Office of Indian Education

Ensuring No American Indian and Alaska Native Child Is Left Behind

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The mission of the Office of Indian Education is to support the efforts of local educational agencies, Indian tribes and organizations, postsecondary institutions, and other entities to meet the unique educational and culturally related academic needs of American Indians and Alaska Natives so that these students can achieve to the same challenging state standards as all students.

The No Child Left Behind Act amends the Indian education programs as Title VII, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This landmark in education reform embodies four key principles: stronger accountability for results; greater flexibility in the use of federal funds; more choices for parents of children from disadvantaged backgrounds; and an emphasis on research-based instruction that works.

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND HIGHLIGHTS

Indian Education Professional Development Grant Applications Available
A notice inviting appplications for funding was published on January 25 for the 2013 Indian Professional Development Grant competition. The application availability open date is January 25, 2013. The competition closes on March 1, 2013. Applicants must have a current CCR/SAM (Central Contractor Registry/System for Award Management) registration in order to set up a Grants.Gov account for applying. For more information on CCR/SAM registration requirements, please log onto: http://www.SAM.gov. Please note that the CCR/SAM registration process can take up to five business days.

The purposes of the Indian Education Professional Development Grants program are to (1) increase the number of qualified Indian individuals in professions that serve Indians; (2) provide training to qualified Indian individuals to become teachers, administrators, teacher aides, social workers, and ancillary educational personnel; and (3) improve the skills of qualified Indian individuals who serve in the education field. Activities may include, but are not limited to, continuing education programs, symposia, workshops, conferences, and direct financial support. Other requirements may be found here: . http://www2.ed.gov/programs/indianprofdev/applicant.html. For more information including the Federal Register Notice please click here: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-01-25/pdf/2013-01424.pdf
(January 25, 2013)
Webinars scheduled for Indian Professional Development Grant Competition A series of webinars has been scheduled for February 6 and February 14, 2013 for the Indian Professional Development competition. To learn how to access these sessions please log onto: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/indianprofdev/resources.html.
(Febraury 4, 2013)
Indian Education Formula Grant Application Notice Published in the Federal Register
A notice inviting appplications for funding was published on January 29 for the 2013 Indian Education Formula Grant program. The application is an online process available through the Electronic Application System for Indian Education (EASIE). The EASIE process includes two parts where applicants provide Indian student count data in Part I and design program objectives and budget allocations in Part II. The application availability open date for EASIE Part I was January 14, 2013 and is scheduled to close on March 8, 2013. EASIE Part II opens on March 29, 2013 and closes on May 14, 2013. No late applications will be accepted for this and future years so applicants must meet both deadlines to be eligible for funding. The Indian Education Formula Grants to Local Educational Agencies program provides grants to support local educational agencies (LEAs) and other eligible entities described in this notice in reforming and improving elementary and secondary school programs that serve Indian students. The Department funds comprehensive programs that are designed to help Indian students meet the same State academic content and student academic achievement standards used for all students while addressing the language and cultural needs of Indian students. Such programs include supporting the professional development of teachers of Indian students. Other requirements may be found here: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/indianformula/applicant.html. For more information including the Federal Register Notice please click here: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-01-29/pdf/2013-01722.pdf.

A series of webinars have been scheduled to go along with EASIE Part I and EASIE Part II. To access the EASIE Part I webinar schedule please click here: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/indianformula/applicant.html. The EASIE Part II webinar schedule will be posted at a later date.
(January 29, 2013)
National Advisory Council on Indian Education Meeting Scheduled
The National Advisory Council on Indian Education (NACIE) will be meeting in Washington, DC from February 6-8, 2013. The meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn Capitol Hotel located at 550 C Street SW in Washington, DC. The purpose of this meeting is to convene the Council to continue its responsibilities for developing recommendations to the Secretary of Education, and conduct discussions on the development of the report to Congress that should be submitted no later than June 30, 2013. There will be an opportunity for public comment during this meeting on February 6, 2013, from 2:30 p.m.–4:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time. Comments should pertain to the work of NACIE and/or the Office of Indian Education. Speakers will be allowed to comment for three to five minutes. The Federal Register notice announcing this meeting was published on February 22, 2013. To access the notice please click on the following link: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-01-22/pdf/2013-01175.pdf. Additional details about the meeting will be posted on the NACIE Web site by January 31, 2013 at www.NACIE-ED.org (To RSVP, and for NACIE Meeting Updates, and Final Agenda).
(January 25, 2013)
Demonstration Grants for Indian Children Applications Available
1-25-13 Update: A series of webinars has been scheduled for January 29 and February 1, 2013 for the Indian Demonstration competition. To learn how to access these sessions please log onto: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/indiandemo/resources.html.

