Professional Development in K-12 Education
Cultural Understanding Workshops-2021-22
Our Program:
Tailored towards unique organization, district, or department goals, our cultural understanding workshops prepare educators to meaningfully engage, and improve educational outcomes for Native students and their peers.
How it Works:
Starting with a baseline assessment of your institution’s needs, our advisors design a series of interactive cultural understanding workshops that build upon your institution’s existing strengths. Supported by our Native educators, staff members then explore critical education and public health data and research, and learn about the impact of historical and contemporary movements on Native communities. Finally, participants refine their problem solving skills through case study analysis, school assessments, and practical planning activities. Participants leave with concrete ideas and plans for improvement.
How Your Organization Will Grow
Improve cultural understanding of the Native and Indigenous communities you serve.
Access new tools and resources for improving classroom content, classroom management, and community engagement.
Design a concrete plan for growing your practice with the close guidance of
Native educators.
Gain skills needed to build meaningful alliances with underserved communities.
Our Advisors:
Redbud Resource Group’s advisors represent diverse Tribal communities, and have advanced degrees and experience in the Education field. We integrate expert knowledge from the fields of education and public health, as well as our personal insight as Native people, throughout our professional development workshops.
Example Workshop Content
Below is a sample of the workshop content we offer. During our pre-consultation meeting, we develop an understanding of the needs of your school site or department, and tailor our plans to best support you.
Half Day | Full Day | Series | |
|---|---|---|---|
Gain new strategies for interacting and engaging Native families. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Explore the impact of cultural stereotypes and misconceptions on your students and their ability to perform well in school. We’ll use our “Seeing Our Native Students” educator guide (book & videos). | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Assess the quality of Native-focused curricula using Redbud’s Lesson Rubric. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Consult closely with Native community members to create a Growing Your Practice plan. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Access up to date, community specific data, and use it to inform your Growing Your Practice plan. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Problem-solve common workplace challenges using Redbud’s Wellness Model and other public health & education interventions. | ✓ | ✓ | |
Gain insight into the Native/Indigenous experience by interacting with additional community representatives/guest speakers. | ✓ | ||
Receive ongoing support as plans are
implemented and assessed. | ✓ |
Our Track Record
We have served museums, cultural centers, school districts, environmental nonprofits, Tribal governments, and more. The resources and experiences we produce online, in the classroom, and out in the field have increased cultural competency and strengthened relationships between Native and non-Native peoples. Our work includes designing lessons across a variety of school subjects and writing Native-centered guides and articles on behalf of organizations. Our work spans a wide range of topics, including environmental science, public health, education, cultural preservation, political diplomacy, and conflict resolution.
