FIELDING, NAVAJO NATION PARTNERSHIP CONTINUES TO THRIVE AFTER TWO DECADES

Fielding and the Navajo Nation have forged a special bond that extends beyond the classroom to address Navajo educational sovereignty.

Since 1998, the Navajo Nation and Fielding have worked together to graduate more than 25 Navajo scholarpractitioners with an EdD in the Educational Leadership and Change program.

In 2001, Fielding ranked number one nationally in doctoral degrees conferred to Native Americans. In 2009, The Chronicle of Higher Education named Fielding in its top 10 list of institutions awarding the “Most Doctorates to U.S. Minority Members.”

“We work with leaders in the Navajo Nation to honor the Navajo culture,” said Barbara Mink, EdD, Dean of the School of Leadership Studies. “Navajo students and graduates are using their doctoral degrees to promote systemic change and support the goals of the Navajo Nation. Some graduates are working in Head Start programs and in various levels in schools. Some are IT directors, some are superintendents. Some are working at the college level.”

The structure of the EdD Program allows doctoral students to pursue their career aspirations without leaving their communities — so they can live and work where they want to make a difference. Fielding Associate Faculty members Henry Fowler, EdD, and Miranda Haskie, EdD, both members of the Navajo Nation, work with the Navajo cohorts in person on the Nation, and virtually.

“Our students are interested in research specific to Navajo populations like dual language programs, “said Dr. Haskie. “They’re interested in early childhood development of Navajo students and infusing Navajo culture and language throughout the levels of the educational system.”

Navajo doctoral students conduct research that focuses on equity, ethics, and social justice to address complex educational, leadership, and infrastructure issues.

“Fielding stepped in to offer a program that helps Navajo educators enhance their credentials with an advanced degree without uprooting them from the communities where they are truly needed,” said Rose Graham, Office of Navajo Nation Scholarship and Financial Assistance (ONNSFA) department manager.

Since 2017, Fielding and the Navajo Nation, in conjunction with the ONNSFA, have hosted annual Navajo Education Conferences at the Navajo Nation Museum in Window Rock, Arizona, where doctoral students and other Navajo leaders present their research and findings to the broader community of educators and leaders. In addition, ONNSFA offers scholarships for Navajo students to offset the costs of the doctoral program. Planning is underway for a Navajo graduation in late spring 2023 and the seventh annual Navajo Education Conference in July 2023.

As an outcome of the Navajo Education Conferences, Fielding Graduate Press released The Future of Navajo Education in 2022, edited by Dr. Haskie, Dean Mink, and Dr. Kathy Tiner. All chapters were written by Navajo educators and leaders.

One of the goals of this collaboration with ONNSFA and others is to increase employment rates for Native

Americans, according to Manley Begay, EdD, past member of the Fielding Board of Trustees and Professor in the Department of Applied Indigenous Studies at Northern Arizona University.

“We have issues and challenges in employment,” Dr. Begay said. “The unemployment rate is 44.25 percent. What part does education play in employment? The greatest factor in the increased odds of employment among American Indians is higher education. This is where the answer lies. If we want to tackle these issues, we've got to think about higher education. American Indians with advanced degrees have seven times the odds of finding employment than American Indians with less than a high school education.”

Course delivery and design efforts are currently underway at Fielding to further decolonize the Fielding curriculum.

“We need to bring in multiple perspectives,” Dean Mink said. “We will start by looking at courses like Learning and Motivation and Human Development. We will seek guidance from various Indigenous communities to revise our courses and processes. Once we learn from these initial efforts and revise some of our core courses, we'll branch out to review and revise other areas.”

Fielding is also exploring partnerships with other Indigenous communities through the National Indian Education Association and other entities.