Abstract
In 2013, Secretary Sally Jewell of the U.S. Department of the Interior and Secretary Arne Duncan of the U.S. Department of Education (ED) formed an American Indian Education Study Group, consisting of academics, school practitioners, lawyers, and experts in American Indian affairs. The purpose of the Study Group was to diagnose the causes of too common academic failure in Bureau of Indian Affairs-funded schools, which are some of the lowest performing schools in the country. This report discusses the nature of the systemic challenges facing the Bureau of Indian Affairs, including difficulty in attracting effective teachers to BIE schools located in remote locations, achieving compliance with academic standards in 23 different states, promoting research-based reforms in tribally controlled schools, resource constraints, and institutional and budgetary fragmentation. Based on insights and input from numerous tribal listening sessions and consultations, this report details the Study Group's recommendations in each of the key areas of reform.
Topics
State and Local Policy
School Statistics
Native American and Alaska Native Children
Graduation and Dropout Rates
Federal Policy