Department of Education

INDIAN STUDENT EDUCATION

Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Request

CONTENTS

Page

Appropriations Language............................................................................................................ G-1

Analysis of Language Provisions and Changes ......................................................................... G-2

Appropriation, Adjustment and Transfers................................................................................... G-3

Authorizing Legislation................................................................................................................ G-4

Appropriations History................................................................................................................. G-5

Summary of Request .................................................................................................................. G-6

Activities:

Grants to local educational agencies ..................................................................................... G-9

Special programs for Indian children.................................................................................... G-20

National activities.................................................................................................................. G-24

State Table................................................................................................................................ G-28

Appropriations Language
INDIAN STUDENT EDUCATION1

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[For expenses necessary to carry out, to the extent not otherwise provided, title VII, part A of 

the ESEA, $123,939,000.] (Department of Education Appropriations Act, 2014.)

NOTES

No new language is included for this account. All programs are authorized under the expired Elementary 

and Secondary Education Act; when new authorizing legislation for the Elementary and Secondary Education 

Act is enacted, a budget request for these programs will be proposed.

Each language provision that is followed by a footnote reference is explained in the Analysis of Language 

Provisions and Changes document which follows the appropriation language.
INDIAN STUDENT EDUCATION

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Analysis of Language Provisions and Changes

Language Provision Explanation

1 INDIAN STUDENT EDUCATION The Administration’s reauthorization proposal 

would rename Title VII, part A of the 

Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 

1965 as “Indian Student Education”.
INDIAN STUDENT EDUCATION

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Appropriation, Adjustment and Transfers

(dollars in thousands)

Appropriation/Adjustments/Transfers 2013 2014 2015

Discretionary:

Discretionary Appropriation ............................................................. $130,779 $123,939 $123,939

Discretionary Across-the-board reduction (P.L. 113-6)................... -262 0 0

Total, discretionary appropriation ....................... 130,517 0 0

Discretionary Sequester (P.L. 112-25)............................................ -6,579 0 0

Total, adjusted discretionary appropriation......... 123,938 123,939 123,939
INDIAN STUDENT EDUCATION

Authorizing Legislation

(dollars in thousands)

Activity

2014

Authorized

footnote

2014

Estimate

footnote

2015

Authorized

footnote

2015

Request

Grants to local educational agencies (ESEA VII-A-1) 01 $100,381 To be 

determined

1 $100,381

Special programs for Indian children

(ESEA VII-A-2-7121 & 7122)

01 17,993 To be 

determined

1 17,993

National activities (ESEA VII-A-3-7131) 01 5,565 To be 

determined

1 5,565

Unfunded authorizations:

In-service training for teachers (ESEA VII-A-3-7132) Unfunded 02 0 02 0

Indian fellowships program (ESEA VII-A-3-7133) Unfunded02 0 02 0

Unfunded Gifted and talented program (ESEA VII-A-3-7134) 02 0 02 0

Unfunded Grants to tribes for education administrative 

planning and development (ESEA VII-A-3-7135)

02 0 To be 

determined

3 0

Unfunded Improvement of educational opportunities 

for adult Indians (ESEA VII-A-3-7136)

 02 0 02 0

Total definite authorization 0 0

Total appropriation 123,939 123,939

Portion of request subject to reauthorization 123,939

_________________

NOTE: The Administration is proposing to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. FY 2015 funds for affected programs are proposed for 

later transmittal and will be requested once the legislation is reauthorized. 1 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2008; reauthorizing language is sought for FY 2015. 2 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2008. No appropriations language or reauthorizing legislation is sought for FY 2015. 3 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2008; reauthorizing legislation is sought for FY 2015.

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INDIAN STUDENT EDUCATION

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Appropriations History

(dollars in thousands)

Year

Budget 

Estimate 

to Congress

House 

Allowance Foot

-

note

Senate 

Allowance Footnote AppropriationFoot

-

note

2006 $119,889 $119,889 $119,889 $118,690

2007 118,690 N/A1 N/A1 118,6901

2008 118,683 124,000 118,690 119,564

2009 119,564 125,0002 119,5642 122,282

2010 122,282 132,282 122,2823 127,282

2011 127,282 127,2824 129,2823 127,0275

2012 127,282 132,0276 128,0273 130,779

2013 130,779 130,9977 130,7797 123,939

2014 130,779 N/A8 130,3813 123,939

2015 123,939

_________________

1 This account operated under a full-year continuing resolution (P.L. 110-5). House and Senate Allowance 

amounts are shown as N/A (Not Available) because neither body passed a separate appropriations bill.

2 The levels for the House and Senate allowances reflect action on the regular annual 2009 appropriations bill, 

which proceeded in the 110th Congress only through the House Subcommittee and the Senate Committee. 3

 The level for the Senate allowance reflects Committee action only. 4

 The level for the House allowance reflects the House-passed full-year continuing resolution. 5

 The level for appropriation reflects the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 

2011 (P.L. 112-10). 6

 The level for the House allowance reflects an introduced bill. 7

 The levels for the House and Senate allowances reflect action on the regular annual 2013 appropriations bill, 

which proceeded in the 112th Congress only through the House Subcommittee and the Senate Committee. 8

 The House allowance is shown as N/A because there was no Subcommittee action.
Summary of Request

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FISCAL YEAR 2015 PRESIDENT'S BUDGET 

Click here for accessible version 

(in thousands of dollars) 2015

Category 2013 2014 President's

Account, Program and Activity Code Appropriation Appropriation Budget Amount Percent

Indian Student Education (ESEA VII)

1. Grants to local educational agencies (Part A-1) D 100,381 100,381 100,381 0 0.000%

2. Special programs for Indian children (Part A-2) D 17,993 17,993 17,993 0 0.000%

3. National activities (Part A-3) D 5,565 5,565 5,565 0 0.000%

Total D 123,939 123,939 123,939 0 0.000%

NOTES: D = discretionary program; M = mandatory program; FY= fiscal year

- Programs authorized by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act for which funds are requested or that are proposed for consolidation in FY 2015 are proposed under new authorizing legislation.

- Multiple programs affected by the proposed ESEA reauthorization have been renamed and moved among accounts, some of which also have been renamed.

- Account totals and programs shown within accounts in FY 2013 and FY 2014 have been adjusted for comparability to FY 2015.

- Accounts are shown under the administering office that has primary responsibility for most programs in that account; however, there may be some programs that are administered by another office.

Detail may not add to totals due to rounding. 

Compared to 2014 Appropriation

2015 President's Budget 
INDIAN STUDENT EDUCATION

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Summary of Request

The Indian Student Education programs in this account are authorized by Title VII, Part A of the 

Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). These activities support a comprehensive 

approach to educational improvement and reform for Indian students, helping to ensure that they 

benefit from national education reforms and receive every opportunity to achieve to high 

standards. The activities include: (1) direct assistance to local educational agencies and 

Department of the Interior/Bureau of Indian Education schools for the education of Indian 

children, (2) special programs, including demonstrations and the training of Indian individuals as 

educators, and (3) research, evaluation, data collection, technical assistance, and other national 

activities. The programs promote the efforts of schools, local educational agencies, and Indian 

tribes and organizations to meet the unique educational and culturally related academic needs of

their American Indian and Alaska Native students. 

The Indian Student Education programs are authorized by the Elementary and Secondary 

Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) and, therefore, are subject to reauthorization this year. The 

budget request assumes that the program will be implemented in fiscal year 2014 under 

reauthorized legislation, and the request is based on the Administration’s reauthorization 

proposal, which would specifically authorize grantees to use program funds to teach Indian 

languages and authorize tribes to undertake administrative responsibilities for ESEA programs 

pursuant to agreements they enter into with State educational agencies.

The Administration requests $130.8 million for fiscal year 2015, the same as the 2014

appropriation. For the programs in this account, the request supports the primary goals of the 

ESEA: ensuring that all schools are held accountable for helping all children to achieve to high 

standards, improving teacher and school leader effectiveness through high-quality professional 

development and innovative teacher recruitment and retention practices, and using high-quality 

data to inform teaching and school reform activities. The request for Indian Student Education 

will help ensure that the reforms carried out under other ESEA programs benefit Indian students 

by providing funding to enable school districts to implement viable Indian education programs; 

continuing the special programs for Indian children and teacher preparation; and providing 

resources to address research, data, and technical assistance needs and objectives. The 

request would provide:

• $100.4 million for Grants to Local Educational Agencies to help them address the particular 

needs of Indian children enrolled in urban and rural schools.

• $18 million for Special Programs for Indian Children to make new and continuation awards 

under Demonstration Grants and the American Indian Teacher Corps and Administrator 

Corps initiatives.

• $5.6 million for National Activities to support research that will provide information on the 

educational needs and status of the Indian population and to provide technical assistance 

and support to educators serving that population. The National Activities request would also 

continue the grants made in fiscal year 2012 to tribal education agencies in support of their 

efforts to undertake ESEA administrative responsibilities pursuant to agreements they enter 

into with State educational agencies.

Although American Indian students’ educational outcomes have improved in recent years, they 

still lag behind in a number of key areas. Indian students are making progress and scoring 
INDIAN STUDENT EDUCATION

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higher than some of their peers from other ethnic groups on the National Assessment of 

Educational Progress, but an achievement gap remains between their performance and that of 

students in general. Although the number of Indian students enrolling in colleges and 

universities has more than doubled in the last three decades, the dropout rate for Indian high 

school students is above the overall national average. In addition, Indian students continue to 

be subject to significant risk factors that threaten their ability to improve their academic 

achievement and their general well-being. This population continues to need support from 

Federal programs that address their specific educational needs. 
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Activities:

Grants to local educational agencies

(Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, Title VII, Part A, Subpart 1) 

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2015 Authorization: To be determined1

Budget Authority: 

2014 2015 Change 

$100,381 $100,381 0

_________________

1 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2008; reauthorizing legislation is sought for FY 2015. 

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Title VII, Part A, Subpart 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) authorizes 

formula grants that provide assistance to elementary and secondary schools for programs 

serving Indian students, including preschool children. Local educational agencies (LEAs), 

Department of the Interior/Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)-operated schools, and other BIEsupported schools are eligible for grants to address the unique educational and culturally related 

academic needs of Indian students so that those students can achieve to the same State 

academic content standards and student academic achievement standards expected of all 

students. Indian tribes whose members are 50 percent or more of the children in the schools of 

an LEA are authorized to receive formula grants, in lieu of the LEA, in situations where the LEA 

does not apply for funding. In fiscal year 2013, 25 tribes received grants because the LEA did 

not apply.

Each applicant must develop a comprehensive plan for meeting the needs of Indian children. 

This plan must be developed with a local committee comprised primarily of parents of Indian 

children, and it must include student performance goals, a description of professional 

development activities that the applicant will carry out, and an explanation of how the LEA will 

assess students’ progress toward meeting its goals and will provide the results of this 

assessment to the parent committee and community. 

The amount of an LEA’s grant is based on a formula that provides grants only to LEAs or BIE 

schools in which the number of Indian children is at least 10 or constitutes at least 25 percent of 

total enrollment. (However, LEAs in California, Alaska, and Oklahoma, and those located on or 

near reservations, are exempt from this requirement.) The grant amount is determined by 

multiplying the number of Indian children in an LEA by the average per-pupil expenditure in the 

LEA’s State or 80 percent of the average per-pupil expenditure in the U.S., whichever is greater. 

