Strategic Plan Framework

1. True Revolution of Elders, Ancestors, Treaties and Youth, Total Immersion Education SchoolTREATY TIES Strategic Plan Framework Author’s Note: While This Strategic Plan Framework is relatively mature, it is not complete. Furthermore, as other healthy organizations do, we plan to republish this plan with revisions on a quarterly basis.

2. Outline • Themes of Total Immersion Education (Slide 3) • The Lakotah TREATY TIES Vision (Slide 4) • Understanding the Current Status of the Lakotah Pine Ridge Reservation (5-15) • Roadmap To Achieve the Lakotah Vision (16) • Results of Total Immersion Education • Timeline of Maori Immersion Education Program • Timeline of other Indigenous Peoples Immersion Education Programs • Applying Lessons Learned: How the Lakotah Program is Different • Total Immersion Program Operational Concept Framework • Risks and Mitigation Strategies • Momentum Building • Budgetary Items • Next Steps

3. Total Immersion Education Themes • Academic, Linguistic, and Cultural Education Program for ages 3 to 18 • Embraces and teaches traditional Indigenous culture and language • Teaches how to prosper and partner with non-Indigenous cultures and languages • Enables students to be fluently bilingual, which improves analytical and world view skills • Restores sense of community, spirit, and sense of pride to Indigenous people, which has numerous proven socioeconomic benefits to State, Federal, and Reservation entities • Students meet and exceed national standardized academic test scores • Similar models have been used in Ireland, Spain, Hawaii, and most successfully in New Zealand

4. Vision It is our vision that a Total Immersion Education Program for the Lakotah will teach our youth to embrace our near extinct language and the old ways of our ancestors, which will instill a sense of pride and renewed sense of determination to be successful. The TREATY TIES Program will also teach them how to translate those traditional skills that have helped us persevere through so many periods of hardships over the centuries into skills which foster stronger individuals, a stronger sense of community, a partnership with non-Indigenous people to continue to strengthen our local economy, and an embracement of modern ways, without giving up sovereignty or tradition. Furthermore, it is our vision that as the community strengthens from the positive results of the Total Immersion Education Program that the negative healthcare and socioeconomic statistics that plague the Lakotah community will begin to be reversed.

5. Current State of Pine Ridge ReservationEducation Issues • School grades 1st – 12th, drop-out rate is over 70%.  • 52.6% of high school students perform 2.6 grades below the national average • According to a Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) report, the Pine Ridge Reservation schools are in the bottom 10% of school funding by U.S. Department of Education and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. • Teacher turnover is 800% that of the U.S. national average • Student attendance is problematic, as the culture currently promotes the students helping provide care for the remainder of the family. This means that if a mother has to pick up government assistance check, or complete paperwork, that the older children stay home to provide care for the younger, or help take care of elderly, etc. • The Oglala Lakotah College, which enrolled approximately 1500 students this year, confirmed that the students have a high probability of completing their degrees, based on past performance, provided they complete them within the reservation education system; however, the college also confirmed that if the students choose to further their education off the reservation, there is a 90% failure rate

6. Current Status of Pine Ridge Employment • Recent reports vary but many point out that the median income on the Pine Ridge Reservation is approximately $2,600 to $3,500 per year. • The unemployment rate on Pine Ridge is said to be approximately 83-85% and can be higher during the winter months when travel is difficult or often impossible.  • According to 2006 resources, about 97% of the population lives below Federal poverty levels. • There is little industry, technology, or commercial infrastructure on the Reservation to provide employment. • Rapid City, South Dakota is the nearest town of size (population approximately 57,700) for those who can travel to find work.  It is located 120 miles from the Reservation.  The nearest large city to Pine Ridge is Denver, Colorado located some 350 miles away.

