First Nations Studies

First Nations Studies provides services at schools with concentrations of First Nations students. We also provide resources and training to schools across the district.

First Nations Studies receives multiple grants from the Office of Indian Education, including a Title VI formula grant, Native Youth and Community Partnership discretionary grant, and Assessing Choices in Education discretionary grant. Under these grants, students are eligible for classroom assistance where there is a large concentration of Native students, college access, language and culture, and talking circles.

See the overview of our First Nations Studies Program and Services offered.

To find out more about the First Nations Studies or request an ED 506 Form: Indian Student Eligibility Certification Form for Title VI Indian Education Formula Grant Program; contact us by emailing 997@milwaukee.k12.wi.us or by calling 414-902-7312.

Holistic Urban Education (HUE) Grant

First Nations Studies is rolling out a new Holistic Urban Education (HUE) grant funded by the Office of Indian Education. The HUE grant design allows for all First Nations children and families to choose from three providers for high-quality, culturally appropriate, and research-based programs that will meet their satisfaction and educational needs.

The First Nations Studies HUE grant will offer talking circles, college access, and language and culture education. Click on a menu item below to learn more.

Milwaukee Public Schools’ Land Acknowledgment

We acknowledge that Milwaukee lies on traditional Menominee, Potawatomi, and Ho-Chunk homeland along the southwest shores of Lake Michigan, part of North America’s largest system of freshwater lakes. On this site, the Milwaukee, Menominee, and Kinnickinnic rivers meet, and the people of Wisconsin’s Menominee, Ojibwe, Ho-Chunk, Oneida, and Mohican sovereign nations remain present to this day.

What is a land acknowledgment?

A land acknowledgment serves the district in acknowledging Indigenous people and ancestors who once lived in harmony with land and water where we now live.  Indigenous people and ancestors had a historical and spiritual connection to this land and water, treating this land and water as family, and still do to this day.

Why do we acknowledge land?

This land acknowledgment is written for Milwaukee Public Schools and is meant to be used at appropriate public gatherings. It is meant to teach our children and staff about the historic significance of a people who once lived with and on the land we call Milwaukee. Therefore, we acknowledge our First Nations people of Wisconsin through this land acknowledgment and encourage our brothers and sisters to learn about our Tribal Nations of Wisconsin by studying the history of land taken and culture erasure. It is considered customary for Indigenous people to acknowledge the land.

Wisconsin Act 31

Wisconsin Act 31 refers to legislature in the State of Wisconsin that sets requirements for school districts, teacher training institutions, and teachers regarding education about and teaching of Native American histories, cultures, tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, and contemporary lives.

Our goal in MPS is to surpass the requirements of Act 31 by moving to infuse content about First Nations in all subject areas, at all grade levels, and at all times of the year through culturally responsive teaching practices. All students, no matter how they identify, benefit from this content and culturally relevant teaching.

For further information and resources to support Act 31, please contact Alyssa Mussa or Katherine Bontempo, Act 31 teachers.