The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Education manages a national school system serving 46,000 Indian students, the majority residing on Indian reservations. Just as States across the Nation begin to make strides in improving student achievement under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, the Bureau of Indian Education schools need to make similar gains for Indian students.
The Department’s 2008 budget proposes to invest $15.0 million to allow the BIE to complete a set of comprehensive reforms of the educational programs and improve student achievement by 2014. Currently, only 30 percent of the schools in the BIE system are meeting adequate yearly progress or AYP goals under the NCLB.
The Improving Indian Education Initiative will increase Indian student academic achievement by supporting quality education environments and effective learning strategies. This initiative has four components:
Education Program Enhancements – A $5.3 million fund for education program enhancements targeted to lower performing BIE schools to improve student performance on standardized tests for math, reading, and language arts by providing:
- principal leadership training to help school administrators implement and lead strategic change to turn-around low performing schools;
- professional teacher development in reading instruction skills to increase student comprehension and language acquisition;
- summer teacher institutes focused on improving math and reading instruction (instructional knowledge, lesson plan preparation, and effective teaching methods); and,
- mentoring and tutoring of high school students, with a focus on career education.
Education Program Management - An increase of $3.6 million to add educational specialists in the BIE revamped education offices. These specialists will provide better oversight and guidance to BIE funded schools in meeting NCLB goals.
Student Transportation - An additional $4.3 million for school transportation to reduce the redirection of funds from the formula education programs to support transportation budgets.
- The increase will help reduce student absenteeism while also supporting adequate school bus maintenance and operation safety.
Education Information Technology - An increase of $1.9 million to maintain a school and student information system that has been established with start up funding from the Department of Education.
- This system enables all BIE funded schools to consistently manage student data and track school academic progress, including attendance, and support the NCLB reporting requirements.