BFCC student Britney Shooter shares her experience in the 2+2 program during a University of Montana Western site visit and meet-and-greet.

Each fall, as school doors swing open in Browning, Heart Butte, and across Montana’s reservations, children greet teachers who look like them, speak like them, and share their history, language, and identity. What was once rare—the presence of a Native educator in the class­room—has become the new norm.

Marci Burd, a graduate of Blackfeet Community College (BFCC) and now a first grade teacher at Browning Public Schools, remembers that absence vividly: “When I was young, I rarely saw Native teachers in schools. Today, I’m proud to be one of many who are inspiring the next generation.”

In 2017, BFCC launched its 2 + 2 ele­mentary education program in partner­ship with the University of Montana Western, Browning Public Schools, and Heart Butte Public Schools. The mission was clear: address a painful reality that Native children rarely saw Native teachers leading their classrooms.

“I’m thankful for the opportunity to earn my degree while teaching in my community, says Tayler Calfbossribs, a program graduate who now teaches at Napi Elementary School in Browning. “My support system pushed me to complete this milestone that will brighten our future.”

Too often, new teachers from outside the community arrived in August, strug­gled through the fall, and left by Christmas. Their classrooms were then filled with aides—many of them Native and BFCC students—who possessed the skills and heart but not the credentials. BFCC’s 2 + 2 program rewrote that story.

With support from U.S. Department of Education grants and grounded in Blackfeet knowledge, language, and ways of knowing, the program allowed stu­dents to remain employed in local schools, take evening classes, and transition from aides to licensed teachers. The result was a movement toward greater sovereignty. Classrooms across Blackfeet Country are now filled with homegrown educators who embody niitsiittupyo’maitukssin—the Blackfeet way of knowing. Sisley Bird, principal of Napi Elementary, described the change in 2020 with joy: “For the first time in a decade, every new teacher at orientation was homegrown.”

Unlike traditional teacher education models, BFCC’s Education Division places candidates directly in classrooms while providing wraparound academic and cultural support. Students gain both theoretical and practical knowledge, alongside a deep understanding of their local school environment. The program integrates the distinctive cultural values of the Blackfeet Nation—language, history, and worldviews—into teacher preparation. This ensures that future educators don’t just meet state licensure standards but also serve as cultural leaders. By strategi­cally partnering with local schools, BFCC addresses Montana’s teacher shortage while ensuring graduates step directly into full-time teaching roles.

The road was not without obstacles, which included balancing family, work, and coursework; sustaining grant funding; and navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet each challenge only deepened the commit­ment of students and faculty alike. Graduates are living proof that culturally grounded teacher education can transform not only schools, but entire communities.

Thanks to the Department of Education’s Indian Education Professional Development (IEPD) Tribal Community Teacher Capacity Grant, BFCC was able to prepare 40 teachers by 2020. Building on that success, the Indian Centered Education Project Grant set a goal of preparing 35 teachers by 2024, which BFCC was able to achieve. Today, under the Poomotsiiyssini (transfer of knowl­edge) Blackfeet Teachers Program Grant, the college’s target is 32 teachers by 2026. Twenty-eight teachers have completed their classes and are employed at our pub­lic schools. The IEPD grants demonstrate that when tribal colleges, universities, and schools unite, they create educational pathways that last for generations.

By empowering our people to lead in education, we honor our ancestors, serve our children, and claim our sovereignty, as 72 teachers and staff now serve Native American children in Blackfeet schools. BFCC’s graduates are the future leaders who will shape the next generation.

As BFCC prepares to celebrate its final 2 + 2 cohort’s induction service in August 2026, leaders emphasize that this is not an ending but a new beginning. Under the leadership of BFCC President Brad Hall, Vice President Jim Rains, and Math and Science Division Chair Betty Henderson-Matthews, the college is expanding its teacher preparation pipeline through a new partnership with Montana State University, led by Dr. Christine Stanton. This collaboration will extend opportunities into four-year secondary education, ensuring even broader impact for Montana’s Native students.