Creating Conditions

Welcome to the Creating Conditions Podcast! Brought to you by the American Indian Student Achievement team at the Montana Office of Public Instruction, where we strive to create the conditions necessary for American Indian students, and all students, to reach their educational and lifelong goals. 

 Creating conditions emphasizes the proactive effort of shaping an environment to facilitate a desired outcome. It involves recognizing that success often depends on more than just effort; it also depends on the surrounding circumstances.

 Our team believes all Montanans stand to benefit from the Indigenous Knowledge that persists today. We are dedicated to serving all students through the creation and implementation of Indigenous, whole child supports.

 No matter where you work, or what populations of students you serve, we are so glad you are checking out our podcast because all students attend school as whole people and whole learners!

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Episodes

Feb 24, 2026

21 min

In this episode we continue our conversations with Tammy and Dylan from the Center for the Advancement for Positive Education, or CAPE. More specifically, we explore concepts of positive psychology and how those relate to the educational experiences of both students and educators. Tammy and Dylan also share examples of their work in Montana schools and with Montana educators to promote authentic happiness and focus on personal and community strengths.
For more information on the Center for the Advancement of Positive Education (CAPE), please visit: https://www.umt.edu/education/cape/de....
To connect with Tammy or Dylan directly, please find their contact information here: https://www.umt.edu/education/cape/ab...
The Creating Conditions podcast is brought to you by the Indian Education team at the Office of Public Instruction. For more information about the work taking place with the Tribal Student Student Achievement and Relations unit, please visit our website: opi.mt.gov/weareone

Feb 24, 2026

21 min

Feb 23, 2026

29 min

Often, school attendance is viewed from a numerical lens vs. a relational one. In this episode we explore the concept of attachment and how positive school attachment can increase school attendance and participation in all students, and in Montana's Indigenous students in particular. In this episode we welcome two guest speakers Tammy Tolleson Knee and Dylan Wright, from the Center for the Advancement of Positive Education, and learn about their work and some of the successful strategies they have seen implemented to create welcoming learning spaces that enable students to thrive.
For more information on the Center for the Advancement of Positive Education (CAPE), please visit: https://www.umt.edu/education/cape/de....
To connect with Tammy or Dylan directly, please find their contact information here: https://www.umt.edu/education/cape/ab...
The Creating Conditions podcast is brought to you by the Indian Education team at the Office of Public Instruction. For more information about the work taking place with the Tribal Student Student Achievement and Relations unit, please visit our website: opi.mt.gov/weareone

Feb 23, 2026

29 min

Nov 12, 2025

24 min

Family and kinship are typically viewed and understood differently among Indigenous tribes as compared to Anglo Europeans and often educators who serve tribal students may not fully understand these important differences. In this episode we explore some of the ways some Montana tribes view and understand family. We also explore the challenges Indigenous students often face when trying to maintain and honor their familial structures and cultural practices related to kinship and the ways schools can strengthen their support of Indigenous students. 
The Creating Conditions podcast is brought to you by the Indian Education team at the Office of Public Instruction. For more information about the work taking place with the Tribal Student Student Achievement and Relations unit, please visit our website: opi.mt.gov/weareone

Nov 12, 2025

24 min

Nov 12, 2025

23 min

In this episode we are joined by Indian Education For All (IEFA) specialist, Mike Jetty, to discuss new resources that were developed to bring awareness and prevent the ongoing MMIP (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples) crisis in Montana, and across the U.S. We also discuss the importance of ensuring every student has access to at least one caring, trusted adult in school and explore several methods schools can employ to ensure each student establishes a trusting relationship in school. 
 
The Creating Conditions podcast is brought to you by the Indian Education team at the Office of Public Instruction. For more information about the work taking place with the Tribal Student Student Achievement and Relations unit, please visit our website: opi.mt.gov/weareone

Nov 12, 2025

23 min

Nov 12, 2025

22 min

The Creating Conditions podcast is brought to you by the Indian Education team at the Office of Public Instruction. 
Welcoming routines, typically carried out in the morning or other times of transition, are routine, welcoming activities that bring warmth and predictability to a student's school day. Welcoming routines help students feel safe and connected to school and prepares students for learning. In this episode we explore welcoming routines and specifically explore a project being stewarded at the Office of Public Instruction, the Indigenous Morning Greetings project. 
The Indigenous Morning Greetings project offers weekly, recorded messages to help Montana students and staff start each week in a good way. These messages provide a warm welcome and words of encouragement through an Indigenous worldview. Messages often include words or phrases in an Indigenous language and offer guidance to help students and staff live well. Each greeting is also paired with prompts for talking circles or reflective writing to allow students and staff to personalize and internalize the messages that are shared. All schools are welcome to utilize these messages. 
If you are interested in receiving the OPI's Indigenous Morning Greetings, please reaching out to Michele Henson (michele.henson@mt.gov) or visit: https://opi.mt.gov/Educators/Teaching-Learning/Indian-Education-for-All/Indian-Student-Achievement
For more information about the work taking place with the Tribal Student Student Achievement and Relations unit, please visit our website: opi.mt.gov/weareone

Nov 12, 2025

22 min

Nov 12, 2025

25 min

The Creating Conditions podcast is brought to you by the Indian Education team at the Office of Public Instruction. 
In this episode we explore the Indigenous Whole Learner Relational Framework which creates a lens for educators to see Indigenous students, and all students, holistically. Using the domains of Spirit/Being, Heart/Belonging, Body/Doing, and Mind/Knowing, this framework emphasizes the importance of relationships and aims to inspire educators to take whole-learner approaches in educating and supporting students.   
 
For more information about the work taking place with the Tribal Student Student Achievement and Relations unit, please visit our website: opi.mt.gov/weareone
 
To access the Indigenous Whole Learner Relational Framework, please email Crystal Hickman (crystal.hickman@mt.gov) or visit: https://opi.mt.gov/Educators/Teaching-Learning/Indian-Education-for-All/Indian-Student-Achievement

Nov 12, 2025

25 min

Nov 12, 2025

18 min

The Creating Conditions podcast is brought to you by the Indian Education team at the Office of Public Instruction. 
In this episode we discuss what is legislatively called "the achievement gap", which refers to the difference in the academic achievement levels of Montana Native students as compared to non-Native students.
Often, state-level academic data is presented in two unique categories: Native and non-Native students. However, when this data is presented in four categories- Native students attending school on reservations, non-Native students attending school on reservations, Native students attending school off reservations, and non-Native students attending school off reservation) we see the trends in academic achievement are consistent, regardless of whether or not students are attending school on or off reservations. In fact, non-Native students attending school on reservations tend to have the the highest graduation rate, compared to the other student populations. Observing that academic achievement does not appear to be driven by the location of school, we posit that something is missing from the school experiences of many of Montana's Native students and dedicate this podcast series to exploring how schools can create the conditions necessary to support Montana's Native students. 
 
For more information about the work taking place with the Tribal Student Student Achievement and Relations unit, please visit our website: opi.mt.gov/weareone

Nov 12, 2025

18 min

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