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, previously known as the Dollar General American Indian and Alaska Native Literacy and Adult Education Program, addresses a critical gap in the education pathway, empowering underserved Native people to gain the foundational literacy skills needed to prepare for and obtain high school equivalency (HSE) credentials and pursue post-secondary education and meaningful career pathways.
Like the Dollar General Literacy Foundation (DGLF), the program’s primary funder, supporting it at up to $300,000 annually, Native Students Stepping Forward 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 tribal college and university (TCU)-implemented programming, this work seeks to strategically expand services and resources to achieve measurable outcomes in ABE progression and HSE program enrollment, retention, and completion. 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 programming components. TCU grantee partners also regularly engage across the cohort in a Community of Practice (CoP) to 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.
2022 High School Equivalency Program Convening
Grantees
Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University
Northwest Indian College
Oglala Lakota College
Saginaw Chippewa Tribal College
Salish Kootenai College
Sinte Gleska University
Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute
Tohono O'odham Community College
Related Blogs
Brandon Earns GED through SCTC’s HSE Program
In this HSE student highlight, we see how encouragement can transform a student’s confidence, academic success, and plans for his future.
Oglala Lakota College GED Staff Highlight: Both Ends of the Spectrum of Service
For half of a century, Oglala Lakota College GED tutors have dedicated their hearts and time, helping students pick up their educations where they left off. For some tutors, supporting GED students has been their life’s work. For others, it is a newfound calling.
Tohono O’odham Community College Pre-College GED program
The Tohono O’odham Community College’s Pre-College GED Program has spent the past year and a half creating an efficient GED program suited for the realities their students face every day.
Sinte Gleska University GED Student Overcomes Obstacles One Step at a Time
Stallan Reifel earned his GED through Sinte Gleska University, while confronting obstacles like limited access to transportation to class.