A notice inviting appplications for funding was published on December 20 for the 2013 Demonstration Grants for Indian Children competition. The application availability open date is December 20, 2012. The competition closes on February 19, 2013. The purpose of the Demonstration Grants for Indian Children program is to provide financial assistance to projects that develop, test, and demonstrate the effectiveness of services and programs to improve the educational opportunities and achievement of preschool, elementary, and secondary Indian students. Other requirements may be found here: . http://www2.ed.gov/programs/indiandemo/applicant.html For more information including the Federal Register Notice please click here: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-12-20/pdf/2012-30703.pdf
(December 20, 2012)
Office of Indian Education Seeking Field Readers - Due Date for Resume Submission is February 15, 2013
The Office of Indian Education is soliciting highly qualified individuals to assist in the review process for two discretionary grant competitions – Demonstration Grants for Indian Children and the Professional Development program. Both programs are administered under Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended. The discretionary grant review information will be posted here when the scheduled is finalized. Please submit your resume to Lana Shaughnessy, Discretionary Program Group Leader at lana.shaughnessy@ed.gov
(December 20, 2012)
U.S. Education Department Awards Nearly $2 Million to Tribal Education Agencies to Improve Education for American Indian and Alaska Native Students
The U.S. Department of Education today announced the award of four competitive grants totaling nearly $2 million to tribal education agencies (TEAs), under the State Tribal Education Partnership (STEP) program. These grants will help to increase the role of TEAs in the education of American Indian and Alaska Native students to meet the unique educational and cultural needs of those students and to improve their academic achievement.

"We have a profound obligation to ensure that all children, including American Indian and Alaska Native students, have the opportunity to receive a 21st century education," U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. "Tribal leaders, teachers, and parents are best-suited to identify and address the needs of their children, and tribal communities deserve to play a greater role in providing American Indian and Alaska Native students with the tools and support they need to be successful in school and beyond."

During regional tribal consultations, tribal officials consistently discussed the lack of opportunities for tribes to meaningfully participate in the education of their own children. Drawing from input received at these consultations, the Obama administration included in its Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization proposal a pilot authority that would elevate the role of TEAs. The Department's fiscal year 2012 Congressional appropriation provided funding for the Department to create a pilot competition to increase the role of tribal education departments in the education of students attending public schools on the tribe's reservation.

The STEP program aims to promote collaboration between TEAs and state educational agencies (SEAs) and to build the capacity of tribes as they develop and enhance their roles, responsibilities and accountability in Indian education. The pilot program will fund projects created through collaborative agreements between TEAs and SEAs that allow for TEAs to perform some state-level functions for certain federal grant programs funded through the ESEA, within public schools located on tribally controlled lands. STEP grants are three-year awards, and year one grant amounts are listed below. Grantees and their SEA partners are:
For more information on the STEP pilot program, please visit here: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/step/index.html"

The actual press release may be found here: Press Releases".
(October 12, 2012)
Tribal Consultation Transcripts Available
On December 2, 2011, President Barack Obama signed Executive Order 13592, which established the White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education (Initiative). The President's Initiative committed the Federal Government to working closely with tribal governments to close the achievement gap between Indian students and non-Indian students, decrease the alarmingly high dropout rates of all American Indian and Alaska Native students, and help preserve and revitalize Native languages.

The Secretaries of the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and the U.S. Department of Education (ED) serve as co-chairs of the Initiative. The Departments of the Interior and Education must collaborate with those who know their students and communities the best and will be hosting four Tribal Leader Consultation meetings to consult on the following objectives: (1) the development and content of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of the Interior and the Department of Education and (2) the strategic implementation of the Initiative.

The Department of Education recently conducted tribal consultation meetings in various locations around the country. You may download these trancripts in Word or PDF format below. These include:

September 17, 2012 - Anchorage, AK, Tribal Leader Consultation Meeting
PDF (531K)

August 30, 2012 - Pala, CA, Tribal Leader Consultation Meeting
PDF (336K)

May 30, 2012 - Seattle, WA, Urban Native Educational Learning Session
PDF (605K) | MS Word (332K)

May 24, 2012 - Flagstaff, AZ, Tribal Leader Consultation Meeting
PDF (432K) | MS Word (251K)

June 8, 2012 - Chicago, IL, Urban Native Educational Learning Session
PDF (384K) | MS Word (243K)

Previous tribal consultation material for 2010 and 2011 may be found here:
2012 and 2011 Tribal Consultation documents
(October 12, 2012)
Office of Indian Education Announces 2012 Indian Education Professional Development Grant Awards
The Office of Indian Education announces the 2012 awards under the Indian Professional Development Grants. A total of twelve awards were made recently under this authorization. The purposes of the Professional Development program are to (1) increase the number of qualified Indian individuals in professions that serve Indian people; (2) provide training to qualified Indian individuals to become teachers, administrators, teacher aides, social workers, and ancillary educational personnel; and (3) improve the skills of qualified Indian individuals who serve in the education field. The FY 2012 competition included three absolute priorities and two competitive preference priorities. The absolute priorities are from the notice of final supplemental priorities and definitions for discretionary grant programs, published in the Federal Register. The full set of abstracts are located at this link 2012 INDIAN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AWARDS".

ARIZONA
Arizona State University

CALIFORNIA
California State University - Chico

MONTANA
Little Big Horn Tribal College
Salish Kootenai College
Stone Child College

OREGON
University of Oregon

SOUTH DAKOTA
United Tribes Technical College

WISCONSIN
Lac Courte Orielles Ojibwe Tribe
The University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

WYOMING
Wind River Tribal College
(September 17, 2012)
Office of Indian Education Announces 2012 Indian Education Demonstration Grant Awardsstrong>
The Office of Indian Education announces the 2012 awards under the Indian Demonstration Grants for Indian Children. A total of twelve awards were made recently under this authorization. Demonstration Grants for Indian Children is a competitive discretionary grant program that supports projects to develop, test and demonstrate the effectiveness of services and programs to improve educational opportunities and achievement of Indian children. To meet the purposes of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended, this program focuses project services on the following two absolute priorities: (1) increasing school readiness skills of three- and four-year old Indian children to prepare them for successful entry into kindergarten; and, (2) enabling Indian high school students to transition successfully to postsecondary education by increasing their competency and skills in challenging subjects, including mathematics and science. Below is a ist of the 2012 awards. The full set of abstracts are located at this link 2012 DEMONSTRATION AWARDS".

ALASKA
Cook Inlet Tribal Council
Northwest Arctic Borough School District
Yukon-Koyukuk School District

ARIZONA
San Carlos Apache Tribe

CALIFORNIA
Southern California Indian Center

NEBRASKA
Douglas County School District

NORTH DAKOTA
Turtle Mountain Community College

OKLAHOMA
Kingfisher Public Schools

MONTANA
Salish Kootenai College

MINNESOTA
Special School District # 1

WASHINGTON
Grand Coulee Dam School District
Puget Sound Educational Service District
(August 29, 2012)
Executive Order on American and Alaska Native Education Signed by President Obama
On December 2, 2011 President Obama signed a new Executive Order on Improving American Indian and Alaska Native Educational Opportunities and Strengthening Tribal Colleges and Universities. The order provide for an Interagncy Working Group to facilitate the order and increase educational opportunities for tribal colleges and universities. The Order also calls for increasing outcomes for American Indian and Alaska Native outcomes including native language and culture. The link to the order may be found here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/12/02/executive-order-improving-american-indian-and-alaska-native-educational-
(December 2, 2011)
National Advisory Council on Indian Education Annual Report for 2010-2011 Available
The National Advisory Council on Indian Education (NACIE) recently released their annual report to congress for 2010-2011. The report details the council's recommendations for American Indian and Alaska Native education and activites for 2010 and 2011. The annual report may be viewed by clicking this link: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oese/oie/nacie.html
(December 2, 2011)
Tribal Leader Consultation Meetings will Resume in 2012
The U.S. Department of Education will be scheduling several Tribal Leader consultation meetings for 2012. Senior officials from the Department, to date, have obtained feedback from Tribal officials on reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and the development ofthe Department's Consultation Policy. We look forward to ongoing and meaningful dialogue with Tribal leaders. The dates and locations will be posted here when conrimed.

Updated schedule and registration information can be found at the following Website: http://www.edtribalconsultations.org

The Department's "Blueprint" for ESEA reauthorization can be found at the following Web site: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/blueprint/index.html".

To submit written comments on the "Blueprint," or on education matters more generally, e-mail: TribalConsultation@ed.gov
(February 28, 2011)

New ED506 Form Available
A new Title VII Student eligibility form is now available from the Office of Indian Education. The 506 Form is used by Indian education formula programs to document Indian heritage of participating students. To download this file follow this link to our Indian formula resource page: http://www.ed.gov/programs/indianformula/resources.html
(July 17, 2010)
National Indian Education Study 2009 Part 1 & 2 Released
National Indian Education Study 2009 Part I: Performance of American Indian and Alaska Native Students at Grades 4 and 8 on NAEP 2009 Reading and Mathematics Assessments is now available at http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nies The report presents the results of Part I of the National Indian Education Study (NIES) focusing on the performance of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) fourth- and eighth-graders on the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress in reading and mathematics. A national sample of approximately 9,300 AI/AN students at grades 4 and 8 participated in the reading assessment and 9,000 in the mathematics assessment. Results from this study are compared to those from the first NIES conducted in 2005 and 2008. The results for 12 states with relatively large populations of AI/AN students are presented in addition to the national results.

See complete results at: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nies
Read the executive summary of the report at: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/nies/media/press_release.pdf
NIES was conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Indian Education. NAEP, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, is administered by the National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences.
(July 17, 2010)
Update on OIE Contacts
OIE's work in processing all applications and awards is performed by teams instead of specific state assignments of grantees to program specialists. For more information and a listing of teams, see Contacts for OIE.
(April 6, 2007)

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