The TMCC faculty and administrators knew that if they did not adopt their own faculty-driven assessment method, a foreign model would be imposed. In addition to culture, tribal colleges differ from mainstream institutions accredited by NCA in other ways. Reservation-based colleges are operated by and for Indian tribes, and they lack the stable source of funding that other institutions enjoy. To make its accreditation decisions, NCA wants to be sure the governing board is autonomous enough to assure integrity. Evaluators want a sufficient resource base to assure sustainability.
Tribes take education very seriously.
As described in the Resource Guide in this issue, members of the Lummi Tribal School Board found it necessary to get involved in evaluating teachers because of their concern about the under-education of the Lummi people. The board developed a comprehensive teacher evaluation process considering instructional capacities as well as cultural issues. During the process, the board underwent training to prepare them to be effective teacher evaluators. While this might be an appropriate role for the board, tribal governments sometimes politicize college decisions, such as hiring and firing. Some tribes ask their colleges to start programs without sufficient resources.