Priscilla Maynor on American Indian Educationin North Carolina
Dr. Priscilla Maynor describes herself as a lifelong educator, starting her career as a special education teacher in Robeson County, NC. From there, Priscilla’s professional career spans working as a school administrator, district administrator, Senior Advisor to the State Superintendent, and Executive Director for The NC Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI). In 2011 Priscilla’s career led to an executive leadership role in national consulting in the areas of leadership development and technology. In this role, she worked on a portfolio of education innovation projects supporting grantees of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Her vast skills in K-12 Education brought Priscilla to SERVE, where she is currently the Interim Director of the Region 6 Comprehensive Center (RC6). As the Interim Director, Priscilla is the key contact person for state education agencies (SEAs) in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, providing capacity-building services addressing high-leverage challenges identified by the U.S. Department of Education.
As an American Indian and a member of the Lumbee Tribe, one of the eight tribes located in North Carolina, Priscilla believes both her personal and professional experiences afforded her the opportunity to better understand the different perspectives around education and the variation of needs across the state in schools serving Native students.
While serving at NCDPI as the State Liaison for the State Advisory Council on American Indian Education (SACIE) Priscilla reached a turning point in her career, “I had the opportunity to travel across the state and spent a lot of time getting to know the tribal communities, the children, the families, and the community much broader.”
“Through serving with the State Advisory Council on American Indian Education, it put me in a place of influence to educate others about tribal communities, to bridge and connect understanding across differences to better inform policy.”
In North Carolina, there are eight tribes, one federally recognized, and seven that are state recognized. You may not know it, but North Carolina has the sixth-largest population of American Indians in the U.S. In North Carolina, the last census in 2020, there were slightly over 120,000 American Indians in our population. There are also four urban centers that support American Indian families in the urban areas: Wake, Guilford, Cumberland, and Mecklenburg, counties of our state.
NCDPI reported for the 2020-2021 academic year, there were 15,953 students who were enrolled in public schools in North Carolina who identified as American Indian or Alaska Native; of those students, just under 13,000 students are served in 19 school districts that received Federal Indian Education dollars through the Title VI Indian Education Act. Those funds flow directly to school districts to support the unique culture, academic needs of American Indian students.
A recent process that has helped with collaborative discussions on American Indian Education is the Circles of Reflection, a pilot initiative led by The National Comprehensive Center. It is a three-phase process to engage state education agencies (SEAs), local education agencies (LEAs), tribal education departments (TEDs), or tribal education agencies (TEAs) in discussions about the states’ support for educating Native students. To learn more about the Circles of Reflection, read the Circles of Reflection Impact Story on the Comprehensive Center Network website.
North Carolina was one of four states that participated in the national Circles of Reflection pilot. Priscilla explained the North Carolina priorities that came out of the discussions. “It was a formalized structure of state education leaders, tribal leaders, and tribal community members sitting around the table to talk about the issues, problem solving together, and moving forward with a plan.”
One key priority identified was addressing teachers’ understanding of the culture and language of American Indian students. “The teachers are thirsty for more information about the communities and students they serve.” Priscilla believes discussions on teacher professional development across the state are integral particularly with those counties that have significant populations of American Indian students.
the 2023 SACIE American Indian Education Summit
The State Advisory Council on Indian Education (SACIE) established by a North Carolina General law in 1987 to create an advisory council to the State Board of Education (SBE) is integral in advising state leaders and educators across North Carolina. This Council prepares an annual report on ways to meet the educational needs of American Indian students. The annual report is a valued resource taking actionable steps to support Native education in the state.
In January 2023, SACIE held an American Indian Education Summit to promote equitable and intentional practices in American Indian Education. Priscilla was among three Honorees at the Summit. She received recognition for her past role as a senior member of the NCDPI Leadership Team supporting Native Education.
As she reflected on the key messages from the Summit, Priscilla emphasized the importance of American Indian Education leadership. “It can help coordinate and bridge the various tribes and all the schools and entities involved in educating Native youth.” She believes American Indian leaders speaking collectively about how to create equitable opportunities help with solutions to challenges American Indian students face related to the high rate of high school dropout, trauma, and academic performance. “Bringing folks together to create and think through solutions is vitally important.”
Priscilla believes in the essence of elevating the voice of community. Throughout her career, she often references a quote, by Wilma Mankiller, the first woman Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, “Whoever controls the voice controls the future of our children.” According to Priscilla, our Native children play a crucial role in preserving American Indian culture and traditions. “They are the communities’ primary resource for sustaining our Native ways of knowing, culture, and traditions, and also are the ones who will carry forward and sustain our people’s identity and heritage in future generations.” Priscilla believes in the importance of including the voices of American Indian communities in decisions regarding the education of American Indian students. She added, “Whoever controls the voice controls not only the future of our children but also the future of our communities and Native identity.”
In her role as Interim Director, Priscilla shared her hopes for the future of the RC6 related to supporting American Indian Education. “I hope that Region 6 can play a role in helping the state and the local districts build their capacity to engage with the tribes authentically in those areas where there are identified needs.”
Priscilla would like to work to create solutions for increasing awareness of American Indian culture and native language, through professional development for teachers and collaborating with tribal leaders.
Story and Photo: Sana Silvera-Roy, Communications Specialist, SERVE
