Instructional Leadership, emphasis: K-12 School Leadership (MEd)
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AIITEC

17th Annual American Indian/Indigenous Teacher Education Conference

Healing Our Languages, Healing Ourselves: Working Together to Strengthen Indigenous Education

June 25 and 26, 2027

Northern Arizona University’s College of Education will host the 17th American Indian/Indigenous Teacher Education Conference (AIITEC) on June 25 and 26, 2026. This hybrid conference for preschool, K–12, Tribal, college, and university educators, as well as concerned community members, includes panels, workshops, and papers to share ideas for improving the lives and education of American Indian children, especially regarding the revitalization of their Indigenous languages and cultures.

Join your colleagues for career-empowering knowledge, practices, networking, and practical teaching solutions. The conference is designed with your specific needs in mind and will provide strategies you can use immediately across all grade levels and subjects. NAU’s College of Education has worked with Tribal Nations to improve the education of American Indian students for decades. It has hosted a variety of American Indian teacher and administrator preparation programs.

Call for presentations

AIITEC is now accepting proposals for the 2026 conference.

Submit a proposal

Conference goals

  • Bring together American Indian and other Indigenous language educators and activists to share ideas and experiences on how to teach and revitalize American Indian and other Indigenous languages in homes, communities, and schools.
  • Share resources for early childhood educators in Tribal schools and communities.
  • Disseminate recent research and thinking on best practices to promote, preserve, and protect American Indian and other Indigenous languages in the spirit of the 1990 Native American Languages Act and the United Nations 2007 Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Conference schedule

The AIITEC reception will take place on the evening of June 24

2027 NAU AIITEC

All times are Pacific Daylight Time. The schedule is to be determined. Please check back later for updates.

Conference co-chairs

A headshot of Jennie DeGroat, faculty in the College of Education at Northern Arizona University

Jennie DeGroat

Teaching Professor

Department of Educational Specialties

A headshot of Vangee Nez, faculty in the College of Education at Northern Arizona University

Vangee Nez

Assistant Professor

Department of Educational Specialties

A headshot of Paulina Whitehat, faculty in the College of Education at Northern Arizona University

Paulina Whitehat

Assistant Professor

Department of Educational Specialties

Past AIITEC conferences

The Native American Cultural Center at N A U.

View the Hybrid Stabilizing Indigenous Languages American Indian/Indigenous Education Conference sessions

Previous conferences have featured a community of Indigenous educators and researchers to share proven strategies and practical resources through an online platform that participants can immediately use to welcome students to their classrooms and to promote student success.

 

For more information

Contacts

Dr. Jennie DeGroat
+1 928 523-9163
Jennie.Degroat@nau.edu

Dr. Vangee Nez
+1 928 523-6291
Vangee.Nez@nau.edu

Dr. Paulina Whitehat
928-523-0313
Paulina.Whitehat@nau.edu

 

Conference parking information

Please park in lot P13 behind the Cline Library. The parking attendant in lot P13 will give you a permit which is valid for Friday and Saturday in this lot.

Review the NAU campus parking maps.