Developing Guidance Supports for Title VI Directors in Western States
Many school districts that operate Title VI, Part A Indian Education Formula Grant programs operate without easily accessible guidance for aspects of the program. These include meaningful collaboration with local Tribes, allowable activities beyond academic tutoring and Native arts, convening and sustaining active Indian Parent Committees, and operating these programs in alignment with other key federal and state programs in the district.
Title VI directors in Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah are collaborating with the West Comprehensive Center to develop and disseminate capacity-building resources for Title VI education coordinators to increase staff understanding and implementation of promising practices for providing supplemental services to American Indian and Alaska Native students.
West CC will support the region by:
- Conducting needs assessment listening sessions with Title VI directors in Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah to identify common barriers, misunderstandings, and gaps in currently available guidance and professional development;
- Facilitating listening sessions with Bureau of Indian Education-funded schools and Tribal programs receiving Title VI funding; and
- Developing guidance documents responsive to immediate needs to assist districts and Tribes in understanding the nuances of collecting and maintaining federal ED 506 program eligibility forms.
Through these collaborative efforts, Title VI program directors will have increased capacity to strengthen Indigenous student education efforts, improve academic and cultural resource access, and enhance local control through parent engagement.