Grants are then ratably reduced to fit within the available appropriation. In addition, the statute 

requires that each participating LEA receive at least $3,000. LEAs and tribes must submit their 
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applications to their State educational agency (SEA) for comment. If the SEA chooses to 

provide comments, it must comment on all applications submitted by entities within the State. 

Through fiscal year 2013, only one SEA has ever chosen to provide comments, and none has 

done so in recent years.

As reauthorized by the No Child Left Behind Act, the statute includes an “Integration of Services 

Demonstration” authorization. LEAs receiving funds under the formula program may consolidate 

funds they receive from Federal programs that provide education and related services 

specifically serving Indians. An LEA that intends to use this authority is required to submit to the 

Secretary for approval a plan to integrate program services into a coordinated, comprehensive 

program. To date, no LEA and only one BIE school has used this authority. 

Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Year (dollars in thousands)

2010 ........................................................... $104,331

2011 ............................................................. 104,122

2012 ............................................................. 105,921

2013 ............................................................. 100,381

2014 ............................................................. 100,381

FY 2015 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2015, the Administration requests $100.4 million for the Indian Student Education 

Grants to Local Educational Agencies program, the same amount as the 2014 level. This 

funding would provide services to a disadvantaged population that is heavily affected by poverty 

and low educational attainment. The request would provide an estimated per-pupil payment of

$211, based on the 2013 count, and estimated 2014 count of over 475,000 eligible Indian 

elementary and secondary students nationwide. 

The Indian Student Education Grants to LEAs program is authorized by the Elementary and 

Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and is, therefore, subject to reauthorization this year. The 

budget request assumes that the program will be implemented in fiscal year 2015 under 

reauthorized legislation, and the request is based on the Administration’s reauthorization 

proposal. That proposal would make minor changes to the program, such as aligning the 

authorized activities with current priorities, eliminating the exception to the enrollment 

requirements for certain States and local educational agencies (LEAs), allowing tribes that make 

up at least one-third of the eligible Indian children who are served by an LEA to operate the local 

program if the LEA does not, and strengthening the student proof-of-eligibility requirements. The

proposal would also require grantees to report on Title I academic achievement measures for 

the students served by their projects. 

This program is the Department's principal vehicle for addressing the particular needs of Indian 

children in public schools. Grants supplement the regular school program, helping Indian 

children sharpen their academic skills and participate in enrichment programs that would 

otherwise be unavailable. Funds support such activities as after-school programs, tutoring, and 

dropout prevention. Approximately three-quarters of American Indian/Alaska Native students 
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enrolled in public schools attend schools that receive funds from the program. In accordance 

with Executive Order 13592, the Department is participating in the Interagency Working Group 

on American Indian and Alaska Native Education with the Department of the Interior Bureau of 

Indian Education. The Working Group is in the process of developing goals, benchmarks, and 

key activities for improving educational outcomes for American Indian and Alaska Native 

students.

The following narrative describes the current educational status of the Indian population and 

provides a rationale for continuation of the program. 

Academic Achievement, Outcomes, and Challenges of Indian Students

Results from the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP)

A review of data on a number of key indicators on the status of Indian students indicates that 

while American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students are scoring higher than other major 

ethnic and racial groups on some indicators, significant achievement gaps remain between 

AI/AN students and the general student population. However, the data also show that gains in 

achievement by AI/AN students have stalled over the past several years, while other groups 

have shown improvement in all subjects and grade levels. 

Data from the 2013 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) reading and 

mathematics assessments show that AI/AN students achieved at a level comparable to that of 

Hispanic students and somewhat above the level for Black students, with the performance of all 

three of these groups trailing that of White and Asian/Pacific Islander students. 

For example, on the NAEP 4th-grade reading assessment, 50 percent of AI/AN students scored 

at the basic level or above, compared to 80 percent for White students, 50 percent for Black 

students, 53 percent for Hispanic students, and 80 percent for Asian/Pacific Islander students. 

The 8th-grade reading scores reflect a similar pattern with 63 percent of AI/AN students scoring 

at the basic level or above, compared to 86 percent for White students, 61 percent for Black 

students, 67 percent for Hispanic students, and 86 percent for Asian/Pacific Islander students. 

Results for the mathematics assessments again revealed similar achievement gaps, with 

67 percent of AI/AN 4th-graders scoring at or above basic in mathematics, compared to 

90 percent for White students, 66 percent for Black students, 73 percent for Hispanic students, 

and 91 percent for Asian/Pacific Islander students. In the 8th-grade assessment, 59 percent of 

AI/AN students performed at basic or above for mathematics, compared to 84 percent for White

students, 52 percent for Black students, 62 percent for Hispanic students, and 87 percent for 

Asian/Pacific Islander students. 

The NAEP data also consistently show that across subjects and grade levels, the achievement 

of AI/AN students has not improved since 2005, while the achievement of all other racial/ethnic 

groups has improved in all subjects and grade levels. For example, the average “scale score” 

for AI/AN students in 4th-grade reading was 204 in 2005 and 202 in 2011, reflecting a statistically 

insignificant change over a period in which all other groups had increases. Similarly, AI/AN

students’ average mathematics scale scores did not change significantly between the 2005 and 

2011 assessments, moving from 226 in 2005 to 225 in 2011 for 4th-graders and from 264 to 265

for 8th-graders. All other racial/ethnic groups showed gains during the same period. 
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State-Level Results

The National Indian Education Study (NIES) oversamples AI/AN students who would be 

selected to participate in the NAEP. This allows more detailed reporting of performance data for 

this population. The augmented NAEP sample also permits examination of the results in 

12 States (Alaska, Arizona, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, 

Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, and Washington) that have the largest numbers of 

AI/AN students, revealing that some States have done better than the Nation as a whole in 

narrowing achievement gaps between AI/AN students and other students. For example, in 

2011, Oklahoma had a smaller gap than the national average in 4th- and 8th-grade reading and 

math NAEP scores. Oregon had a smaller achievement gap than the national average in

4th-grade reading.

Additionally, for a number of States, the percentage of AI/AN students scoring at or above the 

Basic level on NAEP is larger than the percentage of all students nationally who are at that level. 

In Oklahoma, the percentage of AI/AN students at or above Basic was, on average, 

10 percentage points higher than the national percentage for all students in all NAEP-tested 

grades and subjects (4th-grade reading, 4th-grade math, 8th-grade reading, and 8th-grade math). 

In addition to Oklahoma, Oregon and North Dakota had a higher percentage of AI/AN students 

at or above Basic in 4th-grade reading than the national percentage (48 percent for North Dakota 

compared to 47 percent for the Nation). In 8th-grade reading, Minnesota, Oregon, and Montana 

had higher percentages of AI/AN students at or above Basic than the Nation. Finally, Minnesota 

had a higher percentage of AI/AN students at or above Basic in 4th-grade math than the Nation.

High School

Taking advanced academic courses is an indicator of students’ preparation for the workforce or 

postsecondary education. AI/AN students are less likely than those in other racial or ethnic 

groups to take advanced courses in high school or to attend schools offering advanced 

academic coursework. According to the NCES report, “Status and Trends in the Education of 

American Indians and Alaska Natives: 2008,” 21 percent of AI/AN students graduating in 2004 

had taken advanced English courses (compared to a national average of 33 percent), 

22 percent had taken advanced mathematics courses (compared to 50 percent), and 48 percent 

had taken advanced science courses (compared to 68 percent). 

Core academic coursework is essential to having a comprehensive education that prepares 

students for college and a career. While the AI/AN population has had, over the last 25 years, 

the lowest percentage of high school graduates completing a core academic curriculum (4 years 

of English, 3 years of mathematics, 3 years of science, 3 years of social studies, and 2 years of 

foreign language), the proportion has gone up very significantly, from 3 percent in 1982 to 

36 percent in 2005. In comparison, the proportion of all public high school graduates completing 

a core academic curriculum was 10 percent in 1982 and 52 percent in 2005. 

High school graduation and dropout rates are important indicators of academic achievement at 

the secondary level. The “status” dropout rate (which represents the proportion of noninstitutionalized young people ages 16 through 24 who are out of school and who have not 

earned a high school credential) for AI/AN high school students was 15 percent in 2006, 

compared to the overall national average of 10 percent. That same year, 75 percent of AI/ANs
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who were sophomores in spring 2002 had received a regular high school diploma, the lowest 

rate among all races/ethnicities. In addition, AI/AN high school seniors had the lowest proportion 

of those expecting to go to college (79 percent) in 2004, well below the national average 

(87 percent). 

Postsecondary Education

Although the percentage of AI/AN high school seniors expecting to attend college is below the 

national average, an increase in AI/AN student enrollment in postsecondary education signals 

progress in the academic achievement of AI/AN students. According to the Department’s 

“Digest of Education Statistics, 2013,” the number of AI/AN students enrolled in colleges and 

universities has more than doubled in the past 36 years. 

In 1976, 76,100 AI/ANs enrolled in degree-granting colleges and universities; that number was 

172,900 in 2012. This represents an average annual growth rate of 1.6 percent. During the 

same period, the number of all students enrolled in degree-granting colleges and universities 

grew by an average of 1.3 percent annually. Between 2000 and 2012, this annualized growth 

rate averaged 1.1 percent for AI/AN students and 2.2 percent for all students. Increases in 

degrees conferred to AI/AN students at each level of postsecondary education also occurred. 

Between 1977 and 2006, AI/ANs more than doubled the number of degrees earned at every 

level. However, AI/AN students are still underrepresented at 4-year institutions of higher 

education (0.9 percent of total enrollment). In 2006, while 37 percent of all 18- to 24-year olds 

were enrolled in a college or university, only 26 percent of American Indians/Alaska Natives 

were so enrolled. Between 2009 and 2012, college enrollment held steady for all students, but 

dropped for AI/AN students, falling from 29.8 percent in 2009 to 27.8 percent in 2012.
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Risk Factors Affecting Indian Student Achievement

The AI/AN student population continues to be subject to significant risk factors that threaten 

students’ ability to improve their academic achievement and their general well-being. AI/AN 

students are more likely to receive special education services under the Individuals with 

Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) than students from any other racial/ethnic group. While IDEA 

served 9 percent of all U.S. children ages 3 to 21 in 2006, it served 14 percent of AI/ANs of the 

same age. Further, more AI/AN students have high rates of absenteeism from school than 

students of any other race/ethnicity. In 2007, while 55 percent of all students reported having at 

least one absence in the preceding month, the figure was 66 percent for AI/AN students. 

Absenteeism translates into less time for classroom instruction and learning. Another obstacle 

to learning time is suspension. In 2004, AI/AN students had the second highest rate of students 

who were suspended during the year, at 7 percent.

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES (dollars in thousands)

Measures 2013 2014 2015

Number of awards

Number to LEAs 1,117 1,117 1,117

Number to Tribes 25 25 25

Number to BIE- grant/contract schools 89 89 89

Number to BIE- operated schools 55 55 55

Total Number of awards 1,286 1,286 1,286

Distribution of funds

Distribution LEAs $91,691 $91,691 $91,691

Distribution Tribes 1,094 1,094 1,094

Distribution BIE- grant/contract schools 4,857 4,857 4,857

Distribution BIE- operated schools 2,739 2,739 2,739

Distribution Total 100,381 100,381 100,381

Number of eligible students

Students in LEAs 431,210 431,210 431,210

Students in Tribes 5,189 5,189 5,189

Students in BIE- grant/contract schools 24,636 24,636 24,636

Students in BIE- operated schools 14,835 14,835 14,835

Total number of students 475,870 475,870 475,870

Range of awards (whole dollars)

Highest award $2,823,022 $2,823,022 $2,823,022

Lowest award 4,000 4,000 4,000

Average allocation 78,024 78,024 78,024

Average payment per eligible 

student 211 211 211
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PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION 

Performance Measures

This section presents selected program performance information, including, for example, GPRA 

goals, objectives, measures, and performance targets and data; and an assessment of the 

progress made toward achieving program results. Achievement of program results is based on 

the cumulative effect of the resources provided in previous years and those requested in fiscal 

year 2015 and future years, and the resources and efforts invested by those served by this 

program. 

The current performance indicators for this program use data from the National Assessment of 

Education Progress (NAEP) and State assessments to track Indian students’ educational status. 

The small sample size for the sub-population of AI/AN students historically generated a high 

standard error in the NAEP estimates for these students. Before 2005, the Department did not 

generally include sufficient numbers of Indian students in NAEP and was not always able to 

publish data on this group’s academic achievement on the Nation’s report card. Starting with the 

2005 NAEP, the Department has oversampled AI/AN students in the NAEP 4th-grade and

8th-grade reading and math assessments, in order to generate reliable, national-level data on 

AI/AN students’ performance. 

Goal: To help American Indian and Alaska Native children achieve to the same 

challenging standards expected of all students by supporting access to programs that 

meet their unique educational and culturally related academic needs.

Objective: American Indian and Alaska Native students served by LEAs receiving Indian 

education formula grants will progress at rates similar to those for all students in achievement to 

standards, promotion, and graduation.

Measure: The percentage of American Indian and Alaska Native students in grade 4 who score 

at or above the basic level in reading on NAEP.

Year Target Actual – AI/AN Actual – All Students

2007 50% 49% 67%

2009 52 52 67

2011 54 49 67

2013 56 51 68

2015 58
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Measure: The percentage of American Indian and Alaska Native students in grade 8 who score 

at or above the basic level in reading on NAEP.

Year Target Actual – AI/AN Actual – All Students

2007 61% 56% 74%

2009 63 63 75

2011 65 64 76

2013 67 62 78

2015 69

Measure: The percentage of American Indian and Alaska Native students in grade 4 who score 

at or above the basic level in math on NAEP.

Year Target Actual – AI/AN Actual – All Students

2007 69% 70% 82%

2009 72 68 82

2011 74 68 82

2013 76 68 83

2015 78

Measure: The percentage of American Indian and Alaska Native students in grade 8 who score 

at or above the basic level in math on NAEP.

Year Target Actual – AI/AN Actual – All Students

2007 55% 53% 71%

2009 57 57 73

2011 59 55 73

2013 61 59 74

2015 63

Additional information: The NAEP reading and mathematics national assessments are 

administered every 2 years. Data from 2011 assessments represent the fourth time that NAEP 

included a sufficient number of AI/AN students to report reliable data on the academic progress 

of this population. The Department revised its targets based on the 2005 data, the first year for 

which we had reliable data for AI/AN students. 

The percentage of AI/AN students meeting or exceeding performance standards established by 

the National Assessment of Educational Progress is an indicator of the success of efforts 

(including those funded by this program) to raise the population’s educational achievement. In 

2013, the percentage of AI/AN 4th-grade students scoring at or above the basic level increased 

in reading and showed no change in math when compared to 2011. Over the same period,

4th-grade scores for all students in reading and math increased slightly. For the same years, 

there were slight increases for AI/AN 8th-graders and all students in 8th-grade in reading. Over 
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the same period, math scores for AI/AN 8th-graders decreased slightly and math scores for all 

students increased slightly.

After the 2011 assessment, the Department will oversample AI/AN students on NAEP only every 

other cycle, the next being the 2015 assessment. However, the increase in overall NAEP 

sampling now allows a sufficient sample of AI/AN students for the Department to report on AI/AN 

NAEP performance with statistical reliability. Therefore, while much of the State-level data for 

2013 will not be available, national-level data for the 2013 NAEP assessment is available for 

these measures.

Measure: The percentage of Indian students in grades 3-8 meeting State performance 

standards by scoring at the proficient or the advanced levels in reading on State assessments.

Year Target Actual – AI/AN Actual – All Students

2010 79% 64.2% 71.2%

2011 84 52.0 70.0

2012 89 58.4 63.4

2013 95

2014 100

Measure: The percentage of Indian students in grades 3-8 meeting State performance 

standards by scoring at the proficient or the advanced levels in mathematics on State 

assessments.

Year Target Actual – AI/AN Actual – All Students

2010 78% 60.2% 68.1%

2011 83 49.0 66.7

2012 89 53.2 64.2

2013 95

2014 100

Additional information: In 2006, the Department added performance indicators that focus on 

proficiency on State assessments. One advantage of these performance measures (over the 

biennial NAEP) is the ability to report annually. In addition, the State assessments provide the 

basis for school and LEA accountability under ESEA Title I. The Department established a 

baseline in 2004 and targets for reaching 100 percent proficiency by 2014, the ESEA objective. 

From 2008 through 2012, reading and mathematics proficiency among AI/AN students were 

both below the respective targets. Data for 2013 will be available in fall 2014. 
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Measure: The difference between the percentage of Indian students in grades 3-8 scoring at the 

proficient or advanced levels in reading on State assessments and the percentage of all students 

scoring at those levels.

Year Target Actual

2010 5.3% 8.4%

2011 4.0 7.3

2012 2.7 5.0

2013 1.3

2014 0.0

Measure: The difference between the percentage of Indian students in grades 3-8 scoring at the 

proficient or advanced levels in mathematics on State assessments and the percentage of all 

students scoring at those levels.

Year Target Actual

2010 5.8% 9.5%

2011 4.3 11.4

2012 2.9 11.0

2013 1.4

2014 0.0

Additional information: The Department has established indicators to measure the 

achievement gap between AI/AN students’ performance and all students’ performance on State 

assessments in reading and math. The targets reflect the ESEA goal of eliminating the 

achievement gap between AI/AN students and all students by 2014. 

Measure: Percentage of Indian students who graduate from high school.

Year Target Actual

2010 82.6% 72.0%

2011 84.4 71.0

2012 86.2 

2013 86.2

2014 86.2

2015 86.2

Additional information: The final effectiveness measure the Department has established for 

this program is the percentage of Indian students who graduate from high school. This measure 

has been previously calculated as the simple average among the States, by dividing the sum of 

the State AI/AN graduation rates reported on their Consolidated State Performance Reports 

(CSPR) by the number of States reporting AI/AN graduation rates. Each State’s rate should be 

reported on the CSPR as the number of students who graduate from public high school with a 
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regular diploma (not including a GED or any other diploma not fully aligned with the State's 

academic standards) in the standard number of years divided by the number of students who 

began high school that number of years ago, or by an alternative method developed by the State 

and approved by the Secretary that avoids counting dropouts as transfers. However, since 

States report percentages rather than the number of students graduating and the size of the 

cohort, the Department’s calculation as a simple average of the State percentages has not been 

an accurate measure of the actual Indian graduation rate. Data for 2012 will be available in 

spring 2014.

Efficiency Measure

The Department’s initial efficiency measure for this program tracked the number of eligible 

applicants not funded on a timely basis due to administrative error. After the Department 

determined that this did not provide useful information (as almost all grants are made on a timely 

basis), it was replaced in 2007 with a measure of the percentage of funds used by grantees prior 

to award close-out.

Measure: The percentage of funds used by grantees prior to award close-out.

Year Target Actual

2008 96.4% 97.6%

2009 97.6 94.0

2010 98.9 97.8

2011 100.0 92.5

2012 100.0

2013 100.0

Additional information: The proportion of program funds used by grantees has fluctuated in 

recent years. In 2008, the proportion of funds used by grantees that were due for close-out was 

greater than 97 percent, which exceeded the target. However, grantees failed to meet the target 

in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Since the timing of close-out can vary even among a single fiscal 

year’s grantees, this measure is calculated as the proportion of the program appropriation that 

has been paid to grantees just prior to the cancellation of the appropriation. Therefore, data for 

2008 correspond to fiscal year 2003 grants. Data for 2012 will be available later in 2014.
INDIAN STUDENT EDUCATION

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Special programs for Indian children

(Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, Title VII, Part A, Subpart 2) 

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2015 Authorization: To be determined1

Budget Authority: 

 

2014 2015 Change 

$17,993 $17,993 0

_________________

1 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2008; reauthorizing legislation is sought for FY 2015.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) authorizes 

discretionary programs designed to improve the quality of education for Indian students and to 

prepare and train Indians to serve as teachers and school administrators. Funds are awarded 

competitively and support the following programs:

• Improvement of Educational Opportunities for Indian Children (Section 7121) 

(Demonstration Grants). Under this program, the Department makes discretionary 

4-year grants to State educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), 

Indian tribes and organizations, and Indian institutions (including Indian institutions of 

higher education), or a consortium of such institutions, to improve Indian student

achievement. The statute authorizes demonstration grants in such areas as innovative 

programs, remedial instruction, bilingual and bicultural programs, guidance and 

counseling, early childhood and kindergarten programs, secondary-to-postsecondary 

education transition programs, school-to-work programs, and family literacy services. 

Since 2009, the Department has funded only projects in the areas of early childhood and 

secondary-to-postsecondary-education transition. 

• Professional Development (Section 7122). Under this program, the Department makes 

discretionary 4-year grants to (1) institutions of higher education, or (2) SEAs, LEAs, 

Indian tribes and organizations, and Department of the Interior-funded schools, in 

consortium with institutions of higher education, to increase the number of Indian 

individuals qualified in teaching, school administration, and other education professions, 

and to improve the skills of those individuals. Individuals receiving training under this 

program are required to secure employment in a field related to their education and 

benefiting Indians, or to pay back the amount of the assistance. Awards focus on 

pre-service teacher and pre-service administrator training.
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Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Year (dollars in thousands)

2010 .............................................................$19,060

2011 ...............................................................19,022

2012 ...............................................................18,986

2013 ...............................................................17,993

2014 ...............................................................17,993

FY 2015 BUDGET REQUEST

The Administration’s fiscal year 2015 request includes $18.0 million for Special Programs for 

Indian Children, the same amount as the fiscal year 2014 level. Funds would provide continued 

support for activities that address the unique educational needs of American Indian children, 

consistent with the Administration’s ESEA reauthorization proposal, which would make minor 

changes that would align the eligible activities under the Demonstration program with current 

regulatory priorities. In addition, the proposal would authorize State and tribal educational 

agency agreements through which tribal educational agencies could assume certain SEA 

responsibilities for the administration of ESEA programs.

For fiscal year 2015, the Department would use about $10.4 million for new and continuing 

awards under the Demonstration Grants authority. The program makes grants to eligible entities 

to improve Indian student achievement by supporting projects that develop, test, and 

demonstrate the effectiveness of services and programs in improving educational opportunities 

and achievement of Indian children. For several years, the absolute funding priorities for the 

program have limited project services to (1) school readiness projects, and (2) college 

preparatory programs for secondary school students. Successful projects would serve as 

models for the wider community and as case studies for those building the research base on 

best practices in the education of Indian students.

For the Professional Development program, the Department would use about $7.4 million for 

new and continuation awards. The American Indian Teacher Corps (AITC) combines several 

program elements in a manner designed to effectively train Indian college students as teachers 

to work in schools with concentrations of Indian children and youth. First, it supports the efforts 

of tribal colleges and postsecondary institutions that offer teacher training to develop and 

operate programs. Second, it recruits heavily among Indian paraprofessionals who are already 

working in Indian communities, are able to connect with the students in Indian schools, and are 

more likely than other teachers to remain in those schools. (Indian schools often experience 

high teacher turnover, as many non-Indian teachers who enter those schools report 

experiencing a sense of isolation in the community.) Third, the program is comprehensive, 

providing tuition and living expenses for the students as well as program development and 

operational costs for the institutions.

The American Indian Administrator Corps (AIAC) recruits and trains American Indians to 

become effective school administrators in schools with high concentrations of Indian students. 

Similar to the Teacher Corps, it operates programs at tribal colleges and postsecondary 

institutions that offer education administration programs. Also similar to the Teacher Corps, it 
INDIAN STUDENT EDUCATION

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recruits heavily among Indian teachers and professionals already working in Indian schools, as 

they are more likely than other individuals to remain in those schools. In addition, the grantees 

receive funding to provide induction services to new school administrators who are working in 

Indian schools, in order to enhance their knowledge of effective education reforms and 

practices.

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES (dollars in thousands)

Measures 2013 2014 2015

Demonstration Grants

New awards: Demonstration $2,576 $906 $3,147

Continuation awards: Demonstration 7,746 9,434 7,236

Total: Demonstration 10,322 10,340 10,383

Number of new awards: Demonstration 8 3 10

Number of continuation 

awards: Demonstration 28 22 24

Professional Development

New awards: Professional Development $2,620 $907 $3,148

Continuation awards: Professional Development 4,968 6,746 4,272

Total: Professional Development 7,588 7,653 7,420

Number of new awards: Professional Development 7 3 10

Number of continuation 

awards: Professional Development 22 21 19

Peer Review $83 0 $190

PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION 

Performance Measures

This section presents selected program performance information, including, for example, GPRA 

goals, objectives, measures, and performance targets and data; and an assessment of the 

progress made toward achieving program results. Achievement of program results is based on 

the cumulative effect of the resources provided in previous years and those requested in fiscal 

year 2015 and future years, as well as the resources and efforts invested by those served by this 

program.

In 2007, the Department established new performance measures that more accurately and 

reliably gauge the effectiveness of these programs than did the previous measures. The 

Department has been using these measures beginning with the fiscal year 2008 new grantees. 
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For the Demonstration Grants, the indicators for early childhood projects will measure the 

percentage of preschool students who gain school readiness skills as evidenced by pre- and 

post-test scores on an approved assessment. Indicators for the secondary-to-postsecondaryeducation transition projects will measure the percentage of participating Native American 

students successfully completing at least 3 years of challenging core courses (English, 

mathematics, science, and social studies) by the end of their fourth year in high school, and the 

percentage of students who graduate with their incoming 9th-grade class. For the 2009 cohort of 

grantees, 71 percent of 3- and 4-year-old AI/AN children made language and communication 

development gains, 62 percent made gains on assessments of cognitive skills and conceptual 

knowledge, and 55 percent made gains on assessments of social development. On the 

secondary-to-postsecondary indicators, 61 percent of participating AI/AN students successfully 

completed at least 3 years of challenging core courses and 77 percent graduated with their 

incoming 9th-grade class.

The indicators for the Professional Development Grants will measure the percentage of program 

participants who become school administrators and teachers, respectively, in local educational 

agencies (LEAs) with 5 percent or more Native American students, the percentage of Teacher 

Corps participants who receive full State licensure, and the percentage of program participants 

who complete their service requirement on schedule. New efficiency measures will track the 

cost per individual who successfully completes an administrator or teacher preparation program. 

Performance data for the Professional Development Grants program will be available later in 

2014.
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National activities

(Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, Title VII, Part A, Subpart 3) 

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2015 Authorization: To be determined1

Budget Authority: 

 

2014 2015 Change 

$5,565 $5,565 0

_________________

1 The GEPA extension expired September 30, 2008; reauthorizing legislation is sought for FY 2015.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) authorizes Indian Education 

National Activities that support research, evaluation, and data collection to provide information 

on the educational status of the Indian population and on the effectiveness of Indian Student 

Education programs. These activities help the Department to improve the national knowledge 

base on the educational status and needs of Indians and to identify and disseminate information 

on best practices for serving this population.

The Department has used program funds to augment broader research and statistical activities 

to ensure that they include significant coverage of the Indian population and provide data that 

can be used to track the educational progress of Indians over time and to compare the status of 

Indians with that of other groups. The Department has been able to gather and disseminate 

data on the academic achievement, enrollment, graduation rates, and English-speaking ability of 

Indian students; characteristics of teachers and principals serving those students; and other 

areas of concern and interest. This research program also responds to Executive Order 13592, 

on American Indian and Alaska Native Educational Opportunities and Strengthening Tribal 

Colleges and Universities, which requires the Secretary of Education to study and collect 

information on the education of American Indian and Alaska Native students.

Fiscal year 2012 appropriations act included funding for a pilot program for tribal education 

agencies (TEAs) to build their capacity. The Department made awards to four TEAs to work 

with SEAs to assume certain SEA responsibilities for the administration of ESEA programs. 
INDIAN STUDENT EDUCATION

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Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Year (dollars in thousands)

2010 ...............................................................$3,891

2011 ................................................................. 3,883

2012 ................................................................. 5,872

2013 ................................................................. 5,565

2014 ................................................................. 5,565

FY 2015 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2015, the Administration requests $5.6 million for Indian Education National 

Activities, the same as the fiscal year 2014 level. In 2015 these activities would be implemented 

consistent with the Administration’s ESEA reauthorization proposal, which would continue a 

broad research, data collection, and technical assistance authority while also providing grants to 

tribes for education administrative planning and development.

Generally, the Department uses National Activities funds to support efforts to improve Indian 

student academic achievement in three areas, including: (1) research and data collection on the 

educational status of the Indian population and on the effectiveness of Indian student education 

programs, including the identification of promising interventions in the field; (2) technical 

assistance to entities implementing programs for Indian students; and (3) logistical support for 

Department-sponsored tribal consultations and meetings and for improved implementation of 

Indian student education programs.

The Department would use fiscal year 2015 funds for the following activities:

• The fifth National Indian Education Study (NIES), which has two components: 

(1) oversampling American Indian and Alaska Native students in the National 

Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), and (2) a survey to collect information on 

the educational experiences of American Indian/Alaska Native students and the role of 

Indian culture in their education. As discussed under the Grants to local educational 

agencies (LEAs) program, this oversampling provides the Department and the public with

comprehensive and timely national and State-level information on American 

Indian/Alaska Native student achievement in reading and mathematics. The 2015

appropriation would support the 2015 administration of the NAEP reading and 

mathematics assessments, as well as the educational experiences survey. The 

Department plans to conduct the NIES for every other biennial NAEP cycle (rather than 

for each cycle), in order to devote more resources to other high-priority areas, such as 

research on promising practices and technical assistance. 

The Department released two reports as the culmination of the 2011 NIES in July 2012 

that are summarized in the Indian Student Education Grants to LEAs request; the full 

report is available at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nies/.

• Technical assistance for State educational agencies (SEAs), LEAs, other entities eligible 

for the Department’s programs, and tribal educational agencies. SEAs and LEAs do not 
INDIAN STUDENT EDUCATION

National activities

G-26

always have the experience necessary to address the needs of Indian students or 

incorporate Indian culture into classroom instruction. According to the 2011 NIES, one 

third of American Indian/Alaska Native 8th-graders had reading or language arts teachers 

who reported that they integrated Indian culture into assignments once a month or more. 

Technical assistance activities might include helping SEAs and LEAs better understand 

the issues and challenges facing Indian students, and integrate elements of native 

culture into curriculum, as well as assistance on identifying and incorporating promising 

practices into the education of Indian students. 

• Logistical support for the Department to continue tribal consultations and forums to help 

inform the Department’s policies and decision-making process. Previous experience 

suggests that these consultations are critical to improving education for Native American 

students, and we are committed to continuing tribal consultation and strengthening the 

government-to-government relationship between the United States and Indian tribes.

• Grants to tribal educational agencies (TEAs). The fiscal year 2012 appropriations act 

included funding for a pilot program, known as the State-Tribal Education Partnership 

program, which makes grants to TEAs to build their capacity by entering into agreements 

to assume certain SEA responsibilities for the administration of ESEA programs. The 

Administration’s reauthorization proposal would continue the State-Tribal Education 

Partnership (STEP) program, and the Department would use fiscal year 2015 funds to 

make a new round of STEP awards. 

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES (dollars in thousands)

Measures 2013 2014 2015

National Indian Education 

Study

$1,100 $1,700 $1,700

Other research $386 $297 0

Technical assistance $1,287 $993 $993

Technical and logistical 

support

$1,157 $661 $872

Grants to tribal education 

agencies

New awards 0 0 $2,000

Continuation awards $1,635 $1,914 0
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PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION 

Performance Measures

This section presents selected program performance information, including, for example, GPRA 

goals, objectives, measures, and performance targets and data; and an assessment of the 

progress made toward achieving program results. Achievement of program results is based on 

the cumulative effect of the resources provided in previous years and those requested in fiscal 

year 2015 and future years, as well as the resources and efforts invested by those served by this 

program. 

The performance measures for National Activities examine the timeliness of the release of 

NAEP data from reading and mathematics assessments that oversample American 

Indian/Alaska Native students, as well as the timeliness of completion of projects and products 

funded with Indian Student Education National Activities funds. The Department expects to 

have baseline data for these measures later in 2014.

In addition, the Department has established two performance measures for the STEP program 

to assess grantees’ progress in implementing collaborative agreements with SEAs: (1) the 

number of funded projects for which the TEA assumes State-level functions by the beginning of 

the second grant period; and (2) the number of funded projects that, at the end of the project 

period, report that the project has resulted in creation of an arrangement under which the TEA 

will continue to be responsible for the State-level functions delineated in its TEA-SEA agreement 

after Federal funding ends. At the beginning of the second grant period, the four STEP grantees 

had assumed at least one State-level function each, for a total of six State-level functions. 

Information on the second performance measure will be available after the project period has 

ended.
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State Table