Corrected: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the number of the schools directly operated by the Bureau of Indian Education. The BIE operates 57 schools.
An Obama administration proposal to turn more control of Bureau of Indian Education schools over to tribes is facing resistance in some corners of Indian Country, even among those who could benefit from the plans.
Even as the White House has released reports that offer a stark appraisal of past failures in federal education policy for Native Americans, some tribal leaders are rebuffing offers of aid and pledges of new supports for Indian education from the federal government.
The Oglala Sioux tribe of Pine Ridge, S.D., is turning down $200,000, its share of $2.5 million in grants to be awarded to entice tribes to take more control over educating their children. It was among six tribes that the U.S. Department of the Interior鈥攖he federal agency that oversees the Bureau of Indian Education鈥攁nnounced in November had been selected to receive 鈥淪overeignty in Indian Education鈥� enhancement funds.
Part of the administration鈥檚 push to improve the quality of education provided by the BIE, that money is dedicated to helping transform the bureau into a 鈥渟chool improvement organization鈥� that assists tribally controlled schools rather than operating them.
BIE schools are some of the lowest-performing in the country, and the reorganization of the bureau comes after years of scathing reports from watchdog agencies, including the U.S. Government Accountability Office, and complaints from tribal educators about financial and academic mismanagement.
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell鈥攚hose department is responsible for the 47,000 students enrolled in BIE schools鈥攁nnounced the creation of the competitive grants this past summer. At the time, some tribal leaders expressed deep concerns about the effort.
Charles 鈥淢onty鈥� Roessel, the director of the BIE, understands the distrust. For too long, the federal government has left tribes out of the discussion about the education of Native American children, he said, but this new effort puts tribes in the driver鈥檚 seat with support from government officials.
鈥淓ducation has been 鈥榙one鈥� to tribes for too long,鈥� Mr. Roessel said. 鈥淭his [initiative] isn鈥檛 just dumping schools on the tribe. It鈥檚 asking, 鈥榃hat kind of support do you need?鈥� 鈥�
Overcoming Distrust
Despite the acknowledgment from Obama administration officials that the federal government is largely to blame for the failures in American Indian education, the long-standing distrust of the BIE will be difficult to overcome, tribal educators said.
Dayna Brave Eagle, the director of the Oglala Sioux education department, said tribal leaders initially jumped at the opportunity to apply for the competitive grant, citing a need to wrest control from the BIE.
鈥淭he tribe needed to become more of a vocal player in education, teaching our students,鈥� said Ms. Brave Eagle, who has taught in or led tribal schools for nearly 30 years.
But the enthusiasm shifted to exasperation among the tribe鈥檚 elected leaders, she said.
鈥淏ecause of our past history with the bureau, it鈥檚 hard to know what [the agency鈥檚] intent is,鈥� Ms. Brave Eagle said.
Oglala Sioux tribal leadership did not respond to Education Week鈥榮 questions about why they ultimately decided to refuse the federal aid.
Other tribes see the grant funds as an opportunity to begin to move beyond a past littered with broken promises.
Matthew Tso, a legislative analyst with the Navajo Nation Department of Dine Education, said tribal education leaders aim to use the federal money to work on curriculum alignment, among other efforts, for students in a sprawling network of districts that encompasses nearly 250 schools.
鈥淭he challenge for our leaders is 鈥楧o we stick with the status quo?鈥� 鈥� Mr. Tso said. 鈥淲e have to do something different to change the future of Navajo Nation.鈥�
Ahead of President Barack Obama鈥檚 appearance at the annual Tribal Nations Conference in December, a White House report acknowledged 鈥渁 history of deeply troubling and destructive federal policies and actions鈥� that has hurt Native communities, while it warned that progress today 鈥渃ontinues to be hindered鈥� by poor educational infrastructure.
President Obama鈥檚 appearance came just months after his administration rolled out the 鈥淏lueprint for Reform,鈥� its vision for overhauling the BIE, which directly operates 57 schools for Native American students and oversees more than 120 others run under contract by tribes.
鈥淲e鈥檙e facing a couple hundred years of broken promises with these schools,鈥� said Donald Yu, the chief school transformation officer in the Office of Indian Affairs, who is helping to oversee the BIE reorganization.
More than a third of American Indian children live in poverty, and just two-thirds graduate from high school鈥攖he lowest of any racial or ethnic demographic group, according to White House reports.
鈥淔ragmented, balkanized鈥� education systems across Indian Country have not helped solve the problems, Mr. Yu said.
鈥淲ithout many urgently needed investments and reforms targeting Native youth in education and other high-impact areas, Native youth face even greater challenges in the future,鈥� the White House report found.
New Resources, Efforts
In response, the president is expected to unveil a series of new steps to address challenges faced by Native American youths, inside the classroom and out.
That will include a new grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Education to finance programs to improve the college and career readiness of Native children, and a program launched in partnership with the Aspen Institute to improve access to leadership-development tools.
The administration will also convene two meetings on the issue: a February summit on Native leadership, and another gathering later this year expected to draw hundreds of Native youths to the White House.
Members of President Obama鈥檚 Cabinet are scheduled to travel in the coming months to Indian Country for discussions with youths on how federal policies could be improved.
Mr. Roessel and Mr. Yu are also celebrating the recently approved congressional spending bill that provides a $40 million funding increase for BIE schools, including more construction money to repair or replace crumbling schools.
Tribal education departments that have three or more BIE schools on their reservations were eligible for the sovereignty grants. The six original recipient tribes are Gila River Indian Community of Sacaton, Ariz.; Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of Fort Yates, N.D.; Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, Belcourt, N.D.; Navajo Nation; Tohono O鈥橭dham Nation; and the Oglala Sioux.
Federal officials said the grant funds will help tribes develop improvement plans that are tied to goals for improving academic achievement and correcting operational efficiencies, including those identified in a Government Accountability Office report released in November. The watchdog agency found that many BIE schools have serious financial problems, including a lack of proper oversight and accumulations of unspent funds that aren鈥檛 reaching classrooms and students as intended.
Mr. Tso said it鈥檚 a problem he鈥檚 seen far too often in schools across the Navajo Nation, with policies and procedures 鈥渁ll over the place.鈥�
Many of the school districts operate independently with little regard for federal education guidelines, which is a problem for the 38,000 students educated on and around the reservation, which spans three states, he said.
Navajo Nation leaders will use the grant to pay for a two-year project to align curriculum, establish some adherence to the Common Core State Standards, and modernize an outdated teacher-evaluation system.
The BIE and tribes are eager to embrace change, said Mr. Yu.
鈥淭here鈥檚 not an expectation that this will take a long time,鈥� he said.
But trust may remain the biggest hurdle.
鈥淭here are a lot of people who have been through this whole process before. They鈥檙e leery about any direction coming from the top,鈥� Mr. Tso said. 鈥淭he BIE is recognizing that things didn鈥檛 work before. They want to do something differently.鈥�
