February 26, 2025
Updated March 4, 2025

Media Contacts:
N. Lynn Palmanteer-Holder, Summer Teaching Institute Co-Chair, 509-322-7718, balcstar.llc@hotmail.com
Cal Goolsby, Dean of Wenatchee Valley College Omak, Summer Teaching Institute Co-Chair, 509-422-7805, cgoolsby@wvc.edu
Tammy James, Employment & Education Director, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, 509-634-2777, tammy.james.adm@colvilletribes.com Marcine Miller, Public Information Office, Executive Director, 509-682-6582, mmiller2@wvc.edu

 

Wenatchee Valley College Omak, in partnership with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, local school districts, and education organizations, will host the 2025 Washington State Indian Education Summer Teaching Institute, tmixw, or “In this place, we are all related,” on June 24, 25, and 26 in Omak.

tmixw will be grounded in Indigenous theory, where educators may share and learn best cultural-responsive practices and policies alongside Washington state tribes, Indigenous scholars, elders, and First Peoples.

“The intent of 2025 [summer teaching institute] is to collectively celebrate re-center tribal-based knowledge(s) [and] understand relationships in the context of place-based pedagogy,” said N. Lynn Palmanteer-Holder, Co-Chair of the Indian Education Summer Teaching Institute Committee. “Teaching and learning can't be one-size fits all. 'In This Place We Are All Related’ centers relationships. Indigenous teaching and learning links human beings to the land, water, air, and elements. Only through raising the consciousness of all students, educators, leaders, and scholars can we continue to advance and heal centuries of trauma. This conference will show system-wide highlights, tribal/school consultation models, best pedagogy practices and [share] local tribal culture(s).”

The Summer Teaching Institute will build on the inaugural institute in 2016 that was designed to support Washington state schools as they implemented Washington State Senate Bill 5433, which mandates that all schools teach Washington’s tribal history, culture, and governance. The bill reaffirms the state’s legislative commitment to the Centennial Accord and the Centennial Accord Millenium Agreement with the tribes.

“There were many spin-offs from that first conference that we will highlight,” Palmanteer-Holder said. “More importantly, there is new legislation that requires schools, colleges, and ESDs to follow tribal consultation policies, all of which has led to the implementation of institutional policy, practice, processes, and cultural protocols. We look forward to sharing how tribal representation at the staff, faculty, and administrative level has benefited those institutions through funding, hiring, and decision-making processes that affect all students living on tribal land or near known traditional tribal territories.”

Washington state teachers, administrators, curriculum and school board directors are invited to register for the teaching institute starting March 1. The registration fee is $250, and participants can register at www.wvc.edu/summerteachinginstitute.

Educators with teaching and leadership experience in the areas of Indian Education are invited to submit a proposal to present. The 2025 proposal themes include the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Office of Native Education; School Leadership, the Washington Legislation and G2G best practices; teaching and learning, specifically Indigenous pedagogy and curriculum development, and developing faculty learning communities with schools; post-secondary higher education Indigenous teacher education programs at colleges and universities; development of a tribal education resource center and vision maker media; and early childhood education.

Proposals are due by April 11 and may also be submitted at www.wvc.edu/summerteachinginstitute.

The 2025 Indian Education Summer Teaching Institute reflects the partnership of: Wenatchee Valley College Omak, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, the Omak School District, Paschal Sherman Indian School, OSPI Office of Native Education, and the North Central Educational Service District.

 

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Wenatchee Valley College enriches North Central Washington by serving educational and cultural needs of communities and residents throughout the service area. The college is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion for all students and employees and provides high-quality transfer, liberal arts, professional/technical, basic skills and continuing education for students of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds. Visit our website, wvc.edu.

Wenatchee Valley College is committed to a policy of equal opportunity in employment and student enrollment. All programs are free from discrimination and harassment against any person because of race, creed, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a service animal by a person with a disability, age, parental status or families with children, marital status, religion, genetic information, honorably discharged veteran or military status or any other prohibited basis per RCW 49.60.030, 040 and other federal and state laws and regulations, or participation in the complaint process.

The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies and Title IX compliance for both the Wenatchee and Omak campuses:

• To report discrimination or harassment: Title IX Coordinator, Human Resources, Wenatchi Hall 2322M, (509) 682-6445, title9@wvc.edu.
• To request disability accommodations: Student Access Manager, Wenatchi Hall 2133, (509) 682-6854, TTY/TTD: dial 711, sas@wvc.edu.