The Johnson-O'Malley (JOM) program provides academic and cultural supports to meet the specialized and unique educational needs of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students enrolled in public schools and select tribal schools. The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), within the Department of the Interior, contracts with Tribes, tribal…

I examine the educational properties of Iñupiaq songs and dances showing how they convey critical cultural knowledge, practical skills, and teach the value system of the Iñupiaq people. The practice of Alaska Native dance, a fundamental pedagogical strategy, was limited for 100 years by oppressive colonial forces. Framed in revitalization efforts,…

Despite one in 25 students in Washington identifying as American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN), many Indigenous students and families feel disconnected from the education system. Native students rarely see their identities, cultures, or histories reflected in established curricula. Further, traditional curricula often reinforce settler-colonial…

American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities are disproportionately affected by the opioid epidemic. AI/AN emerging adults (ages 18-25) in urban areas are at particularly high risk, with the overdose death rate among urban-dwelling AI/AN people 1.4 times higher than rural-dwelling AI/AN people. Despite these challenges, there are no…

Native Americans are a critically underserved and under researched population in the United States (US) higher education system. Not only do American Indians (AIs) and Alaska Natives (ANs) enroll in vastly lower percentages than their nonnative peers, but they are also far less likely to persist to graduation and attend graduate school than other…

This phenomenological study explored the perspectives of American Indian/Alaska Native students who had all graduated from the same Northeast-Nebraska public school located on a federally recognized Indian reservation and completed at least a four-year degree. To that end, the central research question addressed by this dissertation is, "Why…

Many working understandings of giftedness exist within dominating Western frameworks, gatekeeping gifted education from students who do not "fit" inside such frameworks (Owens et al., 2018; Rinn et al., 2020; Sternberg et al., 2021). As a result, K-12 Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students are underrepresented in…

This Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) intends to clarify eligibility for Perkins V formula subgrants and provides technical assistance for State engagement with Tribes through Tribal consultation. For 47 years, the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (Perkins V) and its predecessors have authorized competitive grants to assist…

The New Mexico Public Education Department's (PED) mission is to ensure all students in New Mexico receive the education they deserve and that students are prepared for college, career, and lifelong learning. To do this, the department is focused on supporting sustained learning and outreach to districts, charter schools, tribal education…

Culturally-adapted evidence-based programs (EBPs) are needed to promote healthy behaviors among Native teens and young adults. Little is known about the facilitators and barriers of implementing and sustaining EBPs in Native communities. This paper aims to identify those factors described by educators who implemented the Native Students Together…

This paper explores how the educational and career paths of Indigenous people in STEMM have been impacted by ethical, cultural, and/or spiritual issues. Based on a survey of over 400 Indigenous students and professionals in STEMM fields, plus over 30 follow up interviews, we find that these issues cause some Indigenous people to leave particular…

Plant blindness, the inability of people to notice plants, is of current interest in the natural sciences community. It has been hypothesized that communities of varying cultures may have improved plant sight. Researchers used an online survey to assess citizens ability to identify plants. The survey also intended to address the concern of elders…

Understanding the college experiences of Indigenous students in the United States is critical to enhance their goals of educational attainment. Indigenous college students have been historically underserved by institutions they attend, which are often fraught with the uncertainty of belonging and feelings of isolation. A driving force behind this…

The very low college success rate of American Indians and Alaska Natives has inspired a scholarly literature that seeks to explain this outcome and, more recently, to account for why some Native students persist in college. Few studies, however, look at Native students who actually have graduated from college, and these rarely reflect Native…

American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth exhibit multiple health disparities, including high rates of alcohol and other drug (AOD) use, violence and delinquency, and mental health problems. Approximately 70% of AI/AN youth reside in urban areas, where negative outcomes on behavioral health and well-being are often high. Identity development…