Tribal Leaders Speak:

The State of Indian Education, 2010

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Report of the Consultations with Tribal Leaders 

in Indian Country

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Tribal Leaders Speak: The State of American Indian Education, 2010

Report of the Consultations With Tribal Leaders in Indian Country

U.S. Department of Education

Office of the Secretary

Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Indian Education 

White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and Universities
U.S. Department of Education 

Arne Duncan 

Secretary 

Office of Elementary and Secondary Education 

Michael Yudin 

Acting Assistant Secretary 

Joyce Silverthorne 

Director, Office of Indian Education 

White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and Universities 

William Mendoza 

Executive Director 

Nov. 30, 2011 

This publication is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part 

is granted. While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation 

should be U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary 

Education, Office of Indian Education, White House Initiative on Tribal Colleges and 

Universities, Tribal Leaders Speak: The State of American Indian Education, 2010; 

Report of the Consultations With Tribal Leaders in Indian Country, Washington, D.C., 

2011. 

This report is available on the Department’s website at: 

http://www2.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/indianed/consultations.report.pdf
Contents

Tribal Leaders Speak: The State of American Indian Education, 2010.......................................vi

INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 1

The National Indian Education Study, 2009............................................................................ 1

The Education System Serving American Indian Students ..................................................... 2

The U.S. Department of Education’s 2010 Plan of Actions ..................................................... 4

Nationwide Consultations With Tribal Leaders in Indian Communities in 2010 ....................... 5

AMERICAN INDIANS SPEAK: MANY HISTORICAL CHALLENGES PERSIST......................... 6

American Indians Speak of Failure to Fulfill Historic Trust Responsibility ............................... 6

American Indian Leaders Perceive a ―Disconnect‖ Between Federal, State, and Local 

Governments.........................................................................................................................14

American Indians Testify Regarding Insufficient Funding ......................................................20

American Indians Stress Need to Recruit and Retain Highly Effective Teachers and Leaders

..............................................................................................................................................28

American Indians Express Need to Collect and Analyze Student Data..................................33

Impact of Poverty and Need for Comprehensive Student Supports .......................................34

American Indians Expressed Need for Seamless Cradle-to-Career Pipeline .........................40

CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................................45

Appendix A. Official Consultations and Listening Sessions: Locations and Dates .....................49
Nov. 18, 2011

Dear Tribal Leaders:

The Obama Administration is strongly committed to the education of American Indian 

and Alaska Native people. The President and I believe the future of Indian Country 

rests on ensuring that your children receive a high-quality education. Improving 

academic outcomes for Native American children has never been more important. 

Unfortunately, too many Native American children are not receiving an education that 

prepares them for college and career success, too few of them are going to college, and 

far too many of them drop out of high school. We need to do better.

As Secretary of Education, I have had the privilege of visiting the Northern Cheyenne 

Reservation in Montana and the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. I 

witnessed the problems that Indian Country faces with high unemployment, poor

housing, and inadequate school facilities. But the children I talked with on those 

reservations gave me hope. They were smart, committed, and passionate. They said 

they want to be challenged. They want to be held to higher expectations. 

To better serve Native students, we must collaborate with the people who know their 

students and communities the best—tribal leaders. I have traveled to tribal 

communities in Alaska, Montana, and South Dakota to learn from tribal officials about 

the challenges their students face. And I sent my senior staff to engage in consultations 

with tribal leaders in New Mexico, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Arizona, and Washington. 

Over the course of our travels, we have had meaningful discussions about the 

reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA); the teaching of 

Native languages, cultures, and history in our schools; and tribal sovereignty and selfdetermination. This report documents what we heard during those consultations. 

We also understand that consultations are not an end in themselves. We must follow 

up with meaningful reforms. For instance, as a result of our consultations with tribal 

leaders, we have proposed a new pilot authority in our ESEA reauthorization proposal 

that would elevate the role of tribal educational agencies (TEAs). Under this authority, 

TEAs would work collaboratively with State educational agencies and have a potentially 

greater role in the education of their own children.

We are also working on creating a new senior Indian Affairs position at the Department. 

That appointee will be responsible for ensuring that the educational needs of Native 

students are met across the Department’s education programs. In policy papers and at 

tribal consultations, tribal leaders and educators talked about the importance of giving 

tribal communities a voice at the highest levels of the Department.
Finally, the Department administers a number of federal education programs for 

American Indian students. The Department’s Office of Indian Education, which 

implements the Indian Education programs authorized under Title VII, Part A of the 

Elementary and Secondary Education Act—the only comprehensive piece of federal 

Indian education legislation—provides funding to meet the unique educational needs of 

over 475,000 Indian students in over 1,200 public school districts, as well as students 

attending the schools funded by the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian 

Education. 

I want to assure you that the Department understands its trust responsibility to improve 

educational outcomes for all American Indian and Alaska Native students. Thank you 

for your leadership. I look forward to working with you further in the years to come. 

Sincerely,

Arne Duncan
Tribal Leaders Speak: The State of American Indian Education, 2010

Report of the Consultations With Tribal Leaders in Indian Country
Please let us know what the results of all this is because I've been to 

many of these over 40-some years and, in most cases, nothing 

happens.

 —Ivan M. Ivan, Tribal Chief, Akiak Native Community1

Together, working together, we're going to make sure that the first 

Americans, along with all Americans, get the opportunities they 

deserve. 

—President Barack Obama2

The Department of Education has never, ever engaged in [its own] 

tribal consultations. ... We will prepare a report to the White House and 

to the Secretary on our conversations here.

—Charles P. Rose, General Counsel, U.S. Department of Education3

 

1

Alaska Consultation, April 16, 2010.

2 White House Tribal Nations Conference, Nov. 5, 2009. 

3

South Dakota Consultation, April 28, 2010.
1

INTRODUCTION

We have to dramatically improve the quality of education in Indian 

country and for Native American students, whether they live on 

reservations or not.

—Arne Duncan, Secretary, U.S. Department of Education4

In accordance with President Obama's Nov. 5, 2009, memorandum requiring federal 

agencies to develop plans of action for consultation and coordination with American 

Indians/Alaska Natives,5the U.S. Department of Education conducted six official 

consultations with tribal leaders and American Indian educators across the country in 

2010. These were the first such sessions that the U.S. Department of Education 

sponsored in its history. 

During the Department of Education’s tribal consultations in Indian communities, tribal 

leaders and educators or American Indian children testified that American Indian 

students face a number of significant challenges, including lack of access to culturally 

appropriate curricula, educators without sufficient cultural training, and poor learning 

conditions. They spoke of organizational challenges, insufficient resources, and limited 

opportunities for members of tribal communities to meaningfully participate in the 

education of their own children. These challenges identified by tribal leaders and 

educators of American Indian children may act as barriers to a quality education and 

contribute to poor outcomes for American Indian students. As data from the 2009 

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show, unfortunately, American 

Indian students face significant achievement gaps as compared to their non-native 

peers. Tribal leaders testified that these outcomes perpetuate cycles of limited 

economic opportunity, resulting in significant health, welfare, and justice inequities in 

Indian country. 

The National Indian Education Study, 2009

It is very important that we hold education important to our children, to 

our tribal membership, and today is going to be a day where we are 

going to voice our issues and our concerns to the representatives from 

the Department of Education. Because what is being said here today 

they will take back to Washington, and we're hoping that they listen with 

a good heart and a clear mind, that we are not only expressing what we 

want for our education for our children but in the future, a better 

education. 

 —Theresa Two Bulls, President, Oglala Sioux Tribe6

 

4 U.S. Department of Education town hall meeting with senior officials, Dec. 15, 2010.

5 For brevity, we use ―American Indian‖ to refer to American Indian and Alaska Native throughout.

6

South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.
2

The Department’s NAEP program is the largest nationally representative and continuing 

assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subjects. Using the 

data from the NAEP, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) produced the 

National Indian Education Study 2009, finding that American Indian student scores in 

both reading and math at both fourth- and eighth-grade levels did not improve since 

2005. In addition, Alaska Natives at the fourth-grade level actually scored lower on this 

survey than in 2005. Specifically, in the 2009 assessment, American Indian students 

attending local public schools lagged behind the general population in reading by an 

average of 17 points out of 500 in fourth grade and by 13 points in eighth grade. As for 

math, American Indian students averaged 15 points lower than the general population in 

grade 4 and 17 points lower in grade 8.

American Indian students attending Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools fared

even worse in achievement. BIE students averaged 25 points lower in reading than the 

general population in fourth grade and 23 points lower in grade 8. In math, BIE 

students averaged 20 points lower than the general population in fourth grade and 19 

points lower in eighth grade.7

The Dropout/Graduation Crisis Among American Indian and Alaska Native 

Students8

American Indian students also suffer from high dropout rates. For example, in 2008–09, 

48 states and the District of Columbia reported sufficient data to calculate the Average 

Freshmen Graduation Rate (AFGR) by race/ethnicity.9 Across these reporting states 

and D.C., the AFGR for American Indian students (64.3 percent) falls between black, 

non-Hispanic students (63.3 percent) and Hispanic students (65.1); all of which are 

below the rates for whites and Asian / Pacific Islanders (81.5 percent and 92.3 percent, 

respectively). This dynamic changes somewhat when looking at states where the 

percentage of the 2008–09 graduation cohort made up of American Indian students 

exceeds the average percentage of all students in the reporting states who are 

American Indian (i.e., exceeds 1.25 percent).10 Across these states the AFGR for 

American Indian students was 62.3 percent. This falls below the rates for black, 

Hispanic, white, and Asian students across these same states (66.2 percent, 67.0 

percent, 82.6 percent, and 91.3 percent respectively).

The Education System Serving American Indian Students 

 

7 U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, 

National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), National Indian Education Study 2009.

8 U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), 

"NCES Common Core of Data State Dropout and Completion Data File," School Year 2008—09, Version 

1a.

9

The AFGR could not be calculated by race/ethnicity in school year 2008-09 for Maine and Nevada.

10 Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North 

Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming all have 

American Indian and Alaska Native populations that exceed 1.25 percent of their estimated 2008-09 

graduation cohort population.
3

The complexity of [education] systems is daunting.

 —Janine Pease, Crow Tribe11

During the 2005–06 school year, American Indian students comprised some 644,000 

public elementary and secondary school students, or about 1 percent of all public 

school students. If regarded as a state student population, American Indian students 

would represent the 27th largest state by student enrollment in the country, comparable 

in size to such states as Kentucky, Louisiana and Oklahoma. The great majority, some 

92 percent, of American Indian students attend regular local public schools that fall 

under the jurisdiction of pertinent state and local educational authorities.

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s BIE schools enroll approximately 8 percent of all 

American Indian public school students in 184 BIE-funded schools. Sixty-one of these 

schools are operated by the BIE and 123 by tribal authorities themselves, either under 

BIE contracts or with grants. During the 2009–10 school year, BIE schools served 

46,524 American Indian students. These schools were located on 63 reservations in 23 

states.12 If treated as its own school district, the BIE would rank, by enrollment, in the 

top 100 out of nearly 16,000 school districts in the nation.

The responsibility to provide education to American Indian youth is set out in federal 

statutes and treaties. Whereas the federal government maintains a unique trust 

obligation, brokered in the 19th century, which includes responsibility over delivery of 

education services, state and local authorities are not obligated by these federal 

statutes and treaties. As it is with public education generally, much of the discretion as 

to policies and resources affecting the vast majority of American Indian students—the 

more than 90 percent who attend regular public schools—is left to the judgment of state 

and local authorities, and, therefore, varies by jurisdiction.

In addition to the fragmentation that occurs within a federal-state-local education 

structure, there is further fragmentation within the federal agencies. For example, within

the U.S. Department of Education there are several program offices that implement 

different programs and initiatives that operate under distinct Departmental authorities. 

The BIE is located within the Office of Indian Affairs at the U.S. Department of the 

Interior. The Office of Indian Affairs is one of eight Interior bureaus, including the U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service; the National Park Service; the Office of Surface Mining;

Reclamation and Enforcement; the Bureau of Land Management; the Office of Ocean 

Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement; and the U.S. Geological Survey. 

Under the Office of Indian Affairs, the BIE is among several other offices, including the 

Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development; the Office of Justice Services; the 

 

11 Comment card submission, U.S. Department of Education town hall meeting with senior officials, 

Dec. 15, 2010.

12 U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Status and Trends in the 

Education of American Indians and Alaska Natives, September 2008, 

http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2008/nativetrends/highlights.asp, accessed March 16, 2011.
4

Office of Indian Services; and the Division of Tribal Government Services.13 The U.S.

Department of the Interior employs 70,000 individuals. Of this total, 4,300 are employed 

by the BIE, approximately the same as the total number employed by the U.S.

Department of Education.14 

The U.S. Department of Education’s 2010 Plan of Actions

American Indian issues today are primarily within the U.S. Department 

of Interior where we compete ... with animals, trees, rocks, etc. 

Meeting with U.S. ―people departments‖ is refreshing.

—Anonymous, South Dakota consultation comment card submission15

Following President Obama's November 2009 memorandum requiring federal agencies 

to develop plans of actions for consultation and coordination with American Indian tribal 

governments, the U.S. Department of Education began working with tribal nations and 

other federal agencies. Department of Education officials, including Senate-confirmed 

staff and senior-level office directors, attended seven interagency conferences across 

the country in Dec. 2009. These included conversations with the Departments of 

Commerce and Agriculture and tribal officials, a conference of the National Indian 

Impacted Schools Association, the South Dakota Indian Education Conference, a U.S. 

Department of the Interior tribal consultation, and the Department of the Interior, Bureau 

of Indian Education Safe Schools Summit.

These conferences and conversations laid the groundwork for the Department of 

Education’s tribal consultations that followed.

On Feb. 3, 2010, Secretary Duncan then submitted to the Office of Management and 

Budget a Plan of Actions (the Plan) for implementing President Clinton’s 2000 Executive 

Order 13175, which was intended to establish regular and meaningful consultation and 

collaboration with tribal officials in the development of federal policies that have tribal 

implications, to strengthen the United States government-to-government relationships 

with Indian Tribes, and to reduce the imposition of unfunded mandates upon Indian 

Tribes. The development of the Department of Education’s Plan was guided by the 

following four principles:

 The U.S. recognizes the right of federally recognized Indian tribes to selfgovernment, and supports tribal sovereignty and self-determination;

 In general, this right forms the basis of every federal policy or program that has 

tribal implications;

 

13 U.S. Department of the Interior, ―What We Do,‖ http://www.bia.gov/WhatWeDo/index.htm, accessed 

March 18, 2011.

14 U.S. Department of the Interior, ―Bureaus & Offices,‖ http://interior.gov/bureaus/index.cfm, accessed 

March 18, 2011.

15 Comment card submission, South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.
5

 Regular and meaningful dialogue is the appropriate vehicle for ensuring that this 

right is reflected in federal policies and programs; and

 The Department’s role is to ensure that the unique educational and culturally 

related academic needs of American Indians and Alaska Natives are met.

The Plan outlined regular and ad hoc consultations with follow-through; intra-agency 

coordination, including the provision of training and formation of working groups; 

interagency collaboration, particularly with the BIE; and communications and outreach 

by federal agencies, to forge closer ties between the federal government and tribal 

contacts. The Plan designated then General Counsel Charles P. Rose as the senior 

Departmental official in charge of Plan implementation.

Nationwide Consultations With Tribal Leaders in Indian Communities in 2010

The whole notion of equity is something that has oftentimes not served 

native people. It has actually worked against us because we're not 

necessarily trying to be the same as all these other groups.

—David Iyall, Cowlitz Tribe; University of Washington16

As laid out in the Plan, the U.S. Department of Education independently organized, for 

the first time in its history, consultations with tribal leaders in Indian communities, one 

town hall in Washington, D.C., and two teleconferences between senior Department 

officials and federally recognized tribal leaders and American Indian educators in 2010. 

These consultations are documented in court reporter transcripts available on the 

Department’s website, (http://www.ed.gov/about/inits/ed/indianed/docs.html). Senior 

officials from the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Indian Affairs also 

participated in many of these sessions. The 2010 consultation venues included 

Anchorage, Alaska; Espanola, New Mexico; Shawnee, Oklahoma; Pine Ridge, South 

Dakota; Window Rock, Arizona; and Puyallup, Washington; conference calls, as well, 

took place among tribal representatives, Secretary Duncan and other high-level 

Departmental officials. Many of the in-person consultations were held on tribally 

controlled lands. 

During these consultations, representatives of federally recognized tribes and American 

Indian educators spoke, and Department officials listened and learned. 

Recommendations and comments generally depicted a challenging scenario 

notwithstanding several success stories. The testimony of tribal officials and educators 

of American Indian students is reflected in this report.

Among the objectives of these sessions was to seek input from American Indian leaders 

and educators on critical education issues, including for the reauthorization of the 

Elementary and Secondary Education Act so that policymakers would hear from 

 

16 Washington consultation, July 15, 2010.
6

American Indian leaders and educators on how to revise the law so that it includes 

meaningful reform for the education of American Indian students.17

AMERICAN INDIANS SPEAK: MANY HISTORICAL CHALLENGES PERSIST

American Indians Speak of Failure to Fulfill Historic Trust Responsibility 

So the funding that you bring towards us ... we look at this as a partial 

payment of the rental of our lands.

—Jesse Taken Alive, Tribal Council Representative, Standing Rock 

Sioux Tribe18

Summary

Federally recognized tribes and American Indian educators expressed outrage at 

perceived failures of the federal government to fulfill its ―moral obligation of the highest 

responsibility and trust‖ to Indian tribes. The federal courts have long recognized the 

distinctive obligation of trust incumbent upon the federal government in its dealings with 

Indian peoples. Under its historic trust responsibility, the federal government must 

protect tribal self-governance, lands, assets, resources and treaty rights, and comply 

with applicable federal statutes, treaties and court decisions.19 

The general rationale for this legal relationship has been that the federal government 

would be permitted to use American Indian tribal lands and other national resources in 

exchange for the provision of basic services, including health, education, and economic 

development to the Indian tribes.

20,21 Both trust privileges and service-provision 

responsibilities were to be executed with the ongoing input of tribally affiliated American 

Indians.

22,23,24,25

 

 

17 U.S. Department of Education, ―Plan of Actions for Implementation of Executive Order 13175: 

Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments,‖ Feb. 3, 2010, 

http://www.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/tribalplan-2010.pdf, accessed Jan. 31, 2011.

18 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.

19 Seminole Nation v. United States, 316 U.S. 286 (1942).

20 Snyder Act, 1921.

21 Treaty of Point Elliot, Jan. 22, 1855.

22 Canby, Jr., William C., American Indian Law in a Nutshell, 1998, Eagan, Minn.: West Group.

23 Cohen, Felix S., Handbook of Federal Indian Law with Reference Tables and Index, 1988, Buffalo, 

N.Y.: William S. Hein & Co. 

24 Pevar, Stephen L., The Rights of Indians and Tribes: The Basic ACLU Guide to Indian Tribal Rights, 

1992, Carbondale, Ill.: Southern Illinois University Press.

25 Prucha, Francis Paul, ed., Documents of United States Indian Policy, 2nd ed., 1990.
7

While federal treaty obligations continue, adequate oversight, including oversight over 

education programs for American Indian students funded by the federal government

and channeled through various state, local and tribal authorities, is challenging. 

Additionally, state and local governments are not required to comply with federal treaty 

obligations.

During the consultations, tribal leaders indicated that their perception of the federal 

government’s failure to provide quality education services to American Indian students, 

whether they attend BIE or local public schools, is another instance of the federal 

government failing to fulfill its trust responsibilities to sovereign American Indian nations. 

In their comments, American Indian educators and leaders of federally recognized tribes

alike attributed this perceived government failure to meet its Indian trust responsibilities 

to a variety of factors, including the complexity of federal, state, local, and tribal 

education systems, a perceived failure of the federal government to consult with 

American Indians themselves, and, according to those leaders, insufficient and

uncoordinated federal funding for Indian education.

Testimony

This responsibility of providing for the education of American Indian 

people is based on the unique status of Indian people and has been 

recognized over time through federal legislation, such as the Snyder 

Act as well as the Indian Education Act.

—Walter Dasheno, Governor, Santa Clara Pueblo26

The role of states in upholding trust responsibility must be defined ... 

because a majority of Indian youth attend public school.

 —Tulalip Tribes of Washington State27

The U.S. government has a trust responsibility to all the tribes. And

from what I've seen, they're partially negligent in that trust responsibility.

—Peter Garcia, Ohkay Owingeh28

I want to emphasize the fact that education is a treaty obligation as 

cited in Article 7 of the [1868] Fort Laramie treaty that was established 

between our nation and the Congress of the United States of America. 

The education services that are provided by this treaty provision do not 

differentiate between the U.S. Departments of Education and Interior.

 —Thomas Conroy, Chairman, Pine Ridge School Board29

 

26 New Mexico consultation, May 3, 2010.

27 Written testimony, April 16, 2010.

28 New Mexico consultation, May 3, 2010.

29 Written testimony, April 28, 2010. 
8

Many of those dollars that the states receive are federal flow-through 

dollars for the services and so, by way of receiving those federal 

dollars, those states also buy into that federal trust responsibility.

—Mary Jane Oatman-Wak Wak, Nez Perce Tribe; National Advisory 

Council on Indian Education; Director, Indian Education, State of 

Idaho30

This was ours at one time. You've got to understand that there's an 

obligation. ... When are we going to quit begging?

—David Beaulieu, Lac du Flambeau Tribe, Wisconsin; Professor 

Emeritus, Arizona State University31

We ... concur with President Obama's conviction that the federal 

government has a trust relationship with all American Indian tribes, 

including a responsibility for providing educational services to American 

Indian students, because of the special government-to-government 

relationship between tribes as sovereign governments and the United 

States Government. 

—Walter Dasheno, Governor, Santa Clara Pueblo32

Congress ... declared its commitment ... to the maintenance of the 

federal government's unique and continuing trust relationship with and 

responsibility to the Indian people for the education of Indian children 

through the establishment of a meaningful Indian self-determination 

policy for education that will deter further ... perpetuation of federal 

bureaucratic domination of programs.

—Noreen Sakiestewa, Director for the Department of Education for the 

Hopi Tribe33

American Indians Seek More Tribal Control Over Education

If we're going to be in control of our destiny, we have to be in control of 

our education.

—Everett Chavez, Governor, Pueblo of Kewa34

Summary

Tribal leaders and American Indian educators indicated that state and local authorities 

do not consult them in meaningful and regular dialogue regarding American Indian 

 

30 U.S. Department of Education town hall meeting with senior officials, Dec. 15, 2010.

31 Ibid.

32 New Mexico consultation, May 3, 2010

33 Arizona consultation, June 30, 2010.

34 New Mexico consultation, May 3, 2010.
9

education, resulting in what they view as a loss of control over their children’s 

education. 

Testimony 

We want more local control ... not only for the Cherokee Nation but our 

public school districts. They're the ones who know the daily challenges 

they face.

 —Corey Bunch, Cherokee Nation Education Services35

We ask that districts be required to include tribal governments when 

applying for grants.

 —Tulalip Tribes of Washington State36

Maybe we could tie into the roles of state funding and make it 

mandatory that ... to accept that funding at the state level that they 

have to work with tribal consultation.

 —Theresa Two Bulls, President, Oglala Sioux Tribe37

Modern federal laws like ESEA need to reconnect these schools to 

tribal governments. ... It's about tribes helping to determine how Title I 

funds can be best used to help tribal students, no matter what the 

standards are in their particular state.

—Quinton Roman Nose, President, Tribal Education Departments 

National Assembly38

The states have been operating to the complete exclusion of tribes 

within tribal jurisdiction areas for too many years.

—Ryan Wilson, Representative for Chairman Marcus Levings of 

Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara and Arapahoe Tribes39

I'm not really satisfied with how those dollars come to our reservation 

because you run them through the state of Wisconsin. Does the state 

like the Indian people? ... No! They don't. 

—David Beaulieu, Lac du Flambeau Tribe, Wisconsin; Professor 

Emeritus, Arizona State University40

 

35 Oklahoma consultation, April 19, 2010.

36 Written testimony, April 16, 2010.

37 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.

38 Oklahoma consultation, April 19, 2010.

39 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.

40 U.S. Department of Education town hall meeting with senior officials, Dec. 15, 2010.
10

Need for Regular Government-to-Government Consultation

We are respectful and mindful that our work must be conducted from a 

framework that we're dealing with a nation to a nation, government to 

government.

—Charles P. Rose, General Counsel, U.S. Department of Education41

Summary

To facilitate American Indian control over education, tribal leaders recommended 

regular, meaningful, and ongoing consultation, dialogue, and coordination between 

federally recognized American Indian tribes, local public American Indian education 

providers and representative groups, and federal, state, and local governments. In 

order to obtain a clear picture of all American Indian students’ needs, tribal leaders and 

educators expressed the view that officials from the Department of Education, the BIE, 

the states, and the local public school systems should listen and learn from the tribes. 

Testimony

When decisions are being made on behalf of our Indian people, 

whether it's Indian education, socially or economically, it must be done 

at the highest level.

 —Don Tofpi, Chairman, Kiowa Tribe42

Government-to-government consultation between Department of 

Education, the BIE and tribes must precede implementation of new 

programs.

 —Member Tribes of the Great Plains43

Every March we, as tribes, go to Washington, D.C., and are given three 

minutes of testimony to tell about all of our needs.

—Jesse Taken Alive, Tribal Council Representative, Standing Rock 

Sioux Tribe.44

Too many times the federal government and the agencies reorganize 

without any government-to-government consultation.

—Robert Benavides, Governor, Isleta Pueblo, Santa Clara Pueblo45

The federal government, prior to No Child Left Behind, always had a 

one-to-one relationship with tribes. That was the first legislation that 

bypassed the one-to-one relationship and put the tribes into direct 

 

41 Ibid. 

42 Oklahoma consultation, April 19, 2010.

43 Tribal Chairman's Association, written testimony, submitted April 28, 2010.

44 South Dakota consultation, April 28. 2010.

45 New Mexico consultation, May 3, 2010.
11

relationship with the states. Had tribes been involved in a consultation 

with this issue, perhaps many of the procedures of NCLB that 

completely ignored Native issues could have been revised before 

implementation.

—Emma Johns, Education Director of the Seminole Tribe of Florida46

What we really need are multiple levels of consultation: At the school 

level, a stakeholder meeting with the [BIE education line officer] in 

attendance is a form of consultation; a meeting between the 

superintendents of a line office to direct the line office staff is a form of 

consultation; and a creation of policy with federal officials and tribes is a 

form of consultation.

—Theodore L. Hamilton, Superintendent of Tiospa Zina Tribal School47

American Indian Leaders Perceive a Lack of Tribal Input and Inappropriate 

Standards, Assessments and Curricula

Captain Pratt used education to take away our language, culture, 

history. What we would like is for Obama to take education and use it 

to restore our language, culture and history.

—Tom Miller, Council Member, Chippewa Tribe; Superintendent, 

Hannahville Indian School48

Summary

Federally recognized tribes and American Indian educators indicated that some school 

curricula are inappropriate for American Indian students. They stated that there is a 

general failure to include Native languages and histories as part of core school curricula 

and expressed the view that this failure has hastened the loss of indigenous culture and 

language and perpetuated feelings of poor self-worth among American Indian students. 

They reported a lack of school curricula that reinforce a positive image of American 

Indian cultures, a lack of programs for troubled youths and family, and a lack of 

culturally appropriate extracurricular activities.

They testified that many of the provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education 

Act, as reauthorized by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, were particularly 

detrimental to American Indian education. They indicated that state standards and

assessments fail to take into account American Indian students’ unique environment 

and expressed the opinion that Native languages and histories must be included among

core course work requirements in order for American Indian students to succeed. Tribal 

 

46 Email comment submission, Feb. 4, 2010.

47 Written testimony, April 28, 2010.

48 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.
12

leaders expressed the view that a narrow focus on math, reading, and science thwarts 

American Indian students’ educational attainment.

Tribal leaders also expressed the view that state assessments must measure student 

achievement in ways that credit American Indian students for achievements in culturally 

appropriate areas.

Testimony 

Our hope and dream is to teach our children about our history, culture 

and language, and to instill in them the word called ―hope.‖ If they have 

that in their heart they're going to survive any kind of impact no matter 

what it is. ... These kids become so proud of the language they want to 

come to school to participate in that. 

—Ivan M. Ivan, Tribal Chief, Akiak Regional Community49

All students, not just the Native students, benefit from a curriculum 

which addresses local culture, history and language. 

—Sealaska Heritage Institute50

If my children are proud and my children know who they are, they'll be 

able to encounter anything in life. And so that's the core that I really 

think reflects the kind of education, or lack of education, that we have 

received from the western educational system.

—Lolly Carpluk, Yup’ik, Mountain Village51

Language and culture coming from the ideas and the base of who we 

are makes a difference. It isn't an addendum idea. It has to be the 

core and the base. 

—Shirley Tuzroyluke, President, Alaska Native Education Association52

I have a son who’s going into eighth grade. There are many days he 

does not want to get up and go to school because the curriculum, the 

techniques are irrelevant to him. He's a hunter. He's a fisherman. 

He's a Native boy. He's a boy. He's a human being and oftentimes the 

whole child is not addressed.

—Doreen Brown, Title VII Education Program, Anchorage School 

District53

Until we teach Lakota every day in the classroom, until we teach Lakota 

history from our perspective, along with American history every day in 

 

49 Alaska consultation, April 16, 2010.

50 Written testimony, April 16, 2010.

51 Alaska consultation, April 16, 2010.

52 Alaska consultation, April 16, 2010.

53 Ibid.
13

the classroom, until we teach tribal government every day along with 

U.S. government and civics in the classroom, it's not going to change; 

it's not going to get better. We're going to continue to struggle.

—Richard Tuffy Lunderman, Rosebud Sioux Tribe54

We continue to fear that standardization of assessments and curriculum 

will result in a generic education that will exclude local tribal history and 

culture curriculum that is so vital to the success of our tribal students 

and their non-native peers.

—Leonard Forsman, Chairman, Squamish Tribe, Washington55

The state school system does not have a Yup'ik-speaking high school 

to continue the language and classes taught K–6 at the high school 

level. They offer a class only if you want to take it, but it's not part of 

the curriculum. 

—Bing Santamour, Orutsararmuit Native Council56

In addition to language arts, science, and math required there should 

also be native studies as a core ... not as a foreign language.

—Sandra Freeland, Dine Education Administrator57

Utilizing our language in every subject will return the spirit of who they 

are. With that comes holistic learning—mental, physical, emotional, 

spiritual learning.

—Beverly Tuttle, Porcupine School Board, Oglala Sioux Tribe58

The standards are terrible. They have a terrible effect on us.

—Dave Archambault, Chief Executive Officer, Sitting Bull School59

The reauthorized ESEA should encourage proper inclusion of English 

Language Learners in state assessment in a manner that is most 

meaningful that considers the full range of an ELL student. 

—Ramah Navajo School Board of Trustees, New Mexico60

Current regulations for determining Adequate Yearly Progress do not 

allow small schools to represent their accomplishments properly. One 

 

54 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.

55 Email submission, letter to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, April 16, 2010.

56 Alaska consultation, April 16, 2010.

57 Comment card submission, New Mexico consultation, May 3, 2010.

58 Comment card submission, South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.

59 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.

60 Recommendations Regarding the Reauthorization of the Elementary & Secondary Education Act & 

Regarding Bureau of Indian Education-Funded School System, Board of Trustees, Ramah Navajo School 

Board, New Mexico, email submissions, June 30, 2010.
14

or two children can skew a baseline when the grade band only has 

twenty children.

—Ryland Bowechop, Makah Tribal Council61

Accountability methods must include recognizing that students come 

from different environments, have different support bases and learn at 

different rates.

—Fernie Yazzie, Navajo Nation62

American Indian Leaders Perceive a “Disconnect” Between Federal, State, and 

Local Governments 

There is a huge disconnect. In order to truly meet the needs of our 

people in our society at large, we need to connect the dots better 

between the federal government, the state, and finally, the local 

governance and the community stakeholders.

—Deborah Jackson-Dennison, Arizona State Impact Aid Association63

Summary

In the consultations, federally recognized tribes and American Indian educators

described a patchwork of programs and offices at the federal, state, and local levels that

limits local control, effective funding, and programmatic success. As a result of this 

complicated structure and shared federal, state, local, and tribal control over education, 

American Indian students as a group attend not one type of school, but receive 

education through a diverse array of providers and authorities. In the consultations, 

federally recognized tribes and American Indian educators indicated that ―disconnects‖ 

between these different education systems and funding streams cause a significant 

disruption in accountability, efficient resource allocation, and quality education delivery.

They expressed frustrations regarding educational outcomes, processes, and the

perceived exclusion of American Indian input into education policy. They expressed 

their strong view that lack of collaboration and coordination between government 

agencies hampers the tribal- and local-level pursuit of funding to fuel educational

success for American Indian students.

In particular, federally recognized tribes and American Indian educators indicated that 

education services provided to the 48,500 American Indian students attending BIE 

 

61 Email submission, March 8, 2010.

62 New Mexico consultation, May 3, 2010.

63 Arizona consultation, June 30, 2010.
15

schools were subpar, attributing some problems, at least in part, to their falling under a 

federal authority that they believe is isolated from other federal education programs.

64

Testimony

Here we are, out in the school system, being affected by lack of 

direction and leadership because the seamless approach has not been 

sewn together. ... We, in our schools, get marching orders from 

different directions on any given day, and they could change any given 

day. And sometimes when you change on any given day or any given 

hour, it's disruptive. It is really disruptive. We have to get beyond the 

politics.

—Ray Lorton, Superintendent, Chief Leschi Schools65

An example of the disconnect are the many presidential executive 

orders indicating and supporting culture and language programs for 

American Indian children, yet state law, such as in Arizona, dictate to 

public schools the philosophy of English only.

—Deborah Jackson-Dennison, Arizona State Impact Aid Association66

It's going to take the federal government to work with the states and the 

tribes and the local education agencies to all come together and drop 

those borders ... and to say, ―We've all got to do this together.‖

 —Jerome Jainga, Tsimshian Native67

Sometimes it really gets mixed up even here in D.C. that the Bureau of 

Indian Education is a separate entity from the U.S. Department of 

Education, and we're over in the Department of [the] Interior, and do 

our work there. We want to have a tight-knit relationship with U.S. 

Department of Education.

—Keith Moore, Director, Bureau of Indian Education, U.S. Department 

of the Interior68

The need for a point of contact within agencies to communicate 

information to eliminate duplication is a priority.

—Todd Honyaoma, Hopi Tribe69

 

64 U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Status and Trends in the 

Education of American Indians and Alaska Natives, September 2008, 

http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2008/nativetrends/ind_2_2.asp, accessed March 16, 2011.

65 Washington consultation, July 15, 2010. 

66 Arizona consultation, June 30, 2010.

67 Washington consultation, July 15, 2010.

68 U.S. Department of Education town hall meeting with senior officials, Dec. 15, 2010.

69 New Mexico consultation, May 3, 2010.
16

It comes back to communication. It comes back to how we sit down 

and get on that drawing board; how we can move it a little faster, more 

efficient.

 —Don Tofpi, Chairman, Kiowa Tribe70

We have just dropped the ball, all of us. We have to take responsibility 

to collaborate, get outside of our funding silos, and work at how does 

education connect. ... How do we think holistically outside the box to 

connect the different pieces that should be working together?

—Andrea Alexander, Makah Tribe; Energy Program, Affiliated Tribes of 

Northwest Indians71

I would ask us all, everyone in this room, to be of one tawacin wanjila—

one heart, one mind, one spirit—to work to find solutions so that we can 

improve the lives of wakanheja, our children.

—Wizipan Garriott, Policy Advisor to the Assistant Secretary, Office of 

Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior72

So we're always having to piecemeal our efforts together. I always 

think about Dolly Parton and her song when she sings about the coats 

of many colors or fabric. ... We have to wear this coat of many colors in 

the work that we do.

—Patricia Whitefoot, President, National Indian Education Association73

Our students are served by state public schools, tribally run schools, 

and BIA schools. There needs to be more coordination among these 

schools. And all three systems need to be encouraged to formally 

require more tribal involvement.

—Walter Dasheno, Governor, Santa Clara Pueblo74

The Department of the Interior students, BIE students, Department of 

Education public school students, and Head Start. ... If President 

Obama is truly talking about education—that goes across the board, no 

matter where the funds come from.

 —Lloyd Tortalita, Governor, Acoma Pueblo75

You have contract schools. You have private schools. You have all 

these different schools. We have state public school systems from 

Arizona, from New Mexico, and from Utah, and all those three states 

 

70 Oklahoma consultation, April 19, 2010.

71 Washington consultation, July 15, 2010.

72 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.

73 Washington consultation, July 15, 2010. 

74 New Mexico consultation, May 3, 2010.

75 New Mexico consultation, May 3, 2010.
17

have their own rules that govern those public schools on this 

reservation.

—Peterson Zah, Navajo Nation76

The Department of Education needs to monitor the Bureau of Indian 

Education. The Oglala Sioux Tribe is requesting that the BIE 

restructure at the administrative level.

 —Lydia Bear Killer, Oglala Sioux Tribe77

I work at a BIA-funded school. We are a government school. We 

should have the best school on this Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, I 

would like to think it is, but it is not. We are way behind.

—Ruth Pourier, Teacher, Pine Ridge Elementary School, South 

Dakota78

If we can initiate a partnership, a partnership between the tribes, NCAI, 

NIEA, the White House, and the Department of Education, as well as 

the BIE, then we've got the right group of people moving toward a 

common goal. 

—Joe Garcia, Chairman, All Indian Pueblo Council79,80

There's no communication with the Bureau of Indian Education. ... We 

were looked down on. We weren't being heard.

 —Theresa Two Bulls, President, Oglala Sioux Tribe 81

Collaboration and working together is the most effective means of 

getting things done. Until we get all that pulled together and take the 

right approach to educating kids, we're going to be sitting here 10 years 

from now talking about the same thing.

—Ray Lorton, Superintendent, Chief Leschi Schools82

No Overarching Education Authority

We're actively considering elevating or creating sort of a senior-level 

position around [American Indian] education here in our Department to 

help drive this on a day-to-day basis.

 —Arne Duncan, Secretary, U.S. Department of Education83

 

76 Arizona consultation, June 30, 2010.

77 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.

78 Email submission, April 25, 2010.

79 New Mexico Consultation, May 3, 2010.

80 National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and National Indian Education Association (NIEA).

81 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.

82 Washington consultation, July 15, 2010.

83 U.S. Department of Education town hall meeting with senior officials, Dec. 15, 2010.
18

Summary

During the consultations, federally recognized tribes and American Indian educators

expressed serious concerns about the lack of cross-cutting authority in American Indian 

education policy positions at the highest federal levels. Specifically, tribal leaders 

indicated that current positions at the U.S. Department of Education, including the 

Director of the Office of Indian Education, lacked sufficient authority to direct coherent 

American Indian education policy beyond the programs that the officials in those 

positions administer. 

Testimony

 

The Indian education director in the Department of Education has a 

purview currently of a grant program that they oversee, but if we were 

to really look at the whole activities of the Department of Education, the 

whole ESEA bill, everything that they do, everywhere Indians are 

touched, that should be under the portfolio of that director. It should be 

expanded.

—Ryan Wilson, Representative for Chairman Marcus Levings of the 

Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara and Arapaho Tribes84

Elevate the position for the director of Indian Education at the 

Department of Education to assistant secretary. When the Department 

of Education was created, the current director of the Indian Education 

position was the deputy assistant secretary of Indian Education. This 

position formally changed in 1981 to director of Indian Education 

Programs and under the Bush Administration was demoted from an

SES position to a GS position. The assistant secretary should review 

and monitor all of the education programs within the Department of 

Education that Native students’ access, in addition to the Title VII

programs. The assistant secretary should also facilitate the 

coordination of states, tribal governments and communities, 

neighboring areas, and the federal government working together in 

developing educational standards and related assessments.

—National Indian Education Association, National Tribal Priorities for 

Indian Education85

With the many programs of the Department that impact Native 

education, we would envision that the position of a deputy assistant 

secretary for Indian Education with authority to facilitate collaboration 

across programs would be more appropriate.

—Patricia Whitefoot, President, National Indian Education Association86

 

84 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.

85 http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/files/uploads/18/NCAI_NIEA_jointESEAreauth.pdf, Dec. 2010.
19

Lack of Accountability

Who will listen to us? Who will listen and implement change in our 

school? ... Who will finally listen and be accountable? The educated 

hear each other. They speak with words full of many meanings.

—Jennifer Flatlip, Tribal Education Director, Crow Tribe Education87

Summary

During the consultations, a number of federally recognized tribes and American Indian 

educators expressed the view that there were shortcomings in accountability for 

educational outcomes in the education of American Indian students. They reported a 

lack of continuity among federal administrations; a general inability to translate into

federal education policy what little input American Indians have been allowed to provide;

and communication breakdowns that generate inefficiencies.

Testimony

The Department has to have processes in place that guarantee that 

those mechanisms and procedures that ensure that the tribes are dealt 

adequately with stay, and that the people who are there have to follow 

those regardless of who's at the helm.

—Tom Miller, Council Member, Chippewa Tribe; School Administrator, 

Hannahville Indian School88

When you, the officials in Washington, make a decision on how or when 

our tribal schools should do something, and even distributing the money 

that the tribal schools receive, everything is channeled through the [BIE] 

Albuquerque Service Center in Albuquerque. And whatever it is that 

will be affecting our tribal schools, is held up in Albuquerque for any 

extended amount of time.

—Tammy Lafferty, Oglala Sioux Tribe89

We just encountered one thing after another trying to work with BIE. ...

Every time we meet, we get a different direction or something has been 

thrown up just to prolong it or not even get it done, and we were 

promised a decision that never came or will come several years later.

 —Raymond Maxx, Navajo Nation Department of Dine Education90

 

86 Written testimony, April 12, 2010.

87 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010. 

88 Ibid. 

89 Ibid.

90 Arizona consultation, June 30, 2010.
20

The personnel that are assigned to our schools, they're not held 

accountable. Each time different people come, and so it's really hard to 

have that consistency.

—Gloria Wilkinson, Assistant Superintendent, Browning Public School 

District #1191

Tribal councils ... depend on different entities to help them resolve the 

issues. But yet, because of the system, the way it's set up, they use 

that to sidestep the issues for us instead of facing it head-on.

—Tom Miller, Council Member, Chippewa Tribe; Superintendent, 

Hannahville Indian School92

The laws ... have changed through each decade, and these laws are 

put there and are not adhered to from the Washington level and Office 

of Indian Education Programs first, and now BIE.

—Tom Miller, Council Member, Chippewa Tribe; Superintendent, 

Hannahville Indian School93

American Indians Testify Regarding Insufficient Funding 

It's always about funding. That's the only way we can do anything for 

our children, and yet we are denied that.

 —Karen Archambeau, Vice Chairman, Yankton Sioux Tribe94

Summary 

Federally recognized tribes and American Indian educators expressed their view that 

existing federal, state and local funding is insufficient to provide a quality education to

American Indian students. They criticized mandates and programs that, according to 

the participants, can remain unfunded due to gaps among federal agencies, state, local,

and tribal education authorities, and legislatures. 

Testimony

The biggest thing, I think, is the funding. We are underfunded, and until 

the funding comes in and the people here on the Pine Ridge 

Reservation are in charge of the money, I don't think there's going to be 

very many changes, and I think that's the bottom line.

—Marnee White Wolf, Principal, Wounded Knee District School95

 

91 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.

92 Ibid.

93 Ibid.

94 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.

95 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.
21

It takes a lot of money to do things in a small community, a lot more per 

person, than it does in a large city.

—Alexandra Lindgren, Kenaitze Tribe96

Federal and state funding for education is critical to carrying out this 

shared responsibility.

 —Perry M. Martinez, Governor, Pueblo de San Ildefonso97

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of stable funding. ... The state of 

Alaska manages our school district's funds. And with all respect to the state of 

Alaska, what they are providing is not adequate. ... We're trying to change 

systems that are clearly not meeting the needs of the most at risk and in need. 

The only way that we're going to be able to do that is if we have stable funding.

—Kristin English, Cook Inlet Tribal Council98

Underpinning all the other themes is the overall, clear need for 

coordination among funding streams to reduce the isolated progress of 

related programs.

 —Oglala Sioux Tribal Council99

We've been operating our school system—contracted it since 1989. 

Since that time, what we have seen is pretty much the dismantling of 

contract support for the tribe. What we have to do in order to get that 

contract support, we take it out of direct costs. And that means taking a 

teacher out ... so as we operate it we want to make sure that we have 

support there at the administration level.

 —Miko Beasley Denson, Choctaw, Mississippi100

If we do not show the proper support and funding to those programs, 

we are not doing right by our children.

—Jerome Jainga, Tsimshian Native101

A lot of these policies that come down from the higher levels have no 

money attached to it, and yet we're expected to do and cooperate and 

make, you know, things happen with no money at all.

—Lydia Bear Killer, Councilwoman/Education Committee Chair, Oglala 

Sioux Tribe102

 

96 Alaska consultation, April 16, 2010. 

97 Position paper on the reauthorization of ESEA, email submission, June 2, 2010.

98 Alaska consultation, April 16, 2010.

99 Ibid.

100 U.S. Department of Education town hall meeting with senior officials, Dec. 15, 2010.

101 Washington consultation, July 15, 2010.

102 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.
22

Some of the mandates, they put on us, but do not fund. And so we 

have to do with what we have in order to stay in compliance.

—Tom Miller, Council Member, Chippewa Tribe; School Administrator, 

Hannahville Indian School103

According to the Code of Federal Regulations, 25-CFR, which is 

primarily Indian programs, they were supposed to fully fund all 

operation and maintenance costs by 1981. Well, it's 2010. We’ve got 

29 years of being underfunded.

—Michael Brooks, Business Manager, Wounded Knee District 

School104

You know, what everybody has talked about all day is funding, funding. 

... Once we start a program, we need the funding to keep it going.

—C.J. Clifford, Crazy Horse School105

Lack of Direct Funding to Tribes

Fund our programs directly. When you funnel funds through the state 

or its systems they wash out and we absolutely get nothing.

—Jaylene Petersen-Nyren, Kenaitze Tribe106

Summary

Federally recognized tribes and American Indian educators reported a general inability 

to receive federal grants directly, without having their funds channeled through state or 

local education authorities. They decried federal grants that could permit state and local 

authorities to allocate the funding without the specific input of tribal leaders.

They also expressed indignation that funding they believe is intended to serve their 

students can instead be dedicated to alternative purposes. They attribute this diversion

to several causes, including an administrative structure that permits them little voice 

among federal agencies, state and local authorities and legislatures, lack of meaningful 

consultation, failure to consider recommendations from parent committees, and lack of 

―cultural competency.‖

Testimony

Other than the indirect costs and administration monies they make off 

of channeling federal programs to Indians and Indian tribes, the states 

 

103 Ibid.

104 Ibid.

105 Ibid.

106 Comment card submission, U.S. Department of Education town hall meeting with senior officials, Dec.

15, 2010.
23

really have little interest in carrying out federal programs or seeing 

successes on Indian reservations.

—Member Tribes of the Great Plains Tribal Chairman's Association107

I put forward a bill saying the state shall send allocation dollars straight 

to the tribal school, if that's what the tribal school wants. Some tribal 

schools have wonderful working relationships with their local school 

districts, some don't. ... I just want the dollars to go straight.

—Claudia Kauffman, Senator, Nez Perce Tribe108

Maybe we can sort of think about redefining some of the parameters 

where tribes can go for those funds directly, and we can manage them 

ourselves.

—Matthew Martinez, Ohkay Owingeh109

Instead of being part of the state's Title I education plan, the tribal 

education agencies should be allowed to develop a reservation-wide or 

a tribal-wide plan for Title I funds, which the tribe should submit directly 

to the U.S. Department of Education.

—Dayna Brave Eagle, Tribal Education Director, Oglala Sioux Tribe110

I saw when I was in the accounting department and managed federal 

programs and grants for the money that came through, it was always 

disheartening to me that dollars that came in for migrant education, for 

PL 974 for Title VII, that were based on villages and our Indian 

education, that [those dollars] went to programs that were spread out 

over the whole district and were not actually specific to Indian 

education.

—Alexandra Lindgren, Kenaitze Tribe111

 

The public schools, they receive a lot of funding for our Indian children, 

and yet our Indian school receives hardly anything. The money is 

funneled down, and we can't even have a football stadium for our 

students.

—Rachel Bernie, Tribal Secretary, Yankton Sioux Tribe112

In the state of Alaska, we get forgotten. Look at the students up there:

There's no running water, no toilets, no nothing. ... In Kenai, Alaska, I'm 

constantly fighting with the borough to use our Title VII monies. ... We 

 

107 Written testimony, April 28, 2010.

108 Washington consultation, July 15, 2010.

109 New Mexico consultation, May 3, 2010.

110 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.

111 Written testimony, April 16, 2010.

112 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.
24

need your help in order for the state of Alaska to tell them they have a 

fiduciary responsibility to the tribes in education.

—Rosalie Tepp, Kenai, Alaska113

Require school districts that receive Title VII funds to contribute half, 

quarter or one-to-one matching.

—Bruce LeClaire, Durango School District 9-R, Colorado114 

Strengthen the requirement for tribal inclusion in district plans for 

Impact Aid dollars so that tribes have a say in how these dollars are 

spent.

—Tulalip Tribes of Washington State115

There are a lot of parents and people that are concerned they don't 

have any say-so in what's happening with Impact Aid funds.

—Valeria Littlecreek, Director of Tribal Affairs, Oklahoma State 

Department of Education116

Lack of Tribal Grant-Writing Capacity

It's too complicated for me. I don't know the CFRs, the state 

regulations, all that, that comes with this money. Audit us, yes. We're 

ready to be audited at any time. But let us teach.

 —Ivan M. Ivan, Tribal Chief, Akiak Native Community117

Summary

Federally recognized tribes and American Indian educators indicated that they struggle 

to successfully garner federal funds when required to compete against districts with 

higher grant-writing capacity. They emphasized that schools with large numbers of 

American Indian students are precisely the institutions addressing the needs of the most 

disadvantaged student populations and, therefore, are deserving of federal funds. They 

suggested that, until districts with large American Indian student populations are 

succeeding at the same level as comparable districts, competition may not be an 

equitable means to allocate resources.

 

113 U.S. Department of Education town hall meeting with senior officials, Dec. 15, 2010.

114 Comment card submission, South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.

115 Written testimony, April 16, 2010.

116 Oklahoma consultation, April 19, 2010.

117 Alaska consultation, April 16, 2010.
25

Testimony

Some of the small schools in the state of Oklahoma can't afford 

professional grant writers. And because of that, they don't even apply 

for the grant.

—Jim Parrish, Choctaw Nation118

You need to give funding by grants to a basic level—to get everybody 

on an even plane or plane where it's level. Beyond that, then you 

should get competitive grants.

—Lisa John, Public Division Administrator, Chickasaw Nation119

Why are those rules so stringent for the funds that are available? ... If 

we're going to go to a competitive process, how can a small rural 

district compete with the bigger state?

—Laurine Domke, Mat-Su Borough School District120

You've outlined as a guiding principle the recognition and support of 

self-governance and self-determination. ... What we're saying is direct 

and recurring funds, not something that we have to compete for, which 

speaks to that guiding principle you've outlined. 

—Tara Bourdukofsky, Aleutian-Pribilof Islands Association121

Out of those 560 tribes, there are only 25 tribes who actually applied ... 

They weren't ready. The tribes did not have the capacity.

—Quinton Roman Nose, National Indian Education Association122

Due to Limited Funds, Facilities and Transportation May Be Severely Subpar

If you're going to a school with dilapidated buildings, a building as old 

as back in the 1900s, cracks all over in the walls, you name it, you're 

not going to feel good about your school.

—Brandon Sazue, Chairman, Crow Creek Sioux Tribe123

Summary

Federally recognized tribes and American Indian educators reported receiving 

inadequate funding to maintain quality facilities and transportation, and attributed this to

little American Indian input in state and local distribution of federal education funding. 

 

118 Oklahoma consultation, April 19, 2010.

119 Ibid.

120 Alaska consultation, April 16, 2010.

121 Ibid.

122 Oklahoma consultation, April 19, 2010.

123 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010. 
26

They pointed to facilities as one of several reasons for poor student morale and 

disappointing educational outcomes. They also testified that BIE schools are in 

disrepair and that, oftentimes, inadequate funding leads to diversion of resources

intended for instructional purposes to be used for urgent facilities maintenance instead.

Testimony

We need to build a new high school. The school we have is outdated. 

... If you have a nice educational environment, you can help your kids 

get ready for a good education. 

—Miko Beasley Denson, Choctaw, Mississippi124

All BIE-funded schools use government buildings. Unlike other 

government buildings, however, they do not receive proper funding for 

their operation and maintenance and are not replaced on a schedule 

consistent with appropriate health, safety and educational standards. 

The backlog of construction and repair needs is so enormous that the 

BIA has even stopped estimating it in the annual budget request.

—Faye Blue Eyes, Navajo Nation125

As you look down the street, there are not adequate sidewalks. There 

are not adequate bike paths for our students to get to work or to school, 

even [to] the teachers.

—Ron Shutiva, Pueblo of Acoma126

The other issue is the operation maintenance fund for our facilities at 

local schools. It is a shortfall of around 56 percent every year. So you 

can see a deterioration of facilities at the local schools every year.

—Jamie Sibide, President, Board of Education, Navajo Nation 127

In the place where I'm from, it's currently 55 below. That's a problem 

when you have people building California-style schools in a place 

where it's going to get [to] -60 this week. So what does that have to do 

with equity in education? Eighty-four percent of our local budget goes 

to overhead—84 percent. Only 16 percent of the dollars that are 

allocated for our school actually reach the instructional level.

—Edward Alexander, Second Chief, Gwichyaa Zhee Gwich'in Tribe, 

Yukon, Alaska; Teacher; Principal, Arctic Village School128

 

124 U.S. Department of Education town hall meeting with senior officials, Dec. 15, 2010.

125 Comment card submission, New Mexico consultation, May 3, 2010.

126 New Mexico consultation, May 3, 2010.

127 U.S. Department of Education town hall meeting with senior officials, Dec. 15, 2010.

128 Ibid.
27

[There are] safety and health code violations in many of these schools 

that have been ignored. ... Children are in remote areas and are really 

in harm's way when those facilities have not been kept up.

—Chairman Joe Garcia, San Juan Pueblo129

The facility in which we reside at ... is 50 years old. It’s outlasted its 

useful life. It’s uninsurable. ... We're forced to use our Indian School 

Equalization Program (ISEP) dollars, our title funds in ways in which 

they’re not beneficial to the children in order to keep our facilities 

operational.

—Michael Brooks, Business Manager, Wounded Knee District 

School130

 

If you have an education place that is really conducive to learning and 

also a place where they go that they can feel proud of, the learning 

could happen because it'll boost the morale of our students.

—Tom Miller, Council Member, Chippewa Tribe; School Administrator, 

Hannahville Indian School131

There are many issues that have to do with environmental health ...

asbestos and lead.

— Everett Chavez, Governor, Pueblo of Kewa132

Instructional Materials and Access to Technology May Be Severely Inadequate 

Summary

Federally recognized tribes and American Indian educators indicated that funding 

deficits limited their ability to acquire adequate instructional materials and access 

technology to ensure American Indian students are prepared for the 21st-century 

economy. 

Testimony

We need funds to develop electronic and digital materials, those kinds 

of things that can be used to enhance the teaching of language in our 

immersion schools.

—Margaret Raymond, Cherokee Nation133

 

129 New Mexico consultation, May 3, 2010.

130 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010. 

131 Ibid.

132 New Mexico consultation, May 3, 2010.

133 Oklahoma consultation, April 19, 2010.
28

It takes the government so long to honor our orders that we order every 

spring for the following year. Our students go without textbooks and 

materials for almost a half of a year. 

—Ruth Pourier, Teacher, Pine Ridge Elementary School, South 

Dakota134

Because of this isolation we need our libraries just full of information. ...

We don't have a library in our community.

—Jennifer Flatlip, Tribal Education Director, Crow Tribe Education135

Tribes must be equipped with the necessary resources and tools to 

improve their tribal education agencies and the education of their 

students.

—Navajo Nation Statement136

You don't have to extend wires to every Navajo home or community 

now. You could do it by way of wireless communication. ... Why can't 

we do it for Indian country? It is easy now.

—Leonard Tsosie, Senator, Navajo Nation Council137

American Indians Stress Need to Recruit and Retain Highly Effective Teachers 

and Leaders

When my youngest daughter was in high school and told one of the 

teachers that she wanted to be a teacher, the response from an 

educator was, ―Oh, Jeanette, you could be so much more.‖

—Susan Murphy, Lower Kuskokwim School District138

Summary

Federally recognized tribes and American Indian educators indicated that now there is a 

severe shortage of ―culturally competent‖ and effective teachers in schools with large 

American Indian student populations. They cited the areas of teacher recruitment, 

training, certification, and cultural competence as falling particularly short. 

They also testified that there are ongoing barriers to certifying and training staff so that 

they have an adequate understanding of American Indian students’ unique cultural 

contexts and needs. Without a culturally qualified staff, they indicate, educators will 

remain unable to appropriately support American Indian students’ learning. They report 

 

134 Email submission, April 25, 2010.

135 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010. 

136 Written testimony, May 3, 2010.

137 Arizona consultation, June 30, 2010.

138 Alaska consultation, April 16, 2010.
29

a need for training to increase the cultural competency of all staff to adequately address 

American Indian students’ unique cultural and socioeconomic needs.

Testimony 

I tried to get a math teacher two years ago, and finally, in September, I 

found one.

—Keith McVay, Superintendent, Smee School District139

There are not enough teachers in the classrooms. ... We're 

overcrowded, and we need to have more funds come down so that we 

are hiring capable teachers.

—Tom Conroy, Pine Ridge School Board140

There are many variables of recruiting highly qualified staff, one being 

the commitment to living in a remote location without the advantages of 

owning a home. In our recruiting efforts, highly qualified teachers 

become nomads.

—Deborah Jackson-Dennison, Arizona State Impact Aid Association141

We're way out in the middle of nowhere. There are a lot of good 

teachers out there that want to come, but nowhere to stay.

—Brandon Sazue, Chairman, Crow Creek Sioux Tribe142 

On paper they're highly qualified, but they don't know how to deal with a 

Yup'ik child. ... Then we have really good Yup'ik teachers who don't 

have the paper credentials, and yet can teach a child almost anything. 

—Susan Murphy, Lower Kuskokwim School District143

Current regulations for determining highly qualified teacher (HQT) 

status work against small schools. Teachers fluent in another 

language, with proficient art talent or with musical ability, often do not 

have transcript hours in these subjects. For example, Neah Bay High 

School has a teacher who came from a German-speaking home, but he 

does not meet HQT requirements to teach high school German.

—Ryland Bowechop, Makah Tribal Council144

We are in dire need of finding ways to look to do alternative certification 

for language teachers, to find a way that they will be recognized and 

that they can teach in public schools.

 

139 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.

140 Ibid.

141 Arizona consultation, June 30, 2010.

142 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.

143 Alaska consultation, April 16, 2010.

144 Email submission, March 8, 2010.
30

—Margaret Raymond, Cherokee Nation145

We tried getting Natives hired and it was very difficult to do. It is 

recorded in the history and it's still difficult to do.

—Charles Degnan, Unalakleet Tribal Councilman146

I'm the only Native language teacher in the whole district where 

students can get credit for taking my class. They're anxious to learn a 

Native language, even if it's not their own.

—Shirley Kendall, Tlingit Language Instructor, Anchorage School 

District147

There are many indigenous-language teachers out there that are not 

certified, but they know and can teach their language.

—Marilyn Balluta, Athabascan, Title VII Indian Education Program and 

Dena'ina Language Instructor, Anchorage School District148

 

The grandparents are the wisest of Indian communities, and they 

should be allowed to teach culture and language, and they should be 

respected as regular teachers and be compensated as regular 

teachers. Develop a program to where you could give them the 

equivalency of an education.

—Leonard Tsosie, Senator, Navajo Nation Council149

When the teachers come in to teach our children, they're not trained or 

taught our learning styles.

—Tom Miller, Council Member, Chippewa Tribe; School Administrator, 

Hannahville Indian School150

We need ongoing staff development to deal with educating our 

American students, our high rate of alcoholism and drug use and the 

damages it does to the unborn child. These are the types of children 

that we, on the reservations in South Dakota, are educating today. 

—Ruth Pourier, Teacher, Pine Ridge Elementary School, South 

Dakota151

Something's happening within our schools; our students aren't 

engaged. And I think that really does relate back to cultural relevance 

and the teachers that are teaching them. 

 

145 Oklahoma consultation, April 19, 2010.

146 Alaska consultation, April 16, 2010.

147 Ibid.

148 Ibid.

149 Ibid.

150 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.

151 Email submission, April 25, 2010.
31

—Josephine Edwards-Vollertsen, Title VII Indian Education, Anchorage 

School District152

There is a need for a national initiative to ensure that the people 

charged with educating our children are themselves educated—highly 

educated—about the cultural differences of all children.

—Rochelle Garcia-Gomez, Adams 12 Five Star Schools153 

The ESEA reauthorization should promote providing incentives to 

Bureau-funded schools to create a best-teacher pool of Native 

American teachers that continually promotes highly qualified teacher 

standards. The incentives should come in terms of professional 

development and performance base.

—Ramah Navajo School Board of Trustees, New Mexico154

The poverty among our families means that being an educator today 

requires that we know and understand and deal with, as educators, the 

sociological problems of our families. We can't just say, ―Let's have 

education, high standards, and goals‖ in isolation of not knowing and 

understanding the social circumstance of the students and their 

families.

—Bernie Thomas, Lummi Indian Business Council155

Administrators and teachers need to be more aware of the Native 

culture of their students because, if we do acknowledge their culture, it 

makes them feel valued and gives them self-identity.

—Jean Froman, Tulsa Public Schools156

Preparation for teachers working successfully with Native students is 

different. ... Native students expect culturally integrated instructional 

methodology and content, and the majority of teachers coming to our 

schools don't have a clue.

—Theodore L. Hamilton, Superintendent of Tiospa Zina Tribal School157

 

152 Alaska consultation, April 16, 2010.

153 Comment card submission, South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.

154 Recommendations Regarding the Reauthorization of the Elementary & Secondary Education Act & 

Regarding Bureau of Indian Education-Funded School System, Board of Trustees, Ramah Navajo School 

Board, New Mexico, email submission, June 30, 2010.

155 Washington consultation, July 15, 2010.

156 Oklahoma consultation, April 19. 2010.

157 Written testimony, April 28, 2010.
32

Cultivating Students as Future Teachers and Leaders

It is essential that we continue to work and grow our own—not just 

teachers, but our own administrators.

—Deborah Jackson-Dennison, Arizona State Impact Aid Association158

Summary

Federally recognized tribes and American Indian educators noted a lack of American 

Indian representation among teachers and administrators. They suggest working with 

interested students and helping direct them toward the teaching profession. This, tribal 

leaders say, would also facilitate recruitment and retention in remote areas.

Testimony

One of our prevailing issues in Alaska is the turnover of teachers. We 

have 100 percent turnover in some districts. Recruiting from the base, 

recruiting from our people guarantees that we're going to have a base 

that will stay for the duration of their life.

—Shirley Tuzroyluke, President, Alaska Native Education 

Association159

I listen to young people talk about what they would like to do. And low 

on the priority is teaching, mainly because the amount of work going 

into it and the amount of money coming out of that work.

—Charles Degnan, Unalakleet Tribal Councilman160

In this district we only have about 80 Native teachers for 10,000 Native 

students. It's appalling. ... How do we increase that? Utilizing our 

paraprofessionals. Developing professional development plans so that 

they can become teachers. ... Many of them are working parents. We 

need to make some flexibility within our educational systems so that 

they can go to school and still get paid.

—Doreen Brown, Title VII Education, Anchorage School District161

It needs to be seen as an honorable profession, not something that you 

do if you can't do anything else.

—Susan Murphy, Lower Kuskokwim School District162

 

158 Arizona consultation, June 30, 2010.

159 Alaska consultation, April 16, 2010.

160 Ibid.

161 Alaska consultation, April 16, 2010.

162 Ibid.
33

For Native American students to be able to feel safe and included in 

Tecumseh, I think we ... need that in all of our schools to be able to 

have more Native American teachers, principals, counselors, teacher's 

aides.

—Victor Cope, Tecumseh Public Schools163

American Indians Express Need to Collect and Analyze Student Data

We've got too many rules, too many regulations, too many statutes that 

prohibit us from doing some of the things that are necessary in order for 

us to educate our children.

—Gil Vigil, Governor, Pueblo of Tesuque 164

Summary

Tribal officials and American Indian educators emphasized that they should be able to 

access data on student achievement maintained by state and local educational 

agencies. They express frustration that the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act 

and its implementing regulations at times prevent them from collecting and analyzing

student data, and stress that such regulations need to account for mobile American 

Indian households. Tribal leaders and American Indian educators also state they need 

resources and training in order to effectively collect and analyze data so as to improve 

educational achievement of American Indian students in tribal and local public schools.

Testimony

The focus needs to be on student progress and growth over time rather 

than test scores.

—Mary Brown, Teacher, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe165

[The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act] allows federal, state 

and local education agencies access to student’s school records 

without the advance consent of parents. Tribal governments, however, 

must have a signed parent release form to access those same records.

— Perry M. Martinez, Governor, Pueblo de San Ildefonso166

Data is important to tribal governments. ... With good data, we can help 

meet the needs of American Indian/Alaska Native students.

—Lisa John, Chickasaw Nation167

 

163 Oklahoma consultation, April 19, 2010.

164 New Mexico consultation, May 3, 2010.

165 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.

166 Email submission, June 2, 2010.

167 Comment card submission, Federal Technical Assistance Workshop on Data Collection, Oct. 6, 2010.
34

There are large data gaps on Indian students because the numbers are 

often hidden to protect individuals.

—Tulalip Tribes of Washington State168

Right now we can only imagine accurate and current tribe-wide or 

statewide or national database reports on tribal students. But if we 

really had these reports, it would help agencies and Congress make 

data-driven decisions regarding tribal students consistent with Title I

standards.

—Dayna Brave Eagle, Tribal Education Director, Oglala Sioux Tribe169

An investment in the development of a data collection system will 

ensure that the programs and services being provided to our students

are effective and successful.

—Noreen Sakiestewa, Director, Department of Education, Hopi Tribe170

There's also a strong need for more data and research on Native 

language retention and also tribal achievement gap issues. ... There's a 

lot of money going out to the states, and the tribes need more access to 

it for us to achieve some of these goals.

—Leonard Forsman, Chairman, Suquamish Tribe, Washington171

The other aspect that we need help with from the federal government is 

just in closing this data gap that exists. We need the infrastructure. We 

need the University of Washington and the great researchers that we 

have at Western Washington University and all of the other regional 

colleges to be able to assist us. 

—Bernie Thomas, Lummi Indian Business Council172

Impact of Poverty and Need for Comprehensive Student Supports

It's well known that students in poverty need additional resources just to 

stay on par with those students who are fortunate enough to live above 

the poverty line. ... With poverty comes all of the related issues. The 

domestic violence, the substance abuse—all of the things that put so 

much stress on the house where there are kids who just hardly have a 

chance to be successful in school.

—Kristin English, Cook Inlet Tribal Council173

 

168 Written testimony, April 16, 2010.

169 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.

170 Arizona consultation, June 30, 2010.

171 U.S. Department of Education town hall meeting with senior officials, Dec. 15, 2010.

172 Washington consultation, July 15, 2010.
35

Summary

During the consultations, representatives of federally recognized tribes and American 

Indian educators testified that failing schools, high unemployment rates, substance 

abuse, high suicide rates, and rampant crime on reservations are all symptoms of the 

same illness—concentrated poverty. They reported high incidences of poverty, 

correlating with low levels of education. For this reason, they stressed that we must 

address issues of poverty if future generations of American Indian students are to break

the cycle of limited economic opportunity. 

Further, they testified that schools must take a holistic approach towards education that 

includes access to comprehensive student supports and safe and healthy learning 

environments. They claimed that schools’ failures to adequately address American 

Indian students’ mental health, nutrition, wellness, substance abuse, and family life

issues, were directly responsible for low levels of achievement among those students.

Their statements echo the survey results of the U.S. Department of Education’s 

National Center for Education Statistics’ Status and Trends in the Education of 

American Indians and Alaska Natives, 2008. The administrators of local public schools 

with higher percentages of American Indian students reported more challenges in their 

school climates than in schools with lower-density American Indian populations. For 

example, in 2007, administrators in these high-density schools reported serious 

problems with student absenteeism, tardiness, lack of family involvement, and low 

expectations.

Testimony 

And this came from, like, a root cause kind of thing, historical trauma, 

past government policies of assimilation, displaced cultural ID [sic], 

substance abuse, domestic violence, child abuse. This runs in our 

homes and our communities in this area. And then to top all of that and 

then you're trying to get these kids to, you know, to learn at school. 

They have problems at home. They don't know when they're going to 

eat next or if they're going to get beat when they get home. So yeah, 

there's going to be problems.

—Maya Torralba, Anadarko Indian Education174

We must look at the reasons our students are not succeeding. Our 

students [are] in substandard housing. They live off muddy roads and 

can't attend school if they can't get to the road. They must sit all day at 

Indian Health to be seen by a doctor or must travel long distances to 

 

173 Alaska consultation, April 16, 2010.

174 Oklahoma consultation, April 19, 2010.
36

receive dental care, resulting in their absences. They are hungry and 

distracted. Yet they come, and they come to learn.

—Mary Brown, Teacher, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe175

It's very, very unfortunate that we have broken families within the 

reservation. That's just a symptom of trying to adapt to the society, the 

dominant society. It's going to take some time.

