MDE Indigenous Education Initiative Tribal Consultation Guidebook - Manual / Resource - Page 9
A Commitment to Being Meaningful
Consultation discussions should support the opportunity for participants to engage meaningfully. Efforts
need to be made to ensure that all parties understand the programs being discussed, what has been done
historically in each program, and what requirements may be in place for each program. It also means that
local data is shared to help participants determine how well existing programs are working and what needs
remain unmet.
These steps should be taken far enough in advance to allow parties time to review the information and an
opportunity to ask clarifying questions about the information that is shared before being asked to provide
input into plans going forward. Doing so will allow the parties to make much more substantial contributions
to the conversation than could occur by only sharing dra plans for approval. A commitment to meaningful
consultation can also support higher levels of program innovation than what may happen when plans are
developed in isolation by a single party.
A Commitment to Being Timely
A commitment to timeliness will recognize the fact that full consultation takes time. Well before program
plans are due, LEAs need to reach out to tribes to share information about their current programming. This
initial information sharing should be followed by an opportunity for tribes to bring questions to the table
about existing programs or the data the LEAs have about how well their learners are doing.
The LEA may also choose to share questions they have for the tribes. LEAs need to be aware that, depending
on the tribal structures and who is present at the consultation, the tribal representative may need to take the
questions back to their tribe before being able to provide an answer. Likewise, questions the tribes ask may
require the LEA to research and prepare a response which will require additional time.
Additional time should be set aside for LEAs to respond to the tribes once the tribes have been given an
opportunity to share their thoughts about potential program changes or enhancements. LEAs should ensure
that follow-up occurs either by making modifications as recommended or by providing an opportunity for
feedback to the tribes to explain why the recommendations could not be implemented. Whenever possible
such feedback should occur within the context of a discussion and may also be documented to share with
others who could not be present during the discussion.
All of this means that consultation outreach cannot wait until the end of the year but will likely need to
be an ongoing discussion as part of the evolving consultative relationship. If there is a need to amend a
plan or available funding amounts change, tribes should be notified as soon as possible so that additional
consultation can occur.
Please see the Consultation Cycle in Appendix E for an overview of the various grant and fiscal activities that
occur throughout the year and a list of different consultative topics and questions to consider each month.
The Consultation cycle also includes suggested information for LEAs to share with tribes each month to
support healthy consultative relationships and improved coordination of supports for Indigenous learners.
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