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137 Wiba Anung: Co-creating a Sustainable Partnership with Michigan’s American Indian Head Start Programs Hiram E. Fitzgerald, Patricia Farrell (Taos Pueblo), Jessica V . Barnes, Ann Belleau (Ojibwe), Hope K. Gerde, Nicole L. Thompson (Menominee/ Mohican), Kyung Sook Lee, Mary Calcatera (Sault Saint Marie Ojibwe), and Arnie Parish (Ojibwe) It is often the case that an event planned for one purpose leads to unintended consequences . In this chapter, we describe an unintended consequence that has produced a multi-year partnership between researchers at Michigan State University and the Early Head Start and Head Start programs operated by the Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan, Inc. (ITC Michigan), the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, and the Sault Saint Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. The original event was organized by the leaders of the American Indian / Alaska Native Head Start Research Center (AIANHSRC), located at the University of Colorado–Denver, and funded by the U.S. Department of Health of Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF). Individuals invited to join the steering committee of the AIANHSRC were asked to help design a national study that could answer critical questions related to creating more vibrant and effective American Indian / Alaska Native (AI/AN) Tribal Head Start programs. Two of the members of the steering committee (Hiram Fitzgerald, MSU, and Ann Belleau, ITC Michigan) met for the first time in Colorado, beginning a story of partnership development and sustainability between Michigan State University and Michigan’s AI early education programs. Individuals attending the first meeting of the AIANHSRC in February 2006 included eight AI/AN Head Start program directors, 12 staff from the AIANHSRC, two staff from ACF, three university researchers, and a representative from the Academy for Educational Development . Early discussions among the steering committee members led to an understanding that several critical issues needed to be addressed before any national study could be designed. First, several nontribal members of the committee felt that they did not have sufficient knowledge of AI/AN cultures to engage in drafting concrete recommendations for assessment tools, evaluation strategies, and research methods appropriate for AI/AN Head H I R A M E . F I T Z G E R A L D E T A L . 138 Start programs. Second, the small literature on early childhood development in tribal communities presented a barrier for conceptualizing a large-scale national study designed to enhance the quality of AI/AN Head Start programs. In effect, we did not know the set of questions that would easily guide a structured national study. Third, having met for the first time, we had no opportunity to develop the level of interpersonal relationships and trust necessary to guide our collective work. Because the AIANHSRC partnership consisted of AI/AN and non-AI/AN investigators, trust building was essential for assuring open discussion and transparency in order to move the planning agenda forward (Galligher, Tsethlikai, & Stolle, 2012). Ultimately, group consensus led us to emphasize three key aspects of systems change: Enhancing the qualifications and skills of Head Start teachers, building more effective cultural competence skills for nontribal teachers, and infusing culturally appropriate curricular components into existing evidence-based curricula being used in AI/AN Head Start programs. After receiving recommendations from the steering committee, the Administration for Children and Families issued a request for proposals that highlighted nine core areas for potential funding. The Michigan State University team contacted Ann Belleau to determine whether the Intertribal Council of Michigan would be interested in a joint submission for a grant that would focus on professional development for teachers in order to enhance positive outcomes for children, particularly with respect to their academic and behavioral school readiness skills. The Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan coordinates the Early Head Start and Inter-Tribal Inc., Head Start programs offered by the Bay Mills Indian Community, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi, Hannahville Indian Community, Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Ottawa Indians, and Pokagan Band of Potawatomi. Ms. Belleau’s invitation to two other Michigan Head Start programs, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and the Grand Traverse Bay Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, was successful, and all of the program directors agreed to the partnership. As indicated in figure 1, Michigan’s AI Head Start programs are distributed over a wide geographic space. For example, Dowegiac and Watersmeet are approximately 610 miles apart, with estimated driving time...

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