- Home
- Organization and Contacts
- Formula Program
- Discretionary Programs
- Resources
- Become a Peer Reviewer
Welcome to the Office of Indian Education
The U.S. Office of Indian Education (OIE) administers the Indian Education Program of ESEA, as amended by ESSA (Title VI, Part A), which establishes policies and provides financial and technical assistance for supporting LEAs, Indian Tribes and organizations, post- secondary institutions and other entities in meeting the special educational and cultural related academic needs of American Indians and Alaska Natives, 20 U.S.C. 3423c and 7401 et. seq. The OIE is headed by a Director who reports to the Assistant Secretary and who advises the Assistant Secretary on matters related to the programs administered by OIE.
The OIE has three primary responsibilities:
- To meet the unique educational and culturally related academic needs of Indian students, so that such students can meet the challenging State academic standards;
- To ensure that Indian students gain knowledge and understanding of Native communities, languages, Tribal histories, traditions, and cultures; and
- To ensure that teachers, principals, other school leaders, and other staff who serve Indian students have the ability to provide culturally appropriate and effective instruction and supports to such students.
The OIE is divided into three programming subparts:
- Subpart 1 – Formula Grants to Local Educational Agencies
- Subpart 2 – Special Programs and Projects for Indian Children “Discretionary Grants”
- Subpart 3 – National Activities
Seeking Peer Reviewers for 2025 Discretionary Grant Competitions
The U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Office of Indian Education (OIE) is soliciting highly qualified individuals to assist in the review process for the 2025 discretionary grant program competitions. To allow for sufficient time to recruit qualified peer reviewers, we are issuing this call now. In support of this competition, we continue to seek individuals who can participate in panel reviews either as peer reviewers, assigned alternate reviewers, and unassigned alternate reviewers. Reviewers will read, score, and provide constructive written feedback for applicants in ED’s G5 system. Assigned alternate reviewers will be assigned to a panel and will be expected to attend the panel discussion calls and submit draft technical review forms to the panel monitor. If a member of the panel is unable to complete the review, an assigned alternate reviewer will be made a reviewer and given access to G5. Unassigned alternate reviewers will be on standby and assigned to a panel if one of the assigned alternates becomes a reviewer.
Learn more in the "Become a Peer Reviewer" tab!
Meet the Director of OIE and learn more about their vision for the organization.
OIE's Annual Student Artist Competition encourages Native students of all ages to share their creative skills and stories.
OIE Organization and Contacts
Find our organizational chart and the content information for key members of the OIE staff.
Find contact information for each state's office of Indian Education.
Formula Grant Program
Purpose: Provides grants to support local educational agencies (LEAs) in their efforts to reform elementary and secondary school programs that serve Indian students. Programs are to be based on challenging state content and student performance standards used for all students, and are designed to assist Indian students to meet those standards.
Eligible applicants include:
- LEAs;
- Elementary and secondary schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs; and
- Indian tribes if the LEA has not established a parent committee and the tribe represents at least one-half of the eligible Indian students served by the LEA.
For an LEA to be eligible, a minimum of 10 Indian children must be enrolled in the applicant’s schools or constitute at least 25 percent of the total enrollment, except for schools in Alaska, California and Oklahoma, or any school located on a reservation or in proximity to a reservation.
Types of Project Activities
- Integrated educational services in combination with other programs that meet the needs of Indian children and their families
- School-to-work transition services that enable Indian students to participate in programs such as programs supported by tech-prep, mentoring, and apprenticeship.
- Enrichment programs that focus on problem-solving and cognitive skill development and directly support the attainment of challenging State content standards and State performance standards.
- Early childhood and family programs that emphasize school readiness.
- Activities to educate individuals concerning substance abuse and to prevent substance abuse.
- Culturally related activities that support the program described in the LEA’s application.
- The acquisition of equipment, but only if the acquisition of the equipment is essential to meet the purpose of the program.
Student Eligibility Requirements
The legislation defines “Indian” to mean an individual who is.. “A member of an Indian tribe or band, as membership is defined by the tribe or band, including:
- Any tribe or band terminated since 1940; and
- Any tribe or band recognized by the State in which the tribe or band resides;
- A descendant, in the first or second degree, or an individual described above;
- Considered by the Secretary of Interior to be an Indian for any purpose;
- An Eskimo, Aleut, or other Alaska Native; or
- A member of an organized Indian group that received a grant under the Indian Education Act of 1988 as was in effect October 19, 1994″.
View presentations about the Formula program from the NIEA 2021 Annual Convention.
Annual Performance Report (APR) Training Video
The training video below is available to assist OIE discretionary grantees with completing the APR. This video provides an overview of reporting requirements and guidance on the submission process.
