LinkedInFacebookShare

Collaborating With the Navajo Nation to Enhance Educational Opportunities

Four educators at a table in conversation

Thousands of miles from New York, the Navajo Nation’s Diné Department of Education faces an extraordinary daily challenge. On top of being faced with the typical complexity that comes with running a school system, the Diné Department of Education has within its jurisdiction three entirely different constructs of schools, from BIE schools to Tribal schools to public schools situated on reservations that are operated by a neighboring local educational agency.

Furthermore, the Navajo Nation spans three states: Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah.

Yet, like nearly all other Tribal school systems, a core priority for the Diné across different types of schools is for educational opportunities to enable Tribal youth to develop cultural identity. This means knowing who they are, where they come from, and what it means to have character as a member of the Navajo Nation.

Last year, at the invitation of the Navajo Nation, WestEd’s 2019–2024 Region 15 Comprehensive Center (R15CC) sent assessment research experts Kevin King, Sharon Nelson-Barber, and Jaylin Nesbitt along with WestEd’s Kate Wright to join with Diné department leaders, educators focused on character standards instruction, and university partners in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Together, they engaged in thought exchange regarding ways to develop assessments that would meaningfully measure student progress toward learning the Diné Character Building Standards, how to fund and sustain this work, and generally, how regional comprehensive centers can collaboratively support Tribal educational agencies.

“We were honored to join discussions and planning around implementing standards to maintain the Navajo culture,” noted Wright. “The Diné Department of Education wants to be able to assess the degree to which current Navajo students have learned the Navajo culture standards. This work goes beyond language—it’s about purposely and strategically enhancing the understanding of culture.

“Our time together consisted of breaking down doors, barriers, and preconceptions . . . [with] non-Navajo individuals supporting Navajo educational initiatives,” added Nesbitt. “We (the WestEd team) took responsibility for how our presence in this space may perpetuate the same ideals we hoped to dismantle. [W]e . . . prioritized perspectives from the community and experiences of Diné students who felt invisible in their educational journey, and co-developed an assessment that honors and prioritizes the power of knowing who Navajo students are and where they come from (the fundamental expectation of Navajo character).”

[W]e . . . prioritized perspectives from the community and experiences of Diné students who felt invisible in their educational journey, and co-developed an assessment that honors and prioritizes the power of knowing who Navajo students are and where they come from (the fundamental expectation of Navajo character).” Jaylin Nesbitt, Research Associate at WestEd

The Navajo Nation plans to develop and implement a fully aligned system for the curriculum, instruction, and assessment for the Diné Content [Culture] Standards, as called for in the Diné School Accountability Plan.

The core team seeks to extend this work in a manner that honors the Diné knowledge and culture, and situates the team as co-creators of understanding and outcomes.

More Related to this Post