7. Current Status of Pine Ridge Reservation Life Expectancy and Health Conditions • Some figures state that the life expectancy on the Reservation is 43.9 years old for men and 52 for women. These statistics are far from the 77.5 years of age life expectancy average found in the United States as a whole.  According to current United Nations and USDA Rural Development documents, the Lakota have the lowest life expectancy of any group in America. And the lowest life expectancy of any group in the world when AIDS statistics are extrapolated. When AIDS statistics are included, only 8 countries, all in Africa, have lower life expectancies. • Teenage suicide rate on the Pine Ridge Reservation is 150% higher than the U.S. national average for this age group.  • The infant mortality rate is the highest on this continent and is about 300% higher than the U.S. national average.  • More than 90% of the Reservation's families battle addiction and disease.  Alcoholism, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and malnutrition are pervasive. • The rate of diabetes on the Reservation is reported to be 800% higher than the U.S. national average.  • Recent reports indicate that almost 50% of the adults on the Reservation over the age of 40 have diabetes.  • As a result of the high rate of diabetes on the Reservation, diabetic-related blindness, heart attacks, high blood pressure, amputations, and kidney failure are common. 

8. Current Status of Pine Ridge ReservationHealth Care • The tuberculosis rate on the Pine Ridge Reservation is approximately 800% higher than the U.S. national average.  • Cervical cancer is 500% higher than the U.S. national average.  • It is reported that at least 60% of the homes on the Pine Ridge Reservation are infested with Black Mold, Stachybotrys.  This infestation causes an often-fatal condition with infants, children, elderly, those with damaged immune systems, and those with lung and pulmonary conditions at the highest risk.  Exposure to this mold can cause hemorrhaging of the lungs and brain, as well as cancer. • A Federal Commodity Food Program is active but supplies mostly inappropriate foods (high in carbohydrate and/or sugar) for the largely diabetic population of the Reservation.  • A small non-profit Food Co-op is in operation on the Reservation but is available only for those with funds to participate. • Many Reservation residents live without health care due to vast travel distances involved in accessing that care.  Additional factors include under-funded, under-staffed medical facilities and outdated or non-existent medical equipment. • Preventive healthcare programs are rare. • The IHS is understaffed and ill-equipped and can’t possibly address the needs of Indian communities.  Nowhere is this more apparent than on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

9. Current Status of Pine Ridge Reservation Transportation • There is little public transportation available on the Reservation, which is woefully underfunded and inadequate. • Only a minority of Reservation residents own an operable automobile.  • Predominant form of travel for all ages on the Reservation is walking or hitchhiking.  • There is one very small airport on the Reservation servicing both the Pine Ridge Reservation and Shannon County.  It's longest, paved runway extends 4,969 feet.  There are no commercial flights available.  The majority of flights using the airport are Federal, State, or County Government-related.  • The nearest commercial airport and/or commercial bus line is located in Rapid City, South Dakota (approximately 120 miles away).

10. Current Status of Pine Ridge ReservationHousing Conditions • The small BIA/Tribal Housing Authority homes on the Pine Ridge Reservation are overcrowded and scarce, resulting in many homeless families who often use tents or cars for shelter.  Many families live in old cabins or dilapidated mobile homes and trailers. • According to a 2003 report from South Dakota State University, the majority of the current Tribal Housing Authority homes were built from 1970-1979.  The report brings to light that a great percentage of that original construction by the BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) was “shoddy and substandard.”  The report also states that 26% of the housing units on the Reservation are mobile homes, often purchased or obtained (through donations) as used, low-value units with negative-value equity. • Even though there is a large homeless population on the Reservation, most families never turn away a relative no matter how distant the blood relation. Consequently, many homes often have large numbers of people living in them. • In a recent case study, the Tribal Council estimated a need for at least 4,000 new homes in order to combat the homeless situation.

