State of Montana Newsroom
Superintendent Arntzen Hosts the 16th Annual Indian Education for All Conference
HELENA - Superintendent Elsie Arntzen and the Office of Public Instruction’s Indian Education for All (IEFA) Unit will convene the 16th Annual Indian Education for All Best Practices Conference on March 17-18 at Helena College and Bryant Elementary School in Helena. This marks the return to an in-person conference after two years of a virtual model. This year’s theme is Strengthening and Healing through Cultural Knowledge and Education. The conference is free and open to the public and will provide educators with professional development units. Teaching Indian Education for All in our Montana classrooms is included in Article X of our state constitution: “The state recognizes the distinct and unique cultural heritage of the American Indians and is committed in its educational goals to the preservation of their cultural integrity.” Indian Education is also codified in law: “every Montanan, whether Indian or non-Indian, be encouraged to learn about the distinct and unique heritage of American Indians in a culturally responsive manner.”
“This conference is about honoring the cultural heritage of all tribal nations in every Montana classroom,” said Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. “The conference reflects our constitutional promise of Indian Education. I encourage all Montana parents and teachers to attend this conference.”
The conference will provide parents, teachers, administrators, and stakeholders with:
- Improving Indigenous language instruction
- Expanding American Indian student achievement
- Resources for classroom instruction
During the conference, there will be two keynote events with a Montana Indigenous professional and student leaders:
- Crystal Hickman: Hickman serves as the School Mental Health Support Services Coordinator for the Montana Office of Public Instruction. She is an enrolled member of the Apsaalooke Tribe and of Northern Cheyenne descent. Crystal has worked in the human services and community organizing fields for 20 years.
- Poplar High School Students: Student leaders who took part in the production and filming of In This Together, We Are One: The Buffalo Unity Project will be on hand to provide a panel discussion regarding their experiences creating a film about bison restoration in their community and on the Fort Peck Reservation.
The 2023 Teresa Veltkamp Advocacy Award for Excellence in Indian Education Recipients will be honored. The conference will highlight the recently released 2023 Making Montana Proud poster series and some of the candidates in attendance as well.
Over 220 participants have already signed up for the IEFA Best Practices conference. The conference will take place from 12:30 – 4:00 PM on March 17th and from 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM on March 18th. To register for this conference please click here. To view the agenda at a glance and information about the Advocacy Award winners please follow the links.
For more information, please contact Zach Hawkins, Director of American Indian Education for All, at Zachariah.Hawkins@mt.govor