Zoe Higheagle Strong is the WSU Vice Provost for Native American Relations and Programs, Tribal Liaison to the President, and Director of the Center for Native American Research and Collaboration (https://native.wsu.edu/cnrc/)
WSU Executive Policy 41– Policy on Tribal Engagement, Consultation, and Consent for Joint WSU-Tribal
Research Activities and Projects govern how departments are allowed to interact with the tribal governments.
The principal program is required to be thoughtful in our engagement directly with tribes. Candidates are not allowed to directly contact tribal governments to engage around STI. For this reason, such work is done through the assigned internship school district. The candidates must follow the school district’s policies and process when contacting tribal communities ensuring thoughtful, respectful, and responsible interactions.
In many instances, school districts do not have a process to hold proper government-to-government relations. WSU’s Principal Preparation Program has not directly engaged with the tribes regarding STI. The WSU Principal Preparation Program embeds STI leadership within our curriculum (see Course Information, STI Alignment Standards).
The Vice Provost for Native American Relations and Programs offers periodic training for departments and faculty in the Principal Preparation Program. Additionally, the College of Education works collectively between teaching and learning and educational leadership on classroom integration of STI for teachers.
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