Aaniiih Nakoda College Accepting Applicants for Teacher Preparation Program

If you are an American Indian enrolled as member of a federally recognized tribe and you've always dreamed of being a teacher, your wish may come true if you apply to the teacher-training program at Aaniiih Nakoda College (ANC). ANC is recruiting highly qualified, highly motivated applicants interested in earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education (BSEd) by May 2021.

ANC President Carole Falcon-Chandler, Interim Academic Dean Dr. Sean Chandler, Comptroller Debra Eve, and the Indian Education Professional Development Grant Program Coordinator Cheryl Morales met with Montana State University-Northern's (MSUN) Education faculty earlier this month to prepare for ANC students to begin MSUN's Education program in 2019.

In a consortium agreement with MSUN, ANC will work to address the critical shortage of qualified American Indian teachers in schools serving the Fort Belknap Indian Community (FBIC). To help them in fulfilling this mission, ANC received an Indian Education Professional Development (IEPD) Grant from the Department of Education (DOE). These discretionary and competitive grants are managed by the Office of Indian Education in a program that is designed to prepare and train American Indians to serve as teachers and school administrators.

According to the DOE, professional development grants are awarded not only to increase the number of qualified individuals in professions that serve American Indians but to provide training to qualified American Indians to become teachers, administrators, teacher aides, social workers, and ancillary education personnel; and to improve the skills of those qualified American Indians who already serve in these capacities. Individuals trained under this program must perform work related to their training and that benefits Indian people.

Project partners, ANC and MSUN will collaborate to achieve the following five objectives: (1) recruit and select 15 American Indian individuals to participate in the program; (2) train and support them in accredited education degree programs leading to a BSEd degree; (3) graduate participants with BSEd degrees and state teaching licensure; (4) place them in qualifying teaching positions; and (5) deliver induction services during their first two years of teaching in local education agencies (LEAs) serving a high proportion of Indian students. The two primary project sites will be the campuses of ANC and MSUN.

See Page B6: ANC Teacher Preparation Program

Program participants will perform field practicum experiences and some induction activities at LEAs located in the Fort Belknap Agency region. The Indian tribes involved in this project include the Aaniinen (White Clay People or Gros Ventre) and Nakoda (Assiniboine) nations of the FBIC.

IEPD Program Coordinator, Morales has spent the past two weeks recruiting at local schools and reported that Fall 2019 is when the cohort will officially begin.

"We have one candidate who will graduate with an Associate of Science Degree in Education from ANC in May," Morales said, "with a strong possibility of six additional candidates. At this point, conflicts with current jobs are posing a barrier that is causing hesitation in some individuals who would like to join the program," she added.

Because the DOE requires IEPD Program participants to focus on education as their first job, the grant stipulates that any participant receiving a stipend will work 20 or fewer hours per week. "Some students have car payments or other financial obligations that limit their flexibility," Morales stated.

During the recruitment process, the top priority students will meet the following criteria:

1. American Indians enrolled as members of a federally recognized tribe

2. Indian students currently enrolled in, or recently graduated from, ANC's education programs

3. Indian Para-educators currently employed at LEA's serving Fort Belknap and surrounding communities

4. Students able to complete a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education (BSEd) by 2021

5. Indian students currently enrolled in MSUN's BSEd degree program

6. Students selecting an elementary or secondary education major and maintaining a grade point average of 2.50 or greater

Fort Belknap Tribal members interested in joining ANC's grant program for Education should contact Dr. Chandler or Ms. Morales at 406-353-2607 to request an application. Applications are also available at ANC's Little River Learning Lodge or at the Registrar/Admissions Office in Nakoda Hall. Completed applications can be mailed or dropped off to Cheryl L. Morales, Project Coordinator; P.O. Box 159; Harlem, MT 59526.

As ANC undertakes the important work of preparing another cohort of American Indian Educators with funding from the DOE, Morales, who has long been an advocate for teachers and students, said: "When we have a pool of students, we will meet to set goals and to discuss how the group will take ownership of their education. I want them to make the Project their own, to personalize it so that they invest in themselves and reach their goals in becoming teachers and leaders for our children's futures."

Michelle Crazy is a graduate of the 2016 cohort of the Nee-tha-hatsa-nak/Wa'-Uspe-Wicakiya Preparation Program, ANC's most recent teacher-training cohort which was directed by Dr. Donna L. Miller. Crazy has been serving as an Instructional Coach with the Fort Belknap Head Start Program, assisting early childhood teachers with the development of lesson plans for diverse learners and offering suggestions on teaching strategies that support all learners.

Crazy said she was able just last week to repeat from memory her cohort's slogan when someone was discussing the current teacher training program with her: Staying determined, disciplined, and driven for family, community, and culture, we can create a better future for our children through education.

"I surprised myself with that memory, but it was because of my experiences with Dr. Miller and the cohort that I am able to make it through my current degree work," Crazy said. "I am only one semester and four courses away from earning my master's degree at graduation from MSUN on May 4!"

Once a pool of applicants is identified for the current IEPD program, each application will be rated in five categories: Completeness of Application (includes completed application, statement of goals/educational philosophy, résumé, current transcript, tribal enrollment form, and two letters of recommendation), Proximity of GPA to 2.50, Evidence of Potential, Philosophy Goals Statement Addressing a Desire to Work or Make a Contribution in American Indian Communities, and, Support from References.