Indigenous peoples have rich ways of knowing that have been passed down for generations. Specifically, mathematical ways of knowing are embedded within a nation's and community's language, culture, and place. This article describes how Turtle Mountain Community College now teaches three courses on Ojibwe mathematics which were designed and…

According to the American Council on Education, only 30% of all college and university presidents are women, and only 5% are women of color. However, 43% of presidents at tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) are women, and 100% of those women presidents are Native. Tribal colleges have always led the nation in appointing women presidents. But…

Traditionally, care for the environment has always played a role in the Dakota-Lakota way of life, which includes taking care of the air. As a tribal college originally chartered by the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Sitting Bull College (SBC) takes seriously its role as an institution guided by Lakota-Dakota culture, values, and language. These…

Within weeks of school building closings in spring 2020, it became clear to many educators that the fear and isolation experienced by students and educators would force changes to schooling in ways that will reverberate for a long time to come. Many educators were particularly concerned about students and communities of color that were already…

The Native American Needs Assessment Action Plan is designed to assist educators and administrators in addressing the needs and areas of possible opportunity that have been identified through the annual Native American Needs Assessment conducted by the North Dakota (ND) Department of Public Instruction. The Action Plan is organized around areas of…

From the earliest partnerships between Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) and state colleges and universities, to the present-day independent bachelor's and master's degree teacher education programs, there has been a change in how higher education is designed to meet the uniquely Indigenous way that knowledge is exchanged, leading to greater…

Through its teacher education program, Turtle Mountain Community College (TMCC) is meeting the Anishinaabe of North Dakota's educational needs, strengthening tribal sovereignty and self-determination, and positively affecting people's lives. Pivotal to the success of the teacher education program are strongly committed faculty, supportive staff,…

With the tremendous job growth and economic boom on the Northern Plains, tribal colleges in Montana and North Dakota are initiating new innovative programs to address the region's workforce necessities. United Tribes Technical College (UTTC), Fort Peck Community College (FPCC), Aaniiih Nakoda College (ANC), and Cankdeska Cikana Community College…

In the spring of 2015, the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction brought together tribal Elders from across North Dakota to share stories, memories, songs, and wisdom in order to develop the North Dakota Native American Essential Understandings (NDNAEU) to guide the learning of both Native and non-Native students across the state. They…

Traveling outside one's comfort zone can plant the seeds for a collaborative, positive exchange of ideas, information, and perspectives. And that's just what happened when two groups of tribal college students, representing many nations, embraced traveling far from their families and communities. These two groups of students and faculty--one from…

Focusing on student proficiency in reading and math from 2003-04 to 2006-07, this report compares gaps in performance on state achievement tests between grade 8 American Indian and Alaska Native students and all other grade 8 students in 26 states serving large populations of American Indian and Alaska Native students. In response to a request by…

Each semester, hundreds of children find themselves on the campus of a tribal college or university. While their parents are busy working toward that associate's or bachelor's degree, the children are getting their own dose of college life. From Ilisagvik College in Barrow, Alaska--the "northernmost accredited community college"--to…

This report includes information from the National Indian Education Study of American Indian/Alaska Native students in grades 4 and 8 on the 2005 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) in reading and mathematics. The national sample includes both public and private schools (i.e. Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of Defense Education…

Across Indian Country, people can hear voices speaking ancient words, in a Cochiti extended family in New Mexico, a Navajo community school on the Arizona desert, a Native Hawaiian kindergarten, a Salish/Kootenai summertime ceremony, on the North Dakota plains, and in a Blackfeet math classroom in Montana. Unlike other language instruction…

The first nationwide survey of "tribal college" faculty indicates that "tribal college" faculty tend to be more altruistic than their counterparts at mainstream universities and community colleges, that they are more content in their jobs despite lower salaries, and that they are much more likely to be working toward an…