Table of Contents
State of Indian Nations Address to Be Webcast Live (February 14)
Jefferson Keel, President of the National Congress of American Indians, will deliver the annual State of Indian Nations Address on February 14, 2013, from the Newseum in Washington, DC. As is tradition, the State of Indian Nations address is scheduled just days after the United States President delivers the State of the Union. President Barack Obama is scheduled to address the nation and a joint session of Congress on February 12, 2013.
The live broadcast of the State of Indian Nations address will begin at 10:30 a.m. Eastern from the Newseum's Knight Studio for television broadcast. The event will be broadcast live on
www.ncai.org/live. The address will be followed by a Congressional response and a question & answer session. Questions will be taken from the live studio audience and online viewers watching.
Register a Watch Party for Your School or Youth Group
People all over Indian Country gather to watch the State of Indian Nations every year. Tribal governments, community groups, organizations, businesses, colleges, universities, schools, and others are all encouraged to host a watch party and incorporate a discussion with those attend. We'll even provide a way for you to interact online and ask questions during the question and answer session following the address. If you are not able to view the event live, the State of Indian Nations will be archived immediately online for playback at any time.
Click here to register a watch party.
Event Details
When: Thursday February 14, 2013 —10:30am
Where:
Newseum, Knight Studio 555 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, DC 20001 (6th Street Entrance). It can also be streamed live at
www.ncai.org/live Event Schedule:
9:15 a.m - Media Setup Begins
9:30 a.m - Doors Open
10:15 a.m - Final Seating
10:20 a.m - Invocation
10:30 a.m. - State of Indian Nations Address broadcast begins
11:00 a.m. - Congressional Response
11:15 a.m. - NCAI Question & Answer/Press Availability
Submit a Proposal for NCAI's Tribal Leader/Scholar Forum (Due February 22)
Planning for Change in Native Communities:
Using Research to Understand Economic, Civic, and Cultural Transformation
The call for proposals for the 8th Annual NCAI Policy Research Center's Tribal Leader/Scholar Forum ('the Forum') is now open. Proposals are being accepted until 5pm EST on
Friday, February 22, 2013, and should be submitted via email to Beth Bahe at
bbahe@ncai.org.
The NCAI Policy Research Center Tribal Leader/Scholar Forum will be held on Wednesday, June 26, 2013, in Reno, Nevada, at NCAI's Mid Year Conference.
The Forum provides a space for tribal leaders and citizens, researchers, and policy research organizations to discuss how to strengthen public policy and community-based initiatives based on meaningful data and research. This year's Forum will feature compelling research with significance to Native communities experiencing, planning for, and leading change in a range of areas, including but not limited to:
· Workforce preparedness for the new economy;
· Grassroots community movements and new types of civic engagement (e.g., voting reform, youth and elder engagement, intergenerational coordination, men's and women's initiatives)
· Demographic changes stemming from mobility between rural and urban communities, immigration, and environmental change
· Measuring how tribes and Native people contribute to rapidly changing regional economies
· Innovations in technology that may bring both benefits and dangers (e.g., telemedicine, energy advancements, sharing information across distances, and digital means of teaching culture and language).
Presentations should identify how current research can lead to policy priorities that can benefit Native health, education, community, and legal realities. Participants can submit proposals to present using one of the following presentation formats, including: panel proposals, individual paper proposals, research planning roundtable proposals, or poster proposals.
Deadline
Proposals should be submitted via email to Beth Bahe at
bbahe@ncai.org by 5pm EST on Friday, February 22, 2013.
More Information
Request for Nominations: Bureau of Indian Education Adequate Yearly Progress Negotiated Rulemaking Committee (Due March 4)
The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) is requesting nominations for a new Adequate Yearly Progress Negotiated Rulemaking Committee. The Committee will recommend revisions to the existing regulations for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). As required by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the Secretary will select representatives of tribes for the Committee from:
· Among individuals nominated by tribes whose students attend BIE-funded schools operated by either the Bureau; or
· By the tribe through a contract or grant and who would be affected by a final rule.
The BIE is currently soliciting comments on this proposal to establish the Committee, including comments on additional interests not identified in this notice of intent. It is also inviting tribes to nominate representatives for membership on the Committee.
Background
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 required states to use certain academic content standards, assessments, and a specific methodology for calculating the AYP of students to measure academic achievement. The NCLB's amendments to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) required the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to promulgate regulations through negotiated rulemaking for the accountability system to be used in Bureau-funded schools.
In 2005, the BIA promulgated such regulations. These regulations require BIE to use the accountability system of the state in which a BIE-funded school is located to calculate AYP.
BIE-funded schools are located in 23 different states, and each state has its own accountability system. As a result, each state system produces student achievement data that cannot be directly compared with data from other states. For BIE, comparison is necessary to identify under-performing schools and direct resources effectively.
BIE had previously developed a method for comparing academic achievement across states despite the variances in academic standards. But now that some states have received flexibility waivers from the Department of the Education, BIE will no longer be able to use this method to effectively compare achievement. It is necessary, therefore, to revise the regulation.
Submission Guidelines
National Advisory Council on Indian Education to Meet in Washington DC (February 6-8)
The National Advisory Council on Indian Education (NACIE) will meet next week in Washington DC.
Dates and Times:
· Wednesday, February 6, 2013: 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Eastern
· Thursday, February 7, 2013: 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Eastern
· Friday, February 8, 2013: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Eastern
Useful Links:
Apply to Review ED Discretionary Grant Applications (Due February 15)
The Office of Indian Education (in the Department of Education) is soliciting highly qualified individuals to assist in the review process for two discretionary grant competitions: Demonstration Grants for Indian Children and the Professional Development program. Both programs are administered under Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The discretionary grant review information will be posted on the
Office of Indian Education website when the scheduled is finalized.
Upcoming Webinar: The STAR School's 3-to-3rd Project for Navajo Students (February 13)
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
2:00 p.m. Eastern
Hosted by the Rural School and Community Trust
The STAR School, located in rural northern Arizona, serves students in pre-school through grade 8 who live in the Southwest corner of the Navajo Nation and the surrounding rural area. The STAR Model of Early Math Education is a combination of strategies beginning in preschool that effectively and reliably ensures that low-income Native children enter school at or above grade level, and then continue that success through grade 3.
This webinar will discuss the research behind the STAR 3-to-3rd Project and highlight the training films which show other educators serving rural, low-income students how they can implement this innovative program.
Panelists
· Dr. Matt Sorensen, Director/Principal, The STAR School
· Robert Mahaffey, Director of Communications, Rural School and Community Trust
· Doris Terry Williams, Executive Director, Rural School and Community Trust
Registration
Click here to register. A day prior to the event, you will receive an email with dial-in instructions and a PDF of the presentation.
Other News and Commentary
· Navajo Nation Gains Access to Utah Education Data: A Memorandum of Understanding signed January 10 between the Utah State Board of Education and the Navajo Department of Diné Education will give the Navajo Nation access to assessment data for Navajo students in third through 12th grades.
· Teen Hosting Summit for Native Youth: Eight-grader Cierra Fields, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, created, organized, and develop a summit for local tribal youth to learn more about tribal government and how youth can become leaders in their communities.
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· Mocking Native Culture at Maria Monterssori School: The Eagle Bull-Oxendine family challenged the offensive curriculum promoted at their children’s school. As a result, they may have lost the scholarships that their children had received based on their Native heritage.
Trends, Data, and Reports
· Public School Graduates and Dropouts from the Common Core of Data: School Year 2009-10 (National Center for Education Statistics): This new report presents the Averaged Freshman Graduation Rates and Event Dropout Rates by year, race/ethnicity (including American Indian and Alaska Native), gender, and grade. Rates are for public schools only (no BIE students). For the 2009-10 school year, the Averaged Freshman Graduation Rate increased compared to the prior year for Native students (from 65% in 2008-09 to 69% in 2009-10), for whites (82% in 2008-09 to 83% in 2009-10), and for all students (from 76% in 2008-09 to 78% in 2009-10). Not only did the rate increase for Native students, but the increase was greater than that for whites and for the national average.
· Repairing a Broken System: Fixing Federal Student Aid (Alliance for Excellent Education): This report outlines a comprehensive approach to revamping the student aid system into one that better supports students and institutions of higher education and focuses on access and completion. The report proposes several policy and administrative changes to the existing federal student aid programs. These recommendations include (1) creating institutional supports and accountability; (2) simplifying the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the entire student aid system; (3) focusing student aid on the highest-need students; and (4) providing support for middle-class families.
· Partnerships for Learning: Community Support for Youth Success (Harvard Family Research Project): This new report focuses on the power of learning partnerships to improve children's development and school success, and on a seamless web of supports designed to ensure positive learning experiences for children and youth. The report draws on the experiences of national organizations and a set of community schools that have built these learning partnerships, and examines seven key elements that are essential in building them.