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Improving Schools Serving Native Students - The National Indian Education Association History
 
THE FOUNDING OF NIEA

The National Indian Education Association (NIEA) was formed over 50 years ago. In 1969, during the “First Convocation of American Indian Scholars” held at Princeton University, several American Indian leaders convened to discus concerns facing Native American educators and issues with the education of Native American children. This large meeting event was the first time for many Native American educators to share, discuss, and learn about ideas that were important to Indigenous people in the United States. 
 
Many convocation attendees desired an opportunity to continue the discourse and share ways to
improve the education of Native American children. Founding members, educators, and tribal leadership stressed the need to create an opportunity for professionals in the Native American communities to discuss common interests, talk about the education of Native students, and explore ways to be more effective teachers, better school administrators, and discover practical experiences that might provide a path for improving schools serving Native students. To meet educator, student and community needs, the founding members incorporated the National Indian Education Association on August 21, 1970.
 
The mission of NIEA is to advance comprehensive, culture-based educational opportunities for American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians. NIEA is committed to promoting traditional Native cultures and values as the foundations of learning. As a result, NIEA promotes educational sovereignty, supports continuing use of traditional knowledge and language, and works to improve educational opportunities and results in our communities.
 
THE INDIAN EDUCATION ACT

The founding of NIEA occurred during a critical shift in federal Indian policy. Two pieces of legislation were at the forefront of this shift: the Indian Education Act of 1972 and the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975. The first of the two pieces of legislation, the Indian Education Act,
established the National Advisory Council on Indian Education, created the Office of Indian Education,
and authorized a formula grant program for American Indian and Alaska Native students. In addition,
the legislation strengthened tribal oversight of Indian education by specifying the need to seek parent,
student, and tribal input and consultation on legislation pertaining to Indian education.
 
NIEA was critical to the development and passage of the bill. In many ways, the bill was the brainchild of then NIEA President, Dr. Will Antell and NIEA Treasurer, William Demmert. Dr. Antell, one of the founders of NIEA, served as the first president of the organization. He went on to serve three consecutive terms as president until the Indian Education Act was passed.
 
The Kennedy Report, released in 1969 by a Special Subcommittee in the Senate, was an important precursor to the founding of NIEA. It delivered a scathing indictment of the federal government’s Indian education policies. It concluded that the “dominant policy ... of coercive assimilation” has had “disastrous effects on the education of Indian children.” The Subcommittee detailed 60 recommendations for overhauling the system, all of which centered on “increased Indian participation and control of their own education programs.” Congress also moved to enhance the role of Native nations in education, with the Indian Education Act of 1972, the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975, the Tribally Controlled Community College Assistance Act of 1978, and the Tribally Controlled Schools Act of 1988. These laws provided tribal governments, communities, and families with unprecedented opportunities to influence the direction of their children’s future.
 
This past October, NIEA hosted its 53rd Annual Convention & Trade Show in Oklahoma City. The theme was Education Sovereignty. Our Choice. We are in a new era of Native education empowered through tribal sovereignty, self-governance, and Indigenous knowledge learning models. This is Education Sovereignty: Our Culture, Our Curriculum, Our Schools, Our Students, Our Choice.

Foundational to these efforts is NIEA’s support of language preservation and language immersion practices for Native American students. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 54 Native languages no longer have fluent speakers and 161 others stand to disappear in a generation. Equally alarming, scholars project that without immediate and persistent action, only 20 Native languages will be spoken by 2050. The U.S. Census Bureau recently completed a survey to assess the vulnerability of select tribal languages. Due to an aging population of Native language speakers, experts concluded that all but two Native languages are on the decline.
 
In the face of alarming statistics, Native communities across the nation have begun to reverse such
trends, revitalizing Native languages and building classrooms and communities where Native children
and youth learn and speak their languages with confidence. However, national funding and systematic
action are critical to ensure that, for generations to come, Native children are able to learn and take
pride in language heritage.
 
ESTHER MARTINEZ NATIVE AMERICAN LANGUAGES PRESERVATION ACT

In 2006, Congress recognized the critical role of Native languages and took steps to address this
Through grants to language immersion programs, language survival schools, and language restoration
programs, this legislation promotes thriving programs that successfully pass on Native languages to
American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students.
 
