Job Opportunity: Tribal Liaison Drug Policy

The Office of Intergovernmental Public Liaison (OIPL) within the Executive Office of the President, Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is recruiting a Policy Analyst (Tribal Liaison) position.  This position will provide advice and counsel regarding substance abuse enforcement, treatment, prevention and recovery needs in Indian Country. The Tribal Liaison will also be responsible for building and maintaining relationships with Tribes, as well as external national Indian organizations. 

The position will assist the OIPL in coordinating all of ONDCP's activities related to state, local and tribal government, law enforcement officials, and outside organizations. In addition, the position will assist OIPL to ensure that the state, local and tribal perspective is taken into account in the establishment of policies, priorities, and objectives for the Nation's drug control program. 

This position would report to the Associate Director of Intergovernmental Public Liaison. Applications will be accepted from United States citizens and nationals (residents of American Samoa and Swain Island).  This is a Schedule A appointment in the excepted service and salary will be commensurate with experience. 

This position requires the selectee to be at least 18 years old and be able to obtain and maintain an Executive Office of the President (EOP) favorable security determination as a prerequisite to employment.  EOP's offer of employment is conditional until the selectee passes a drug screen, pre-employment security interviews, appropriate credit checks, a criminal background record and identification check, and the EOP exercises its discretion to grant the selectee a favorable security determination.  Any employment offer EOP management extends prior to a favorable determination is merely tentative, and the EOP expressly reserves the right to rescind the tentative employment offer at any time before the selectee's start date. Also, EOP employees are eligible for benefits.

The United States Government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factor.  Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate.  Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

 Resume and a cover letter should be facsimiled to 202-395-1147 or 202-395-6724 attention Briggitte LaFontant at ONDCP, Office of Management and Administration (OMA) by December 7, 2009.

Harvard Phillips (education)

The Admissions Offices of Harvard University, the Harvard University Native American Program (HUNAP) & Phillips Academy, Andover are pleased to present:

HARVARD UNIVERSITY & PHILLIPS ACADEMY in NEW MEXICO & ARIZONA

Admissions Officers from Harvard University's graduate & undergraduate programs, as well as staff from Harvard's Native American Program & the Native American Post-Graduate Program at Phillips Academy, Andover, will be hosting 5 receptions for any interested Native American students, educators, tribal members & families to discuss opportunities, admissions & financial aid:

*ALBUQUERQUE:  Monday, 11/16, 6 pm, Sandia Resort 30 Rainbow Rd. NE - 505/796-7500

*FARMINGTON:  Tuesday, 11/17, 6 pm, Best Western Inn & Suites 700 Scott Ave - 505/327-5221

*WINDOW ROCK:  Weds., 11/18, 6 pm, Quality Inn, Navajo Nation 48 West Highway 264 - 928/871-4108

*PHOENIX:  Thursday, 11/19, 6 pm, Sheraton Wild Horse Pass 5594 Wild Horse Pass Blvd., Chandler - 602/225-0100

*TUCSON:  Friday, 11/20, 5:30 pm, 4 Points Sheraton, University Plaza 1900 E. Speedway Blvd. - 520/327-7341

All are welcome!!  No registration is required - for questions or more information, please call 617/495-4923 or e-mail HUNAP@Harvard.EDU

Internship (opportunity)

Native American Internship Opportunity

United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Utilities Service has an opportunity for college students who are interested in paid (part-time 10-20 hours per week) internships or unpaid internships (full-time or part-time, 10-40 hours per week). The agency is located at 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC, convenient to the Metro (Smithsonian station). The agency provides financing for rural communities in the form of loans and grants for telecommunications systems, including funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

The position will be assisting the ARRA team with outreach to Tribal Nations for the RUS' Broadband Initiatives Program. Students who are interested in Federal government outreach to Tribal Nations will assist the ARRA team in outreach to other government agencies, public relations experts, and Tribal members to promote and encourage participation in the ARRA's Broadband Infrastructure Program (BIP). Public Affairs, Communications, Political Science and American Indian studies majors (undergraduates, graduates and law students) are encouraged to apply. Wages are determined by the educational level achieved at the time of application.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens.

Please email Kathie.Klass @ wdc. usda. gov with your resume, including number of semester hours completed and the number of hours per week desired, indicating paid or unpaid.

Every Student to College (education)

Edutopia: What Works in Public Education
November 4, 2009
This Week's Features: Blueprints for Change
girl listens amongst students This School Is on a Mission to Send Every Student to College
Discover the astonishing success of Houston's Yes Prep North Central.

links to video Chris Barbic Shares His Vision for Reform
YES Prep's visionary leader discusses the organization's origins and philosophy.

