An Analysis of Current Indian Legislation and Its Impact On Schools On or Near American Indian Reservations.

Overview & Synopsis

Significant 1970's federal legislation regarding American Indian education includes the Tribally Controlled Community Colleges Act; the Gifted and Talented Children's Act (Title IX Elementary and Secondary Education Act, or ESEA) which focuses in part on economically disadvantaged children; the Bilingual Education Act (Title VII ESEA); and the Indian Basic Education Act (IBEA) of 1978 (Title XI ESEA). The IBEA, the result of several years of Congressional work, mandates Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) reform in ten areas: academic standards, boarding situations, school construction, educational functions, funding, parental participation, education personnel, information management, technical assistance, and recruitment. The IBEA addresses student rights within BIA schools and Indian control of Indian educational affairs. The law also gives the Director of the Office of Indian Education Programs line authority over all education personnel. Teachers are removed from civil service and placed under local control. Possibly the greatest impact on Indian education would result not from these new laws, but from the transferral of Indian education to the newly created Department of Education. For Indian education to remain under the authority of the BIA the IBEA must be successful. (SB)