Services
Exceeding Your Expectations
SunClan Consulting is a top-to-bottom, side-to-side professional development organization dedicated to supporting K-12 administrators, counselors, educators and other staff serving Native American students. We also provide engagement and empowerment training to Indigenous parents and other family members and leadership academies to Native American youth. Our services are customized to our client's identified needs.
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Please note: All services can be provided to non-Native audiences. Our professional development work and youth leadership academies will benefit all staff and students.
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Photo by Sam Minkler: rezfoto@gmail.com
Understanding Federal Education Funding: Title I-A, II-A, VI-A & Johnson-O'Malley
Overview: Participants will expand their knowledge of federal education funding sources that impact their Native American students and how to make the most of these funds while complying with the law that governs them.
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Target Audience: School board members, school district staff, classroom teachers, counselors, specialists, paraprofessionals, Indian Education Committees, individual parents, tribal council members, community members
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Short-term Outcome:
Expanded awareness of purpose and allowable uses of individual funding sources.
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Mid-term Outcomes:
Improved use and tracking of funds
Improved decision-making for use of funds
Improved compliance with laws governing use of funds
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Long-term Outcomes:
Effective Use of funds according to their purpose
Decisions for us of funds based on greatest needs of Native American students
Few or zero findings resulting from compliance monitoring or fiscal audits
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Ultimate Goals for Native American Students: Greatly improved levels of academic achievement, greatly improved attendance, low dropout rates, high graduation rates, and more.
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Photo by Sam Minkler: rezfoto@gmail.com
Connecting to Native American Students
Target Audience: school district staff, classroom teachers, counselors, reading and math specialists, and paraprofessionals.
Overview: Participants will learn how to improve teaching techniques, how to better connect to Native communities, and positively affect academic outcomes for Native American students in urban and reservation schools.
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Target Audience: School district staff, classroom teachers, counselors, specialists, and paraprofessionals.
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Short-term Outcome: Expanded awareness of Native American history and general cultural knowledge
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Mid-term Outcomes:
Improved connections to Native American students
Improved relationship to the Native community
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Long-term Outcomes:
Deep understanding of challenges that Native American students face
Ability to successfully apply learned practices when educating Native American students
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Ultimate Goals for Native American Students and Educators: Greatly improved levels of academic achievement, greatly improved attendance, low dropout rates, high graduation rates, job satisfaction, and long-term retention of teachers and administrators.
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Photo by Kevin Russell: kevin@totemconcepts.com
Leadership Training for Native American Youth
Overview: Participants will learn skills to make good choices regarding education, career, family life, and civic engagement.
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Target Audience: Native American youth in grades 7-12. (Non-Native American youth are welcome!)
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Short-Term Outcomes: Students will become aware of what it takes to be an effective leader, how to recognize a good leader to follow, and what it means to be civically engaged.
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Mid-term Outcomes:
Students demonstrate leadership ability either in school or at home
Self-esteem has been improved based on responses to survey questions
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Long-term Outcomes:
Students become actively engaged in leadership outside of school or family
Confidence and self-worth are significantly improved among participants
Students have identified ways to become civically engaged
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Ultimate Change for Native American Students/Schools/Communities: Active involvement by a majority of the community in decisions affecting them (student council, clubs, tribal council, parent committees, etc.); reduced bullying, more Native American clubs, larger parent committees, etc.).
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Photo by Kevin Russell: kevin@totemconcepts.com
The Power of Family Engagement
Overview: Participants will learn how to be effective members of an Indian Education Committee, how to work with school staff to incorporate Native culture into the curriculum, how to prepare their children for a college education, and how to advocate for services for their children.
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Target Audience: Parents or guardians of Native American students, other adult family members.
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Short-term Outcome:
Family members, especially parents, will gain some tools to be more involved in their children's education.
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Mid-term Outcomes:
Family members will gain some confidence advocating for services for their children via federal programs.
Family members will learn how to contribute to cultural events at school.
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Long-term Outcomes:
Family members will have the knowledge they need to serve effectively on an Indian Education Committee.
Participants will know how to advocate for supplemental education services that will benefit their children.
Participants will understand how to contribute to culturally related activities in their children's schools.
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Ultimate Change for Native American Students/Parents/Schools:
Greatly improved levels of academic achievement for Native American students of participating family members
Greatly improved attendance, dropout rates, and graduation rates for these students
A strong sense of satisfaction among participants as engaged family members
A much deeper knowledge of Native American culture among school staff and students
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Photo by Sam Minkler: rezfoto@gmail.com
Understanding Tribal Sovereignty
Overview: Participants will learn about the history of Native Americans and how that history produced sovereignty for federally recognized Indian tribes.
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Target Audience: Open to all
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Short-term Outcomes:
Improved consultation efforts between affected LEAs and tribes
Enhanced teaching regarding Native American history
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Mid-term Outcomes:
Improved Tribal Consultation outcomes for Native American students
Better connection between teachers and their Native American students
Improved self-esteem among Native American students
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Long-term Outcomes:
Excellent outcomes for Native American students resulting from districts partnering with tribal representatives
Teachers, Native American students, and non-Native American students understand the impact of historical trauma and ways to overcome resulting challenges
Eventual significant improvement of academic outcomes for Native American students at participating schools
Ultimate Change for Native American Students/Parents/Schools:
High level of partnering among administrators, educators, Native American families, and tribal representatives resulting in excellent academic achievement and self-esteem among Native American students
Greatly reduced misunderstanding of what it means to be a sovereign Native American tribe