Yes Prep Ten Takeaway Tips from YES Prep
Bold ideas from a successful Houston charter school.

Timely Tips
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Inside Novel Writing
Each week in this spot, we highlight articles, blog posts, polls, and videos about a key issue in public education. Today, check out some of Edutopia's content related to National Novel Writing Month:

Article: A School-for-Scribes Program Turns Kids into Novelists

Blog: The Benefits of Taking Students Outside to Inspire Writing

Blog: Using Technology to Encourage Writing

Groups now on Edutopia.org  Visit Edutopia's New Online Community
  Meet other educators -- share and collaborate.

Poll question
Speak Up
"Each morning, I greet my students and address each individual with something positive. It takes only a minute, but that minute has improved the self-esteem of the students and sets the tone for the day."
-- Deb Gallant,
kindergarten teacher,
Burr Elementary School,
Hartford, Connecticut
Image
Pick it up at your local Borders, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, and Hastings stores. (And if they don't have it, ask!)
Stay connected@edutopia on Twitter Edutopia on Facebook RSS feed link

-- Edutopia.org blogger Owen Edwards, from his post
"The Games Pupils Play"
Grants EDUTOPIA WEBINAR
Linda Darling HammondA free special event informing the most sweeping school reform in years: common core standards.
Presenter: Stanford University professor Linda Darling-Hammond, who will discuss her latest research on international standards and assessments.

What Would It Mean to Be Internationally Competitive? How the United States Can Learn from Standards and Assessments in High-Achieving Nations
November 17 at 8:30 a.m. PST/11:30 a.m. EST
For policy makers, researchers, and administrators

Lessons from Abroad: International Standards and Assessments
November 17 at 3:30 p.m. PST/6:30 p.m. EST
For teachers and parents

Presented by Edutopia and the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education in collaboration with the Council for Chief State School Officers.

Join now to attend.

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Grants GRANTS & RESOURCES
The George Lucas Educational Foundation is a nonprofit operating foundation and is not a grant-making organization. However, in order to realize the potential of 21st-century education, we are fully aware that our community needs to secure grants and be aware of other exciting opportunities in education, such as the following:

2010 SAC Announced (opportunity)

2010 NATIVE AMERICAN STUDENT ART COMPETITION ANNOUNCED BY THE OFFICE OF INDIAN EDUCATION

Bringing Honor Through Education is the theme for the U.S. Department of Education, Office Indian Education’s 2010 Native American Student Art Competition. The competition, which celebrates the values and successes of education in Native American communities, is open to all American Indian and Alaska Native students in grades Pre-K through 12. The deadline for submissions is January 29, 2010. 

By supporting this competition, the Office of Indian Education hopes to inspire students to explore the connection between their education and culture through art and writing. Entries for the 2010 Native American Student Art Competition should relate to the theme Bringing Honor Through Education and reflect the promise and importance of pursuing an education for Native youth. Submissions will be judged in six different grade levels, and prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in the artist and writing categories. 

In recognition of the students’ artistic talents, the 2009 Native American Student Artist winning entries were exhibited at the U.S. Department of Education, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, Oklahoma History Center, and the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture. 

The Student Art Competition rules require that a student register their entry online or over the phone prior to submitting their entry. For additional information, rules, and entry form, please visit http://kids.indianeducation.org, email sac@indianeducation.org, or call (866) 259-0060. 

Common Core Standards (education)

The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a joint effort by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) in partnership with Achieve, ACT and the College Board. Governors and state commissioners of education from across the country committed to joining a state-led process to develop a common core of state standards in English-language arts and mathematics for grades K-12. The first step of this initiative is developing college- and career-readiness standards followed by K-12 standards.

These standards will be research and evidence-based, internationally benchmarked, aligned with college and work expectations and include rigorous content and skills. The NGA Center and CCSSO are coordinating the process to develop these standards and have created an expert validation committee to provide an independent review of the common core state standards, as well as the grade-by-grade standards.

 

Below please find some resources about the Common Core Standards Initiative:

 

http://www.niea.org/issues/highschoolpolicy.php

http://www.corestandards.org/

http://tinyurl.com/ydnhwsq

http://tinyurl.com/kodxto

http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oese/oie/nacie.html

Heritage Month Information (holidaze)

2007 Websites and information regarding American Indian Heritage Month

From Indian Health Service

 

November is National American Indian Heritage Month. This year's theme at Indian Health Service is: ”Revitalizing Health-Energizing Our Mission In The Era Of Change”

http://www.ihs.gov/PublicAffairs/Heritage/ 

 

Celebrating Tribal Nations: America's Great Partners

The Creation of
National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month

A Brief History
Source: Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs

What began at the turn of the century as an effort to gain a day of recognition for the significant contributions the First Americans made to the establishment and growth of the United States has resulted in the month of November being designated for that purpose.

