First Circle of Reflection: Seeing from the Inside Out

In this section, you will learn about the First Circle where state education agency (SEA) participants will describe and assess the SEA’s level of support for Native students.

Participants: SEA representatives

Purpose of the First Circle

Materials:

The purpose of the First Circle is for the participants to consider the SEA’s level of effort, impact, and investment in ensuring Native students are given an equal opportunity to develop and thrive in school. The Reflection Questions will help guide the conversation for each of the six categories as participants share descriptions of programs, policies, and initiatives and assess their level of effort using the Continuum of Support.

Let’s Get Started with the First Circle

The First Circle uses Reflection Questions that are organized by categories and answered (in part) using the Continuum of Support.

Review

You can review the categories and Continuum here.

Respond and Assess

Once the categories have been thoroughly explored, the facilitator will pose each question to the participants so they can share their perspectives. The SEA participants will provide examples of existing programs, policies, and initiatives that support the main objective of each question or acknowledge a gap in that area.

The notetaker will record a synopsis of the discussion.

Next, the facilitator will ask the SEA participants to assess how they view the SEA’s level of impact based on what they described using the Continuum of Support.

The process will repeat for each question.