In Effort to Fix Tribal Schools, Feds Face Doubts
This 2015 Education Week articles summarizes many of the challenges facing federal plans to “turn more control of Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools to tribes.” American Indian students attending BIE schools remain some of the lowest-performing in the country; consequently the proposal to provide tribes more control, coupled with additional funding, faces significant opposition. Some of the tribes themselves oppose the federal plan. Others are very supportive, believing that it will give tribes a greater say in BIE schools coupled with additional funding.
The title and opening lines of this resource effectively state the article’s purposes, which are subsequently met through professional journalism and balanced evidence. The author does an excellent job of summarizing historical problems in the administration, funding, and achievement in BIE schools, and then presenting multiple points of view to further address the issues. Communications quality is excellent. The article is easy to read and understand. Utility should be reasonably high given both the quality of the article and Education Week’s journalistic reputation. A possible impact on policy and/or learning is reasonable, based on the article’s overall quality.