11. Current Status of Pine Ridge ReservationHousing Conditions • There is an estimated average of 17 people living in each family home (a home which may only have two to three rooms).  Some larger homes, built for 6 to 8 people, have up to 30 people living in them. • Over-all, 59% of the Reservation homes are substandard. • Over 33% of the Reservation homes lack basic water and sewage systems as well as electricity. • Many residents must carry (often contaminated) water from the local rivers daily for their personal needs. • Some Reservation families are forced to sleep on dirt floors. • Without basic insulation or central heating in their homes, many residents on the Pine Ridge Reservation use their ovens to heat their homes. • Many Reservation homes lack adequate insulation.  Even more homes lack central heating. Periodically, Reservation residents are found dead from hypothermia (freezing).

12. Current Status of Pine Ridge ReservationHousing Conditions • It is reported that at least 60% of the homes on the Pine Ridge Reservation have infestation of the potentially-fatal Black Mold, Stachybotrys.  There is no insurance or government program to assist families in replacing their homes.  • 39% of the homes on the Pine Ridge Reservation have no electricity. • The most common form of heating fuel is propane.  Wood-burning is the second most common form of heating a home although wood supplies are often expensive or difficult to obtain. • Many Reservation homes lack basic furniture and appliances such as beds, refrigerators, and stoves. • 60% of Reservation families have no land-line telephone.  The Tribe has recently issued basic cell phones to the residents.  However, these cell phones (commonly called commodity phones) do not operate off the Reservation at all and are often inoperable in the rural areas on the Reservation or during storms or wind. • Computers and internet connections are very rare. • Federal and tribal heat assistance programs (such as LLEAP) are limited by their funding.  In the winter of 2005-2006, the average one-time only payment to a family was said to be approximately $250-$300 to cover the entire winter.  For many, that amount did not even fill their propane heating tanks one time.

13. Current Status of Pine Ridge ReservationAlcoholism • Alcoholism affects nine out of ten families on the Reservation. • The death rate from alcohol-related problems on the Reservation is 300% higher than the remaining US population. • The Oglala Lakota Nation has prohibited the sale and possession of alcohol on the Pine Ridge Reservation since the early 1970's.  However, the town of Whiteclay, Nebraska (which sits 400 yards off the Reservation border in a contested "buffer" zone) has approximately 14 residents and four liquor stores which sell over 4.1 million cans of beer each year resulting in a $3million annual trade.  Unlike other Nebraska communities, Whiteclay exists only to sell liquor and make money. It has no schools, no churches, no civic organizations, no parks, no benches, no public bathrooms, no fire service and no law enforcement.  Tribal officials have repeatedly pleaded with the State of Nebraska to close these liquor stores or enforce the State laws regulating liquor stores but have been consistently refused.

14. Current Status of Pine Ridge ReservationWater and Aquifer Contamination • Many wells and much of the water and land on the Reservation is contaminated with pesticides, uranium, arsenic, and other poisons from farming, mining, open dumps, and commercial and governmental mining operations outside the Reservation.  A further source of contamination is buried ordnance and hazardous materials from closed U.S. military bombing ranges on the Reservation. • Scientific studies show that the High Plains/Oglala Aquifer which begins underneath the Pine Ridge Reservation is predicted to run dry in less than 30 years due to commercial interest use and dry-land farming in numerous states south of the Reservation.  This critical North American underground water resource is not renewable at anything near the present consumption rate.  The recent years of drought have simply accelerated the problem. • Scientific studies show that much of the High Plains/Oglala Aquifer has been contaminated with farming pesticides and commercial, factory, mining, and industrial contaminants in the States of South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.

15. Current Status of Pine Ridge Reservation Oral Health and Hygiene • Less than 50% of population has access to water fluoridation • Lowest oral hygiene scores with lowest frequency of daily tooth brushing & flossing • Highest tobacco use ~ 62% of adult population • Children: 60% have active, untreated tooth decay – less than 50% have seen a dentist • Ages 35 – 44: 50% have moderate to severe periodontal disease • World highest incidence of ECC (Early Childhood Caries/Cavites) ~ 80%

