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Leslie Locklear only told one friend when she applied for the American Indian education director role with the Department of Public Instruction (DPI). According to the description, it sounded like her dream job. But it almost seemed too good to be true.
She’d submitted her application at the end of May, just before the job posting closed. She tried to be calm, but when she was offered an interview, she texted her friend, “I got an interview for the job!!!!!’
After, Locklear ranked her performance a seven out of 10 – she’d been nervous, but felt confident in her answers. The next day, DPI called to offer her the job. Locklear, a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina with ties to the Waccamaw Siouan and Coharie tribes, began the role in July.
Locklear enters the role with a wealth of experience.
She completed her PhD in Educational Studies and Cultural Foundations at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In Greensboro, Locklear really found her niche in education. She wanted to understand the importance of culturally responsive teaching and how it impacted American Indian students, specifically Lumbee students.
While completing her dissertation, Locklear knew she wanted to return home.
“If I’m writing about my people, I need to be home with my people,” she said.
At the University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP), Locklear’s career in education really began. She spent six years working with the First American Teacher Education (FATE) Program at UNCP, first as a program assistant and then as a program coordinator.
Through the FATE program, Locklear worked directly with teachers to address the needs of Black and brown students in the classroom. It’s the kind of work she’d been dreaming of since her time as an elementary education student at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Her last two years at UNCP were spent as the director of educator engagement and student success, where she coordinated student clinical and fieldwork placement.
Now, Locklear takes the helm as the American Indian education director with DPI.
The State Advisory Council on Indian Education (SACIE) has been advocating for the role to be reinstated for years. The position was approved in last year’s state budget.
Dr. Tiffany Locklear, the SACIE chairperson, said the hire is a ‘significant moment’ for SACIE.
“We’ve been advocating for this role because it really represents a crucial piece in ensuring that our educational system is inclusive, equitable, and responsive to American Indian students in North Carolina,” she said. “We know that we want her role to positively impact the achievement gap of American Indian students.”
Years of anticipation for the role from SACIE and Indigenous people across the state coupled with DPI’s goals for the role and Locklear’s own goals, means she will be juggling varying expectations. The vision for the role is practically being built from scratch – something Locklear said is both exciting and nerve-wracking.
“I get the opportunity to build a vision for the role, but also know that a lot of the American Indian community — they’re heavily invested in the role. They’ve been advocating for this role for a long time,” Locklear said. “I have to marry a vision that I have, a vision that DPI has, and a vision that the American Indian community has together.”
Overall, Locklear explained that most of those expectations are shared. Now, she has to create realistic timelines for meeting them. In the end, it’s about increasing the achievement of and opportunities for American Indian students in North Carolina.
A look at the data
According to the latest report from SACIE, achievement gaps between American Indian students are persistent. The report shows that the four-year cohort graduation rate for American Indian students declined by five points from the 2021-2022 academic year. American Indian students trail the state average of 86.5%. The full report from SACIE can be found here.
For Locklear, data like this is frustrating.
“My vision is to reimagine how we view our American Indian students and get rid of that deficit mindset,” Locklear said.
The data shows a lack of achievement between Indigenous students and stark differences in comparison to their white counterparts, but Locklear asserts that there’s no lack of intelligence among Indigenous students in North Carolina. Her goal is to push this data further by asking different questions.
“If our students are not achieving in math, reading, science, there’s got to be a reason,” she said. “What is the disconnect when it comes to what’s going on in their classrooms? How are they not being taught? What type of pedagogy do our teachers need to ensure that all students succeed in their classroom?”
The data has shown disparities among American Indian students for decades. Locklear thinks this locks students and parents into a “deficit mindset.”
Title VI American Indian Education in North Carolina
As of the 2022-2023 school year, more than 15,865 of the state’s 1.5 million public school students identified as American Indian/Alaskan Native. There are 19 school districts in North Carolina that receive funding through the Title VI Indian Education Act (IEA) of 1972. Roughly 12,500 of these students were enrolled in one of the districts in North Carolina that receive Title VI funding.
One of Locklear’s main functions will be to liaise between school districts and American Indian Education coordinators. While these 19 districts all receive this funding, the experiences district-to-district vary, just like with anything else. The amount of money and number of employees associated with each American Indian Education program is different. Additionally, relationships with school districts can be cohesive and collaborative, but sometimes fraught and tense, depending on the district.
In the early days of the role, Locklear is working to understand how to best work with American Indian Education coordinators. She’s been the co-chair of the North Carolina Native American Youth Organization adult advisory committee for six years, so she’s familiar with American Indian Education coordinators and programs from across the state. This is where she first noticed the benefit of collaboration across tribal and county lines.
“I would love to create a collaborative that allows them to really work together, to be strategic about different projects and opportunities. I’ve seen the benefit of our students interacting across tribal lines,” Locklear said. “I think it just broadens their opportunities, their experiences. And a lot of times, our IEA programs and our districts function in silos. So what is it that we can all come together and do for more of a collaborative vision across the state?”
With more than 15,000 American Indian students in the state, it would be easy for students to fall through the cracks. Locklear understands how this happens – administrators are worrying about budgets, school performance, teacher retention, and so much more. An educator’s capacity can only go so far. This is where she hopes to step in and provide support.
“This role allows me to go into districts and say, ‘Hey, you have three Native students at your school. I don’t care if it’s only three, this is what they need to see. These are the things that they need. How can I help you get to that?’” she said.
Working at DPI and with the State Board of Education
Locklear will also be working closely with the State Board of Education and DPI to be an advocate for American Indian students. So while she functions as a liaison for schools and American Indian Education coordinators, she’ll also be advocating for American Indian students in Raleigh.
In the first few weeks of her role, she’s already seen the need to work with others at DPI and educate them on American Indian students. She’s fielding questions from colleagues, but also proposing questions that haven’t been considered before.
“We just need a voice and we need representation,” Locklear said.
