WASHINGTON – The Interior Associate Deputy Secretary James E. Cason will visit the Hopi Tribe of Arizona on September 1 to meet with Hopi Chairman Wayne Taylor and tribal council members, as well as school officials and students of the tribe’s seven Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)-funded schools who have met their Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirement under the No Child Left Behind Act for a second year in a row. The Hopi Tribe is one of several federally recognized tribes who have multiple BIA-funded schools on their reservations. As of today, it is the only tribe whose schools have achieved AYP for the 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 school years.
Contributing to the schools’ achievement is the Hopi Tribe’s overall support for education, a decision by school officials to implement curriculum throughout the school system that meets the state’s content standards and assessment requirements, having all instructors use a skills checklist aligned to those standards to ensure students are mastering them, and strong parental support for their children’s education.
In school year 2004-2005, the Hopi school system served 1,675 day students in grades K-12. The student population is predominantly American Indian with Hopi being the largest group. The schools also serve Navajo students. Three of the schools are tribally operated under BIA contracts or grants and the rest are directly operated by the Bureau.
WHO: James E. Cason, Associate Deputy Secretary, Department of the Interior Wayne Taylor, Chairman, Hopi Tribe of Arizona
WHAT: Associate Deputy Secretary Cason will meet with the Hopi chairman, tribal council members, school officials and students to see first-hand BIA-funded schools and their surrounding communities. All seven Hopi schools have achieved their Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements under the No Child Left Behind Act for two years in a row – the only tribal school system to do so, at present.
WHEN: Thursday, September 1, 2005
12:00 Noon – 4:00 p.m. (local time): Hopi Day School
- 12:00 Noon: Meet with Hopi Chairman Wayne Taylor; lunch with students.
- 12:30 p.m.: Tour Hopi Day School facility.
- 1:00 p.m.: Meet with Hopi Tribe education director, Hopi school board president, school board members, principals, administrators and staff.
- 1:30 p.m.: Address Hopi Tribal Council.
- 3:10 p.m.: Tour Hotevilla-Bacavi Community School.
WHERE: Hopi Day School, Kykotsmovi, Ariz., and Hotevilla-Bacavi Community School, Hotevilla, Ariz.
Directions from Flagstaff to Kykotsmovi/Hopi Day School:
- Take North US 89 to Townsend Winona Road.
- Turn right onto Townsend Winona Road and continue on to Leupp Road.
- Turn left onto Leupp Road and continue on to Leupp-Oraibi Road.
- Turn left onto Leupp-Oraibi Road and continue on to State Hwy 264.
- Turn left onto Hwy 264 and continue on to road to Kykotsmovi Village.
- Turn left and continue approximately ¼ mile to stop sign.
- Turn left and continue approximately 200 yards to the Hopi Day School.
Directions from Winslow to Kykotsmovi/Hopi Day School:
- Take Rte. 87 North to State Hwy 264 (approximately 60 miles).
- At intersection, turn left going west approximately 8 miles.
- Continue on 264 to the village of Kykotsmovi.
- Go past Rte. 2 (from Leupp) to the next road which leads to the village.
- Turn left and continue approximately ¼ mile to stop sign.
- Turn left and continue approximately 200 yards to the Hopi Day School.
CREDENTIALS: This invitation is extended to working media representatives, who are required to display sanctioned media credentials for admittance to these events.