Watch the APR Training video on YouTube.
OIE presented during the NIEA 2024 Annual Convention to provide an overview of the OIE Discretionary grants.
View the presentation here.
Demonstration Grants for Indian Children
Demonstration Grants for Indian Children is a competitive discretionary grant program that supports projects to develop, test and demonstrate the effectiveness of services and programs to improve educational opportunities and achievement of Indian children.
Program activities may include services to students in preschool to high school in areas such as family-based preschool emphasizing school readiness and parental skills; partnerships between schools and universities to aid, assist and encourage students in transitioning from high school to college, enrichment programs to increase the achievement of Indian children in one or more of the core academic subjects, programs designed to increase the rate of secondary school graduation; and programs that preserve and teach the native language and culture.
Eligible applicants include:
- A state or local educational agency;
- Indian tribes, organizations or institutions (including Indian institutions of higher education);
- Elementary and secondary schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs;
- A consortium of any eligible entities.
Priority is given to applications that include an Indian tribe, organization or institution.
Native American Language
The purposes of the NAL@ED program are to support schools that use Native American and Alaska Native languages as the primary language of instruction; maintain, protect, and promote the rights and freedom of Native Americans and Alaska Natives to use, practice, maintain, and revitalize their languages, as envisioned in the Native American Languages Act of 1990 (25 U.S.C. 2901 et seq.); and support the Nation’s First Peoples’ efforts to maintain and revitalize their languages and cultures, and to improve educational opportunities and student outcomes within Native American and Alaska Native communities.
Eligible entities include:
Indian tribe, Tribal college or university (TCU), Tribal Education Agency (TEA), Local Education Agency (LEA), BIE-funded school, Alaska Native Regional Corporation, a tribal, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, or other nonprofit organization, a nontribal for-profit organization may apply.
Native American Language Resource Center
The purposes of the NALRC program, which further aligns resources provided by the Department with the policies in the Native American Languages Act (NALA), 25 U.S.C. 2901 et seq., is to support establishing, strengthening, and operating one or more Native American language resource centers.
Eligible entities include:
An Indian Tribe; A Tribal College or University (TCU); A Tribal education agency (TEA); An LEA, including a public charter school that is an LEA under State law; A school operated by the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE); An Alaska Native Regional Corporation; A private, Tribal, or Alaska Native nonprofit organization; A non-Tribal for-profit organization.
Professional Development Program
The Professional Development program is a competitive grant program that supports activities to increase the number of qualified Indian individuals in professions that serve Indian people. Individuals who receive training under the Professional Development program are required to perform work that is related to the training received and that benefits Indian people, or repay all or a prorated part of the assistance received.
One component of the Professional Development program supports training for qualified Indian individuals to (1) become teachers, administrators, teacher aides, social workers, and ancillary educational personnel; and (2) improve the skills of Indian individuals serving in these capacities. The second component of the program supports training of qualified Indian individuals in fields other than education that result in a degree at the graduate level.
Eligible entities include:
- Institutions of higher education, including Indian institutions of higher education;
- A state or local educational agency in consortium with an institution of higher education;
- An Indian tribe or organization, in consortium with an institution of higher education.
State Tribal Education Partnership Program
The purposes of this program are to: (1) Promote increased collaboration between Tribal education agencies (TEAs) and the State educational agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) that serve students from the affected Tribes; and (2) build the capacity of TEAs to conduct certain administrative functions under certain Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) formula grant programs for eligible schools, as determined by the TEA, SEA, and LEA.
Eligible entities include a Tribal education agency (TEA) that is from an eligible Indian Tribe and is authorized by its Tribe to administer this program, or a consortium of such TEAs, in partnership with a State educational agency (SEA) and local educational agency (LEA).
American Rescue Plan - American Indian Resilience in Education
The purpose this program is to support Tribal education agencies (TEAs) in the provision of direct services to Indian children and youth.
ARP-AIRE is a one-time discretionary grant competition with a $20 million appropriation authorized under Section 11006(1) of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) to provide awards to Tribal Education Agencies for activities authorized under section 6121(c) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Those activities include a broad range of direct services to Indian children and youth, their teachers, and families.
Programs include NYCP, ACE, and NATRI.
Encouraging more Native languages in school and beyond.
To support a National and several Regional centers of Native language resource-building.
To increase the number of Native teachers and administrators in our nation's schools.
To support the building and proliferation of Tribal education agencies (TEAs)
To support Tribal Education Agencies (TEAs) in the provision of direct services to Indian children and Youth.
