THE SCHOOL
Civic Academy
≈ 6 min read · or listen, or skim the bold lines
D · Draft — not verified Not line-checked against the Navajo Nation Code. How we verify →
The learning engine of the Diné Civic Center: 47 lessons and 4 case studies that turn difficult civic systems into plain language — so you can evaluate what leaders and candidates say for yourself. Each lesson you complete is saved privately to My Civic Journey — complete them all and earn the Civic Academy Diploma.
Every quiz on the site (tap to open)
Quizzes live inside their lessons — private, no grades. Here’s every one, plus the standalone checks and games.
- Chapter Government & the Local Governance Act (Title 26) 101
- Chapter Official 101 — what the job actually is
- Did They Answer the Question?
- Economic Development 101
- Education 101
- Elections 101
- Fraud, Waste, Abuse & Oversight 101
- Government 101
- Healthcare 101
- Hiring, Qualifications & High-Trust Positions 101
- A Short History of Navajo Government
- Housing 101
- How to weigh what a candidate says
- The NBOA 101
- Prevention vs Damage Control
- Constitution 101
- Why People Stay Sick
- Title 2 & Title 26
- Transparency, Accountability & Reporting 101
- Veterans 101
- Whistleblowing 101
- Know the Tactics — quick check
How to Evaluate (6)
Did They Answer the Question?
Spotting evasion and the seven distortion tricks — with the League of Women Voters.
Hidden Obstacles
The problems behind the problems.
Prevention vs Damage Control
The cost of reacting after systems fail.
Trust, Civic Literacy & Participation 101
How citizens become participants instead of spectators.
Government & Law (17)
A Short History of Navajo Government
Why the Nation has the government it has — and why it has never had a constitution. Until, maybe, this November.
Chapter Government & the Local Governance Act (Title 26) 101
How the 110 chapters work — and what “certified” really means
Constitution 101
Why the proposed constitution matters and what citizens should understand before voting.
Elections 101
How Navajo Nation elections actually work — and how to make sure your vote counts in 2026.
Fraud, Waste, Abuse & Oversight 101
Definitions, reporting, hotlines, whistleblowers, audits, and public trust.
Government 101
Understanding Authority, Accountability, and Self-Government
Justice System 101
Courts, delays, legal desert, access to justice, and public trust.
Leadership, Board & Governance Training 101
Getting elected or appointed is not the same as being trained.
Navajo Preference in Employment Act (NPEA) / Employee Rights & Workplace Culture 101
Employee rights, due process, accommodations, retention, whistleblowing, and healthy workplaces.
Office of Navajo Labor Relations (ONLR) 101
Labor rights, Navajo Preference, just cause, retaliation, and prevention vs litigation.
Sovereignty 101
Political authority, economic self-reliance, cultural survival, and citizen responsibility.
The Navajo Business Opportunity Act (NBOA) 101
The law that says Navajo businesses come first — and why enforcement is the argument.
Title 2 & Title 26
How the Navajo Nation government is organized — the central government and the chapters
Tribal Budget, Appropriations & the Síhasin / Permanent Fund 101
How the Nation takes in money, decides where it goes, and saves for the future
Healthcare (4)
Disability Accommodation & Workforce Retention 101
Retaining qualified workers, reasonable accommodations, and reporting barriers.
Healthcare 101
Indian Health Service (IHS), 638s, Medicare, credentialing, quality, compliance, and oversight.
Healthcare Credentialing, Privileging & 638 vs IHS Oversight
Provider vetting, patient safety, workforce pressure, and public trust.
Why People Stay Sick
Social determinants of health — the things outside the clinic that decide who gets well
Economy, Land & Infrastructure (7)
Economic Development 101
Jobs, businesses, leases, capital, workforce, housing, and economic sovereignty.
Housing 101
Why homes are so hard to build on the Nation — and who is responsible for what.
Infrastructure 101: Roads, Water & Broadband
The everyday gaps — and why they’re so slow to close
Land, Grazing & Homesite Leases 101
Why building anything starts with moving land out of grazing — and why land reform is so charged
Public Dashboards, Technology & Consultants 101
How technology can support transparency and accountability without creating consultant dependency.
Ranches & Navajo Agricultural Products Industry (NAPI) 101
What the Nation’s ranches and its big farm actually are — and what to ask about them.
The Enterprises 101
The businesses the Nation owns — what they are, and how the people can tell if they’re working.
Community & People (3)
Education 101
How schooling, colleges, and workforce training shape opportunity on the Navajo Nation
Mentorship & Volunteer Programs 101
Building civic capacity through people, not just policy.
Veterans 101
What the Nation itself runs for veterans — and what is the federal government’s job.
From the Interviews & Current Events (3)
Ethics & Rules, explained
From Cal's interview with former ERO Director Rodriquez Morris.
Case Study: the Diné College Provost Dispute
Practice the five lenses on real, current news. Draft — under review.
Disability 101
Rights, free services, and the doors — the Native American Disability Law Center, vocational rehab, benefits help, and special education rights.
Access 101
Distance, language, elders & technology, paperwork: who can’t reach a program — and the one question that tests any proposal.
Protect Yourself & Your Relatives
The documented fraud patterns by topic, each with its case study and where to report.
The Runaround
The obstacle map — bottlenecks, loopholes, workarounds, jurisdiction tangles, and the rhetoric that dodges them.
Who’s in charge?
The jurisdiction guide — which layer of authority handles what, and how to find the right door.
Whose Job Is It? (game)
Ten quick rounds: match the duty to the office.
Case Study: the ZenniHome Housing Contracts
A live oversight dispute as a classroom — hearings, subpoenas, the audit, a special prosecutor. Documented events, both sides, no verdict.
Case Study: the Sober-Living Scheme
The Arizona Medicaid fraud that targeted Diné relatives — the documented timeline, the licensing gap that enabled it, and Operation Rainbow Bridge. Sources cited, no verdicts.
Reference & Practical Guides (4)
Glossary
The words, in everyday terms.
Offices & Qualifications
What each seat does, and who can run.
Accountability
How oversight works — and what candidates would fix.
How to File a Complaint
Step by step. Draft — under review.
🎬 Diné Civics Jeopardy
Test everything you've learned — 25 clues, private score, no grades.
How to Build Your Own Dream Team
Match real experience to each office’s real duties — and assemble your slate yourself.
HIPAA 101
What it is, what it protects, and what an accusation actually requires.
The Auditor General
Which branch it sits in, what it may demand, and the ten-percent sanction nobody talks about.
Where this leads
Lessons feed the guides: understand the system, then apply the five lenses to real proposals in the Task Guides and to candidate answers.
Suggest a lesson
Community participation
Is there something about how the Nation works that you wish someone would explain plainly?