Educational Success Team
Lincoln Public Schools, Federal Programs includes the Native Education Team, which is funded by a federal grant that offers Native students and their families a network of support to help improve the number of Native high school graduates. The Native Education Team works with students K–12, advocating on their behalf, providing tutoring, mentoring, counseling services, and creating opportunities for students to shadow professionals in the workplace. In addition, the Team organizes cultural enrichment activities and offers opportunities for students to visit college campuses. Regularly organized cultural events bring together the LPS Native community and the Team’s ongoing advocacy encourages Native students to engage in civic as well as extracurricular school activities.
American Indian Youth Demonstration Grant
Lincoln Public Schools, Federal Programs, includes the American Indian Education Team, which runs on a federal grant and offers Native students and their families a network of support to help improve the number of American Indian high school graduates. The Indian Education Team works with students K-12, advocating on their behalf, providing tutoring, mentoring, culturally aware counseling services, and creating opportunities for students to shadow professionals in the workplace. In addition, the Team organizes cultural enrichment activities and offers opportunities for students to visit college campuses. Regularly organized cultural events bring together the LPS American Indian community and the Team’s ongoing advocacy encourages Native students to engage in civic as well as extracurricular school activities.
American Indian families are the foundation of 
their students’ success, which is why the LPS Native American Advisory Committee (NAAC) was formed. NAAC meets quarterly with the Indian Education Team, helping to plan and guide cultural events aimed at encouraging and honoring the success of their students.
The overall goal of the American Indian Education Program is to provide needed supports for LPS American Indian students to make it possible for them to achieve academic success and graduate fully prepared for college or career.
We will be known by the tracks we leave behind.
— Dakota Proverb
American Indian Youth Demonstration Grant
Lincoln Public Schools, Federal Programs, includes the American Indian Education Team, which runs on a federal grant and offers Native students and their families a network of support to help improve the number of American Indian high school graduates. The Indian Education Team works with students K-12, advocating on their behalf, providing tutoring, mentoring, culturally aware counseling services, and creating opportunities for students to shadow professionals in the workplace. In addition, the Team organizes cultural enrichment activities and offers opportunities for students to visit college campuses. Regularly organized cultural events bring together the LPS American Indian community and the Team’s ongoing advocacy encourages Native students to engage in civic as well as extracurricular school activities.
American Indian families are the foundation of their students’ success, which is why the LPS Native American Advisory Committee (NAAC) was formed. NAAC meets quarterly with the Indian Education Team, helping to plan and guide cultural events aimed at encouraging and honoring the success of their students.
The overall goal of the American Indian Education Program is to provide needed supports for LPS American Indian students to make it possible for them to achieve academic success and graduate fully prepared for college or career.
We will be known by the tracks we leave behind.
— Dakota Proverb
A Four-Part Strategy for Success
The Indian Education Team tries to infuse cultural enrichment into every activity and event they organize. Non-Indian students are invited and welcome to participate. Artists, speakers, musicians, and storytellers help students grasp and retain academic information.
Academic Supports
Academic Support for American Indian students includes Success Coaches, job shadowing, college visits, focus programs, and book clubs at the secondary schools. The elementary students have quarterly Fundays that focus on fun and exciting STEM projects. Also held quarterly for the elementary students are Family Reading Nights. Tutoring is a priority for all grade levels.
Social Supports
Social Support for American Indian students includes school clubs and caucuses, Native American Advisory Council, and the LPS Native Youth Leadership Council.
Behavioral and Emotional Supports
Behavioral and Emotional Support for American Indian students includes an American Indian Therapy group that focuses first on the benefit of our students, and then providing cultural competency sessions for the LPS counselors and social workers at all 65 LPS school buildings. Through these efforts, we build a network of supportive, knowledgeable adults throughout the District.
Cultural Supports
Cultural Support includes bringing Native artists, musicians, professionals, elders, business owners and others to share their knowledge in the schools with American Indian students. This support also gives Native students an opportunity share aspects of their cultures with the non-Native students at their schools.
Professional Development for LPS Staff
Our grant allows us to offer LPS teachers sociocultural training that will strengthen the relationships between teachers and Native families.
With our grant, Native mental health professionals will provide training to LPS counselors and social workers, bringing greater awareness about obstacles that come between our Native students and their academic success.
We can invite speakers from various disciplines to work with students, teachers, families, and the community to illuminate American Indian contributions in our modern communities.
Indian Education Benefits
- Back-to-school Backpack Program
- UNL Native American Leadership Symposium
- Family Reading Nights
- Middle School Conference
- University Campus Visits
- Job Shadowing Opportunities
- Native American High School Caucuses
- Elementary After-School Clubs
- Eagle Feather Project
- NAAC — Native American Advisory Committee
Partnerships
- Society of Care Navigator
- Morningstar Counseling and Consultation
- Nebraska Indian Affairs Commission
- Ponca Tribe of Nebraska
- Santee Sioux Tribe of Nebraska
- Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska
- Francie and Finch Bookshop
- Native Centered Education Program (NiCE)
- University of Nebraska — Lincoln
- Native American Advisory Council
- Nebraska Wesleyan University
- The Career Academy
- LPS Native Youth Leadership Council
- Lied Center for Performing Arts
- Nebraska Army National Guard
- United States Marine Corps
- Initialize
- UNL Transportation Center
- Community Learning Centers
- Dreamcatcher Rides
- Nebraska History Museum
- Nebraska Indian Education Association
