Ensuring No American Indian and Alaska Native Child Is Left Behind

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.

• National Advisory Council on Indian Education Scheduled to Meet May 2-3, 2012
  The National Advisory Council on Indian Education (NACIE) has scheduled their next meeting for May 2-3, 2012 in Washington, DC. NACIE will convene their meeting from 8 am to 5 pm daily. The purpose of this meeting is to convene the Council to continue its responsibilities for developing recommendations to the Secretary of Education on the funding and administration (including the development of regulations, and administrative policies and practices) of any program over which the Secretary has jurisdiction and includes Indian children or adults as participants or programs that may benefit Indian children or adults, including any program established under Title VII, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and conduct discussions on the development of the report to Congress that should be submitted no later than June 30, 2012. There will be an opportunity for public comment during this meeting on May 3 from 1:30 p.m.–3 p.m. Comments should pertain to the work of NACIE and/or the Office of Indian Education. Speakers will be allowed to comment for 3–5 minutes. For more information you may check the Federal Register Notice by clicking here: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-04-18/pdf/2012-9378.pdf. You may also log onto www.NACIE-ED.org for meeting location.
  (April 23, 2012)

• EASIE Part II Opens April 2, 2012 and Webinars Scheduled
  The Office of Indian Education 2012 Indian Education Formula Grant EASIE Part II will open April 2, 2012. To coincide with the opening OIE will be hosting three webinar sessions for current and new applicants interested in learning more about the EASIE part II process. Specifically applicants will learn about the features of the online application system and program requirements. New or novice applicants are encouraged to participate to learn about some of the newer enhancements in the system. For more information on the webinar sessions including how to sign on, please visit the Indian Education Formula Grant resources page located here: http://www.ed.gov.programs/indianformula/resources.html
  (March 27, 2012)

• 2012 Indian Education Formula EASIE Part II Grant Application Opens April 2 and Closes May 4, 2012
  The notice inviting applications for funding for the 2012 Indian Education Formula Grant program published on December 23, 2011 and opened on January 9. EASIE Part I is closed and applicants that successfully certified their applications will move on to Part II when it opens on April 2, 2012. EASIE Part II closes on May 4, 2012. For more information on application specifics, including links to download the Federal Register Notice and application package, please click on the following link: http://www.ed.gov.programs/indianformula/applicant.html.
  (February 5, 2012)

• Indian Professional Development Grant Application for 2012 is Now Closed
  The Office of Indian Education Professional Development application open period is now closed. The Office of Indian Education will announce grant award recipients by June, 2012.
  (February 7, 2012)

• Frequently Asked Questions for the Indian Professional Development Program Now Available
  The Office of Indian Education now has available the 2012 edition of Frequently Asked Questions for the Indian Professional Development program. The FAQ document answers the most frequently asked questions related to the implementation of the program. You may view the questions and answers associated with this program on the FAQ page.

• 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 educaitonal 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

Please visit the Web sites below for additional information:
• 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 National Advisory Council on Indian Education Members Sworn In
  On November 11, 2010, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Assistant Secretary Thelma Melendez swore in the latest appointments to the National Advisory Council on Indian Education. The list of the new membership can be found at this link: NACIE Membership. The members of NACIE are appointed by the President and represent the first appointments under the current administration. The Council advises the Secretary of Education concerning the funding and administration of any program incvluding any program under Title VII, Part A of the ESEA, with respect to which the Secretary has jurisdiction and that includes Indian children or adults as participants or that may benefit Indian children or adults. The Council may also make recommendations to the Secretary for filling the position of the Director of Indian Education whenever a vacancy occurs and submits to Congress annually a report on the activities of the Council, including recommendations.
  (November 4, 2010)

• 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)