Circles of Reflection is an engaging process that brings together a state education agency (SEA), local education agencies (LEAs), and Tribes for reflective and meaningful conversations about Native education.

SEAs nationally are taking advantage of a structured Circles of Reflection protocol to give groups invested in Native education a genuine opportunity to communicate, collaborate, and identify opportunities for improvement. Produced by the National Comprehensive Center’s Native Education Collaborative, “Circles of Reflection: A Toolkit for SEAs” is now available.

Developed by a team of experts in Native education, the toolkit provides SEAs with key resources and guidance in designing and conducting Circles of Reflection, including step-by-step instructions, helpful tips, facilitation guides, fillable worksheets, and more. Additionally, the resources are fully customizable to meet local needs and contexts.

The Oklahoma Department of Education collaborated with the National Comprehensive Center and the Region 13 Comprehensive Center to employ Circles of Reflection to plan and facilitate a series of collaborative dialogue sessions. The sessions led to a shared action plan with Oklahoma Tribes, including sustained communication, implementation, and networking.

“It was a very pleasant surprise how everything went down,” says Regina Riley. Riley, who participated in Oklahoma’s Circles of Reflection, is a member of the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma. “Coming together like that was the very first time that we had experienced sitting with school districts, sitting with other Tribes, and sitting with the State Department. It was great.”

Visit the Circles of Reflection: A Toolkit for SEAs on the National Comprehensive Center website to learn more.

The Region 13 Comprehensive Center works with SEAs and their regional and local constituents in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and the Bureau of Indian Education to improve outcomes for all children and better serve communities through capacity-building technical assistance, content expertise, and other services.

The contents of this blog post were developed under a grant from the Department of Education. However, the contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.