NIEA carries forward the legacy of Esther Martinez today. Through a recent Administration for Native Americans (ANA) grant, NIEA is working with Dr. Crystal Redgrave in Montana to develop a method to teach and assess Indigenous language through the use of graphics, oral recordings, hand talk, and technology. This method considers the ways of knowing of the 21st Century Native American learner. It takes into account the long absence of Indigenous language discourse in Native schools. The goal is to create a curriculum and education model that can be utilized in other Indigenous communities to promote language preservation.
 
Join us in Denver June 7-9 for GlobalMindED 2023
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To get a feel for the conference experience, please see this brief video by The PhD Project from the 2022 GlobalMindED Conference

  • GlobalMindED June 2022 DEI conference
  • Complete 2022 Program
  • Inclusive Leader Awards Program 2022
  • 800+ attendees
  • 140 students from 41 universities/colleges, 58 received scholarships
  • 300+ speakers from 65 universities/colleges and 47 businesses
  • 130 universities/colleges represented
  • Majority of panels featured at least one student
  • 74 % diverse speakers

Social Justice and Equity: A constant evolution but we still haven’t hit the mark!
Social Justice and Equity: A Constant Evolution but we Still Haven’t Hit the Mark!, a Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable presentation
Dr. Ryan Ross; Assoc. V. Chancellor Student Affairs, Equity, & Inclusion, Colorado Community College System
Reiland Rabaka; Founder and Director, Center for African and African American Studies, University of Colorado Boulder,
Lana Hailemariam; Chief Executive Officer, StandUP, LLC,
Emily Shamsid-Deen; Principal, ESD Consulting,
Dr. Roberto Montoya; Chief Educational Equity Officer, Colorado Department of Higher Education,
Keith Station; Deputy Chief of Staff—Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, City of Omaha Mayor’s Office
The GlobalMindED Inclusive Success NetworkTM had another banner year of growth, impact, and outcomes for First Generation, poverty-affected and minoritized students. Here are some of the highlights: 
 
  • Return of in-person GlobalMindED conference with record attendance and the largest First Gen Leadership Class ever of 122 student leaders. See PhD Project brief video of the event. 
  • Our fourth annual Inclusive Leader Awards recognized 15 DEIB leaders across sectors.
  • Almost all our 100+ panels and sessions of 2022 featured a student. 
  • Of the 300+ speakers, 73% were diverse leaders sharing their thoughts. 
  • We held our first Industry Marketplace Career Exploration Arena at GlobalMindED 2022 with 40 companies, giving K-12, college students, educators, and leaders a way to learn about emerging fields and careers. Join us for the next one at GlobalMindED 2023. 
  • Our first satellite event at Georgia Institute of Tech was livestreamed via the Atlanta PBS affiliate. 
  • We became an official initiative of the Foundation for the Support the United Nations (FSUN) and will hold our first UN event on March 22, 2023. 
  • ·We served ten colleges with the GlobalMindED Success Collaborative connecting students at each HBCU, MSI, HIS and Tribal College with role models, mentors, internships, and jobs. 
  • We had partners/volunteers from Microsoft, Salesforce, Rubrik, HP, Stanford MBA and more. 
  • We spoke at the White House Initiative for HBCUs with sponsor Hewlett Packard. 
  • Our team, Board, Colorado Board and Executive Leadership Council are all majority diverse serving a majority diverse population of emerging leaders. 
  • We continued to publish our daily newsletter and conduct monthly virtual Equity events, led by people of color with majority diverse panelists and students. These are the role models for our students.
  • Our annual operating budget increased by 67% emerging COVID strong. 
  • We doubled our staff from four to eight as we grow to scale our impact. 
  • Our Young Professionals grew to 40 strong, with a ten-person leadership cabinet made up of, but not limited to, graduates of our programs who are now working professionals.  
  • Since 2015, we have successfully connected 1,200+ students to internships and jobs. 
  • Our founder, Carol Carter, was recognized as one of the Most Powerful Women in Denver by the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce and one of the Most Admired CEOs by the Denver Business Journal. 
 
We are grateful for the support, inclusive leadership, and financial contributions of our community and sponsors who work tirelessly to open doors for the students we serve, the institutions who support them, and the businesses and non-profits who are committed to hiring a capable, diverse talent pipeline.  We look forward to seeing all of you June 7-9 at our best event yet, GlobalMindED 2023 - Transforming Boundaries: Creating Systemic Access and Equity. The Inclusive Leaders Awards Dinner is June 7, followed by the conference June 8- 9 at the Denver Downtown Sheraton.  
GlobalMindED | 303-327-5688 | contact@globalminded.org | www.globalminded.org
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