Confronting Historical Inequities in Federal Funding for American Indian Education Programs

• In Event: Hilton Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: Every Student Succeeds Act

Abstract

In its original form, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 made no mention of American Indian students. While Indigenous peoples have received increasing attention under ESEA reauthorizations and amendments, financial support for Indian education has not grown proportionately to the overall growth of federal expenditures. Grants addressing the needs of Native Hawaiian, American Indian, and Alaska Native students are now included in updated versions of ESEA, yet a closer analysis reveals troubling trends in federal educational funding. This paper uses archival data collected from multiple federal government offices to expose and explore the accumulated implications of federal funding trends for Indian education since 1965.

Author

• Meredith McCoy, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill