Department of Education

INDIAN EDUCATION

Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Request

CONTENTS

Page

Appropriations Language ........................................................................................................E-1

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

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

Authorizing Legislation............................................................................................................E-4

Appropriations History.............................................................................................................E-5

Significant Items in FY 2017 Appropriations Reports...............................................................E-6

Summary of Request ..............................................................................................................E-7

Activities:

Grants to local educational agencies ................................................................................E-10

Special programs for Indian children.................................................................................E-18

National activities..............................................................................................................E-24

State tables1

 

1 State tables reflecting final 2016 allocations and 2017 and 2018 estimates are posted on the 

Department’s webpage at: https://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/statetables/index.html
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Appropriation s L angu age

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

the ESEA, $143,665,000, of which $5,554,000 shall be for subpart 3 of part A of title VI, and of 

which $37,921,000 shall be for subpart 2 of part A of title VI:1 Provided, That the Secretary may 

make awards under subpart 3 of part A of title VI without regard to the funding limitation in 

section 6133(b)(1).2

NOTES

A full-year 2017 appropriation for this account was not enacted at the time the budget was prepared; therefore, 

the budget assumes this account is operating under the Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 114–254). 

The amounts included for 2017 reflect the annualized level provided by the continuing resolution.

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.
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Analysis of Language Provisions and Changes

Language Provision Explanation

1...of which $5,554,000 shall be for subpart 3 of 

part A of title VI, and of which $37,921,000 shall 

be for subpart 2 of part A of title VI:

This language specifies the funding level for 

the Special Programs for Indian Children and 

National Activities programs.

2 Provided, That the Secretary may make 

awards under subpart 3 of part A of title VI 

without regard to the funding limitation in 

section 6133(b)(1).

This language allows the Secretary to make 

Native language immersion grants without 

regard to the funding limitation in section 

6133(b)(1).
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Appropriation, Adjustment, and Transfers

(dollars in thousands)

Appropriation/Adjustments/Transfers 2016

2017

Annualized CR 2018

Discretionary:

Discretionar y Appropriation............................................... $143,939 $143,665 $143,665
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Authorizing Legislation

(dollars in thousands)

Activity

footnote

2017

Authorized

footnote

2017

Annualized CR

2018

Authorized

2018

Request

Grants to local educational agencies (ESEA VI-A-1)........... $100,381 $100,190 $100,381 $100,190

Special programs for Indian children

(ESEA VI-A-2-6121 & 6122)..........................................

17,993 37,921 17,993 37,921

National activities (ESEA VI-A-3-6131)............................... 5,565 5,554 5,565 5,554

Total definite authorization ............................................... 123,939 123,939

Total appropriation ........................................................... 143,665 143,665

Portion of request subject to reauthorization................ 0 0
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Appropriations History

(dollars in thousands)

Year

Budget 

Estimate 

to Congress

House 

Allowance Footnote

Senate 

Allowance

Footnote

Appropriation

Footnote

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

2010 122,282 132,282 122,2823127,282

2011 127,282 127,2824 129,2823127,0275

2012 127,282 132,0276 128,0276130,779

2013 130,779 130,9977 130,7797123,939

2014 130,779 N/A8 130,3813123,939

2015 123,939 N/A8 123,9399123,939

2016 173,939 143,93910 123,93910 143,939

2017 174,939 174,93911 143,93911 164,93911

2018 143,665

 

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 and the level for the Senate allowance 

reflects Senate Committee action only. 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.

9 The level for the Senate allowance reflects Senate Subcommittee action only.

10 The levels for House and Senate allowance reflect action on the regular annual 2016 appropriations 

bill, which proceeded in the 114th Congress only through the House Committee and the Senate 

Committee.

11 The levels for House and Senate allowances reflect Committee action on the regular annual 2017 

appropriation bill; the Appropriation reflects the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017.
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Significant Items in FY 2017 Appropriations Reports

National Activities

Senate: Further, the Committee directs the Department to give the same consideration to 

applicants that propose to provide partial immersion schools and programs as to 

full immersion, as the local tribes, schools, and other applicants know best what 

type of program will most effectively assist their youth to succeed. Finally, the 

Committee directs the Department to coordinate this new program with Native 

American language immersion programs funded at HHS through the Esther 

Martinez Native American Language Preservation Act.

Response: The Department will comply with this request and give the same consideration to 

applicants that propose to provide partial immersion schools and programs as to 

full immersion. Additionally, the Department has coordinated with HHS to ensure 

that this new Native language immersion program does not duplicate programs 

funded through the Esther Martinez Native American Language Preservation Act.
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Click here for accessible version

Summar y of R equest

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FISCAL YEAR 2018 PRESIDENT'S BUDGET 


(in thousands of dollars)

Amount Percent Amount Percent

Indian Education (ESEA VI)

1. Grants to local educational agencies (Part A-1) D 100,381 100,190 100,381 100,190 0 0.00% (191) -0.19%

2. Special programs for Indian children (Part A-2) D 37,993 37,921 57,993 37,921 0 0.00% (20,072) -34.61%

3. National activities (Part A-3) D 5,565 5,554 6,565 5,554 0 -0.01% (1,011) -15.40%

Total D 143,939 143,665 164,939 143,665 0 0.00% (21,274) -12.90%

NOTES: D = discretionary program; M = mandatory program

Detail may not add to totals due to rounding. 

2018 President's Budget 

Compared to 2017 Appropriation

Account, Program and Activity

Category 

Code

2016

Appropriation

2018 President's Budget 

2017 Annualized Compared to 2017 Annualized CR

CR 

2018 

President's 

Budget 

2017 

Appropriation 
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Summary of Request

The Indian Education programs in this account are authorized by Title VI, 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 Education programs are authorized by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 

of 1965 (ESEA), which was reauthorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA). 

The budget request reflects the program as authorized by ESSA, which will be implemented in 

fiscal year 2017. A full-year 2017 appropriation was not enacted at the time the FY 2018 Budget 

was prepared; therefore, the Budget assumes the Department is operating under the Further 

Continuing Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L 114–254). The amounts included for 2017 reflect the 

annualized level provided by the continuing resolution. The Department of Education 

Appropriations Act, 2017, provided $164.9 million, an increase of $21 million, or 14.6 percent, 

more than the 2016 level for programs in this account.

The Administration requests $143.6 million for fiscal year 2018, the same as the fiscal year 

2017 annualized Continuing Resolution level (CR level). 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 data to inform teaching and school reform activities. The 

request for Indian 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:

• $100.2 million for Grants to Local Educational Agencies to help them address the particular 

needs of Indian children enrolled in urban and rural schools.

• $37.9 million for Special Programs for Indian Children to make new and continuation awards 

for Native Youth Community Projects under Demonstration Grants and new and 

continuation awards under the Professional Development program.

• $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 

support continuation awards for Native language immersion grants, and would continue the 

grants made in fiscal year 2015 to tribal education agencies in support of their efforts to 
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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 scoring 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 VI, Part A, Subpart 1) 

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2018 Authorization: $100,381

Budget Authority: 

2017

Appropriation

2017

Annualized CR 2018

Change from

Annualized CR 

$100,381 $100,190 $100,190 0

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

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

reauthorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), authorizes formula grants that provide 

assistance to elementary and secondary schools for programs serving Indian students, 

including preschool children. Local educational agencies (LEAs), Bureau of Indian Education 

(BIE, which is part of the Department of the Interior)-operated schools, and other BIE-supported 

schools are eligible for grants to help meet the unique cultural, language, and educational needs 

of such students and ensure that all students meet challenging State academic standards. The 

program also makes awards to Indian tribes, Indian organizations, or Indian community-based 

organizations representing 50 percent or more of the children in the schools of an LEA that does 

not apply for funding. In fiscal year 2016, 26 Tribes received such awards.

While allocations are determined by a statutory formula, each applicant must annually develop 

and submit to the Department a comprehensive plan for meeting the needs of Indian children. 

Each applicant must develop this plan in collaboration with a local committee comprised 

primarily of parents and family members of Indian children and must include student 

performance goals, a description of professional development activities that the applicant will 

carry out, and an explanation of how it will assess students’ progress toward meeting its goals 

and provide the results of this assessment to the parent committee and community. 

The program makes formula allocations only to LEAs or BIE schools in which the number of 

American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) children is at least 10 or constitutes at least 25 percent 

of total enrollment. 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. The program serves nearly a half-million 

eligible students and provides an average per-pupil award of approximately $214.
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Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

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

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

2015........................................................... 100,381

2016........................................................... 100,381

2017........................................................... 100,381

FY 2018 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2018, the Administration requests $100.2 million for the Indian Education Grants 

to Local Educational Agencies program, the same as the fiscal year 2017 annualized Continuing 

Resolution level (CR level). The Department of Education Appropriations Act, 2017, provided 

$100.4 million for this program. 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 $214, based on the 2016 count of 468,719

eligible American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) elementary and secondary students 

nationwide. 

This program is the Department's largest vehicle to support local efforts to address the particular 

academic needs of AI/AN children in public schools. Grants supplement the regular school 

program, helping AI/AN children sharpen their academic skills and participate in enrichment 

programs that would otherwise be unavailable. Funds support such activities as after-school 

programs, tutoring, counseling, dropout prevention, and Native language programs. 

Approximately three-quarters of American Indian/Alaska Native students 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 Bureau of Indian Education. The Working Group is 

in the process of developing and implementing goals, benchmarks, and key activities for 

improving educational outcomes for American Indian and Alaska Native students, in part 

through more effective use of Indian Education Grants to LEAs.

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

affect its academic achievement and general well-being. For example, 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 8.7 percent of all 

U.S. children ages 3 to 21 in 2014, it served 14.5 percent of AI/ANs of the same age. Further, 

absenteeism rates for AI/AN students are higher than for other students, particularly when it 

comes to chronic absenteeism, defined as missing at least 15 days of school in a year. In the 

2013-2014 school year, 23 percent of AI/AN students were chronically absent, compared to 14 

percent for all students. Absenteeism translates into less time for classroom instruction and 

learning and has harmful impacts on students’ academic outcomes, including proficiency rates 

and the likelihood of dropping out of high school. 

These risk factors may help explain why the achievement of AI/AN students, as measured by 

the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), has not improved since 2005 even as
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other racial/ethnic groups have shown significant gains. For example, the average “scale score” 

for AI/AN students in 4th grade reading was 204 in 2005 and 205 in 2015, and the 8th grade 

reading scale score was 249 in 2005 and 252 in 2015, reflecting a statistically insignificant 

change over a period in which all other groups had statistically significant increases. NAEP 

math results for AI/AN students showed a similar pattern relative to the achievement of other 

disadvantaged student groups over the same period. 

AI/AN students also 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 latest available 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). 

High school graduation rate and dropout rate data, while showing modest improvement in 

recent years, also demonstrate the challenges facing AI/AN students. While the AI/AN 

graduation rate has increased from 65 percent in 2010-2011 to 70 percent in 2013-2014, 

mirroring national trends, that rate remains the lowest among all racial/ethnic groups. The 

“status” dropout rate (which represents the proportion of non-institutionalized 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 11.5 percent in 2014, compared to the overall national average 

of 6.3 percent. Furthermore, AI/AN student enrollment in postsecondary education dropped 

from 2009 to 2012 and remains well below the rate for all students.

The data described above collectively demonstrate the importance of providing continued 

supplemental funding to LEAs serving AI/AN students while also supporting Federal, State, and 

local efforts to use that funding more effectively to improve outcomes for these students.
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PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES 

(dollars in thousands)

Output Measures 2016 2017 2018

Number of awards

Number to LEAs 1,118 1,118 1,118

Number to Tribes 26 26 26

Number to BIE- grant/contract schools 100 100 100

Number to BIE- operated schools 49 49 49

Total Number of awards 1,293 1,293 1,293

Distribution of funds

Distribution LEAs $91,853 $91,853 $91,678

Distribution Tribes 1,175 1,175 1,173

Distribution BIE- grant/contract schools 5,146 5,146 5,136

Distribution BIE- operated schools 2,207 2,207 2,203

Distribution Total 100,381 100,381 100,190

Number of eligible students

Students i n LEAs 425,470 425,470 425,470

Students i n Tribes 5,544 5,544 5,544

Students i n BIE- grant/contract schools 25,980 25,980 25,980

Students i n BIE- operated schools 11,725 11,725 11,725

Total number of students 468,719 468,719 468,719

Range of awards (whole dollars)

Highest award $3,058,055 $3,058,055 $3,058,055

Lowest awar d 4,000 4,000 4,000

Average allocation 77,634 77,634 77,487

Average payment per eligible 

student 214 214 214

_________________

NOTE: The Department is authorized to reserve up to 0.5 percent of funds appropriated for most ESEA 

programs, including Indian Education Grants to LEAs, and pool those funds to support the evaluation of any ESEA 

program. While the Department did not reserve funds from the Indian Education Grants to LEAs program for this 

purpose in fiscal year 2016, it may do so in fiscal years 2017 and 2018.

PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION 

Performance Measures

This section presents selected program performance information and results based on GPRA 

goals, objectives, measures, and performance targets. Achievement of program results is 

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

in fiscal year 2018 and future years, as well as the resources and efforts invested by those 

served by this program. 
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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. 

Since the 2005 NAEP, the Department has oversampled AI/AN students in the biennial NAEP 

4th-grade and 8th-grade reading and math assessments in order to generate reliable, nationallevel data on AI/AN students’ performance. After the 2011 assessment, the Department began 

oversampling AI/AN students on NAEP only every other cycle. AI/AN students were 

oversampled for the 2015 assessment and will next be oversampled in 2019.

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

2011 54% 49% 67%

2013 56 51 68

2015 58 52 69

2017 60

2019 62

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

2011 65% 64% 76%

2013 67 62 78

2015 69 63 76

2017 71

2019 73
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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

2011 74% 68% 82%

2013 76 68 83

2015 78 69 82

2017 80

2019 82

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

2011 59% 55% 73%

2013 61 59 74

2015 63 57 71

2017 65

2019 67

Additional information: 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 2015, the percentage of AI/AN 4th-grade students scoring at or above the basic 

level increased in reading and math when compared to 2011. Over the same period, 4th-grade

scores for all students in reading and math increased slightly. From 2011 to 2015, there were 

slight increases for AI/AN 8th-graders and all students in 8th-grade in reading. Over the same 

period, math scores for AI/AN 8th-graders showed no change and math scores for all students 

increased slightly. These changes in the percentage of AI/AN students scoring at or above the 

basic level from 2011 to 2015 were not statistically significant.

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

standards by scoring at the proficient level or above in reading on State assessments.

Year Target Actual – AI/AN Actual – All Students

2013 95% 58.1% 65.7%

2014 100 39.9 50.9

2015 100 40.8 51.6

2016 100

2017 100

2018 100
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Measure: The percentage of Indian students in grades 3-8 meeting State achievement

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

assessments.

Year Target Actual – AI/AN Actual – All Students

2013 95% 52.1% 62.9%

2014 100 34.1 45.1

2015 100 34.9 47.5

2016 100

2017 100

2018 100

Additional information: 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 prior to reauthorization by 

ESSA. The Department expects to have 2016 data in fall 2017. Performance measures based 

on proficiency rates will be changed in future years based on the reauthorized ESEA. 

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

2013 1.3% 11.6%

2014 0.0 10.9

2015 0.0 10.9

2016 0.0

2017 0.0

2018 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

2013 1.4% 12.9%

2014 0.0 11.1

2015 0.0 12.5

2016 0.0

2017 0.0

2018 0.0

Additional information: The Department 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, prior to reauthorization by the ESSA, of 
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eliminating the achievement gap between AI/AN students and all students by 2014. The 

Department expects to have 2016 data in fall 2017.

Measure: Percentage of Indian students who graduate from high school as measured by the 

four year adjusted cohort graduation rate.

Year Target Actual

2013 68% 69.0%

2014 71 71.6

2015 73

2016 75

2017 77

2018 79

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 

is calculated as the simple average among the States, a method that, while not statistically 

accurate, provides a reasonable proxy for GPRA purposes. The Department recently revised its 

targets for this measure to better align with results. The Department expects to have 2015 data 

in fall 2017.
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Special programs for Indian children

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

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2018 Authorization: $17,993

Budget Authority: 

2017

Appropriation

2017

Annualized CR 2018

Change from

Annualized CR

$57,993 $37,291 $37,921 0

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Title VI of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as reauthorized by the 

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), 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 to support the following programs:

• Improvement of Educational Opportunities for Indian Children and Youth (Section 6121) 

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

grants to State educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), Indian 

Tribes and organizations, federally supported elementary or secondary schools for Indian 

students, 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 educational programs, 

remedial instruction, bilingual and bicultural programs, health and nutrition services, 

programs to increase high school graduation rates for Indian children and youth, guidance 

and counseling, early childhood and kindergarten programs, partnership projects between 

LEAs and institutions of higher education (IHEs), partnership projects between schools and 

local businesses, secondary-to-postsecondary education transition programs, school-towork programs, and family literacy services. From 2009 to 2015, the Department funded 

Demonstration Grant projects in the areas of early childhood and secondary-topostsecondary-education transition. In 2015, the Department began funding Native Youth 

Community Projects to support community-driven strategies to improve the college- and 

career-readiness of Native youth.

• Professional Development (Section 6122). Under this program, the Department makes 

discretionary grants to (1) IHEs, or (2) SEAs, LEAs, Indian Tribes and organizations, and 

Department of the Interior-funded schools, in consortium with IHEs, 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 preservice teacher and pre-service administrator training.
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Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

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

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

2015.............................................................17,993

2016.............................................................37,993

2017 ......................................................57,993

FY 2018 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2018, the Administration requests $37.9 million for Special Programs for Indian 

Children, the same as the fiscal year 2017 annualized Continuing Resolution level (CR level). 

The Department of Education Appropriations Act, 2017, provided $58.0 million for this program. 

The request includes appropriations language overriding the authorized funding level for this 

program. Most funds would be used to pay continuation costs for an estimated 44 Native Youth 

Community Projects (NYCP) grants first awarded in fiscal years 2015 and 2016 to support 

improved educational and life opportunities for Native youth.

NYCP is designed to support community-driven strategies to improve the college- and careerreadiness of Native youth by focusing on the unique educational needs of American Indian and 

Alaska Native (AI/AN) children. Funds help address longstanding, unmet needs demonstrated 

in part by the educational outcome data described elsewhere in this account under Indian 

Education Grants to LEAs. Funded projects have supported blended learning and 

individualized instruction for Native youth, a comprehensive preschool through grade 12 

approach to academic and career preparation in Science, Technology, Engineering and 

Mathematics (STEM) fields, and improving instruction by focusing on culturally relevant lessons 

based on both Native cultural heritage and scientific principles.

For fiscal year 2018, the Department would use about $28.4 million for new and continuing 

NYCP awards under the Demonstration Grants authority. The Department launched this 

initiative in fiscal year 2015 by making 12 relatively small (e.g., $500,000) new NYCP awards to 

eligible entities to support culturally relevant coordinated strategies that are informed by 

evidence and data and address the greatest in- and out-of-school barriers to student collegeand career-readiness. In fiscal year 2016, the Department made larger awards to support more 

comprehensive services in 32 additional communities. The Department would use funds from 

the National Activities program in the Indian Education account to support technical assistance 

to build the capacity of NYCP grantees to implement their projects. Tribes, during Departmentled consultations on NYCP in 2014, identified the need for culturally-relevant technical 

assistance to help in such areas as conducting needs assessments, collecting and analyzing 

data, and identifying best practices and additional resources.

For the Professional Development program, the Department would use about $9.1 million for 

new and continuation awards to IHEs and other eligible entities to effectively train Indian 

students as teachers and school administrators to work in schools with concentrations of Indian 

children and youth. In fiscal year 2016, the PD program awarded grants to its largest cohort, 32 

grantees that included 19 IHEs and one Indian organization. Grants support teacher training 
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programs at IHEs, including tribal colleges and universities, and support efforts to recruit 

students that are likely to remain in teaching and administration positions in schools with a high 

proportion of Indian students. Grantees also provide comprehensive student services, including 

support for tuition and living expenses, as well as program development and operational costs 

for the institutions.

PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES 

(dollars in thousands)

Output Measures 2016

2017

Annualized CR 2018

Demonstration Grants

NYCP Grants

Demonstr ati on Grants – NYC P -Funding for new awards $18,192 $3,490 $2,846

Demonstr ati on Grants – NYC P -Funding for continuation 

awards 5,183 23,420 26,022

Total 23,375 26,910 28,868

Demonstr ati on Grants – NYC P -Number of new awards 32 4 5

Demonstr ati on Grants – NYC P -Number of continuation 

awards 12 44 48

Other Demonstration Grants

Demonstr ati on Grants Funding for new awards 0 0 0

Demonstr ati on Grants Funding for continuing awards $5,924 $3,537 0

Total: Demonstration 5,924 3,537 0

Demonstr ati on Grants Number of new awards 0 0 0

Demonstr ati on Grants Number of continuing awards 23 12 0

Professional Development

Professi onal D evelopment Funding for new awards: Professional Devel opment $6,713 0 $2,000

Professi onal D evelopment Funding for continuation 

awards: Professi onal D evelopment 1,782 7,474 6,683

Total: Professional Devel opment 8,495 7,474 8,683

Professi onal D evelopment Number of new awards: Professional Devel opment 11 0 3

Professi onal D evelopment Number of continuation awards: 

Professi onal D evelopment

12 24 20

Peer Review of new award 

applications $199 0 $370

NOTES: The Department is authorized to reserve up to 0.5 percent of funds appropriated for most ESEA 

programs, including Special programs for Indian children, and pool those funds to support the evaluation of any 

ESEA program. While the Department did not reserve funds from the Special programs for Indian children program 

for this purpose in fiscal year 2016, it may do so in fiscal years 2017 and 2018.

The Department funded new applications in FY 2017 from the FY 2016 slate.
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PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION 

Performance Measures

This section presents selected program performance information and results based on GPRA 

goals, objectives, measures, and performance targets. Achievement of program results is 

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

in fiscal year 2018 and future years, as well as the resources and efforts invested by those 

served by this program.

Demonstration Grants:

Measure: The percentage of participating AI/AN preschool students who gain school readiness 

skills as evidenced by pre- and post-test scores on an approved assessment of language and 

communication development.

Year Target Actual

2013 70% 71%

2014 75 82

2015 80 95

2016 85

2017 90

2018 95

Measure: The percentage of participating AI/AN preschool students who gain school readiness 

skills as evidenced by pre- and post-test scores on an approved assessment of cognitive skills 

and conceptual knowledge.

Year Target Actual

2013 60% 62%

2014 65 80

2015 70 95

2016 75

2017 80

2018 85
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Measure: The percentage of participating AI/AN preschool students who gain school readiness 

skills as evidenced by pre- and post-test scores on an approved assessment of social 

development.

Year Target Actual

2013 55% 55%

2014 60 75

2015 65 95

2016 70

2017 75

2018 80

Measure: The percentage of participating AI/AN 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.

Year Target Actual

2013 60% 61%

2014 65 67

2015 70 81

2016 75

2017 80

2018 85

Measure: The percentage of participating AI/AN students who graduate with their incoming 9th

grade class.

Year Target Actual

2013 75% 77%

2014 80 75

2015 85 81

2016 90 90

2017 95

2018 100

Additional Information: The performance data for 2013 represents data for the 2009 cohort of 

grantees, data for 2014 represents the 2010 cohort, and data for 2015 represents the 

2011 cohort. Data for 2016 representing the 2012 cohort will be available later in 2017.

Native Youth Community Projects:

The Department developed the following performance measures for the NYCP program: (1) the 

percentage of the annual measurable objectives, as described in the application, that are met by 

grantees; and (2) the percentage of grantees that report a significant increase in community 

collaborative efforts that promote college- and career-readiness of Indian children. Initial data 

for these measures will be available for the 2015 cohort of NYCP grantees in 2017.
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Professional Development:

The indicators for the Professional Development Grants measure (1) The percentage of 

participants in administrator preparation projects who become principals, vice principals, or 

other school administrators in LEAs that serve AI/AN students; (2) The percentage of 

participants in teacher preparation projects who become teachers in LEAs that serve AI/AN

students; (3) The percentage of program participants who meet State licensure requirements; 

(4) The percentage of program participants who complete their service requirement on 

schedule; (5) The cost per individual who successfully completes an administrator preparation 

program, takes a position in a school district that benefits American Indian/Alaska Native 

enrollment, and completes the service requirement in such a district; and (6) the cost per 

individual who successfully completes a teacher preparation program, takes a position in such a 

school district that benefits American Indian/Alaska Native enrollment, and completes the 

service requirement in such a district. 

In 2015, the Department completed a transition to a new electronic Data Collection System 

(DCS) to support the collection and reporting of performance data for the Professional 

Development Grants program. Prior to 2015, program participants submitted paper reports on 

their service or payback status; the 2015 cohort will be the first to report exclusively in the DCS. 

Since fiscal year 2013, the Department has provided significant and ongoing technical 

assistance to both grantees and participants to assist with more timely and accurate reporting in 

the new system. 

For the 2013 reporting year, 6.0 percent of program participants became school administrators 

and 15.7 percent of participants became teachers in LEAs with 5 percent or more Native 

American students. Nineteen percent of participants received full State licensure, and zero 

percent of participants completed their service requirement on schedule. The cost per individual 

who successfully completed a teacher preparation program could not be determined based on 

the limited information available at time of reporting. Fiscal year 2013 served as the baseline 

year, with a total of 97 percent of grantees reporting in the new DCS.

Data for 2014 will be available in early 2018.
E-24

National activities

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

(dollars in thousands)

FY 2018 Authorization: $5,656

Budget Authority: 

2017

Appropriation

2017 

Annualized CR 2018

Change from

Annualized CR 

$6,565 $5,554 $5,554 0

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Title VI, Part A, Subpart 3 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as 

reauthorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), authorizes three types of Indian 

Education National Activities: (1) 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; (2) grants to support native language immersion schools and programs; 

and (3) grants to Tribes for administrative planning, development, and coordination related to 

education systems. These activities help the Department to improve the national knowledge 

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

best practices for serving this population; help maintain, preserve, and restore Native languages 

and cultural traditions; and promote tribal self-determination in education as well as the 

coordination and cooperation between Tribes and State educational agencies (SEAs) and local 

educational agencies (LEAs).

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. For example, the Department has gathered and disseminated 

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

of Indian students as well as the characteristics of teachers and principals serving those 

students. 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. 

The ESEA as reauthorized by the ESSA established two new authorities within National 

Activities. The first formally authorizes a program for tribal educational agencies (TEAs) to build 

their capacity in administering education programs and promote increased collaboration with 

SEAs. The Department laid the groundwork for this new authority by making pilot awards to 

four TEAs to work with SEAs to assume certain SEA responsibilities for the administration of 

ESEA programs; the Department made a second round of awards in fiscal year 2015. The 

second new authority establishes a Native language immersion grant program to support 

projects that develop and maintain, or improve and expand, school-based programs using 

Native languages as the primary languages of instruction. The Department will make an 

inaugural round of Native American Language Immersion Grants beginning in fiscal year 2017.
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Funding levels for the past 5 fiscal years were:

Fiscal Year (dollars in thousands)

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

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

2015................................ ..............................5,565

2016................................ ..............................5,565

2017................................ ..............................6,565

FY 2018 BUDGET REQUEST

For fiscal year 2018, the Administration requests $5.6 million for Indian Education National 

Activities, the same as the fiscal year 2017 annualized Continuing Resolution level (CR level). 

The Department of Education Appropriations Act, 2017, provided $6.6 million for this program.

Appropriated funds will support the following activities:

• $1.9 million for continuation awards to tribal educational agencies (TEAs) participating in

the State-Tribal Education Partnership (STEP) 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. 

• $1.6 million for continuation awards under the new Native American Language Immersion 

program, which will make grants for the first time in fiscal year 2017 to maintain and 

promote the use of Native languages, support Native language education and 

development, and provide professional development for teachers.

• $1.0 million for the sixth 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. The request would support the 2019 administration of the NAEP 

reading and mathematics assessments, as well as the educational experiences survey. 

• $261 thousand for technical assistance to support NYCP and STEP grantees.

• $815 thousand for 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 can help improve education for AI/AN 

students, and the Department is committed to continuing tribal consultation and 

strengthening the government-to-government relationship between the United States and 

Indian Tribes.
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PROGRAM OUTPUT MEASURES 

(dollars in thousands)

Output Measures 2016

2017

Annualized CR 2018

Grants to tribal education agencies

Grants to tribal education agenci es New awards 0 0 0

Grants to tribal education agenci es Continuation awards $1,992 $1,581 $1,900

Native language immersion grants

Grants to tribal education agenci es New awards 0 1,608 0

Grants to tribal education agenci es Continuation awards 0 0 1,608

National Indian Education Study 1,100 970 970

Technical assistance 1,715 339 261

Technical and logistical support 758 946 815

Peer review of new award 

applications

0 110 0

NOTE: The Department is authorized to reserve up to 0.5 percent of funds appropriated for most ESEA 

programs, including Indian Education National Activities, and pool those funds to support the evaluation 

of any ESEA program. While the Department did not reserve funds from the Indian Education National 

Activities program for this purpose in fiscal year 2016, it may do so in fiscal years 2017 and 2018.

PROGRAM PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Performance Measures

This section presents selected program performance information and results based on GPRA 

goals, objectives, measures, and performance targets. Achievement of program results is 

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

in fiscal year 2018 and future years, as well as the resources and efforts invested by those 

served by this program. 

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

released the 2015 NIES in early 201712.

The Department 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 

 12 http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nies/
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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, all four STEP pilot grantees, the 

Chickasaw Nation (Oklahoma), the Navajo Nation (New Mexico), the Nez Perce Tribe (Idaho), 

and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (Oregon) had assumed at least 

one State-level function, with two grantees assuming two functions, for a total of six State-level 

functions. At the beginning of the second grant period, all five 2015 STEP grantees have 

assumed SEA- or LEA-level functions, as described in their final agreements. Information from 

the first cohort on the second performance measure will be available later in 2017 once 

grantees complete their projects under the terms of a 1-year, no-cost extension.

The Department will develop new performance measures for the Native language immersion 

grants.