Washington State University and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe entered into the Camp Larson Purchase and Sale Agreement on July 30, 2004. This was followed by the establishment of an Educational Partnership Fund at Washington State University. The Coeur d’Alene Education Partnership Program was created with these funds to support projects for five years.
Together, Washington State University and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe agreed to work cooperatively to establish programs that reflect the priorities established by the Tribe. While many of the current projects focus on work with K-12 schools, the Partnership Program is designed to serve educational needs of Coeur d’Alene Tribe members of all ages.
Program Administration
Washington State University
Judy Nichols Mitchell, Dean, College
of Education
Barbara Aston, Tribal Liaison,
Provost’s Office
Coeur d’Alene Tribe
Chris Meyer, Director of Education
Program Participants
- Curriculum Planning and Development: Lynda Paznokas
- Cybertutoring: Gerald Maring; Mari Stair and Gail Gleason, graduate assistants
- Developmental Assets Assessment: Lali McCubbin
- Leadership Development Camp: Paula Groves Price and Cedric Price
- Scholarships: Barbara Aston
- Teachers as Mentors: Tina Anctil
Curriculum planning and
development project:
The focus of this project is to examine how to help teachers that work with Coeur d’Alene children develop best practices in instructional methodology and to examine curriculum offerings to determine if they are meeting the needs of students as well as state standards.
Cybertutoring project:
Graduate students will run a program using Marratech software to provide tutoring to Coeur d’Alene students through computer technology. The Coeur d’Alene Department of Education will identify the students from the tribe who will be eligible for tutoring services and the College of Education at WSU will be responsible for providing tutors and technical support for this program. Guy Westhoff is offering technical assistance and consulting for this project.
Developmental assets assessment project:
This project, led by Lali McCubbin, will focus on assessing current practices in schools in order to inform the development of curriculum and to determine future programs for students. She will work with Chris Meyer and others to examine courses and teaching practices in order to assess what is effective and not effective.
Leadership development camp:
The summer Leadership Camp, which brings tribal students to the WSU Pullman campus, continues under the direction of Paula Groves Price and Cedric Price .
Scholarship program:
Each year money is made available to members of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe for scholarships. First priority for these funds will be as scholarship money available to Coeur d’Alene Tribal members enrolled at Washington State University in any field leading toward a four-year degree, master’s degree, or doctoral degree. The second priority will be funding requests for tribal members to attend special interest workshops or camps. Contact Barbara Aston for further information about scholarships.
Teachers as mentors training project:
This project is a means for helping teachers in schools that serve Coeur d’Alene tribe members develop techniques and skills to mentor high school students to succeed academically. Workshops for teachers start at the beginning of this academic year and continue through the following semester.
