Making Math Count: Tribal College Leadership in Education reform on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation

Carol Ward, Brigham Young University
Sachiko Jepson
Kacey Widdison Jones
Richard Littlebear

Abstract

Recently, Chief Dull Knife College, the tribal college of the Northern Cheyenne Nation, took new actions to assert sovereignty in relation to reservation schooling. This case study presents an account of these actions, which illustrates the kind of resistance that Hall and Fenelon suggest is possible in tribal college settings. Specifically, as a result of math curriculum reform at the Chief Dull Knife College, student success in math increased. Moreover, unintended consequences include that Northern Cheyenne student identities have been strengthened; college instructors use more culturally relevant strategies; and the tribal college has assumed a new leadership role in improving local schooling.