Education

This portfolio is dedicated to the tireless advancement of educational equity and the protection of sovereign rights for AI/AN students. By leveraging rigorous policy analysis and strategic congressional advocacy, this work seeks to ensure that Tribal Nations and Native communities maintain a primary, authoritative voice in the federal policies and programs that govern their educational systems. From early childhood and K–12 through higher education and vocational training, the mission is to uphold the federal trust responsibility and ensure that Native students have access to culturally relevant, high-quality education.

Focus Areas and Goals:

  • Navigating Legal Challenges: Developing proactive, multi-front strategies to address and mitigate increasing legal threats to Indian education programs, Tribal preference, and the constitutionality of the ICWA as it relates to educational stability.

  • Federal Reorganization: Closely monitoring and influencing administrative shifts within BIE and ED. The goal is to ensure funding stability, eliminate bureaucratic redundancies, and maintain administrative consistency across federal agencies.

  • Strengthening Tribal Sovereignty in Education: Empowering Tribal Nations to exercise full jurisdiction over their schools, curricula, and teacher certification standards. This includes supporting the transition from federal control to Tribal operation through self-determination contracts and self-governance compacts.

  • Data Sovereignty: Advocating for the accurate collection and Tribal ownership of student data to ensure that federal funding formulas correctly reflect the needs of Indian country.

Key Collaborations and Partnerships:

  • Tribal Leaders: Facilitating continuous, high-level engagement with elected Tribal officials to ensure that national policy positions are rooted in community-level realities and respect the unique political status of each Tribal Nation.

  • Member Organizations: Coordinating an expansive network of education directors, specialists, and grassroots advocates from across Indian country to build a unified, advocacy front on Capitol Hill.

  • Executive Branch Advocacy: Engaging with federal agencies and national education initiatives to ensure that administrative priorities and funding streams align with the legislative and sovereign interests of NCAI member Tribal Nations.

Associated Organizations

  • American Indian Higher Education Consortium

  • National Indian Education Association

  • American Indian College Fund

  • NCAI Youth Commission

Associated Task Forces

  • Budget Task Force

  • Large Land Base Task Force

Associated Legislation

  • ESEA: Focusing on the reauthorization and robust funding of Title VI (Indian and Alaska Native Education) to support supplemental services and language programs.

  • Higher Education Act: Championing increased Pell Grant flexibility, the expansion of the Tribal College Act, and enhanced institutional aid for TCUs to address infrastructure and technology gaps.

  • TSG Act: Advocating for the expansion of this Act to allow more Tribal Nations to enter into compacts and contracts for BIE-funded education programs, moving toward full local control of educational systems.

  • ISDEAA

Past Year Achievements

  • In-Person ED Tribal Consultation (February): Attended and participated directly in the ED’s in-person Tribal consultation meeting in February, advocating before agency leadership for the protection of Native education initiatives, administrative consistency across agencies, and the fulfillment of federal trust obligations.

  • IAA Consultation Letter: Successfully drafted and submitted a comprehensive formal consultation letter regarding IAA. This effort helped ensure that Tribal interests were represented in complex federal interagency coordination efforts, seeking to prevent the dilution of educational services.

  • ECWS Education Panel: Orchestrated a high-level panel at the ECWS that brought together federal officials and Tribal leaders to navigate the complexities of federal reorganization and the rising legal challenges facing Indian education.

  • Coordinated Hill Visits: Led a diverse delegation of Tribal leaders and NCAI Youth Commission members to meet with key congressional offices. These visits provided critical, firsthand briefings on the necessity of sustained education funding and the impact of federal policy on the ground.

  • Youth Commission Advocacy: Developed and implemented a specialized training curriculum designed to prepare the NCAI Youth Commission for high-level congressional engagement during ECWS. This initiative provided young leaders with the technical policy knowledge and communication strategies necessary to effectively lead Hill visits and legislative briefings.

  • FY 2027 Grantmaking and FY 2028 Budget Consultations: Drafted and submitted comprehensive formal comments on ED’s FY 2027 grantmaking priorities and FY 2028 budget priorities, championing stable, mandatory formula funding, critical infrastructure investments, and policies that restore educational authority and decision-making to Tribal Nations.

Next Year Goals

  • Strategic Federal Interagency Engagement: Transitioning from reactive monitoring to formal participation in interagency working groups, specifically focusing on the implementation of E.O.s affect Tribal education and workforce development.

  • National Policy Brief Publication: Researching and distributing a comprehensive policy brief that provides a strategic roadmap for modernizing federal Native education programs and addressing the systemic "funding cliffs" that threaten the stability of Tribal learning environments.

  • Advanced Youth Advocacy Curriculum: Expanding the Youth Commission curriculum to include advanced modules on policy analysis and resolution drafting, ensuring that the next generation is equipped to navigate the full spectrum of the legislative process.

  • Tribal Consultation Tracking System: Establishing a standardized internal system to monitor federal agency compliance with Tribal consultation requirements, with the goal of ensuring that no policy affecting Native students is enacted without meaningful Tribal input.

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