16. Immersion Education Roadmap Vision Partially Realized Vision Fully Realized

17. Specific Proven Benefits of Total Immersion Education Programs • Students gain proficiency in two languages, resulting in increased analytical skills • Scotland – Students in Gaelic Indigenous Immersion Education Programs score at same levels as Scottish children in non-Immersion programs • Ireland – Students in Irish Indigenous Immersion Education Programs score at much higher level on Irish-written tests and same level at English-written standardized tests, when compared with group of English-only students in Ireland, matched on socioeconomic status and IQ. • Welsh Immersion Education students scored higher in creative areas on standardized tests, than did their English-only counterparts (and scored same levels in other areas) • Navajo bilingual students from grades 2nd – 6th, did better on standardized tests in arithmetic and reading, than did Navajo students at comparable schools who received English-only education • The model results in the Indigenous People of each country that have embraced it, taking responsibility for the consequences of their own decisions

18. Specific Proven Benefits of Total Immersion Education Programs • 31% Fewer childhood misbehavior/disciplinary issues in school • Parent involvement was statistically high in the Immersion Education Programs • Children in Total Immersion Education were reported to be reading two years above their chronological reading age, and well above their monolingual peers • Absenteeism decreased significantly in Total Immersion Education programs compared to standard indigenous schools • Teachers and students noted an increased rise in student’s self confidence • Teachers and students noted an increased rise in support and partnership that students offered one another • School counselors found a striking increase in the number of children in high school inquiring about and pursuing higher education • The federal oversight committee for the Maori Total Immersion Education program reports positive rapport and good relationships between students and teachers, high student motivation to achieve, and good attendance patterns, and that students achieved English reading standards at least appropriate to their age

19. Maori Immersion Education Model Timeline - Maori enrollment in University grew from 416 to 2634 - Maori university students majoring in Maori Education grew from 87 to 572 1998 - First students graduated 12th grade that started in 1985 1988 - Governmental Educational Review Office Established, with first review occurring in 1990 1998 1994 Early 1980’s 1985 1988 1993 - Immersion Education Program Strategic Plan Developed First Maori Immersion pre-schools were established First Maori Total Immersion Grade School (1st – 12th) established with students 1993 - Maori Community Immersion Education Integration Model Implemented (providing positive results for family members of students) – Similar to U.S. Parent Teacher Association but much stronger/more tightly integrated 1994 - New Zealand Government recognized 28 grade schools (1st-12th) as Maori Total Immersion Schools 1994 - Over 13,000 children enrolled in 819 Maori Immersion pre-schools (13,000 of approximately 72,000 Maori preschool age children) 1995 – Over 2,500 students enrolled in grade school (1st – 12th) Maori Immersion Education Programs (2,500 of approximately 175,000 grade school age Maori children)

20. Other Indigenous Immersion Education Programs Timeline 1975 1976 1984 Recent Years Spain’s Indigenous People’s Immersion Education Program in the Basque Region Receives Government Funding Hawaii began its first pre-school age indigenous peoples immersion education program Welsh Indigenous People’s Immersion Education Program Receives Government Funding - Ireland’s Indigenous People’s Immersion Education Program continues to grow with over 185 students in their pre-school immersion program - Though a sound vision and plan exists, the North American Indigenous Total Immersion Education Program remains in infancy due to funding issues

21. Applying Lessons Learned from Other Total Immersion Education Models • Significant increase in learning theory that involves hands on application • Significant increase in curriculum that provides opportunity to exercise “what if” scenarios • Learning in council circle-oriented facilities (large Tipis) • Leveraging green energy (wind, biodiesel, solar, etc.) • Development of a program strategic and business plan, much earlier in the program

22. Major Milestones for Implementation of the Lakotah Total Immersion Education Model • Finalization of strategic plan • Finalization of operations model • Securing start-up and long-term funding • Securing services of start-up staff • Completing build-out of facility • Purchasing buses, snow plow, tractor • Completing curriculum framework • Communications Plan is initiated • Securing services of operations staff • Opening of School for 2010/2011 school year with first two waves of 20

