Around the region: Smoker Broaddus earns national award

Growing up on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, the importance of education and serving one’s community was drilled into Mandy Smoker Broaddus’s at an early age.

It’s the reason the Assiniboine and Sioux woman has spent the last 10 years trying to improve education not just for Native American, but all students across the state of Montana. It’s this drive to see all students achieve that has earned her the title as educator of the year from the National Indian Education Association.

“It was definitely a surprise and I was quite honored,” said Smoker Broaddus, 40.

For the last 10 years she’s worked in the Office of Public Instruction in Helena since Indian Education became a fully funded constitutional requirement of Montana students. She is currently the director of Indian Education, taking over the job when Denise Juneau was elected superintendent of public instruction.

But before she came to Helena, Smoker Broaddus earned her bachelor’s degree in education from Pepperdine University and master’s degrees from University of California Los Angeles and the University of Montana. She taught at Fort Peck Community College and was dean of students in Frazer Public Schools.

It was in Frazer that she truly began to understand the achievement gap that exists between Native and non-Native American students.

“I could see the students not having as great of success as I thought they could,” she said. “There were a lot of barriers that our kids faced. It was hard to watch them struggle.”

When the Montana Legislature began fully funding its obligation to Indian Education for All in 2005 — an educational component that requires Native American cultural literacy across all curriculum — Smoker Broaddus went to work with OPI as the first Indian student achievement specialist in the enhanced Indian Education program.

“Mandy is an unparalleled advocate for Indian students and believes in the power of providing all Montana students with an education that reflects the state’s cultural heritage,” Juneau said. “Mandy consistently reminds all of us that behind every data point is a child’s story that we must respect and find a way to support each student in achieving their hopes and dreams.”

When Juneau was elected, she took over the Indian Education department for the state and stepped aside for a while to work on the Schools of Promise program grant run through OPI. Smoker Broaddus worked with educators, parents, students and communities in five of the poorest performing school districts in Montana — which all happened to be on or near Indian reservations — to provide better education support, wraparound services in their communities and address other deficits in order to help students achieve.

Her former school, Frazer, was on that list. She said it’s been amazing to watch the transformation that’s occurred there.

“I love being there. I love seeing the environment,” she said. “Having a humble approach is critical to working with Native American schools.”

But she has also been impressed with how much cultural knowledge all Montana students have gained since Indian Education for All. There is understanding and representation of all Montanans in their history, math, science, reading and more subjects. The achievement gap is closing, which she gives credit to countless other educators for making happen.

“Everyone out there that we get to work with has their heart in the right place for Indian education,” Smoker Broaddus said. “I like to think of myself as a coalition builder and a bridge builder.”

Reach Tribune Staff Writer Kristen Cates at 791-1463. Follow her on Twitter @GFTrib_KCates.