Early Proponents

One of the early proponents of an American Indian Day was Dr. Arthur C. Parker, a Seneca Indian who was the Director of the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester, New York. He persuaded the Boy Scouts of America to set aside a day for the "First Americans," and for three years the Scouts adopted such a day. In 1915, at the annual Congress of the American Indian Association meeting in Lawrence, Kansas, a plan celebrating American Indian Day was formally approved. The Association directed its president, Rev. Sherman Coolidge, an Arapahoe, to call upon the country to set aside a day of recognition. Rev. Coolidge issued a proclamation on September 28, 1915, which declared the second Saturday of May as American Indian Day and contained the first formal appeal for recognition of American Indians as citizens.

The year before this proclamation was issued, Red Fox James, a Blackfeet Indian, rode horseback from state to state, seeking approval for a day to honor American Indians. On December 14, 1915, Red Fox James presented the endorsements of 24 state governments to the White House. There is no record, however, of such a national day being proclaimed.

State Celebrations

The first American Indian Day to be celebrated in a state was declared on the second Saturday in May 1916 by the governor of New York. Several states celebrate the fourth Friday in September. In Illinois, for example, legislators enacted such a day in 1919. Presently, several states have designated Columbus Day as Native American Day, but it continues to be a day we observe without any legal recognition as a national holiday.

Heritage Months

In 1990 President George Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 as "National American Indian Heritage Month." Similar proclamations have been issued each year since 1994.

National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month is celebrated to recognize the intertribal cultures and to educate the public about the heritage, history, art, and traditions of the American Indian and Alaska Native people. The Creation of National American Indian & Alaska Native Heritage Month A Brief History Source: Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs________________________________________

 

Dr. Arthur C. Parker

What started at the turn of the century as an effort to gain a day of recognition for the significant contributions the first Americans made to the establishment and growth of the U.S., has resulted in a whole month being designated for that purpose.

 

Early Proponents: One of the very proponents of an American Indian Day was 

Dr. Arthur C. Parker, a Seneca Indian, who was the director of the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester, N.Y. He persuaded the Boy Scouts of America to set aside a day for the "First Americans" and for three years they adopted such a day. In 1915, the annual Congress of the American Indian Association meeting 

in Lawrence, Kans., formally approved a plan concerning American Indian Day. 

It directed its president, Rev. Sherman Coolidge, an Arapahoe, to call upon the country to observe such a day. Coolidge issued a proclamation on Sept. 28, 

1915, which declared the second Saturday of each May as an American Indian Day and contained the first formal appeal for recognition of Indians as citizens.

 

The year before this proclamation was issued, Red Fox James, a Blackfoot Indian, rode horseback from state to state seeking approval for a day to honor Indians. On December 14, 1915, he presented the endorsements of 24 state governments at the White House. There is no record, however, of such a national day being proclaimed.

 

State Celebrations: The first American Indian Day in a state was declared on the second Saturday in May 1916 by the governor of N.Y. Several states celebrate the fourth Friday in September. In Illinois, for example, legislators enacted such a day in 1919. Presently, several states have designated Columbus Day as Native American Day, but it continues to be a day we observe without any recognition as a national legal holiday.

 

Heritage Months: In 1990 President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 "National American Indian Heritage Month." Similar proclamations have been issued each year since 1994. The theme for 2005 is 

"Respecting Tradition, Embracing a Healthy Future" (From http://www.ihs.gov/)

*******

Additional Resources

 

***Society for American Indian Government Employees (SAIGE) is a national non-profit organization that serves the needs of American Indian (AI), and  Alaska Native (AN), federal employees, promoting the recruitment, hiring, retention, development, and advancement of American Indians and Alaska Natives in the  government workforce. SAIGE's 2006 conference will be held in Anchorage, AK

http://www.saige.org/

 

***The National Museum of the American Indian

http://www.nmai.si.edu/

 

***American Indian website - Phil Konstantin has a website with lots of links--especially to books on American Indians. We regularly send out Phil's newsletter when we receive it.   http://www.americanindian.net/

 

****The National Park Service has historical information in The National 

Register of Historic Places which promotes awareness of and appreciation for the history and culture of American Indians and Alaska Natives during National American Indian Heritage Month. This month is dedicated to recognizing the intertribal cultures, the events and life ways, the designs and achievements of American Indians and Alaska Natives. As part of the observance, this site showcases historic properties listed in the National Register, National Register publications, and National Park units.

