This survey is part of a study to advance Tribal education and data sovereignty by identifying novel and effective practices for both Tribal consultation and data sharing between Tribes/Tribal education agencies (TEAs) and preK–12 public school districts/local education agencies (for simplicity, this survey will just use the term “districts”). 

The survey is administered by the Indigenous Student Identification (ISI) Project, which is led by the Indigenous Educators State Leaders Network (IESLN) and funded by the Opportunity Fund at the American Institutes for Research (AIR). The ISI Project focuses on the policy implications of Indigenous student identification in public schools. The ISI project is committed to conducting all research in line with the Six Rs of Indigenous education research: relationships, respect, relevance, reciprocity, representation, and responsibility.

Who should respond to the survey?

We hope that people who are directly involved in the Tribal consultation and data-sharing process at either the Tribe/TEA or district level will respond to the survey. This might include the following:

Tribal education representatives such as

Tribal education agency directors or staff or
Tribal leaders engaged in education

District Indigenous education leaders such as

Title VI Indian education program coordinators or
Tribal consultation leads

Do I have to participate? 

No. Your participation is voluntary, and you may stop at any time. It will take 10 to 20 minutes to complete the survey, depending on your responses.

Why am I being asked to be involved? 

The ISI project seeks to understand Tribal perspectives on collaboration between Tribes/TEAs and districts, as well as the content of and process for collaboration. This survey asks broad questions about Tribal education priorities and practices, data collection, Tribal Consultation, data-sharing agreements between Tribes/TEAs and districts, and federally funded education programs.    

How will the information be used? 

If you choose to participate, responses to this survey will be used in two ways.

To customize the questions in any follow-up interviews or focus groups that may involve your Tribe/TEA or district.
To collaboratively identify themes, trends, and innovative approaches or solutions to data collection, Tribal Consultation, data-sharing agreements, and education programs

Outcomes may be shared with others as briefs, infographics, and recorded presentations. Public-facing materials may select representative quotes to illustrate findings, although unless permission is expressly granted, such quotes will remain anonymous.

What about my Tribe’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) process?

This survey has been thoroughly reviewed and approved by AIR’s Institutional Review Board, but we understand that some Tribes require additional Tribal IRB review to protect their data sovereignty. If your Tribe will require Tribal IRB review before you can respond to the survey, please email us at IndigenousIDProject@air.org with their information and our project leads will follow up.

What about privacy?

If you choose to participate, you will not be individually named in any reports or materials unless you provide permission. The only people who will see your individual responses are the AIR study team. The names of participating Tribes/districts will be included only when express permission is granted by appropriate leaders. In such cases, the nature of responses may result in readers being able to identify respondents. All participants will be given an opportunity to review summaries and may ask for adjustments or removal of potentially sensitive information. All response data will be destroyed at completion of the project. 

Are there any risks to participating in the study? 

AIR employs multiple security measures to protect your identity and ensure the information you share is kept private. There is a very small risk that the information we collect could be lost or stolen. In cases where express permission is given to include the name of your Tribe in materials, readers may be able to identify respondents. You may stop the survey at any time or skip any questions that are not required. 

Who should I contact if I have questions about the study? 

If you have any questions about your rights as a research participant, please contact AIR’s Institutional Review Board at IRB@air.org or 1-800-634-0797. If you have questions about the survey, the interview, or the ISI Project’s collaborative review, please contact Nara Nayar at nnayar@air.org or 202-403-5391.

Indigenous Education State Leaders Network

Empowering State Education Agencies to Support Indigenous Learners