—Virgil Lewis, Yakama Nation176

So many of our children come from families with poor or no jobs, which 

leads to numbing of the senses through alcohol and drugs in far too 

many cases, which leads to divorce, and children who are left to the 

masses become parents themselves at a very early age. ... Until this 

group of people is brought up to the standards of living as seen by the 

better educated, the results of testing will remain lower and society will 

remain stratified.

—Johnnie Locklear, Lumbee Tribe, North Carolina177

We have unemployment rates that go from 12 percent to as high as 87 

or 93 percent, depending on what tribal nation you're talking about.

—David Gipp, President, United Tribes Technical College, Bismarck, 

North Dakota178

As long as we have the social conditions that our children live under, as 

long as there's drinking and fighting and violence, as long as things are 

in disarray on the reservation, for sure our children are not going to 

learn, for sure our children are already damaged at an early age. ... We 

have to factor in the impact of poverty on learning.

—Cecilia Fire Thunder, President, Oglala Lakota Nation Education 

Coalition; Vice-Chair, Little Wound School Board179

I have got a tremendous amount of kids that graduate with GEDs 

working in my casinos that are very smart and very capable. They just 

didn't see a future beyond working in that casino. They could have 

been doing a lot of other things, but nobody instilled the confidence.

—John Shotton, Otoe-Missouria

180

When I say environment, it means the whole thing. What does that 

building look like? What does that classroom look like? Look at these 

walls here at Leschi. They reflect the culture. Children can come in 

 

175 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.

176 Washington consultation, July 15, 2010.

177 Email submission, Aug. 6, 2010.

178 U.S. Department of Education town hall meeting with senior officials, Dec. 15, 2010.

179 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.

180 Oklahoma consultation, April 19, 2010.
37

here, and they feel proud. They know who they are. ... Not just what's 

on the walls, but how do you put your desks or tables in a classroom? 

Where do you let them sit? How do you let them go from one place to 

another? How friendly is that environment? Is it inviting to the children 

and their families?

—Sally Brownfield, Education Director, Squaxin Island Tribe181

They have to be willing to learn, and ready to learn. You know why? If 

they do not use drugs, if they do not use ... alcohol, marijuana, cocaine

... if they don't use [drugs], they are willing to learn.

—Dr. Pauline Begay, Apache County Superintendent of Apache 

County182

Our school is just constantly in trauma. You know, we'll see our flag is 

at half-mast, and we'll say, ―I wonder who died today.‖

—Elizabeth Johnstone, Spokane Tribe183 

It makes me sad because I look at our young people and I look at the 

drugs and alcohol that are in our communities and I look at the gangs 

that try to take our children from us. We need to stop that. We need to 

make a safe place for our children. 

—Mary Wilber, Lake Washington, Bellevue, and North Shore School 

Districts184

Well, what do you feed your child at home? She goes, ―I feed him junk. 

I don't mean to, but that's what we have. Hit the corner store or the gas 

station. I give him junk. ... It's all I know. It's all I've been taught.‖

—Jerome Jainga, Tsimshian Native

185

Alaska Natives are identified at twice the rate of other students for 

special education. ... It's not that they were special needs students, it 

was that they simply hadn't had an eye exam ever. They had never 

seen a doctor ever. They had never had a hearing exam ever in their 

life. ... Now, that's a problem when we talk about equity.

—Edward Alexander, Second Chief, Gwichyaa Zhee Gwich'in Tribe, 

Yukon, Alaska; Teacher, Principal, Arctic Village School186

I'm here today to request an extension of a generation or two to meet 

Chief Red Cloud’s goals for the seventh generation and maybe to 

pencil in a date to discuss the reauthorization of the 1868 treaty to 

 

181 Washington consultation, July 15, 2010.

182 Window Rock, Arizona June 30, 2010.

183 Washington consultation, July 15, 2010.

184 Ibid.

185 Ibid.

186 U.S. Department of Education town hall meeting with senior officials, Dec. 15, 2010.
38

recognize the needs of our people today with our population growth, our 

dysfunction, and our medical and social needs.

—Mary Brown, Teacher, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe187

The community I was in had no running water, a community of 150 

people about 300 hundred miles away from the nearest city. That led to 

an outbreak of a disease called MRSA. ... How does this affect equity 

in education, you ask? When 80 percent of the community has MRSA, 

it affects education. When people don't have access to clean water any 

place in the entire community other than at the school, it affects 

education and it affects equity. What I'm talking about is the type of 

interagency collaboration that needs to occur. ... The Department of 

Health and Human Services offered no assistance; neither did the 

CDC; neither did the Department of Education. ... It's a problem. And it 

affects equity. Now, what I mean by equity is that [each] person has 

[an] equal chance to receive an education.

—Edward Alexander, Second Chief, Gwichyaa Zhee Gwich'in Tribe, 

Yukon, Alaska; Teacher, Principal, Arctic Village School188

We have a high rate of diabetes. We have very, very poor diets in our 

schools.

—Beverly Tuttle, Porcupine School Board189

So we had to develop a teen-parent day care center for many of our 

women to take on the role and responsibility of being teen mothers at a 

very early age, when they're not typically ready to be responsible. ...

Not doing so seals the fate of them entering into a lifelong process of 

poverty. 

—Bernie Thomas, Lummi Indian Business Council190

Lack of Parental Support Services and Training 

Ninety-five percent of my families are single [-parent] families. It's 

mothers raising their children. ... That's why we have to build that 

community, because we have to make each other our families.

—Mary Wilber, Okanagan; Lake Washington, Bellevue, and North 

Shore School Districts191

 

187 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.

188 U.S. Department of Education town hall meeting with senior officials, Dec. 15, 2010.

189 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.

190 Washington consultation, July 15, 2010.

191 Washington consultation, July 15, 2010.
39

Summary

Tribal leaders and American Indian educators highlighted the need for education-related 

services to support family and community involvement in students’ successful 

education. They noted that students often come from fragmented, migratory 

households, in which parents themselves often have limited formal education. Data 

from the Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics support 

these claims. In 2006, about 51 percent of American Indian families with children were 

headed by married couples, 38 percent were headed by females with no spouse 

present, and 11 percent were headed by males with no spouse present. The 

percentage of American Indian families living in married-couple households was less 

than the percentages of white, Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islander families doing so (73 

percent, 63 percent and 82 percent, respectively).192

Testimony

You have to have a healthy family before you can even begin to 

approach the school district system or any other system. The child 

needs an advocate, and usually that first advocate is the parent or the 

grandparent. 

—Millie Kennedy, Tsimshian Tribe; Northwest Justice Project193

I spoke with a parent, trying to explain this grant, and he said to me,

―There's too much. I don't understand. I don't even know what 

questions to ask. Where do I start?‖ They need to know how to 

navigate the system.

—DeWayne Ingram, Indian Education Department, Anchorage School 

District194

The biggest thing we have in Tecumseh is that we need the ability to 

get our parents on board. And that some of the funds that we have in 

Title VII put a limitation on some of the things we can do with our 

parents.

—Victor Cope, Tecumseh Public Schools195

I want to talk about utilizing the Health and Human Services model, 

Head Start, in terms of getting parents actively engaged in the 

classroom, whether it be as a tutor, someone checking grades, 

someone just there for the kids, and there to help the teacher in 

delivering the education to our students. ... When a parent comes in to 

 

192 U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Status and Trends in the 

Education of American Indians and Alaska Natives, September 2008, 

http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2008/nativetrends/ind_1_5.asp, accessed March 16, 2011.

193 Washington consultation, July 15, 2010.

194 Alaska consultation, April 16, 2010.

195 Oklahoma consultation, April 19, 2010.
40

sit in the classroom ... it's documented, their volunteer time. ... It gives 

that Head Start program matching funds in direct correlation to their 

volunteer time so that they can do more parent training.

—Jonathan Larson, Parent of three students, Anchorage School

District196

Parent involvement in the Anchorage School District is frustrating. You 

get bumped from one department, Indian Education to Migrant 

Education to Special Education. And no one seems to have the 

answer.

—Jonathan Larson, Parent of three students, Anchorage School 

District197

American Indians Expressed Need for Seamless Cradle-to-Career Pipeline

We need to start with early childhood and complete at college.

—Gloria Kitsopoulos, Administrator, American Horse School198

Summary

Tribal officials and American Indian educators indicate that a failure to provide a 

seamless cradle-to-career education that takes into account student life challenges and 

cultural relevancy prevents schools from conveying these students from early learning 

to higher education. They indicate that an unbroken pipeline from early learning to 

career is necessary to foster historically disadvantaged students’ educational success. 

The absence of such a coordinated cradle-to-career ―pipeline,‖ they believe, ultimately 

perpetuates a cycle of poverty and socioeconomic inequality for American Indian 

communities. 

Testimony

The Anchorage School District is not just failing Alaska Native kids; they 

are failing all kids. ... But they come into the system out of a Head Start 

program with great potential. Somewhere it's lost. ... Make sure that 

these students who have that potential see that light at the end of the 

tunnel ... and they achieve it.

—Jonathan Larson, Parent of three students, Anchorage School 

District199

 

196 Alaska consultation, April 16, 2010.

197 Ibid.

198 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.

199 Alaska consultation, April 16, 2010.
41

Drop-out rates are not about high school. The most critical time in 

education, particularly with boys, is kindergarten through second grade.

—DeWayne Ingram, Indian Education Department, Anchorage School 

District200

When you have 80 percent of reading, writing and math students

coming in at eighth-grade level to our charter college and our 

community college, we have a concern. 

—Ferlin Clark, Navajo Community College201

Have one continuous ladder from early education all the way up to 

elementary education and on to high school. ... When you have 

students going to school all year, and then for the summer are not 

allowed to implement and use their hands and use their minds to go 

and do something that they learned in their high school or their college, 

then that education is lost. ... There is no continuity.

—Leonard Tsosie, Senator, Navajo Nation Council202

We believe that our students are dropping out in the third grade—or 

that's where they begin, at least, to check out.

—Suzi Wright, Policy Analyst, Tulalip Tribes203

We're concerned at the tribal college level also because many of the 

students that are in the K through 12 programs within the areas of the 

tribal colleges end up becoming our students. ... Many of those 

students have to go a year, sometimes two years, before they're at the 

college level.

—David Yarlott, President, Little Big Horn College; Chairman of the 

Board, American Indian Higher Education Consortium204

We need Navajo kids not only to be doctors, lawyers, and veterinarians, 

but we also want them to be welders. ... It takes the two of them to 

build a society, and we want parallel funding for vocational training.

—Leonard Tsosie, Senator, Navajo Nation Council205

The ones that do make it, many times are at the bottom end. ... Our 

kids spend, on average, about a year in remedial programs before they 

can start taking college-level classes.

—Laird Jones, Tlingit-Haida Central Council206

 

200 Ibid.

201 Arizona consultation, June 30, 2010.

202 Ibid.

203 Washington consultation, July 15, 2010.

204 U.S. Department of Education town hall meeting with senior officials, Dec. 15, 2010.

205 Arizona consultation, June 30, 2010.
42

Money isn't the solution to declining test scores, increased dropouts 

among males or lack of teacher ability to reach or teach an Indian 

student. ...1) Have high expectations for Indian students although they 

may be "at risk" (stop labeling students) and hold the students to these

expectations; 2) Treat Indian students as potential college students; 3) 

Work from their strengths individually as well as collectively; 4) Do what 

you say you are going to do to gain the trust of both student and parent; 

5) Teach students their individual learning style and how to use that 

style to gain new knowledge and make learning easier (refer to this 

style often); 6) Perform a career assessment on each student—share 

this with the student and revamp as needed as the student matures; 7) 

Teach the essentials: become an independent adult, timeliness, 

organizational skills, problem-solving skills, self-advocacy skills, 

decision-making skills; 8) Do not patronize these students just because 

their life or family is bad.

—Renee Hammonds, Early College High School, North Carolina207

Lack of Access to Early Learning Programs

My sister is a kindergarten teacher. And she knows by then, by 

kindergarten, which child is going to have a difficult time throughout 

their career.

