The U.S. Department of Education announced availability of education grants to support Native American education, with one of the programs focusing on teacher retention. Altogether, the available funding totals $8 million across three grant programs.
- The Native American Teacher Retention Initiative supports and promotes the success of Native American teachers.
- The Native American Language Resource Centers Program seeks to increase access to Native American languages in America’s schools.
- The State Tribal Education Partnership program helps Tribal Educational Agencies work alongside their state and local partners.
[blockquote align=”left” author=”U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona” style=”font-size: 30px”]The Biden-Harris administration is committed to addressing teacher shortages and growing and retaining a pipeline of educators who can meet the needs of Native students and provide instruction that’s grounded in appreciation for and understanding of their unique Tribal histories, traditions, languages, treaties, and cultures.[/blockquote]
Native American Teacher Retention Initiative
The Department also announced $2.75 million in available funding to support the Native American Teacher Retention Initiative (NATRI) grant program. This is a new program from the Department. NATRI will help address the shortage of Native American teachers by giving them more chances to lead in their schools. The Initiative will also fund projects that help teachers provide culturally appropriate instruction for Native American students.
Indian Tribes, tribal organizations, and a federally supported elementary school or high school for Indian students are eligible to apply. In addition, state and local educational agencies, charter schools that are a part of a larger education agency, and consortiums are also eligible.
Native American Language Resource Centers Program
Approximately $2.9 million in funding will support a new Native American Language Resource Centers (NALRC) program. The new centers will help preserve and protect Native languages by promoting the use of Native American languages in classrooms across all age levels, academic content areas, and types of schools. The NALRC furthers policies set forth by the Native American Languages Act and ensures the revitalization and reclamation of Native American education and languages.
Eligible entities include institutions of higher education (IHE), an entity within an IHE with dedicated expertise in Native American language and culture education. Consortiums that include one or more IHEs or one or more entities as described in the Native American Language Resource Center Act can also apply.
State Tribal Educational Partnership Program
Earlier this month, the Department announced $2.4 million in available funding to support the State Tribal Education Partnership (STEP) program. This program supports Native American education in two ways. First, this program promotes collaboration between tribal, state, and local education agencies that serve students from the affected tribes. Second, the program helps to build the ability of tribal educational agencies to conduct functions needed to run schools. Indian Tribes, organizations, or educational agencies, including consortiums of tribal educational agencies, can apply.
Learn More
Visit the Department of Education’s Office of Indian Education website to learn more about the application deadlines and more.
