Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan today announced that he will hold a series of mini-summit meetings around the country with tribal chairmen and educators aimed at improving the quality of Indian education in America. The first of these meetings is scheduled for February 12 - 13, 1990, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and will include representatives from Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
The Secretary, who recently announced the appointment Edward Parisian to be Director of Indian Education in the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), said he expects the Santa Fe meeting will develop new ideas to enhance the education of the 40,000 Native American students attending schools funded by the Bureau. "Eleven percent of all Indian children attend those schools, and it is my goal to bring the quality of education at these institutions up to, or above, national standards by the year 2000," Lujan said.
The Indian Education mini-summit will focus primarily on four areas identified by Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Eddie Brown as needing major improvements. These are: parental and community involvement, early childhood development, the elevation of expectations in Indian schools and effective evaluation of schools, students, and teachers.
The Santa Fe meeting, which will consist of a series of panel discussions, addresses and workshops, will take place at the Santa Fe Indian School, 1300 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe. Secretary Lujan will give the opening address at 10:00 am on February 12. The next conference is tentatively scheduled for March 12, in Rapid City, South Dakota.
