Catherine Williams, Tristan Nighswander, Ibrahim Berrada
Abstract
This paper presents an evaluation of a culturally responsive financial literacy program developed for Native American residents at a re-entry facility in the American Southwest. The review, grounded in a Culturally Responsive Indigenous Evaluation (CRIE) framework, examines the program’s position in addressing financial exclusion and systemic inequalities faced by Indigenous individuals exiting the criminal justice system. Designed collaboratively and with direction from Indigenous community partners and academic leaders, the program integrates culturally relevant pedagogy with foundational financial instruction, covering budgeting, banking, savings, debt, and housing. This curriculum evaluation uses a blended CRIE model framework, emphasizing community-oriented growth, traditional culturally relevant knowledge, individual, collective, and community empowerment, community strength, and action-oriented strategies rooted in evidence-based pedagogical practice. A self-evaluation of the program, guided by CRIE, identifies program success, gaps to address, and areas for future development. This paper argues that culturally specific Indigenous financial literacy education can serve as an essential tool for upward mobility. The evaluation model presented is adaptable to other Indigenous contexts and offers a pathway to examine decolonized re-entry resocialization programming rooted in self-determination, empowerment, community collaboration, and sustained Indigenous well-being.
