Abstract
This professional development series was created with the intention of educating non-Native educators, on ways to work with and educate Native American students that are decolonized and culturally relevant. The professional development series will be grounded in Native American resources and input. While it will not cover every tribal community or need that a Native American student might have, it will lay a foundation that will guide educators toward creating curricula, pedagogy, and educational spaces where Native American students can feel safe and can be successful. One of the most underserved demographics of school-aged children are Native American students. Native American students come from a variety of backgrounds and from several hundred unique tribal communities, and have varying needs. One issue that all Native American communities face is that approximately 90% of Native American students are taught in public schools by non-Native American teachers, and most of those teachers are not familiar with Native American cultures and languages (NCES, 2015). v Because so many public school teachers are unfamiliar with Native American cultures and languages, many Native American students who live away from their tribal communities go without the education and connection to their cultures, and can experience behavioral and emotional issues (Walls & Whitbeck, 2012). While many of the policies claim to be well meaning, because they are not decolonized, created by or with Native American input, they fall short of what Native American students need to be successful academically. Due to this information, my work as an educator, and my experience as a Native American student, I felt that it was necessary to create a professional development series to help educators teach, work with, and teach about Native Americans.