Specifications include, but are not limited to: NDDPI has worked with TIE in the past to work with tribal Elders, Educational Leaders, and stakeholders to establish the statewide initiative to address and impact the achievement gap between Native and non-Native students in North Dakota. The benefits to all students who learn in educational environments that are culturally responsive and value multiple cultural perspectives is clear. This funding would ensure a continuation of the work and projects that have already been initiated and slated for future completion. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) provides information about student achievement and learning experiences in various subjects. North Dakota’s NAEP scores show that the focus given to addressing the needs of this subgroup has helped raise the scores in reading and math by 2-3 points – movement that has been historically unreachable. Graduation rates of Native American students have also increased from the historic level of around 52% at the beginning of this initiative to 78% in 2021. The success of the initiative so far is helping to envision a time when Native students find our schools’ environments, curricula, and methodologies as culturally relevant as all other students do. To reach this goal, the continuation of the following list of deliverables is necessary: ● Completion of current Team of Champions cohort ● Maintenance and expansion of the Teachings of Our Elders website ● Additional Team of Champions cohort(s) ● Additional Elder Interviews ● Ongoing School/District/University NDNAEU Trainings ● Ongoing educational conference presentations Please note: This is a Sole Source Notification.