23. 10 Year Growth Model

24. TREATY TIES Start-up Activities Timeline • Sample Start-up Activities • - Facility Build-out complete • Green energy build-out complete • Initial staffing on-boarding for curriculum development • Planning phase transitions to annual planning cycle • Operational fund raising initiatives complete • Local communications plan executed • Etc. 8/15/09 12/30/09 3/30/09 6/30/10 • - Strategic Planning and Concept of Operations Completed • Initial Start-up Funding Secured • Remaining Start-up Funding Secured • Some long-term operations funding secured • Initial staff hired for curriculum development • Momentum building communications are in the full phase of execution • Final staff on-board to begin final stages of start-up and prepare for transition to steady operations • Final phase of facilities build out starts - Start-up activities complete - Operational Funding Secured

25. Activities to be Managed for Start-up • Development of Operations Model • Curriculum Development • Instructor’s and Administration’s Education on Total Immersion Education • Hiring of Staff • Development and Execution of Communications Plan • Purchasing of Busses, Tractor, Snow Plow • School Build-out/Construction • Green Energy Build-out/Construction (Wind, Solar, Well) • Securing Long-term Operations Funding via Grant Writing • Meetings with Representatives, Senators, and Grant Provider Foundations • Budget Management • Status Reporting to Stakeholders on Planned verses Actual Schedule and Budget

26. TREATY TIES 2 Year Timeline • First Year of School • Day to day operations – Students Motivated about Learning • 1st Standardized test administered • Budgetary and progress reporting provided to DOED, state and congressional bodies • Etc. • Sample Start-up Activities • - Facility Build-out complete • Green energy build-out complete • Initial staffing on-boarding for curriculum development • Planning phase transitions to annual planning cycle • Operational fund raising initiatives complete • Local communications plan executed • Etc. 8/15/09 6/30/10 8/1/10 8/20/10 8/20/11 Students promoted to next levels and Next wave of 20 begins Faculty and Staff in place to support first three waves of 20 students School opens with first three waves of 20 (3, 4, & 5 year olds) - Start-up activities complete - Operational Funding Secured Start-up Funding Secured

27. Communications and Momentum Building Highlights • Local One-on-Ones at Pine Ridge • Local Tribal Open Meetings at Pine Ridge (formal and informal) • One-on-Ones with Lakotah Leaders outside of Pine Ridge • Meetings with multiple Lakotah Leaders, mixing in Pine Ridge Leadership • One-on-Ones with other Indigenous Peoples Leadership within U.S. • Meetings with multiple Indigenous Peoples Leaders within U.S. • Meetings with international Leaders • One-on-ones with local U.S. Representatives and Senators • One-on-ones with governor’s office from SD and other states where large Reservations exist • Meetings with Foundations to request funding

28. Communications Schedule (to be completed with dates) • Complete Vision: • Complete Plan: • Schedule Local Meetings by: • Conduct Local Meetings by: • Schedule Sioux Nation Meetings by: • Conduct Sioux Nation Meetings by: • Schedule U.S. Indigenous Peoples Meetings: • Conduct Indigenous Peoples Meetings by: • Schedule International Meetings by: • Conduct International Meetings by: • Schedule meetings with South Dakota Representatives/Senators/Governor’s Office by: • Conduct meetings with South Dakota Representatives/Senators/Governor’s Office by: • Schedule meetings with foundations by: • Conduct meetings with foundations by: • Add lines that account for writing individual members of local, state, and federal government to gain momentum

29. Primary Budgetary Considerations • Start-up • Long-term Operations • Staff • Curriculum Production • School Facilities • Utilities (green – wind/well) • Communications and Outreach • Annual Growth • Transportation (Bus) • Snow Plow • Official School Car • Tractor • Maintenance facilities (barn and shed) • Number of children • Travel expenses

