KC Counts:
There are some folks who may not have heard of this organization before. That's my way of saying, I haven't heard of this organization before. Tell us a little bit about it.
Heath Clayton:
The National Fund was chartered by Congress to support the Bureau of Indian Education, which is a network of about 183 K through 12 schools in 23 states operated by the US Department of Interior. Many of these schools are federally operated, so they needed a vehicle partner to help liaise with philanthropy and to help them innovate. And that's what we're doing.
KC Counts:
How long have you been doing this type of work yourself?
Heath Clayton:
I spent about 15 years in corporate philanthropy and social impact and then came over to lead the national fund about a year ago.
KC Counts:
So we're talking about a $10 million grant. That's a big number. And it's a federal grant, right?
Heath Clayton:
That's correct. We applied for an education innovation research grant at the US Department of Education. And we're thrilled that we were selected. It's $10 million from the US Department of Education and then about a million dollars from the required match that's coming from philanthropy and the private sector. This is the first Department of Ed grant that's come to the Bureau of Indian Education, we believe, at least in a very long time, and one of the first research grants for the Bureau of Indian Education. So we were very excited to be the lead applicant and bring these partners together to get this funding out to Indian country.
KC Counts:
Now let's talk about what it's going to do for kids.
Heath Clayton:
Sure. This funding is going to bring the science of reading to 60 of the BIE schools across Arizona and New Mexico. Said another way, it's going to help ensure that in these 60 schools, we develop strong readers by fourth grade. If you don't learn to read, then you're set up for failure throughout the rest of your educational and life journey. Around fourth or fifth grade, you need to be able to read so that you can read to learn the rest of the content in school. So we're going to be bringing high quality instructional materials, high impact tutoring, and teacher training to these schools, and hopefully impact the lives of thousands of students.
KC Counts:
Well, let's talk a little bit about how you do that in native schools where culture and language are so at risk and so important to preserve.
Heath Clayton:
Yeah, it's critically important. Some of these schools already have high quality instructional material that is integrated their tribal values, their culture, their language, and we're not going to disrupt that. We're going to be looking to supplement and create Native-specific literacy content that aligns to those community values and tribal input. And this is really the first time something like this has been done in Indian country. This is the largest literacy investment in the history of Native education. So we're going to have to create some of the playbook as we go to make sure that we get it right.
KC Counts:
I think a lot of people might have been surprised to there was a grant of this nature coming from the federal government. What do you have to say about people who might be surprised to hear that, first of all, but also maybe a little bit reluctant to hear what the federal government might want in return?
Heath Clayton:
Yeah, well, I think by and large, many people don't know a lot about the Bureau of Indian Education and the federal government commitment to provide an education to tribal communities. This grant really represents I think a new era of where people are starting to pay attention to the Bureau of Indian Education, philanthropy and partners like ourselves as their congressional foundation are raising awareness of these issues and making sure that the BIE is considered for funding like this. This is a five-year grant. We have built a great coalition with partners like TNTP, WestEd, NIEA, the National Indian Education Association, and others to make sure that this is a sustained effort over the next five years. And based on what we learned in these 60 schools that we're piloting in, I think there'll be a lot that we can bring to other schools across Indian country in the years ahead.
KC Counts:
Are any of those schools in New Mexico?
Heath Clayton:
We believe about half of the schools are in New Mexico. it's a research grant. We are currently recruiting the schools to participate in the grant. We are hoping to finalize recruitment in the next month and begin the randomization and then start the interventions here in two or three months. But yes, we're expecting half the schools, roughly 30, to be in New Mexico.
KC Counts:
And so what do you hope to achieve, like from a starting point to an end point? Can you crystallize that for us?
Heath Clayton:
Sure. Gosh, let's say in five years this grant is over. We're going to have over 150 teachers trained on the science of reading and know how to balance creating strong readers in their schools while also affirming and celebrating tribal cultures and language. We're going to have tutoring infrastructure and support across these schools that's going to sustain that capability that we're building is meant to stick around. And gosh, we're hoping Thousands of kids will be strong readers that otherwise may not have been and then in the years ahead you look at this as a research study so that we can understand what really works to spread literacy in early childhood education and native schools and communities.
KC Counts:
Well, so if Folks want to reach out and find out if there's a way they could take part is that possible?
Heath Clayton:
Absolutely. We love hearing from folks particularly those working in native education. You can find us online We're called the National Fund Our website is NSEAIE.org. NSEAIE.org, the National Fund for Excellence in American Indian Education.
KC Counts:
And before I let you go, you know, let's talk about some of the challenges along this line. What comes to mind immediately, you know, is the legacy of boarding schools, right, in this country. What have been some of the barriers that you hope to really address head on for Native education?
Heath Clayton:
Yeah. Well, we acknowledge the past of these schools, and our organization is focused on the future. Many of these schools have become cultural outposts where the students are revitalizing their language, celebrating their culture, and we're here to support those students in the journey ahead and excited to see what they do. I visited 22 of the schools so far in my first year on the job, and the students never cease to impress me and motivate me to keep working harder.
KC Counts:
And what else is important for people to know that I haven't yet asked you about?
Heath Clayton:
Well, I think the Bureau of Indian Education is misunderstood by a lot of people, not known by a lot of people. And particularly for listeners in New Mexico, there are dozens of schools in your communities. And hopefully this is a good introduction for people to Google it, to look up the work the National Fund is doing to support these communities. and see how they can collaborate with us in the future.
KC Counts:
The National Fund for Excellence in American Indian Education. It's A mouthful, but Google it and you should come to the right place, correct?
Heath Clayton:
Congress provided us that name and I just like to call it the National Fund.
KC Counts:
Gotcha. All right. Well, Heath, thank you so much for explaining all of that for us. We appreciate the time and good luck with the project.
Heath Clayton:
Hey, thanks for the time. Take care.
You can learn more about The National Fund for Excellence in American Indian Education right here.
