2010-06: Affirmation of Tribal Sovereignty in the Implementation of Common Core State Standards

WHEREAS, the National Indian Education Association (NIEA) was established in 1970 for the purpose of advocating, planning, and promoting the unique and special educational needs of American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians; and

WHEREAS, NIEA as the largest national Indian organization of American Indian, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiian educators, administrators, parents and students in the United States, provides a forum to discuss and act upon issues affecting the education of Indian and Native people; and

WHEREAS, through its unique relationship with Indian nations and tribes, the federal government has established programs and resources to meet the educational needs of American Indians, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiians, residing on and off their reserved ornon-reserved homelands; and

WHEREAS, all Native American children shall receive equal opportunities from the federal government based upon the unique indigenous status, language, and cultural history; and,

WHEREAS, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) will impact all Tribal Nations and Native communities that include urban and rural American Indians (both federallyrecognized and non-recognized), Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians; and,

WHEREAS, the provision of education is a treaty, trust and moral obligation of the United States Government and to ensure that our children should not lose their culture and identity in order to succeed in school CCSS can only be effective if they are implemented within a strong Native context, including American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians and,

WHEREAS, the CCSS are a set of commonly agreed upon rigorous standards for K-12learning, grounded in mainstream research and practices, internationally benchmarked, reflecting the type of skills and knowledge students need to have to successfully transition from high school into college and world of work while remaining competitive in a global economy; and,

WHEREAS, CCSS is a voluntary and state led initiative launched by the National Governor’s Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) to address national concerns regarding the wide variability in state standards, the standard tribal consultation process was not utilized in the development, adoption and implementation of CCSS; and,

WHEREAS, CCSS requires all teachers to master the same content standards, allowing relevant instruction across geographic boundaries, particularly schools which are challenged by low socio-economic conditions, high student/staff mobility, incongruent educational practices;and,

WHEREAS Tribal Nations and Native communities are the sole experts on their histories, cultures, languages, tribal sovereignty and government structures; now,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, NIEA calls upon states who adopt CCSS engage in meaningful consultation with Tribal Nations and Native communities to develop Memorandum of Agreements (MOAs) incorporating the histories, cultures, languages, tribal sovereignty and government structures of the Tribal Nations and Native communities in each state and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, NIEA Calls upon states recognize and support the right of Tribal Nations and Native communities to exercise educational sovereignty in leading the implementation of CCSS in developing, culturally relevant standards, curriculum, professional development, and assessments as well as other critical components that affect the education of our students; and,

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, NIEA calls upon states during implementation of the CCSS identify and evaluate the educational needs of Tribal Nations and Native communities. Evidence would minimally include: dropout rate, attendance, student achievement and tribally defined standards are included in the school curriculum at all levels and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that CCSS be implemented by states with strong curriculum selection and professional development components determined by a partnership between Native communities and ALL local school districts; and

THEREFORE BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED: NIEA calls upon States to consult during implementation of Common Core State Standards at the local district level in cooperation with all Tribal Nations and Native communities that include urban and rural American Indians, both federally recognized and non-recognized, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians.