs of Native American communities and students.

The SDCOE Multilingual Education and Global Education department facilities communities of practices to  support cradle to career innovative practices to create conditions for Native American students and families to thrive. Using Liberatory Design, educational leadership teams work with Native American communities  to create  conditions for curb-cut innovations that will support Native American youth and family agency and voice. 

To support American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) student success, the San Diego County Office of Education provides:

  • Native Ways of Knowing professional learning offerings and resources that foster culturally responsive teaching,
  • Tools to help schools develop successful research-based American Indian Educational programs,
  • Technical support to help schools / districts to design conditions to encourage Native American students, family, and tribal community agency and voice, 
  • Collaboration and networking opportunities for tribal education agencies, educators, and administrators to share best practices to support AI/AN students, and
  • Resources that create safe spaces for listening, healing, and relationship-building with tribal communities and Title VI committees.

 

California Indian Education for All

About California Indian Education for All

SDCOE, the California Indian Museum and Cultural Center, and the California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center partnered to create California Indian Education for All (CIEFA). CIEFA’s efforts are centered around helping teachers and schools educate students about the diverse contributions, histories, and cultures of California Native peoples. Teachers have access to open source culturally responsive resources and place-based Native American Studies curricula that improve representations and classroom climates for teaching and learning about California's first peoples.

2023-2024 California Indian Education for All Calendar of Events

The SDCOE and CIEFA invite PK-12 educators, administrators, Title VI committee members, Tribal Education staff, college/university faculty, school board members, and tribal community members to attend events on our 23-24 CIEFA calendar. Presenters and participants will share resources and programs related to American Indian Education, place-based learning, CA Native American Studies model curriculum, culturally responsive literacy, Native Youth Leadership, Native family and tribal community engagement, and improvement strategies to facilitate Native community leadership and agency in schools. We welcome those who share a commitment for improving belongingness, access, opportunities, and support to allow American Indian students to thrive in school.

Calendar of Events

Native Ways of Knowing Webinars and Book Club

The SDCOE and CIEFA are hosting a free, year-long Native Ways of Knowing Webinar Series on select Wednesdays from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. TK-12 educators and leaders are invited to learn from several renowned Native American professors, scholars, and change makers. Participants will access free culturally responsive resources to improve representations and classroom climates for teaching and learning about California's First Peoples.

Scheduled 2023-2024 Native Ways of Knowing webinars and book clubs:

  • Sept. 20 - 7 Essential Understandings of CA Indian History and Culture, Nicole Lim
  • Sept. 27 - NWOK Book Club We are the Land: A History of Native California, Willie Bauer, Ph.D. - Introduction of the novel
  • Oct. 4 - NWOK Book Club We are the Land: A History of Native California, Willie Bauer, Ph.D. - Ch. 1-4
  • Oct. 11 - NWOK Book Club We are the Land: A History of Native California, Willie Bauer, Ph.D. - Ch. 5-7
  • Nov. 1 - NWOK Book Club We are the Land: A History of Native California, Willie Bauer, Ph.D. - Ch. 8-10
  • Nov. 15 - Run4Salmon Curriculum Training with Dessa Drake
  • Dec. 13 - Using Children's and Young Adult Books in Your Classroom with Debbie Reese, Ph.D. from American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL)
  • Jan. 10 - Intersecting Indigenous Art and Native American History Part 3 with Eric Tippeconnic. Ph.D.

  • Jan. 31 - NWOK Book Club An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States with Debbie Reese, Ph.D. - Ch. 1-3

  • Feb. 7 - NWOK Book Club An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States with Debbie Reese, Ph.D. - Ch. 4-6

  • Feb. 21 - NWOK Book Club An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States with Debbie Reese, Ph.D. - Ch. 7-10

  • April 3 - Native Women Changemakers with Debbie Reese, Ph.D. from American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL)

  • April 17 - NWOK Book Club As Long As Grass Grows with Dr. Dina Gilio-Whitaker - Chapters 1 and 2 

  • April 24 - NWOK Book Club As Long As Grass Grows with Dr. Dina Gilio-Whitaker - Chapters 3 and 5

  • May 1 - NWOK Book Club As Long As Grass Grows with Dr. Dina Gilio-Whitaker - Chapters 4, 6, 7, and 8 

Native Ways of Knowing Book Club

Native Ways of Knowing Book List

To help educators and parents choose high-quality Indigenous authored books, the SDCOE and CIEFA have designed this Native Ways of Knowing Book List: Decolonizing and Indigenizing Classrooms and Libraries. These books have been vetted by Native American scholars, CIEFA, and SDCOE staff. Please consider adding these insightful and vibrant Indigenous authored books to your school, classroom, or home library. Adding these books to your classroom will help teach young readers empathy, courage, resilience, sovereignty, and Native Ways of Knowing. These suggested Indigenous authors and illustrators utilize Indigenous storytelling and convey the breadth of Native cultures and sovereignty.

Native Ways of Knowing Book List

2023/24 Ensuring Excellence and Equitable Learning for All American Indian Students Training Series

The SDCOE and CIEFA have a newly designed 2023/24 Ensuring Excellence and Equitable Learning for All American Indian Students Training Series. All trainings and resources are aligned to the SDCOE Equity Blueprint for Action. PK-12 educators, administrators, Title VI committee members, Tribal Education staff, and SDCOE American Indian Education Talking Circle Network members are invited to a free American Indian Education Leaders Training Series. As a community, we will gather to learn from American Indian Education experts to learn and share effective practices for engaging Native families and tribal communities. This series will provide resources to improve the educational programs for Native youth and families. This Community of Practice will share resources and programs in K-12 education related to American Indian Education, Title VI, tribal consultation protocols, tribal educational sovereignty, culturally responsive instructional materials, Native Youth Leadership, community engagement, and improvement strategies to facilitate Native community leadership and agency in schools. We welcome those who share a commitment for improving access, opportunities, and support to allow American Indian students to thrive in school. All live training will be digitized and placed in micro-courses with accompanying resources for ongoing professional learning.

Select the date you would like to register for below:

Strengthening Consultation and TitleVI Leaders Institute
2023-24 Ensuring Excellence and Equitable Learning Series

 

Blanket Exercise: Indigenous Empowerment and Resilience Training

The SDCOE and CIEFA are working with the National Indian Education Association to facilitate an Indigenous Empowerment and Resilience Training and Blanket Exercise. The Kairos Blanket Exercise program is a unique, participatory history lesson — developed in collaboration with Indigenous Elders, knowledge keepers and educators — that fosters truth, understanding, respect and reconciliation among Indigenous and non-indigenous peoples.The Blanket Exercise is an experiential learning tool that leads a group of participants through 500+ years of Indigenous history that highlights our relationship with European explorers, colonial settlers, and the U.S. federal and state governments. The Blanket Exercise is an experiential learning tool that leads a group of participants through 500+ years of Indigenous history that highlights our relationship with European explorers, colonial settlers, and the U.S. federal and state governments. The Blanket Exercise was first created in Canada and has been used to educate general populations there and in the United States and in many other parts of the world. The Exercise does engage participants both intellectually and emotionally and can in some instances effect individuals deeply. All in-person Blanket Exercises will be held from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. PDT

Select the date you would like to register for below.

First page of the PDF file: NIEABlanketExerciseTrainingNovember2023

California Indian Education for All Community Updates

We invite PK-12 educators, administrators, librarians, Title VI committee members, Tribal Education staff, college/university faculty, parents, and tribal community members to access the SDCOE and CIEFA community updates and newsletters. Participants are able to learn about upcoming events, trainings, and resources available to the public. Almost all trainings, institutes, and webinars are free, because they are funded from our Native American Education grants. 

SDCOE and California Indian Education for All Community Updates

 

Access the 2023 CIEFA Summit Program

The 2023 CIEFA Summer Summit provided resources to improve the educational programs for Native youth and families to expand indigenous language offerings and culturally responsive education resources. Information was shared about American Indian Education, place-based learning, CA Native American Studies model curriculum, culturally responsive literacy, Native Youth Leadership, community engagement, and improvement strategies to facilitate Native community leadership and agency in schools. We would like to thank all of our CIEFA Summit presenters, the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, and program staff for helping to host a successful event. We were so happy to have over 200 participants representing over 50 tribes attend this in-person event.

CIEFA Summit

Resources and News

Young girl with CSUSM pennant

The San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) recently received a $3 million, five-year Indian Education Discretionary Grant through the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), U.S. Department of Education, Native American Youth Community Project, to support its Native Scholars Pathway program. 


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main CONTACTs

Staci Block, Ed.D. 
Executive Leadership Coach, MEGA
Linda Vista Campus
staci.block@sdcoe.net
858-298-2139