http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/feature/indian/

***Rod Enterprises, Inc has posters for special observances

*** The Diversity Store has posters for special observances. Their posters for Amerian Indian Heritage have several different themes. http://www.diversitystore.com/

 

***American West - This site has sections on General Native American 

Resources, Education, Leaders of the Past, Messages & Personal Home Pages, Native American Nations Homepages, Images, Organizations & Government Resources, Ghosts from the Past, Native Peoples' Web Ring, Native Languages, and Movies.

http://www.americanwest.com/pages/indians.htm

 

****For a listing of federally recognized American Indian Tribes and a listing of Native entities within the state of Alaska (there are 227 of them!), go 

to  http://www.indiancircle.com/links.shtml

 

****Association of American Indian Affairs is an 80-year-old organization with offices in Maryland and South Dakota, with an active cultural preservation program. AAIA was an integral part of the advocacy effort that led to the enactment of NAGPRA, has facilitated repatriation of almost 2,000 human remains to the Dakota people, plays a leading role in sacred sites preservation, and operates a small Dakota language program in South Dakota. AAIA's other programs focus on tribal sovereignty, sacred lands protection, youth, scholarships, and health. 

http://www.indian-affairs.org/

 

***Frontier Heritage Alliance --Our goal is to bring together a variety of organizations, government agencies, Indian tribes and cultural committees, educational institutions, businesses, and individuals working for the preservation, interpretation, and development of our shared heritage on the Northern Plains. 

http://www.frontierheritage.org/

 

****The American Indian Science & Engineering Society (AISES) is a national, nonprofit organization which nurtures building of community by bridging science and technology with traditional Native values. Through its educational programs, AISES provides opportunities for American Indians and Native Alaskans to pursue studies in science, engineering, and technology arenas. The trained professionals then become technologically informed leaders within the Indian community. AISES' ultimate goal is to be a catalyst for the advancement of American Indians and Native Alaskans as they seek to become self-reliant and self-determined members of society.

http://www.aises.org/

 

*****Activities to Celebrate Native American Heritage!

November is National American Indian Heritage Month. This week, Education World offers 12 lessons to help students learn about Native American history and cultures. Included: Activities that involve students in dramatizing folktales, learning new words, preparing traditional foods, and much more! 

http://www.education-world.com/a_special/native_americans.shtml

 

More general websites about American Indian Programs:

http://www.nmai.si.edu/  National Museum of the American Indian- Opened in September 2004

http://clarke.cmich.edu/nativeamericans/treatyrights/treatyintro.htm  Information about treaties with American Indian Tribes

http://www.americanindian.net  - Look up dates in North American Indian history. Links to numerous other web sites dealing with Tribal Peoples.

http://www.americanindiantribe.com. Gives you a head start in research on the historical background of many American Indian Tribes.

http://www.ammsa.com/windspeaker/. Canada's national aboriginal news source. 

http://www.cherokee.org. Official website for the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. 

http://www.indiancountry.com. Website of "Indian Country" magazine. Current news articles about tribes, laws and lifeways.

http://www.indianz.com. Headline news of current events affecting American Indians and mainstream USA. 

http://www.iaiancad.org. Institute of American Indian Arts. Established by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1962. In 1975 it became a 2-year college in Santa Fe, NM.

http://www.nativepeoples.com. The forum is packed with interesting topics. 

http://www.indiancraftshop.com   Location of Indian Art work from around the US at Department of Interior Building at Washington, DC

   http://www.infoplease.com/spot/aihm1.html

Lots of links, American Indian Quotes, History, Indian Loan Words

Indian Wars, Language, Music, Church. 

 

http://www.tolerance.org/teach/expand/act/activity.jsp?ar=46

National American Indian Heritage Month: Righting Wrongs Includes an 

insightful article on the use of native names for sports teams.

http://www.defenselink.mil/specials/nativeamerican01/inner.html Native Americans in the Military 

http://www.si.edu/resource/faq/nmai/start.htm Native American History and Culture - lots of links to a variety of issues related to native peoples 

http://www.indians.org/ The American Indian Heritage Foundation, sponsor of this website has a two fold mission, serving the tribes and sharing the culture. Our programs include national emergency relief to the needy, scholarships for young American Indian women and Indian student Eagle Awards given through Indian elementary, middle and high schools throughout the United States

http://www.indians.org/Resource/FedTribes99/fedtribes99.html a complete listing of Federally recognized tribes, state by state 

http://www.diversitystore.com/  great source of posters  

American Indian Employee & Student Associations:

http://www.aianea.com/- NRCS employees

http://www.aises.org. American Indian Science and Engineering Society. This professional organization nurtures building of community by bridging science and technology with traditional Native values.

Glossary of terms in Indian Country:

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/aihmglossary1.html