Native American Education Program (NAEP)
NAEP Mission
The Renton School District participates in the Native American/Alaska Native Education Program, serving Native American and Alaska Native students at the elementary, middle and high school level. This program is funded by Federal Title VII Grant monies based on Native American student counts and administered through Student and Family Support Services.
- To assist our Native American/Alaska Native students in fulfilling their academic education.
- To preserve and enlighten an understanding of Native culture within the school and their community.
- To inspire and enable all students to realize their full potential and to become responsible, successful and caring adults.
Native American Education Program Events
Watch here for events coming in the 2024 - 2025 school year
Who is eligible for services?
To be eligible for these program services, a student must complete a Title VI Indian Certification form
This form certifies that a student is enrolled in a district school. The program provides services for all students who meet any of the following qualifications:
- Member of a tribe, band or other organized group of Indians including those terminated since 1940
- Child or grandchild of any such member mentioned above
- An Eskimo, Aleut or other Alaska Native
- Considered by the Secretary of the Department of Interior to be a Native American or Alaska Native
Benefits of the Native American/Alaska Native Education Program include:
- Increased academic achievement by improving school performance K-12th grade.
- Increased knowledge of cultural identity and awareness, within an urban school setting.
- Increased school attendance with those students who have a high rate of absenteeism.
- In-court advocacy for Native youth and their parents regarding the BECCA Bill, No Child Left Behind and other juvenile issues.
- Advising and referrals to outside community agencies based on identified student and family needs.
- Assistance for students and families needing confidential drug and alcohol referrals.
- Facilitation for the higher education application process (college and vocational schools) for high school seniors and their families.
- Assistance for accessing scholarships and financial aid through Native American/Alaska Native agencies, organizations and corporations.
- Advocate for students and their families regarding Special Education and IEP’s.
Spring 2023 Event
On March 28, 2023, over 48 Renton School District Native students gathered in an all-day Native American Student Summit hosted through a collaborative effort which included the Native Community, RSD Native Education Program, Career & Technical Education (CTE), and GEAR UP.
This first Native Summit was a shared space to acknowledge, affirm, celebrate, and support the cultural identity and academic success of Renton School District’s Indigenous 9-12th grade students. Students were celebrated to honor the noble path of learning and embracing their cultural identity, tribal history, language, and traditions as a foundation for academic success, leadership, and the perpetuation of their ancient core tribal values of land stewardship, ancestral knowledge, and balance of body, mind, spirit.
Native Tradition Bearers who carried these messages were Earline Bala (Seneca), Barbara Cadiente-Nelson (Tlingit); Tommy Segundo (Haida); Zion Moala (Tlingit); Dr. Leander Yazzie, Ph.D, (Dené) & Alejandra Lopez (Dené) of Green River College Indigenous Success Center; Autumn Forespring (Ojibwe/Cowlitz) of University of Washington Multicultural Outreach; Renton School CTE Director Kevin Smith (Cherokee); Native Education Coordinator, Nemasia Moala (Tlingit); GEAR UP District Coordinator, Kirsten Thornton; GEAR UP Building Coordinator, Yaneth Garcia; College and Career Specialist, Cindy Martinez; and Academic Advancement Coordinator, Shaquille Blair-Kimber.