—Tara Bourdukofsky, Aleutian-Pribilof Islands Association208

Summary

Tribal officials and American Indian educators testified to a lack of access to early 

learning programs as being a significant barrier to the success of American Indian 

students. They advised using high-quality early education programs to begin closing 

achievement gaps and emphasized that these programs must include culturally infused 

curricula. They echoed recent data of the U.S. Department of Education’s National 

Center for Education Statistics that support the provision of more early learning 

programs to foster American Indian students’ early development. In studies of early

childhood development measures, at 9 months, American Indian infants show no 

measurable difference from the general population. However, by age 2, American 

Indian students begin to fall behind national scores in tests of specific cognitive skills in 

vocabulary, listening comprehension, matching and counting. By age 4, smaller 

percentages of American Indian children demonstrate age-appropriate language, 

 

206 U.S. Department of Education town hall meeting with senior officials, Dec. 15, 2010.

207 Email submission, Aug. 8, 2010.

208 Alaska consultation, April 16, 2010.
43

literacy, mathematics and color-identification skills, compared to the total population of

children.209

Testimony

You see dropouts being developed because of the fact that when they 

do start out they don't have preschool of any sort. ... They start out with 

kids from the urban areas that have that advantage. They're ready to 

go, and the starting line's here and our children are starting back here. 

And as they start the race that gap even becomes larger. And there's 

where you see our children start to look at themselves and their selfesteem is nothing.

—Morris Reid, Picayune Rancheria, Chukchansi Indians210 

I am honored to be the person to teach the Yup'ik language to the 

community for the kindergarten through adults. ... I feel strongly that it 

should also be taught [in the] Head Start program.

—Natasia Todd, Alaska Native Charter School211

You have to start at the very beginning with the youngest of the young 

children. ... I think we would have a missed opportunity if we did not 

invest in early learning.

— Claudia Kauffman, Senator, Nez Perce Tribe212

As we look across programs in the federal government, we see that we 

don't have a coordinated system of early care. ... We have [the 

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act], we have ESEA, we have 

Head Start, we have child care and they act independently. I'm sure for 

those of you who've tried to access those funds; it has not been easy 

trying to put those funds together.

—Jacqueline Jones, Senior Advisor on Early Learning, U.S. 

Department of Education213

Provisions of high-quality, prekindergarten programs and opportunity for 

family participation in their child's learning program can narrow 

achievement gaps and improve student changes, chances for success 

in school.

—Darnell June, Navajo Nation Council214 

 

209 U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Status and Trends in the 

Education of American Indians and Alaska Natives, September 2008, 

http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2008/nativetrends/highlights.asp, accessed March 16, 2011.

210 U.S. Department of Education town hall meeting with senior officials, Dec. 15, 2010.

211 Alaska consultation, April 16, 2010.

212 Washington consultation, July 15, 2010.

213 U.S. Department of Education town hall meeting with senior officials, Dec. 15, 2010.

214 Arizona consultation, June 30, 2010.
44

For the early childhood education efforts ... they're giving the money to 

the states, and the tribes have to come hat-in-hand to the states to ask 

to be a part. 

—Ryan Wilson, Representative for Chairman Marcus Levings of 

Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara and Arapaho Tribes215

High Dropout Rates Perpetuating Cycle of Limited Opportunity

When you look at the devastating unemployment rates in Indian 

country, when you look at the desperately high drop-out rates, not 

enough young people going on to college, it makes it very difficult to 

maintain the status quo and think that these young people have a 

chance to be successful.

—Arne Duncan, Secretary, U.S. Department of Education216

Summary

Tribal leaders and American Indian educators stressed that high dropout rates sentence 

American Indian students to bleak economic futures. They attributed the low rates of 

high school completion among American Indian students to many of the issues detailed 

above. The high rates at which American Indian students drop out of school is not a 

new phenomenon, but one that was also noted in the 1969 Report, Indian Education: A 

National Tragedy—A National Challenge, also known as 1969 Kennedy Report.

Testimony

High drop-out rates make a concern for a generation of unschooled 

tribal members. That couples with the lowest scoring schools for an 

outlook that headlines ―little or no education.‖

 —Janine Pease, Crow Tribe217

Within the Anchorage School District, our graduation rates for Native 

students are the lowest of any AYP designated group and our dropout 

rates are the highest. ... 100 percent of our students were not on track 

to graduate. ... 85 percent did not have computer access at home. ... 

And 15 percent of students are classified as having special needs. A 

lot of our students are parents themselves. We have many that are on 

their own, don't have parental support, and a lot of economically 

disadvantaged students.

 

215 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.

216 U.S. Department of Education town hall meeting with senior officials, Dec. 15, 2010.

217 Comment card submission, U.S. Department of Education town hall meeting with senior officials,

Dec. 15, 2010.
45

—Josephine Edwards-Vollertsen, Indian Education, Anchorage School 

District218

We have many, many of our tribal citizens who are not finishing school. 

They're dropping out. They're sitting in the state prisons.

—Cecilia Fire Thunder, President, Oglala Lakota Nation Education 

Coalition; Vice-Chair, Little Wound School Board219

I've seen a lot of young kids, women, young men ... not going to 

school. How come they're not in school? Because their parents also 

didn't go to school. ... A lot of kids then begin to associate with alcohol 

and drugs because they don't have anything else to do. ... Let's just try 

to get the young kids motivated and somehow keep them going.

—James Candelario, San Felipe Pueblo, New Mexico220

Even though these low numbers might not look significant in terms of 

data, they really matter a lot to our communities because these groups 

of kids that are graduating from school and going on to college or doing 

whatever they're doing; they're not just going out and going to make a 

living.

—David Iyall, Cowlitz Tribe; University of Washington221

CONCLUSION 

No child left behind, unless you're an American Indian. We need to 

change this way of thinking ... to make sure that our Indian children are 

equipped for life. We must improve the quality of life for their people, 

their community, for their tribes, for their regions, so that we may be on 

an equal platform with other Americans.

—Dennis Zotigh, Kiowa, Community Events Coordinator, Smithsonian 

Museum of the American Indian222

In implementation of a November 2009 presidential memorandum directing all federal 

agencies to engage in meaningful consultation with American Indian tribes, in 2010, for 

the first time in its history, the Department of Education independently conducted official 

consultations with federally recognized American Indian tribes and heard from American 

Indian school officials and educators across the country. The Department bolstered 

these sessions with several call-in, town hall, and listening sessions. Throughout this 

period, the Department accepted electronic and handwritten testimony as well.

 

218 Alaska consultation, April 16, 2010.

219 South Dakota consultation, April 28, 2010.

220 U.S. Department of Education town hall meeting with senior officials, Dec. 15, 2010.

221 Washington consultation, July 15, 2010.

222 U.S. Department of Education town hall meeting with senior officials, Dec. 15, 2010.
46

At these consultations, first and foremost, participating tribal leaders and American 

Indian school officials and educators expressed outrage at what they described as the 

failure of the federal government to fulfill the moral obligation of the highest 

responsibility and trust to tribes. As they expressed in many comments included in this 

report, this historic trust responsibility includes the delivery of educational services to 

American Indian children.

Tribal leaders testified about their lack of opportunities to meaningfully participate in the 

education of their children. Throughout the 2010 consultations, they emphasized the 

need for better, consistent, and meaningful consultation with American Indian tribes and 

peoples, with the understanding that tribal governments represent sovereign nations. 

They expressed the importance of being included in conversations on American Indian 

education reforms. They expressed the view that their insights would be of great value, 

especially when addressing the unique educational and culturally related academic 

needs of their children. According to their testimony, however, American Indians are 

rarely and inconsistently consulted on key decisions affecting the education of American 

Indian students, which reinforces to both tribal leaders and American Indian educators 

what they believe is the federal government’s failure to fulfill a historic trust responsibility 

to provide education to American Indians.

Across the board, tribal and American Indian educators expressed great concern 

regarding funding for the education of American Indian children. During consultations, 

federally recognized tribes and American Indian educators expressed the view that 

subpar school facilities and shortages of qualified teaching personnel were due to 

funding shortages. 

In addition, they testified that the perceived fragmentation of the systems that provide 

education to American Indians and uncoordinated funding streams hamper their ability 

to deliver quality educational services to American Indian students. They testified that 

this fragmentation makes it difficult to navigate through the various programs and 

processes of the different federal, state, and local agencies, impeding their ability to 

access adequate funding, qualified teaching personnel, adequate facilities, the latest 

technology and high-quality, culturally relevant curricula. 

They also expressed the view that education agencies must collaborate with health, 

welfare, and law enforcement agencies to ensure American Indian students receive the 

comprehensive services they need to learn effectively. 

This series of consultations also included testimony contending that failure to provide 

quality education for American Indian students continues to be costly. Participants 

stated that the challenges of providing a quality education to American Indian students 

have contributed to the perpetuation of a vicious cycle of limited economic opportunities 

among American Indian communities. According to tribal leaders and educators, 

education is the linchpin to breaking the cycle of poverty in American Indian 
47

communities and creating opportunity for future generations of American Indians to 

become valuable contributors to their communities and tribes.

* * *
48

What are you people going to do about it other than just listen? ... When 

are you going to quit listening and start to do things?

—David Beaulieu, Lac du Flambeau Tribe, Wisconsin; Professor 

Emeritus, Arizona State University223

People [including tribal leaders and advocates] have said they want to 

see tribal education agencies empowered. You will see that reflected in 

our ESEA proposal. People say they want to see more meaningful 

consultation between tribes and LEAs. You will see that reflected in our 

ESEA proposal. They want more money for services in Indian country. 

They want more money for language preservation. They want a more 

senior voice at the Department on Indian education. ... So if you're 

wondering ―Are we being heard?‖ the evidence is clear. You are being 

heard and you are teaching us, and we are grateful for that.

—Kevin Jennings, Assistant Deputy Secretary, Office of Safe and DrugFree Schools, U.S. Department of Education224

I've heard these comments my entire life, when you're a native and you 

go to work for the federal government. I've heard these stories, since I 

was a little guy, of states hating us as Indian people. I've heard that the 

federal government doesn't serve us well. ... There are a lot of wellmeaning people in both places. ... We need to be here. We need to 

work inside of these agencies ... to advocate, to tell the story, to listen 

to you, to take what you're sharing with us and then to try to do 

something with it.

—Keith Moore, Director, Bureau of Indian Education, U.S. Department 

of the Interior225

 

223 U.S. Department of Education town hall meeting with senior officials, Dec. 15, 2010.

224 Ibid. 

225 Ibid.
49

Appendix A. Official Consultations and Listening Sessions: Locations and Dates

U.S. Department of Education Participation in Interagency Consultations

 National Indian Impacted Schools Association Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada, 

Dec. 7, 2009

 U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau Indian Education, Safe Schools Summit, 

Washington, D.C., Dec. 8, 2009

 U.S. Department of Commerce and U. S. Department of Agriculture Consultation, 

Las Vegas, Nevada, Dec. 9, 2009

 U.S. Department of the Interior Consultation, Washington, D.C., Dec. 12, 2009

 South Dakota Indian Education Conference in Rapid City, South Dakota, 

Dec. 17, 2009

U.S. Department of Education Conference Calls

 Conference Call, Secretary Arne Duncan, March 10, 2010

 Conference Call, Assistant Deputy Secretary Jim Shelton, Promise 

Neighborhoods grant program, U.S. Department of Education, May 13, 2010

U.S. Department of Education Official Consultations With Tribal Leaders

 Anchorage, Alaska, April 16, 2010

 Shawnee, Oklahoma, April 19, 2010

 Pine Ridge, South Dakota, April 28, 2010

 Espanola, New Mexico, May 3, 2010 

 Window Rock, Arizona, June 30, 2010

 Puyallup, Washington, July 15, 2010

 Town Hall, Washington, D.C., Dec. 15, 2010
U.S. Department of Education

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