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Native Education at the College of Education

As a state institution, the University of Utah is committed to serving Native communities throughout Utah in partnership with Native Nations and our Urban Indian communities through research, education, and community outreach activities.[1]


The College of Education Native Education @ the CoE collaborative is dedicated to promoting American Indian/Alaska Native[2] excellence in various academic fields. We believe in working with American Indian/Alaska Native peoples to further their educational goals and self-determination. Our most notable collaborations are with the eight distinct sovereign nations in Utah.

Goals

Provide education and advocacy to positively impact the climate for American Indian/Alaska Native students, faculty, and staff at the University of Utah.

(U of U Goals II, IV)

Participate in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration to promote American Indian/Alaska Native outreach and curricular incorporation at the University of Utah.

(U of U Goals I, III)

Establish and maintain collaborative working relationships to assist American Indian/Alaska Native communities, including the eight distinct Nations in Utah, in meeting their educational needs.

(U of U Goal III)

Increase recruitment and retention of American Indian/Alaska Native students in education programs, particularly preservice teacher preparation, at the University of Utah.

(U of U Goals III, IV)

Develop and deliver programming and professional development for teachers and other professionals focusing on respectful and accurate interaction with American Indian/Alaska Native communities and cultures.

(U of U Goals II, III, IV)

The major goals of the collaborative are aligned to the U of U Strategic Goals.[3]

People

headshot of cynthia benally

Cynthia Benally

Education, Culture, & Society

cynthia.benally@utah.edu

headshot of frankie laanan

Frankie Laanan

Dean in the College of Education

frankie.laanan@utah.edu

headshot of connor warner

Connor Warner

Urban Institute for Teacher Education

connor.warner@utah.edu

 

Research

Mapping Community Assets to Support Native Student Achievement in Mathematics and Literacy: Developing a Partnership between the Ute Tribe, the Uintah School District, and the University of Utah

Principal Investigator

Connor Warner

Projects

Annual Native Education @ the CoE Lecture

2021-2022 Dr. Sheila Nicholas “Hak sinmuy amumum Hopiqatsit ang nùutum hintsakme, Hopisinoniwtingwu (When one participates along with others in the Hopi way of life, one becomes Hopi)”

2020-2021 Cancelled due to COVID-19 Pandemic

2019-2020 Dr. Michelle Jacob “Indigenous Education is for Everyone”

2018-2019 Dr. Tsianina Lomawaima: “Competing Claims: Indigenous Nation Building and U.S. Empire in Federal Indian Boarding Schools"

Working with Native Communities Graduate Certificate

Graduate Certificate: Working with Native Communities

Native-Centered Professional Development for K-12 Teachers

Developing Accurate and Inclusive Understandings of Indigenous Peoples: A Curriculum Workshop for Elementary and Secondary Educators

Native-Centered Curriculum Resources for K-12 Teachers

Coming soon

Faculty Publications

Benally, C. & Warner, C.K. (2021).  A review of Indian education for all: Decolonizing Indigenous education in public schools.  Teachers College Record. ID Number: 23765.


[1] University of Utah Land Acknowledgement: https://attheu.utah.edu/facultystaff/indigenous-land-acknowledgement/

[2] Native Ed @ the CoE recognizes the inexact nature of the terms American Indian and Alaska Native, and the risk that using any such umbrella terms poses for inaccurately homogenizing the experiences of hundreds of distinct peoples and nations. Whenever possible, the initiative recommends use of the names chosen by individual sovereign nations and culturally distinct peoples themselves.

[3] University of Utah Strategic Goals: I) Develop and transfer new knowledge; II) Promote student success to transform lives; III) Engage communities to improve health and quality of life; IV) Ensure long-term viability of university

Last Updated: 8/13/24