The Tribe’s Education Department has organized a Speakers Bureau, comprised of tribal culture-keepers and subject matter experts. Topics are as diverse as the individual members of the bureau, and range from tribal historical perspectives, to colonization, sovereignty, government relations, tribal constitutions and courts, to instructional strategies beneficial to the engagement of tribal students.
Thanks to the work of the Education staff and Kim Maida, Grant Specialist, the tribe received a 3-year State Tribal Education Partnership (STEP) grant, in October 2020, from the U.S. Department of Education/Office of Indian Education. As a result, a formal Partnership Agreement was enacted between the tribe’s Education Department and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the Mashpee School District; signed by Commissioner Riley and Superintendent DeBoer, respectively.
The agreement contains provisions for identifying native students enrolled in the district; attainment of parent consent for sharing student school data; and opportunities for mutually-provided professional development to improve the skills and knowledge of education personnel to more effectively educate native students and engage native families; among other provisions.
The goal of the Agreement is: 1) to build the capacity of the tribe’s Education Department to serve native youth; 2) to build the capacity of the State Department of Education (DESE); and 3) to build the capacity of the public school system to more effectively educate native students.
Information may be found on the tribe’s website at https://mashpeewampanoagtribe-nsn.gov/education to access the Agreement. The Speakers Bureau provides a menu, if you will, of topics and specific areas of expertise, from which Education can draw upon to offer/schedule/plan for professional development (PD) sessions.
Compensation for formal speaking engagements (PD) is supported by funds from the approved STEP grant. Persons having interest in contributing to the content of the Speakers Bureau is asked to submit a vitae, resume, or evidence of past engagements with topics to Cameron Greendeer, Program Manager at Cameron.greendeer@mwtribe-nsn.gov; or Darius Coombs, Cultural Outreach Coordinator at Darius.coombs@mwtribe-nsn.gov. Call (508) 477-0208 Ext.178. Wampanoag/Native preference applies.
