Native Education Programs: A Shift Without a Plan?

Tribal leaders are upset. They say the Education Department didn't talk to them before moving Native American education programs to other agencies. This move affects schools and colleges that serve Native students. The Education Department says it will hand over programs to the Department of Labor and the Department of the Interior. But tribal leaders say this will cause confusion and problems. Steve Sitting Bear, chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, said the move doesn't help schools. It just shifts them to another system that's also not good. His tribe runs a school that gets federal money. He said the change creates more bureaucracy and uncertainty. This is not good for Native students. Ahniwake Rose, president of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, has questions. She wants to know how funding for Tribal Colleges and Universities will work now. Before, they dealt with one department. Now, they might have to deal with three. She said it would have been helpful to be part of the planning. The Education Department says it will talk to tribes and education partners. They want to make sure Native students have what they need to succeed. But tribal leaders say this talk should have happened before the decision was made. The federal government has a legal duty to support Native education. This comes from treaties and laws. But tribal leaders say this duty has been uncertain since the Trump administration cut federal spending. They want the Education Department to send staff to the Bureau of Indian Education. Without them, the bureau can't do its job. Many people in Indian Country agree. They say tribes should be involved in every step of the process. They want the Trump administration to explain how it will support Native education.