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NCAI Education Newsletter February 26, 2013 Announcements |
Upcoming NCAI Deadlines This Friday, March 1
· Call for Feedback: Request for Tribal Input on Native Education Legislation
· Deadline Extended: Submit a Proposal for NCAI's Tribal Leader/Scholar Forum
Call for Feedback: Request for Tribal Input on Native Education Legislation (Deadline: March 1)
The new Congressional session provides a key opportunity to strengthen Native education through the legislative proposals tribes have been working on for years. In preparation for advocacy on this critical priority, NCAI is requesting input by from tribal leaders and Native educators on draft language by March 1, 2013.
The following draft language comes from NCAI’s initial proposal for the Native Culture, Language, and Access for Success in Schools (CLASS) Act, which addresses the joint NCAI/NIEA education priorities outlined in Resolution #ABQ-10-054. The language has been marginally edited to account for some updates in the past year (e.g. removal of the Troops to Teachers provision because the National Defense Authorization Act recently made the Bureau of Indian Education eligible for the program).
· Click here to read the draft language.
· Click here to read a summary of the draft language.
· Click here to read NCAI/NIEA’s joint education priorities (Resolution #ABQ-10-054)
Background
During its last session, Congress introduced the Native CLASS Act (S. 1262 and H.R. 3569), which passed out of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in October 2011. The Native CLASS Act is a comprehensive bill that includes a number of provisions tribal leaders have long sought, including recognition of tribal governments as sovereigns in directing the education of Native students.
Next Steps
In partnership with the National Indian Education Association, the Tribal Education Departments National Assembly, and the United South and Eastern Tribes, NCAI is working with Congress to introduce an Indian education measure that is similar to the Native CLASS Act. As we reevaluate the previous language and consider revisions and additions, NCAI would like Indian Country’s feedback on what else needs to be included and/or updated.
Questions for Consideration
Please consider the following questions as you review the draft language:
· Is there anything missing from this proposal?
Are there other areas that need to be addressed?
· Are there opportunities to more closely link Native education with job creation and job readiness/training?
· Are the following areas adequately addressed in the bill?
o Tribal education departments
o Native language preservation
o Culturally-based education
o Ensuring all Native students’ needs are addressed
o Funding parity for tribes
o State waivers and tribes
o Access to student data
o Tribal/state partnerships
o Impact Aid
o Professional development
o Charter schools
o BIE schools
o Public schools
Deadline: March 1
Please send any comments you have on the draft proposal to Katie Jones at kjones@ncai.org by Friday, March 1, 2013.
Deadline Extended: Submit a Proposal for NCAI's Tribal Leader/Scholar Forum (Now Due March 1)
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, March 1, 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, March 1, 2013.
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