University of Kansas receives $1.5 million grant to train teachers for Native-serving schools

The University of Kansas received a $1.5 million grant from the Office of Indian Education in the U.S. Department of Education to collaborate with tribal nations and school districts in Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma, according to the Kansas Reflector. The five-year Southern Plains American Indian Teaching Pathways Project aims to prepare and mentor 15 teachers for Native-serving schools through a partnership that includes Haskell Indian Nations University.

Alex Red Corn, Osage, director of Indigenous studies at KU and lead principal investigator on the project, said the grant will provide a “funded pathway to full teacher licensure through KU and Haskell.” Students will receive financial support, including tuition, stipends and laptops, and will be required to work in Native-serving schools after graduation.