2011-15: Support a Priority Ethnic Designation of Alaska Native, American Indian, and/or Native Hawaiian in School Ethnic Counts.

WHEREAS, the National Indian Education Association (NIEA) was established in 1970 for the purpose of advocating, planning, and promoting the unique and special educational needs of American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians; and

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

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

WHEREAS, since the United States Census Bureau expanded the 2010 Census ethnicity; and

WHEREAS, federal funds are based on ethnicity selection of American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian (AI/AN/NH) tribe alone, AI/AN/NH tribe alone or in combination with one or more other tribes, or tribe alone or any combination; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. Census does not count any AI/AN/NH if ‘Two or More Races’ is selected in combination with tribe; and

WHEREAS, every year, the federal government allocates funds to states and communities based, in part, on census data; and

WHEREAS, school districts in Alaska and other states have adopted the practice of reassigning the ethnicity of AI/AN/NH students to the ethnic category of “Multi-Ethnic” if they identify themselves on their enrollment forms as AI/AN/NH and Multi-Ethnic; now

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the NIEA shall support a priority ethnic designation of AI/AN/NH if such students elect to identify themselves as AI/AN/NH and Multi-Ethnic; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NIEA recommend to the US Census Bureau that a priority ethnic designation of AI/AN/NH be adopted in their ethnic counts.