It's all about Roots. Resiliency. Reclamation. This past week, July 30 - August 4, the NACA Inspired Schools Network brought together new first-year fellows for an intensive community of practice that is designed to support their journey as founding members of their respective community-designed school. Second year fellows also joined the orientation programming that culminated in a day of service and feast at Santo Domingo Pueblo.
NISN fellows are committed to Indigenous communities to establish schools in New Mexico and throughout the country that will create strong leaders who are academically prepared, secure in their identities, healthy, and ultimately transforming their communities.
The orientation was designed to introduce fellows to the main outcomes, structures, themes and phases of the fellowship experience, as well as to deepen their understanding and appreciation of the Native context and Native education history. The fellows will, in turn, gain a greater understanding of the Native American Community Academy-Inspired Network and our community design process of establishing schools, leading schools and creating schools of Excellence and Relevance for Native American students in New Mexico, South Dakota, Oklahoma and Colorado.
Fellows will continue to create a strategic plan for opening and operating a new charter school or to help manage their tribal grant school. Fellows research and engage their school communities through the school design process in order to create a common mission and vision for the school. Fellows also have the opportunity to establish key community partnerships and gain local support for their school.
