Choctaw Nation Education Department represented at George W. Bush Institute Summit
What makes an excellent workshop in a wonderful facility even better? For one Choctaw Nation employee, it was a visit from former president George W. Bush himself. The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma was the only tribe to participate in the Early Warning Systems Early Adopters Learning and Sharing Summit on November 5 – 6 at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas.
The Choctaw Nation Making a Difference (MAD) program has been recognized among tribes as a forerunner in education. The MAD program is currently taking steps to begin tracking data and identifying problems in real time. Identification is the first step in addressing problems quickly in order to get students back on track before it is too late. Paula Harp, Director of the Making a Difference program and the Partnership of Summer Schools Education program, attended the summit and was pleased to see that the Choctaw Nation is already using much of what was discussed.
The summit was attended by representatives from schools, colleges, state departments of education, researchers, civic groups, support groups and policy makers from across the United States.
Participants were trained in the use of Early Warning Indicators (such as attendance, discipline, personal challenges and test scores) to predict student success. Discussion covered how to implement these systems and how to intervene once problems have been identified.
Former President Bush paid a visit to the group to express the importance of Early Warning Indicators and how they are addressed. He and Mrs. Bush continue to be supporters of education in this country.
Harp and the staff of the Making A Difference program realize that “early warning allows early intervention.” As the new program continues to build, technology is being put into place to greatly improve the speed and efficiency with which the needs of students can be identified.
Click here to learn more about the Making a Difference program.