The Native American Education Program (NAEP) is a program of the Sunnyside Unified School District (SUSD) and is guided by the District’s mission. The mission of SUSD is to ensure that all students develop the knowledge, skills, behaviors, and attitudes necessary for productive living in a changing, democratic, multicultural society. The NAEP is a supplemental program funded by the Department of Education’s Indian Education Program Title IX, and it is implemented within all the District’s schools.

The goals/objectives of the NAEP are as follows:

1. to empower youth as individuals in achieving academic success;
2. to monitor students’ attendance and progress;
3. to nurture the positive development of cultural and self-identity of Native American youth

Services provided by NAEP include, but are not limited to:

• Individual and group tutoring in all academic subjects.
• Individual student counseling/advising with an advisor/tutor who is sensitive and knowledgeable about the student’s culture.
• Cultural activities and field trips.
• Career development and information on higher educational opportunities.
• Providing supplemental instructional materials for Native American students, staff, volunteers, and parents.
• In-service or training opportunities for students, staff, volunteers and parents.
• Serving as a liaison between Sunnyside Unified School District, students and their parents.

Program services are provided to all eligible Native American students within the Sunnyside Unified School District.

Currently, the NAEP employs six advisors and is supported by a host of volunteers who work to serve the District’s native population. These advisors and volunteers serve as role models for students, assisting them in becoming successful in their academic careers. The Native American student count is 671 pupils. Approximately two thirds of the students are Tohono O’odham from the San Xavier Indian Reservation, located four miles southwest of the Sunnyside District. The San Xavier District is a political subdivision of the Tohono O’odham Nation located in Sells, Arizona. Other tribes represented within the program include: Apache, Cherokee, Hopi, Navajo, Pima, Pueblo, Sioux and Yaqui.