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Hunter Smith from CDE talks to the crowd at Montezuma-Cortez School during cultural responsiveness training.

CDE officials from the Office of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education and the Exceptional Student Services Unit collaborated recently with officials from the Montezuma-Cortez School District RE-1 and members of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and Ute Mountain Ute tribe for a five-hour cultural responsiveness training to support learning more about the Ute culture and how to partner with Colorado's federally recognized tribes.

The professional learning opportunity was geared toward helping school leaders and educators learn to welcome and better understand Indigenous students, creating approaches that help establish a sense of belonging and support for Indigenous students, their families and tribal communities. Georgina Owen, CDE's Colorado Indian Education Coordinator, said the event was a positive experience for everyone involved and attracted overwhelming participation. Find out more about CDE's work with Colorado's federally recognized tribes here.