Ti’tooqan Cuukweneewit — Our Activities
Future Native Teachers Initiative
A 2008 report shows that K-12 Native American students perform better when they have native teachers, yet Native Americans are only one percent of Washington’s teachers. To provide more, this project helped host the Future Native Teachers Initiative (FNTI) Oct. 23-25.
The event provided Native American students with a series of activities to help them consider teaching as a career, partly in response to the 2008 Native Achievement Report, “From Where the Sun Rises.”
“I think representation is a really important factor,” said renée holt, co-director of WSU’s Clearinghouse on Native Teaching and Learning.
The keynote speaker was Megan Bang, affiliated faculty at the University of Washington in American Indian Studies. She is also the former Director of Education at the American Indian Center.
“She has done a great job ensuring that K-12th grade Indigenous youth have the opportunity to learn and continue Indigenous science,” holt said. “This is something Indigenous peoples have always done, but it also appropriately utilizes western science towards generative ends.”
Suwyn Family Lecture
The Suwyn Family Lecture Series in Education is a yearly event that started in 2013. It features a key education leader whose insights provide a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities we face in preparing our children to lead the next generation. The lectures are free and open to the public.
This year’s event featured Megan Bang, an associate professor at the University of Washington, and an expert in Native American education, policy, and mentorship.
This year’s talk focused on the role of Indigenous science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics education in bringing about just and sustainable futures that ensure the thriving of Indigenous communities.
WSU alumni Mark and Patt Suwyn endowed the lecture series to promote informed discussion about matters of vital importance in the field of education. Longtime donors to the University, the Suwyns are passionate about ensuring that all children receive the transformative opportunities provided through education.
Indigenous Education Summer Intensive