IWOK SUMMER ACADEMYNative Students Attaining Their College Dreams

Se-ah-dom EdmoKatie Schneider

April 2013

CULTURAL STRENGTHS &NEED

In Pursuit of Higher Education• 42% Native Americans pursue

higher education vs. 53% of the general population

Why? • Postcolonialization• Culturally-insensitive classrooms &

educational system

ISSUES WITH POSTCOLONIALIZATION

• The educational system is centered around individuals

• Struggles with poverty, health, joblessness, displacement

• Forced to fit into dominant culture at expense of family and traditions

HOW TO REBUILD?

Native Identities exist within the context of the family, the Tribe(s) of origin, and the larger

community in which an individual lives.

CULTURAL STRENGTHS &NEED

“There is a critical need for a highly educated Native citizenry. Native scholars need to possess understandings of their work in the context of specific and global Tribal interests. Beyond mainstream education, Tribal scholars must possess skills to articulate and address disciplinary issues in terms of Sovereignty and laws bearing on Tribes and customs.”

--Roy SampselChoctaw and Wyandotte Tribes

Member of the IWOK Leadership Council,

THE DETAILS!

SUPPORTERS

RECRUITMENT

• Applications distributed through both educational and support services

• How many in 2011?• 23 students in 2012

STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS

• Aged 15-19•57% Female, 43% Male•7 States, 56% Oregonian•17+ Tribes •26% live with non-parents•34% attended with relatives (siblings, cousins)

Test Prep

DAILY SCHEDULE: MORNING

• College Prep

--Writing--Applications--Financial Aid

• Kaplan SAT Study

Academic Sessions

DAILY SCHEDULE: AFTERNOON

• U.S. Constitution

• Environmental Science

• Writing• Study

Strategies• Mental

Health/Wellness in College

Relationships

OTHER ACTIVITIES--Team Building (Flag Football!)

--Free Time

--Journaling

--Title VII Elementary Students

--Final Family Dinner

--Experiencing life on a college campus!

ULTIMATE GOALS

• SAT and college readiness coursework

• Foster Native students’ ability to bring a critical lens of indigenous issues to academic topics

• Cultivate connections with student participants’ families and Tribes.

Relationships

DID WE DO IT?

All 2012 participants are excited to

engage in a Summer 2013 reunion!

TESTING RESULTS

• Students improved their scores over the course of the class: • Test 1: 1082• Test 2: 1198• Test 3: 1145• 8 students accessed the

available Kaplan training after the Summer Academy

STUDENT ESSAY EXAMPLES

WHAT’S NEXT?

Reunion 2013STAY TUNED FOR

IWOK SUMMER ACADEMY 2014!!

Applications out in January 2014.

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