Marina
TOPEKA — Alex Red Corn, director of indigenous studies at the University of Kansas, announced a $1.5 million grant to support a five-year initiative.
The project will collaborate with tribal nations and school districts across three states to expand the pipeline of K-12 teachers serving Native American communities.
Why This Initiative Is Needed
Efforts to recruit and retain teachers for schools serving Native American students have long faced major challenges.
These include insufficient funding, the remoteness of rural communities, and weak job-market recruitment efforts. These barriers have hampered educational equity and access in Native-serving districts.
Grant, Partners, and Structure
KU secured the award from the Office of Indian Education within the U.S. Department of Education. The program is branded as the Southern Plains American Indian Teaching Pathways Project. It is a cooperative effort involving Haskell Indian Nations University (HINU), based in Lawrence, Kansas.
The project’s aim is to work with Native nations and neighboring school districts in Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. Its objective: to prepare and mentor 15 new teachers for both elementary and secondary education levels.
Program Design & Path to Licensure
Red Corn (an Osage Nation member and lead principal investigator) and his team will prioritize recruitment from Native communities. They will offer a funded route to full teacher licensure via KU and HINU, deepening their collaboration with Haskell in both new and established ways.
Prospective candidates may include individuals who have completed—or are nearing completion of—an associate degree. These recruits will be funneled into programs at either KU or HINU to obtain bachelor’s degrees and teaching certification.
After graduation, the newly licensed teachers will be expected to accept positions in Native-serving schools. There, they will benefit from career mentorship provided by experienced educators and respected cultural leaders.
Financial & Support Incentives
KU officials state that participants in the program will receive comprehensive financial support, including:
- Coverage of tuition and fees
- Monthly living stipends
- Assistance for books and laptops
- Funds for academic conference travel
These incentives are intended to alleviate financial barriers and make participation more feasible.
Red Corn expressed gratitude for the opportunity:
“We’re very appreciative of this opportunity from the Office of Indian Education, which is such a critical resource for tribal nations looking to advance sovereignty in education.”
He added that tribes and school partners across the region showed strong interest in establishing a sustainable teacher‐development pipeline.
Project Partners & School District Collaboration
Key partners listed in the grant application include:
- HINU (Haskell Indian Nations University)
- Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation
- Osage Nation
- Quapaw Nation
- Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes
Participating school districts and institutions include:
- Royal Valley Schools
- South Brown County Schools
- Daposka Ahnkodapi (Osage Nation School)
- Darlington Public Schools
- Umoⁿhoⁿ Nation Public School
- Tribal Education Departments National Assembly
These organizations will help with recruitment, mentorship, placement, and long-term program sustainability.
This $1.5 million grant empowers KU, in partnership with HINU and tribal nations, to combat longstanding teacher shortages in Native-serving schools by cultivating homegrown educators from the community.
With structural support, financial incentives, and mentorship, the initiative aims to launch a sustainable pipeline that strengthens educational sovereignty and elevates learning opportunities for Native American students.