30. High-level 10 Year Budget (7/1/09 – 6/30/10)

31. High-level Start-up Budget

32. Annual Totals

33. Budget Management Principals • Voluntary Quarterly Financial Reporting to Grant Providers • Voluntary Monthly Reporting to 3rd Party Financial Oversight Board • Voluntary Weekly Status Reporting to Interested Stakeholders • Major Accomplishments • Actual Budget Expenditures compared to Planned • Actual Achieved Objectives compared to Planned • Risks and Issues • Meet and exceed national standardized tests

34. Risks Associated with Delayed Funding • Risk #1: Limited or partial funding may result in a false start; meaning that we may get enough momentum to start some version of the program, however, we may not sustain that momentum which could have a negative impact on children's early childhood education years. Mitigation: Develop budgets/plans for required funds and seek and gain funds that will support diligent start-up and long-term operations. • Risk #2: If adequate funding is not secured in a timely manner, the momentum that has been built locally, and the interest that the parents have demonstrated, may begin to waiver. Mitigation: Same as #1 • Risk #3: If adequate funding is not secured in a timely manner, vendors that have committed to assist with discounted facilities build out, curriculum creation, discounted green utilities, and other support functions may reassign resources, causing additional expenses for the program. Mitigation: Same as #1

35. Risks Associated with Program Operations, Post-funding • Once funding is secured, the program will face other Operational Risks : • Risk #4: Total Immersion students may not initially score on par with or higher than other non-Immersion students on national standardized tests. Mitigation: A.) Know the areas we are weak in, prior to the administration of the national standardized test and already have corrective action plans underway to correct the deficiencies. B.) Ensure the corrective action plans address minimizing the chance of reoccurrence of deficiency within specific areas. C.) Analyze the deficiencies and understand why they occurred, ensuring the corrective action plans address the root cause, not just the symptom

36. Risks Associated with Program Operations, Post-funding • Once funding is secured, the program will face other Operational Risks : • Risk #5: Initially, the Total Immersion Education Program may experience some of the same issues that the non-Immersion programs face with indigenous children (as outlined previously in this presentation), such as attendance issues, or family involvement issues. Mitigation: Unlike other education programs, a key tenet of the Total Immersion Education Program, is that Program Leadership is personally involved, on a door to door basis with the community. The Program Leadership Team will have revised Communications Plans in place, to execute, should attendance initially waiver. Based on results of other Total Immersion Education models, we do not believe this will be an issue, once the concept is embraced by the community.

37. Risks Associated with Program Operations, Post-funding • Risk #6: Weather can be extreme on the reservation. In the winter, many roads on the Pine Ridge Reservation become impassable for days at a time, due to unpredictable snow removal (due to limited Reservation resources), which could impact individual students’ attendance, or overall school operations. Mitigation: A.) The school will leverage its tractor/snow plow to ensure roads that lead directly to the school are passable, unless an unusually extreme situation presents itself. B.) To the extent possible, the school will leverage its tractor / snow plow to enable access to the individual teachers’ and student’s homes who may live off the primary maintained road. C.) Given that extreme weather is one thing we can count on, curriculum/homework will be sent home with students in advance of approaching weather systems. D.) As the school matures, based on other implementations of the model, the community will begin to assist with ensuring students have access to and from school E.) Back-up generators will provide School power, in the event of power failure due to damage related to weather

38. Next Steps (INTERNAL) • Continue to iteratively revise strategic plan • Continue to refine budget • Design outline for Operations Concept and begin to populate • Continue to expand network and build momentum • Develop List of Potential Funding Resources and begin to develop grant applications/proposals • Develop detailed implementation plan • Complete detailed schedule items

39. References / Acknowledgements • American Indian Movement • Discovery.com • Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) • FEMA • National Institutes of Health Publication • Official documents from American Indian Relief Council • Official U.S. Census Data • Official Oglala Sioux Tribal Documents • Rapid City Journal • Reports from Habitat for Humanity • Reports Issued from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) • South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources • United Nations Human Rights Commission • U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development • U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Environmental Management • U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) • Women of All Red Nations (WARN)