Native Students Stepping Forward:
Dollar General Adult Education Program
2014 – Ongoing
About The Program
The American Indian College Fund’s Native Students Stepping Forward: Dollar General Adult Education Program is designed, in partnership with tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), to fulfill our vision of supporting adult students along the literacy pathway to adult basic education (ABE), high school equivalency (HSE), college, meaningful employment, and healthy lives. While still emphasizing HSE enrollment, persistence, and completion, this grant program strengthens the whole adult education pathway, incorporating a broader concept of literacy that includes reading and writing, but extends to areas such as math, cultural, financial, digital, and family literacies.
The Dollar General Literacy Foundation (DGLF) is the program’s primary funder, supporting it at up to $434,000 annually. With DGLF’s investment, the Native Students Stepping Forward program is committed to helping individuals of all ages receive the educational foundation they need to succeed in post-secondary education opportunities or the workforce. Through TCU-implemented programming, this work seeks to strategically expand services and resources for adult education students. In a continuous effort to value the whole student, the program aims to assess and address students’ needs to succeed, encourages culturally relevant programming elements, promotes visibility of HSE students at TCUs, and supports college and career readiness. TCU grantee partners also regularly engage across the cohort in a Community of Practice (CoP) to connect and build relationships, share best practices and challenges, strengthen programming, and examine holistic impact on students and communities.
High School Equivalency Visibility Project
The American Indian College Fund engaged three TCU high school equivalency (HSE) partners for the HSE Visibility Project, featuring the stories of HSE students and graduates in a social media campaign throughout winter and spring of 2024.
2024 Adult Education Program Convening
Fall 2024 – Rapid City, SD
Previous Adult Education Convenings
Grantees
Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University
Northwest Indian College
Oglala Lakota College
Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College
Salish Kootenai College
Sinte Gleska University
Sitting Bull College
Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute
Turtle Mountain College
Related Blogs
Sinte Gleska University Prioritizes Appreciation of GED Students
Sinte Gleska University always takes the time to ensure its HSE students feel valued and appreciated.
Breaking Through Fences in Indian Country
Lorita Nearing shares in her own words how she persevered to attain her high school equivalency diploma and chose to say “Yes” to building a promising future for her and her family.
Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College Opens a New Campus, Giving its HSE Program a New Home
Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College Settles into a new campus, giving its HSE program the space it needs to grow and thrive.
Making an Impact: The Importance of High School Equivalency Programming
The College Fund’s Native Students Stepping Forward: Dollar General Adult Education Program supports underserved Native students to prepare for and obtain high school equivalency (HSE) credentials. This program addresses a critical gap in the education pathway that allows more individuals the chance to pursue post-secondary education and meaningful careers.
