The Indian Country School Leadership Institute (ICSLI)

School leadership is a critical component of an effective school, district, and community. The Indian Country School Leadership Institute (ICSLI) is designed to help build capacity amongst school and district leaders serving Indigenous communities. This institute is open to current and aspiring leaders for positions such as principal, assistant principal, superintendent, assistant superintendent, and other district-level leadership roles.

The ICSLI program will help school and district leaders develop and enhance leadership skills that align to serving Indigenous populations including cultural awareness, communication skills, problem solving, conflict resolution, community and governmental relationship building, policies and procedures, as well as other leadership skill sets to effectively work with Indigenous students, staff, leaders, and community members. The ICSLI program will guide leaders through collaborative discussions, problem solving, establishing platforms and philosophies for leadership development; as well as, applying leadership skills and research to build leadership capacity to serve indigenous populations.

Indian Country School Leadership Institute participants will engage in reviewing leadership topics, conducting literature reviews, and developing an action plan for increasing leadership capacities and conduct a thorough leadership action plan resulting in a Indigenous leadership guide for present and future leaders in Indigenous education systems.

Leaders create pathways for those they serve to succeed. ISCLI will help any school or district leader build capacity to become the best leader possible for the communities they serve.

Participants in the ICSLI are motivated, intellectually curious school or district leaders who want to build capacity for serving Indigenous communities and have high expectations for their students.

Applications due: TBD

Click here to complete the 2026 ICSLI application

ICSLI Seminar schedule 2026

Application Process

Step 1: Confirm Eligibility

Please carefully read the “Eligibility criteria” and “Time Commitment” sections to confirm your eligibility.  This includes ensuring that you can attend ALL in-person and virtual meetings.

Eligibility criteria

Employed full-time in a school/districts serving over 25% Native students
Employed in a publicly-funded or tribally-funded school/district in Arizona
Employed in a leadership role(i.e., principal, assistant principal, superintendent, assistant superintendent etc.), or aspiring to a leadership role
Ability to attend ALL in-person and online meetings (See 2026 ICSLI Program Calendar here)

Time Commitment

You will earn 68.5 Seat Hours for Professional Development through the following activities:

1 online orientation session
9 online seminar sessions
1 in-person Saturday session
1-day in-person Showcase in November at NAU’s Flagstaff campus
Scheduled time for reading/writing each week

Step 2: Submit your application

The application is completed via Google forms, which requires you to complete and submit the entire application at one time. Please be sure you allow sufficient time to do this; we recommend approximately one hour.

The application includes two short paragraph questions each answer should be 300-600 words. The questions are:

“Please explain why you are interested in participating in ICSLI, and describe a specific way you could integrate this seminar topic into your practice.”

“Through this program, you will write a culturally sustaining/responsive leadership practice guide that you will implement in your school/schools. Please describe a topic or theme that you are interested in writing your practice guide about.”

It may be helpful to draft your response in a Word/Google Document (or something similar) then copy and paste your response into the application when you are ready to submit.

Step 3: Notification of acceptance

The Institute for Native-serving Educators will inform you of your application status by

Creating Culturally Responsive Schools (Robert Koerperich, Superintendent, Holbrook Unified School District)

School leadership is essential for strong schools, districts, and communities. The Indian Country School Leadership Institute (ICSLI) builds leadership capacity among current and aspiring leaders serving Indigenous communities, including principals, superintendents, and other district-level roles. ICSLI develops skills in cultural awareness, communication, problem-solving, conflict resolution, policy, and community engagement—equipping leaders to effectively serve Indigenous students, staff, and communities. Through collaborative discussions, research, and applied leadership strategies, participants will create action plans and contribute to an Indigenous leadership guide for present and future education leaders. This year’s focus: STEM integration in Indigenous schools and communities. Blending traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) with modern STEM approaches fosters self-determination, sustainability, and cultural preservation—empowering leaders to address community challenges with innovation rooted in ancestral wisdom.

ICSLI Seminar schedule 2026

Downloadable PDF above

Benefits of program participation

Upon completing the program, the following will be granted:

Certificate of completion with 68.5 seat hours noted for professional development
$500 stipend provided upon completion
Self-authored practice guide is published on INE website
Connected to a diverse community of educational leaders with a shared commitment to culturally responsive schooling

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