K-12 Services
In response to COVID-19 and school closures, the Education Department has developed this suggested Online/Remote Learning Resource List to provide information and guidance to assist students, families and our local school districts.
You can access the Online Learning Resource List at: tinyurl.com/ltbb-edu-online-learning.
K-12 Education Assistance Scholarship
The purpose of the K-12th Grade Education Assistance Scholarship is to supplement, assist, and enhance the educational opportunities for all LTBB students in Preschool and in grades kindergarten through 12th grade. The program is Tribally funded and available once per academic year per student; the academic year is defined as August 1st- July 31st.
Shirley Naganashe Oldman Secondary Education Honorarium
The purpose of the Shirley Naganashe Oldman Secondary Education Completion Honorarium is to promote the completion of secondary education program by offering a $100 monetary award for all LTBB Tribal Citizens who complete a secondary education program.
Advocacy
K-12 staff serve as a school liaison for the LTBB Tribal Community advocating on behalf of students and families around obtaining special education services, IEPs, 504 plans, and retention.
Academic Support
Brainfuse On Demand Online Tutoring
K-12 Tutoring Subsidy Program
The purpose of this program is to provide a subsidy to off-set the cost of hiring a private tutor for Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians’ (LTBB) tribal citizens who are enrolled in an eligible K-12 education program, and who are struggling to meet grade level proficiency in one or more core academic subject area.
Ishkaakimikwe Kinoomaagewinan (IK)- Teachings of the Earth Curriculum Design for Schools and Teachers
Through several unique school partnerships, Ishkaakimikwe Kinomaagewinan (IK), Teachings of the Earth, provides curricular support to educators in 4 school districts in the Char-Em Intermediate School District. This curriculum and instructional material design program that focuses on building cross-disciplinary curricula that support educators in meeting current content standards. IK uses a land-based education framework. The framework uses locally-relevant instruction and hands-on experiences to invite learners to engage with content from multiple perspectives. Odawa perspectives are integrated throughout the cross-disciplinary curricula including Science, Social Studies/History, English/Language Arts, etc.
IK curricular support consists of:
The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa develops these products as an important way to reach several of our educational goals including: increasing resources for teachers, expanding opportunities for learners to engage with content from multiple perspectives, shifting longstanding historical practices that have omitted Indigenous people from decision making power over education, and increasing representations of Indigenous people, communities, languages, stories, and perspectives at the classroom level in ways that are effective and appropriate.
Current Projects:
This culturally-responsive science unit is currently being implemented in Pellston High School, Petoskey Middle School, Harbor Spring Middle School, and Mackinaw City High School, where students are raising a fall-fingerling Lake Sturgeon. The unit emphasizes experiential learning through an Indigenous land-based pedagogy. All lessons align with Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards. Emphasis is placed on critical thinking activities, field methodology, and native species management, all through an Indigenous perspective.
As part of the program’s experiential activities, all students directly engage with and observe the sturgeon living in the tribally-sponsored classroom take daily. This is done through regular feedings and tank cleaning throughout the school year.
Students engage in a direct experience with tribal fish hatchery operations through a tour of the LTBB Hatchery Facility. Students learn about LTBB’s hatchery systems and current stocking projects.
Finally, students participate in a ceremonial release of the classroom Nme into the Black River each May. We believe that closing out the unit with ceremony is an important aspect of the program that foregrounds a traditional cultural perspective and makes it unique among other similar fish-in-the-classroom programs. When students, Native and non-Native, participate, they learn to see and think from another cultural perspective and begin to appreciate that perspective as important and relevant.
Following the release, the students walked a short distance to view a sturgeon collection where trained fish biologists temporarily trapped Lake Sturgeon and harvested their eggs to be used in the fish hatchery sturgeon program. Students also received a Black River Hatchery Tour and learned about the roles of fish hatcheries in supporting fish populations.
Outcomes:
Additionally, students in all school districts implementing Nme Teachings complete a pre and post assessment evaluating their understanding of the material presented in the unit. The posttest average demonstrates in increase of 19 percentage points. The most significant increases were in knowledge and understanding around the tribal perspective on and reciprocal relationship with Nme (lake sturgeon); understanding of dams and fish passages; and practices in tribal fisheries.
STEAM Programming:
Our STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) programs engage and support the identities of our Native students through culturally responsive education activities that weave academic and cultural knowledge. Activities are hands-on, field-based activities rooted in Odawa perspectives. They engage students in meaningful and rigorous ways both to promote learning and engagement in STEAM-related domains.
Several critical issues in education motivated our decision to move to a focus on science or STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) programming.
Participants engage in activities such as: