Join the Native American Code Writers Collaborative Mailing List
Click here to Join the Collaborative Mailing List
Please join our Native American Code Writers Collaborative. If you are a K-14 computer science, coding, or technology classroom teacher; informal or out-of-school-time educator, faculty member, or a education stakeholder, we would like to include you in our communications.
Vision
Native American students in Arizona are ready for a technology-based education and career and understand the societal and economic impacts of their computational skills within their own communities.
Mission
To support and bring together K-14 educators (classroom teachers, informal educators, and community and Tribal college faculty) and education stakeholders from nonprofits, local communities, business and industry, and the public sector to create learning experiences that build computational skills and abilities for Native American students.
Specific Objective: Create a Community of Practice for Arizona K-14 educators that:
- Provides professional development experiences that focus on building computational skills and abilities.
- Shares knowledge and best practices for engaging Native youth in the societal impacts of technology-based education and careers.
- Promotes collaborative opportunities for K-14 educators to learn from and support each other.
Activities:
- Distribute a monthly newsletter.
- Offer virtual professional development seminars and workshops facilitated by guest experts.
- Hold an annual, in-person collaboration conference to promote and support multi-organizational teams to leverage greater societal impacts.
- Offer mini-grants to support collaborative and synergistic learning or teaching opportunities.
- Curate a data-base of guest experts that are committed to encourage students to pursue technology-based education and career pathways through in-person or virtual classroom visits.
Approach to Community Engagement:
Respect – Centering the indigenous-based principle of respect to guide our harmonious interactions ethically, relationally, and environmentally.
Responsibility - It is our sacred responsibility to honor and care for Indigenous students, staff, faculty, family, and allies.
Relationship - We acknowledge and honor our relationships through trust, wisdom, and strength necessary to establish and cultivate relationality with one another and the universe.
Reciprocity - Demonstrating appreciation and gratitude for the exchange of information and knowledge to build and maintain harmonious communities.
Representation - Indigenization holds accountable the systems and structures that prevent multi-dimensional Indigenous representations and participation. We strive to center, honor, and prioritize contemporary voices, identities, and experiences, and increase the presence of Indigenous educators, staff, students, families, and communities.
Redistribution – We value the standard of more equitable redistribution of institutional resources to meet the needs of Indigenous educators, staff, students, families, and communities.
Upcoming Events:
The Hour of AI: What is it and How Can My Students Participate?
The Hour of AI, sponsored by Code.org, provides you and your students the opportunity to explore Artificial Intelligence in a safe and fun environment. To Learn more about Hour of AI, check out the website.
October 28, 2025
4:00 - 5:30 PM
Zoom Registration Link
Reflexivity in Practice: Tools for Culturally Responsive Education
This workshop introduces participants to the concept and practice of reflexivity as a tool to enhance culturally responsive communication. Through guided exercises, independent reflection, and case studies drawn from CienciaPR’s Reflexivity Workbook, participants will explore how their own identities and experiences—as well as those of their audiences—shape their education and communication strategies. The session will equip attendees with practical tools to apply reflexivity in their work, fostering more effective engagement with a broader range of communities.
November 5, 2025
4:30 - 5:45 PM
Register Here
Indigenous Literacy Project
A three event journey featuring one in-person and two virtual connections. All events are free to attend! Registration is required.
Project Goals:
- Integrate evidence-based instructional practices and Indigenous-authored youth literature into PreK-12 classrooms to increase Native American students’ academic achievement in English Language Arts .
- Increase educators’ capacity to meet the educational needs of Native American students through high quality professional learning.
Open to PreK-12 educators including teachers, instructional coaches, librarians, teacher candidates, administrators, district leaders, and Native Program staff who aspire to affirm and elevate Indigenous texts. Parents, students, and community members are invited to the Author’s Panel.
Join us for one or all three events! Visit website to learn more! Author and speaker announcements coming soon.
Past Events:
September 6, 2025 | 1:00 4:00 PM
Micro:bit Training, Grades 3-8
Arizona Science Center
Learn how to integrate Micro: bits into our teaching to make computer science and STEM engaging. This hands-on workshop covers basic programming, lesson ideas, and interactive projects.
Resources and Grant Opportunities:
Classroom grants allow schools, teachers and students to develop projects and programs geared toward state-mandated competencies. Up to $5,000 is awarded per school. Funds can be used to support innovative teaching strategies that improve student performance in math and science. Grant applications must be completed by a certified teacher. Only teachers from traditional public and charter schools are eligible to apply. Please review this weblink for more information.
Are you passionate about inspiring the next generation of brilliant scientists, engineers, and innovators? Project Scientist is looking for enthusiastic educators and organizations to bring exciting, hands-on STEAM learning to youth in grades PreK–8!
- Facilitate 4, 8, or 12-session STEAM programs with 20 students
- Engage students with fun, collaborative, and real-world STEM lessons
- Inspire the future by connecting students to real women making STEM history TODAY
The BIO5 Institute’s annual KEYS program is one of Arizona’s premier training programs for high school students interested in developing STEM skills. Over the course of seven-weeks each summer, interns gain experience working on immersive, real-world projects under the mentorship of University of Arizona scientists.
Prior to engaging in research, KEYS interns are immersed in a one-week crash-course in a variety of bioscience and data science techniques, as well as the foundations of science literacy to ensure they have the base knowledge necessary to begin their assigned projects. KEYS interns are paired with leading University of Arizona researchers spearheading innovative projects that span multiple disciplines.
Faculty, university students, and other lab personnel mentor the students to provide an invaluable opportunity to these budding scholars. At the close of the program, KEYS interns present what they’ve learned and experienced to friends, family, and the academic community at a research showcase.
Learn more here
The Native American Science & Engineering Program is a FREE year-long program designed to provide Native American high school students with the necessary resources to enroll in college and pursue a career in a Science Technology Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) field. NASEP participants will gain a wide exposure to these fields through interactions with university experts on many subjects including environmental sustainability. The intention of this program is to expose students to a wide variety of STEM pathways so as to better inform their college pathways in the context of the Native American experience. Each NASEP group is seen as a cohort and will receive support from NASEP staff as they prepare to apply to college.
The Med-Start Health Careers Program is a six-week summer academic enrichment program focused on improving competitive readiness for admissions into health professions programs for high school students. High school students reside at the University of Arizona residence halls and participate in the program during the summer (beginning of June through mid-July) after their junior year. Med-Start, in collaboration with the Arizona Area Health Education Centers, helps high school students prepare for futures in the health professions by allowing them to explore career opportunities and complete college-level coursework in English, science and math. Students will gain opportunities to participate in professional lectures, health-related field trips and hands-on lab experiences while living on campus.
Articles of Interest:
A New State-Wide Native American Code Writers Collaborative Announced
Unprecedented Native American Academic Gains Celebrated by Horne
Arizona schools are celebrating record improvements in Reading and Math proficiency among Native American students, thanks to targeted support and collaboration with tribal leaders. Since 2023, average scores have surged statewide, with Chinle Unified seeing the biggest jump, as three schools now outperform the state average and Many Farms School reaching 45% proficiency. Districts like Ganado, Red Mesa, and Baboquivari also reported more than 100% growth in student proficiency. State Superintendent Tom Horne praised the progress as a result of focused strategies, dedicated educators, and strong community partnerships, a major step toward expanding future opportunities for Native students.
