NIEA Support for American Indian Centers

WHEREAS, the National Indian Education Association (NIEA) was established in 1969 for the purpose of advocating, planning, and promoting the unique and special education needs of American Indian and Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiians; and

WHEREAS, NIEA, as the largest national organization of American Indian and Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian educators, administrators, parents, and students in the United States, provides a forum to discuss and act upon issues affecting the education ofNative people; and

WHEREAS, through its unique political relationship with Indian nations and tribes, the federal government has established education program resources to meet the educational needs of American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians residing both on and off their reserved or non-reserved homelands; and

WHEREAS, the State of California has the largest American Indian population in the United States, with over 300,000 individuals as documented through the most recent census, and based on these population statistics has the largest pre-k through 12th grade Indian student population; and

WHEREAS, the State of California accepted the responsibility, in 1934, for educating American Indian students in its public schools; and

WHEREAS, American Indian students have the highest drop out rates and lowest graduation rates of any student population in United States, and are dispersed through thousands of pubic schools making it impossible for them to receive a curriculum that meets their culturally related academic needs, and present education reforms being implemented in California do not address these needs; and

WHEREAS, the California Indian Education Centers established in 1975 provide the sole vehicle for ensuring a culturally related academic program, while strengthening the public school program; and

WHEREAS, California’s Governor Gray Davis has recently vetoed bills that would expand and enhance necessary services to these student through American Indian Education centers (California AB 1746), and that would create California Indian curriculum to be used in its public schools (California AB 1439), and

WHEREAS, the National Indian Education Association passed a resolution ( #99-08) supporting the development of a model k-12 curriculum that accurately depicts the historicaL contemporary, legaL and political rights of tribes and their relationships with non-tribal sovereigns calling upon educators and educational organizations and institutions across the country, both public and private to modernize their curricula to include this curriculum, and

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE NATIONAL INDIAN EDUCATION ASSOCIATION calls for all educational organizations and institutions across the country, both public and private, to include a curriculum that accurately depicts the historical and contemporary legal and political rights of tribes and their relationships with non-tribal sovereigns; and

NOW THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT THE NATIONAL INDIAN EDUCATION ASSOCIATION supports the increased funding of existing American Indian Education Centers across the United States, including those in California and to provide and for expansion of such centers to Indian communities that are not currently served.

SUBMITTED BY: Judy Strang (Maidu)

CERTIFICATION

do hereby certify that the foregoing resolution was duly considered and passed by the NIEA membership assembled at its annual ..:onvention in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, at which a quorum was present during the meeting held October 28·November 1, 2000.