Investment in Tribal Education Presenter Heather Washington Salt

Investment in Tribal Education Presenter: Heather Washington, Salt River Schools Board Chairman

Who is Salt River Schools? • Located within the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC) • SRPMIC is located in the metropolitan Phoenix area • Comprised of two distinctive tribes • Onk Akimel O’odham (Pima) • Xalychidom Piipaash (Maricopa) • Cradle to career platform for Community members (10, 000+ enrollment)

Early Childhood Education Center • Tribal & Grant funded • Infant and Toddler • Program for children ages six weeks to three years • Pre-School • Designed to prepare children for Kindergarten and includes an age appropriate education with an emphasis on math and literacy skills • Home Based Program • Home Based participants receive weekly visits from their Parent Educator during which they work together on activities to promote learning within the comfort of the home

Salt River Elementary School • BIE School • Grades K – 6 th • Extra Curricular Programs • STEM CLUB • Junior ACE - Collaborative venture involving Scottsdale Community College and Salt River Schools for 5 th through 8 th grade students in a program that benefits them with college related experiences.

Salt River High School • Arizona Charter School • Grades 7 – 12 • Currently requesting grades 7 th & 8 th be transferred from Charter to BIE for SY 2019 - 2020

Accelerated Learning Academy • Arizona Charter School • High School Diploma Program • • Students between the ages of 17 and 21 At least 8 credits behind their graduation cohort 3 credits behind in math and science combined Are 5 th year seniors and beyond • ABE/GED Program • Provides personalized instruction and assessment to adult learners in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community who desire to build an academic foundation and earn their High School Equivalency

Higher Education • Tribal and Self-Governance Funded Program • Scholarship awards for enrolled members of SRPMIC who are enrolled in an accredited institution of higher education or vocational school • Covers costs associated with tuition, mandatory fees, mandatory books and childcare (if applicable)

Salt River Schools by the Numbers Site # of Students Early Childhood Education Center 265 Salt River Elementary 337 Salt River High School 226 Accelerated Learning Academy (not including ABE/GED) 65 Higher Education 422 Total 1, 315* * Number does not include ALL students served

Language and Culture Initiative

O’odham Piipaash Language Culture Highlights: • Established the Education Native Language Culture (ENLC) Department in 2016 • Current staff • 2 Education Native Culture Directors • 6 Language Culture Specialist • 1 Cultural Art Teacher • Established Language Culture Professional Learning Community • Wrote O’odham Piipaash Language Culture Standards Pre-K to Grade 8 • http: //saltriverschools. org/departments/education_native_language___cultur e

O’odham Piipaash Language Culture Highlights: • Re-established a solid system connection between Education (ENLC) and Culture Resource Department (CRD) v. Development of O’odham Piipaash Language Culture standards v. CRD loan of O’odham Language teacher v. Arizona Department of Education-O’odham Piipaash Language Teacher Certification

O’odham Piipaash Language Culture Highlights: • Language Culture staff have written Semester 1 O’odham Piipaash Language Culture Curriculum Pre-K to Grade 8 • Culture website for ECEC; SRES and SRHS open and updated monthly

O’odham Piipaash Language Culture Highlights: • Language and Culture Instruction Time • ECEC – 30 minutes once a week • SRES – 30 – 40 minutes once a week • SRHS (7 th – 8 th) – 45 minutes every day Language Culture • SRHS (9 th – 12 th) – 45 minutes every day Native Studies • ALA - None

O’odham Piipaash Language Culture Future: • Establishing Native Language Speaker Certification criteria • Ability to incorporate Native Language Culture into daily curriculum • Expanding Native Language Culture from the classroom to the home • Language preservation

Questions?

Facebook address @Salt. River. Schools 16 www. SALTRIVERSCHOOLS. org www. srpmic-ed. org