Relationships, Relationships, Relationships: Native American Educational Opportunity Gap Study in Washington State (Download Study Here)
Authors: Zoe Higheagle Strong (Nez Perce), Laura Lynn (Chickasaw Descendant), Michael Munson (Séliš, Ql̓ispé, & other ancestries), Stephany RunningHawk Johnson (Oglala Lakota), Kenneth Olden (Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation), Elese Washines (Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation), Bernie Thomas (Lummi Nation), Maxine Alex (Diné), Anna Hernandez French, Cary Rosenbaum (Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation), Alianna Cash (Nez Perce), Sequoia Dance (Shoshone-Bannock), and Joan Banker.
Subcontracted by the Washington State Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs (GOIA) to conduct an updated analysis of the educational opportunity gap for Native American students in Washington State (objectives outlined in State Proviso Section 121.2.a).
The purpose of this study is to collaboratively assess the current state of Native American education in Washington state through a culturally grounded, Indigenous mixed research approach that centers on Native American knowledge systems and Tribal sovereignty. In partnership with Tribal leaders, educators, and subject-matter experts, the study builds upon and examines the progress made since the 2008 From Where the Sun Rises: Addressing the Educational Achievement of Native Americans in Washington State report on tribal- and state-initiated and invested education reform while also identifying educational opportunity gaps and examining them.
The study also examines government-to-government consultation practices, key legislation, and policy developments, such as the JMLSTI and the First People’s Language, Culture, and Oral Tradition Certificate, as well as curriculum development and language and cultural revitalization efforts. The resulting findings include actionable recommendations that will guide future research and policy development to strengthen the state’s educational trust responsibility to Native students and communities, ensure alignment with state and federal academic achievement indicators, and respect Tribal educational self-determination.
