A new federal grant is helping Lawton Public Schools continue its focus on educational efforts keyed toward Native youth.
The district has been awarded a $247,190 grant through the Native Youth Community Project, part of a $4.9 million, five-year grant awarded to the Oklahoma State Department of Education Office of American Indian Education.
In simplest form, the five-year grant is keyed toward helping Native youth in areas of academic success, college and career readiness, cultural identity development, and strengthened partnerships, district officials said.
They are programs that benefit a large segment of Lawton Public Schools’ student population.
Raylisha Stanley, Indian education liaison officer for Lawton Public Schools, said the district has identified 2,924 students of Native American heritage from 78 tribes, with another 1,000 students believed to have tribal affiliations. Under latest estimates, that means 19 percent of the district’s students identify as Native American.
That’s not new news.
Lawton’s district has long had a high population of Native students and programs keyed toward their education and development. These new grant funds help continue that educational effort because the new programs they support will be directed toward students of various ages in a variety of program areas, district officials said. Funding will support efforts ranging from STEM and AP courses, to scholarships and tutoring, to early learning opportunities for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students. Stanley said that could mean activities such as paying for a high school student’s college applications or introducing the district’s youngest students to STEM.
That is important because it supports LPS’ three Es: Enrolled, Enlisted and Employed, said Stanley and Lance Gibbs, CFO/assistant superintendent for LPS.
Gibbs said the program will emphasize the importance of tribal identity, which is why Native American nations have been part of the discussions and have signed onto the program as partners.
Gibbs said funding also will make programs more sustainable, and thus able to support more students – meaning the district can widen its efforts to draw more Native American youth into supportive programs.
“It means more opportunities for students,” Gibbs said. “We would love to see more kids enrolled.”
The district already offers programming that ranges from support, intervention and mentoring, to those that focus on tribal languages and history (courses that attract students beyond the tribes, Gibbs said).
LPS educators said those pathways are crucial for student success.
Studies have shown that students with strong cultural identities have higher engagement, motivation and attendance, along with lower depression symptoms and greater confidence in their post secondary planning. And, schools that integrate indigenous cultures into their curriculum see higher student engagement, improved mental health and stronger graduation rates.
Gibbs said Lawton Public Schools already has letters of support from the Comanche and Kiowa nations, area nations that account for the highest number of Native students enrolled in LPS. And more support for more programs will allow LPS to identify more Native students.
Stanley said more educational opportunities mean Native students are more likely to be “more fully enrolled, enlisted and employed.”