Goals and Actions
Business Committee Actions
- BC negotiate Ute Representation on Uintah and Duchesne School Boards
- Petition both school boards for special appointee, or an ex officio, Ute tribe representation.
- Appointee be liaison between Ute community and the school board
- Initiate special provision to insure tribal representation on each school board.
- Long-term solution is probably the creation of a new Ute School Board, one that would assume jurisdiction, or partial jurisdiction, over Uintah River High School, West Junior High School, Todd Elementary School and Lapoint Elementary School. (Allen & Boyd)
- Work with Uintah, Duchesne, Utes and State officials work to design a new system of governance (Allen & Boyd: 1999 Education Strategic Plan)
- BC pass hiring policy that a high school diploma or its equivalent, and/or specific vocational training be required of all Tribal members born in 1988 or later.
Education Department Goals and Actions
Long-term Strategic Goals
- Aim to build a complete K-12 school system
- Conduct a feasibility study of creating own school district (See Appendix A)
- Evaluate the tribe’s ability to run own school district
- Design and find funding for a Tribal Vocational-Technology program
- Federal Funding should be available in 2004. Funding rotates on a 3 year basis.
- Explore the feasibility of a tribal college (See Appendix B)
- Convene an ad-hoc committee to investigate a tribal college. The ad-hoc committee has been approved by the BC Resolution 02-202.
Short-term Goals: Present Education System
Goals for Ute Language Program: Create a supportive environment for the use of the Ute language by children and adults on a regular basis.
Re-affirm the Ute Language Policy of 1984
o Create a program for Tribal employees to study and learn the Ute language during work hours
Provide Ute language instruction for all ages
o Develop a sequential curriculum for children that provides appropriate learning activities for Head Start programs to high school courses
o Provide Ute language classes for adults 1 to 2 hours a week
Preserve the Ute language in multiple forms
o Complete writing and then publish a written Ute Language dictionary
o Record fluent Ute speakers in audio and video formats
Promote the use of the Ute Language through public relations activities
o Create a student run Ute radio station that will include broadcasts in the Ute language and Ute language instruction-
o Develop a program to certify fluency in the Ute language
Continue to work with Ute Language Committee
o Establish a Ute Language Center in each community
Goals for Students: 100% of students showing adequate yearly progress in reading, writing, and mathematics, and able to move upward with confidence in their abilities
Goal: In 5 years, Ute students’ CRT scores in Language Arts (reading and writing) and Mathematics will be level with white student scores from Uintah and Duchesne school districts K – 12 and remain at that level.
Action:
Share the goal with all educators, parents, and tribal members.
Define and negotiate educator’s roles in reaching the goal
o Work with District School Boards to incorporate such an analysis as a part of performance reviews
o Develop an orderly and open system to help educators improve their class management and instructional techniques to help students reach these goals.
Provide in-service training to inspire and instruct educators in a variety of methods to improve reading and writing scores.
Define parents’, care-givers’, and tribal members’ roles in helping students reach the goal
Provide training for parents, care givers, and tribal members about how to help children improve their reading, writing, and mathematics skills.
Provide after school and weekend help with reading, writing, and mathematics in each community
o Ascertain what is available now
o Design a program to complement and enhance the present offerings
Support fun ways to encourage all students to read
Goal: Improve the educational attainment of Utes
- Conduct a well-funded and ongoing public relations campaign to raise the status of education among Ute peoples and to emphasize the importance of education to the economic and cultural future of the Northern Utes. The Business Committee members will show their interest in education by supporting URHS, and other schools, through their attendance at graduations and other high profile activities.
o Appoint a group of Ute citizens to lead and direct the effort to change the profile of education
o Design an ongoing method to acknowledge Ute educational successes.
Continuing coverage in the Ute Bulletin
Honoring ceremonies that cut across grade levels (one ceremony for all students).
- Improve high school graduation rates
- Ensure that the BC passes a resolution to require high school diploma, its equivalent, or specialized vocational training of all Tribe members born in 1988 or later for employment. (Note: This year corresponds with the new state required test for students scheduled to graduate in 2006.)
- Increase Ute participation in postsecondary education
- Increase the amount of money available for Tribal scholarships
- Continue support for the teacher training program
- Support Upward Bound TRIO program
- Develop and sustain a vocational training program
- Explore the possibility of creating a tribal college (see Appendix B)
Goals for School Environment: Improve the social and learning environments in the schools through providing training about teaching Native students and developing curriculum that combines place- or community-based learning activities with Ute language and culture.
Goal: Have positive and competent teachers in every classroom who are sensitive and compassionate to all students and their needs.
- Improve cultural sensitivity among educators
o Require cultural sensitivity training for all teachers with ongoing yearly in-service
o Include cultural sensitivity in teacher performance evaluation
Education department work with school districts to have this included on teacher performance evaluation
o Tribal-sponsored teacher orientation day
Professional staff development for PK-12 teachers in the Ute history book and awareness/sensitivity training with annual performance evaluation.
o Create a staff development curriculum for Pre-K – 12 teachers in the Ute history book that includes cultural awareness and sensitivity training.
o Ute Tribe Education department conduct the professional staff development training each year.
Set up Continuing Education credits or college credits for attendees
Goal: Involve educators in creating appropriate curriculum activities
Teachers create their own “whole person” curriculum pieces during some of the in-services.
Conduct in-service activities about place-based education and include time for teachers to create own activities
Goal: Have positive, competent, and compassionate teachers in every classroom.
Explore options to provide housing for teachers working for the tribe.
Hire more Native American and Ute Tribe teachers and administrators.
Goal: Help educators become more involved in Tribal activities
All teachers receive invitations to cultural events
o Education Director send invitations to principals
o Principals forward the invitation to all teachers and school personnel
Curriculum Goals: Curriculum at all grade levels reflects the views and needs of Native Americans and specifically the Ute Tribe
Goal: Recommend the “Earth People” (Ute Curriculum) be an intrinsic part of the school core curriculum for which in-service will be statewide.
Have someone correlate the “Earth People” (Ute Curriculum) with the appropriate social science standards and revise the curriculum if necessary to help students meet the required state standards.
Goal: Design new curriculum that incorporates place- or community-based learning, Ute language and culture, and issues of self-determination.
Use the Uintah River Watershed curriculum as a model
Create a way for teachers and community members/parents to work together on creating the curriculum
Train community members and parents to help with field studies and community work and how to assist teachers in carrying out the curriculum.
Provide training and time for teachers to create their own activities.
Goal: Create and implement a world-class comprehensive Native American history curriculum that enables students to learn about and be able to function effectively in their own and other cultures.
Introduce the curriculum idea to a national American Indian organization. Expand the curriculum into a study of world wide indigenous cultures for high school students. The curriculum may fit best into the geography standards instead of history.
Community/School Connections Goals: Develop ongoing communication and positive relationships between schools, teachers, parents, and the greater community.
Goal: Establish a School-Community Council to work with the URHS administrator and teachers and Education Department personnel to develop the Local Education Agency plan. This will help the URHS LEA meet the No Child Left Behind Act requirements.
Attain appropriate approvals for parent committee
Provide appropriate training for members
o Use guides such from groups such as the Public Education Network.
Goal: Enhance effectiveness and responsiveness of Education Board
- Provide school board training
- Establish direct election of board members
Goal: Committee to check textbooks for Native American bias should include community members as well as teachers
Committee members need to be trained how to detect bias
Goal: All teachers receive invitations to cultural events
Education Director send invitations to principals
Principals forward the invitation to all teachers and school personnel
Goal: Involve tribal leadership, tribal departments, parents/guardians, and communities in their children’s education.
Conduct a feasibility study about creating own school district that would be K – 12.
Adopt and encourage place- or community-based education curriculum in all grades.
Goal: Involve youth in activities that make them a part of the community and provide decision-making opportunities about issues that are important to them.
Adopt and encourage place-based education curriculum that focuses on community problems and ways to address them.
Establish a permanent Youth Committee to make recommendations to the Business Council.