Appendix C - Notification Letters

JANUARY 2015

Task Order 24: Study of the Title III Native American and Alaska Native Children in School (NAM) Program

Office of Management and Budget Clearance Request

Appendix C: Study Information Document

Prepared for

U.S. Department of Education

Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development

Policy and Program Studies Service

By

American Institutes for Research

June 29, 2016

Appendix C. Study Information Document

This document was distributed during the U.S. Department of Education’s monthly consultation with tribes to provide information about the study to tribal stakeholders and other interested parties. The document will be included in study notification and recruitment materials.

Native American and Alaska Native Children in School (NAM) Program Study

The U.S. Department of Education is conducting a study to examine how grantees are implementing the Title III NAM program. The goal of the NAM program is to improve Native American and Alaska Native (NA/AN) students’ academic outcomes though language instruction educational programs. The study will address:

• How current grantees provide English and NA/AN language services to students, especially through teacher training, curriculum development, parent engagement, and technology

• How current grantees prioritize NAM services in relation to other education programming

• The challenges current grantees face in providing services, the steps they have taken to overcome these challenges, and the lessons they have learned

• How current grantees measure progress and outcomes

• How stakeholders perceive the NAM services

Results from this study are intended to help the Department better support grantees. The study also responds in part to a long-standing need expressed by leaders in NA/AN communities for research about language instruction.

A team of researchers will collect data from the 22 current NAM grantees, funded in FY 2011 and FY 2013. Researchers will collect the data from September 2016 to May 2017. Data collection consists of three components:

1. Analysis of grantees’ applications and other descriptive extant data about the grants

2. Telephone interviews with NAM grant coordinators

3. In-depth site visits to conduct interviews or focus groups with key stakeholders

The team of researchers conducting the study has extensive previous research and technical assistance experience with NA/AN tribes. The researchers recognize the tremendous cultural diversity they will encounter in conducting this study, and they are aware of the history of colonialism and loss of land, culture, and language—critical issues that unite NA/AN tribes’ experiences and inform the importance of culturally relevant and appropriate research and evaluation methods. The study team is committed to following all tribal research regulations and, most important, to conducting research that engages research participants.

The study team will protect the confidentiality of the information respondents provide, to the extent provided by law. After the study team collects responses, respondents’ names and the institution’s or school’s name will be disassociated from the data. Pseudonyms will be used for each grantee. Responses will be used to summarize findings in an aggregate manner (across groups of grantees) or will be used to provide examples of program implementation in a manner that does not associate responses with a specific site or individual. Although participating institutions will be acknowledged in the final report, they will not be identified in the text of any report.

Study Team Core Staff

Erin Haynes, the study director, is a language acquisition and revitalization specialist. Dr. Haynes has been actively involved in language documentation and archiving for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and in language assessment methods for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.

Stephanie Autumn, a member of the Hopi Tribe, has 38 years of experience in developing, implementing, and evaluating programs in Indian country. Ms. Autumn’s expertise includes developing culturally competent strategic planning tools and trainings for NA/AN tribes.

Susan Cole has conducted interviews with NA/AN students, their teachers, and school administrators in Alaska, Oklahoma, Arizona, and New Mexico for the U.S. Department of Education and Office of Indian Education. She worked with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction on developing Native American education training modules for district and school stakeholders.

Traci Maday-Karageorge, a citizen of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in Wisconsin, has expertise in school leadership, effective data use, curriculum, instruction, and community collaboration. She worked for several years with leaders and teachers in a rural South Dakota district to improve outcomes for Native American students through improved tribal engagement and disciplinary systems.

Starla Bilyeu, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, has an extensive background in the education of Native American youth and experience working in several tribal communities. She is a representative for the Oklahoma Council for Indian Education.

For additional information, please contact:

Joanne Bogart U.S. Department of Education Planning and Evaluation Service 202-205-7855 [email protected]

Ivan Metzger U.S. Department of Education Planning and Evaluation Service 202-453-5693 [email protected]

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1875-New. Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 60 minutes per response, including time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. The obligation to respond to this collection is voluntary. If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this survey, please contact Ivan Metzger at [email protected] or (202) 453-5693 directly.

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