The New Mexico Tribal Coalition – Rural Systemic Initiative (NMTC), a program of the Santa Fe Indian School (SFIS), has partnerships and relationships with all 12 schools it serves to assure a standards-based, inquiry-centered, K-12 mathematics and science education system that supports all learners in attaining success in vigorous, high-quality mathematics and science. In 1997, the Coalition of Educators for Native American Children (CENAC) was created to include all 12 schools that receive BIA funding and serve Pueblo Indian students. Through this coalition, CENAC maximizes its resources and addresses common problems. Teachers concerned about mathematics and science achievement in the CENAC schools created the proposal for NMTC. This approach assured that partnerships and buy-in were strongly in place before the grant began.

Nationwide, Native American students score lowest of any ethnic group on all academic achievement indicators. Research shows that standardized test scores are culturally biased and do not accurately reflect minority students’ achievement. Research done by WestEd with CENAC schools showed standardized test questions can include information unfamiliar to students, language use that is unclear to the Pueblo population, and concepts that confuse Pueblo children. Research also strongly suggests minority students resist institutions of the dominant culture (McLaren, 1994; Ogbu, 1992; Smith, 2001). After 400 years of active resistance, encouraging children to learn dominant culture academics will take time and concentrated effort. Pueblo Community-based education (CBE) is an approach that answers these challenges; NMTC strives toward this method. The strands for successful CBE are: 1) Pueblo leadership sets the focus for education each school year; 2) Students have concrete experiences in Pueblo communities addressing this focus; and 3) Students return useful information to the communities. In this way, it is the Pueblo, not an institution of the dominant culture, that sets the priorities, and students’ cultural knowledge and learning styles are enhanced and validated.

Year One focused on partnerships with schools and the recruitment and initial training of MST School Leaders (MSTz); Year Two expanded to include more intensive and comprehensive training of the MSTz, as well as reaching a larger group of instructional staff through other professional development opportunities. Year Three streamlined the professional development; Year Four, expanded Native Science concepts using two MST identified approaches (CENAC Science Fair and Native Applied Brain for Science, part II [NABS II]) and set the foundation for problem solving approaches in two content-rich mathematics courses to help CENAC schools capitalize on the CBE approach, which data demonstrate to be successful. Last year, Year Five, continued the content-focused mathematics and science courses for teachers, the CENAC Science Fair as a year-long professional development approach, and the annual School Reform Rally. To build sustainability focuses were strengthening CENAC and partnerships – such as identifying CBE approaches by working with a local Pueblo, at their request, to identify guidelines for education based on the culture. Schools took a lead in providing more inquiry-centered, standards-based training.

Data collection and database maintenance, challenges for the first three years, were improved in Years Four and Five. Each of the 12 sites designated a data collection person and an NMTC research intern was trained in data collection and Access. Starting in 2006-07, the newly funded Pueblo ITEST of New Mexico will take responsibility for maintaining this database, a step toward sustainability. Additionally, all schools’ standardized test scores were sent directly to the state. Although the standardized tests required by New Mexico have changed each year, making longitudinal standardized test score comparison challenging, the external evaluator, used NMTC data and state data to help schools understand and improve student achievement. NMTC staff and CENAC school leaders participated in standards based assessment (SBA) item and data reviews, thereby assuring a voice for Native students and supporting the creation and implementation of inquiry-based, standards-based assessment in the state and for CENAC schools.