OIE Discretionary Grants Technical Assistance
Check out grant specific resources, events, and due dates under the ‘Discretionary Program’ tab.
Research Website
This research website is designed to provide teachers, educators, administrators and others working with American Indian and Alaska Native students information and resources to enhance Indian education in your community.
Executive Orders
- Executive Order 13336: American Indian and Alaska Native Education (5/5/04)
- Executive Order 13096: American Indian and Alaska Native Education (8/6/98)
- Executive Order 13175: Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments (11/6/00)
Department of Education Resources
- U.S. Department of Education Guide To Education Programs
- Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA)
- U.S. Department of Education Budget Office
- Budget Process in the U.S. Department of Education
Indian Education Resources
- White House Conference on Indian Education Final Report Executive Summary. Event held January 22-24, 1992 and published May 22, 1992
February 2, 2011 - White House Conference on Indian Education Final Report Executive Summary, Volumes I & II. Event held January 22-24, 1992 and published May 22, 1992
February 2, 2011 - Indian Nations at Risk: An Educational Strategy for Action
The now archived Indian Nations At Risk: An Educational Strategy for Action report was released in 1991 and chronicles the findings of an educational Task force comprised of tribal leaders, educators and co-chaired by former Secretary of Education Terrel H. Bell and Dr. William Demmert (Tlingit/Sioux).
(February 2, 2011) - Indian Nations At Risk Report: Listening to the People
This volume contains the summaries of 20 papers commissioned by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force.
(February 2, 2011) - Indian Nations At Risk Report: Listening to the People
This volume contains the full report and an introduction to the 20 papers commissioned by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force.
(February 2, 2011) - Indian Nations At Risk Report: Listening to the People
This volume contains the full 20 papers commissioned by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force.
(February 2, 2011) - Indian Nations At Risk Report: Listening to the People
This volume contains the summaries from the regional hearings held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force.
(February 2, 2011) - Open Discussion Between the National Advisory Council on Indian Education and the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force
This volume contains the summaries from the regional hearings held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force in October 1990.
(February 2, 2011) - Native Language and Culture – Breakout session between the National Advisory Council on Indian Education and the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force
This volume contains the summaries from the breakout session on native Language and Culture held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force in October 1990.
(February 7, 2011) - Urban Indian Education – Breakout session between the National Advisory Council on Indian Education and the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force
This volume contains the summaries from the breakout session on urban Indian education held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force in October 1990.
(February 7, 2011)
Scholarships and Student Financial Aid for American Indian and Alaska Native Students
- Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Indian Education Programs
- Indian Health Services Scholarship Program
- Gates Millennium Scholars Program
- American Indian College Fund
- American Indian Graduate Center
- Knowledge River, a center for the study of information resources and technology issues related to American Indians and Hispanics at the University of Arizona, received a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Science to recruit more Hispanics and American Indians into library and information science degree programs.
Related Sites
- National Congress of American Indians
- Native American Rights Fund (NARF)
- U.S. Department of Education Grant Management System, G6 Hotline (888) 336-8930
- Manage Your Grant: Website includes EDGAR; Federal application forms and grants information
- National Indian Education Association
- American Indian Higher Education Consortium
- BIE – Bureau of Indian Education
- ERIC, U.S. Department of Education
- National Museum of the American Indian
Tips for Teachers & Parents
Seeking Peer Reviewers for 2025 Discretionary Grant Competitions
The U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Office of Indian Education (OIE) is soliciting highly qualified individuals to assist in the review process for the 2025 discretionary grant program competitions. To allow for sufficient time to recruit qualified peer reviewers, we are issuing this call now. In support of this competition, we continue to seek individuals who can participate in panel reviews either as peer reviewers, assigned alternate reviewers, and unassigned alternate reviewers. Reviewers will read, score, and provide constructive written feedback for applicants in ED’s G5 system. Assigned alternate reviewers will be assigned to a panel and will be expected to attend the panel discussion calls and submit draft technical review forms to the panel monitor. If a member of the panel is unable to complete the review, an assigned alternate reviewer will be made a reviewer and given access to G5. Unassigned alternate reviewers will be on standby and assigned to a panel if one of the assigned alternates becomes a reviewer.
Who Would Be Successful Peer Reviewers?
Readers are eligible to apply if you have not served as a reviewer of the same OIE grant program for three consecutive years.
Successful peer reviewers would have the following experience and skills:
- Prior experience as panel monitors or reviewers in other ED discretionary grant competition reviews with experience in the subjects mentioned below.
- Direct experience working in ED’s G5 grants system.
- Excellent writing skills.
- Team player who can work with fellow panelists to complete reviews and written feedback under significant time constraints.
- Bachelor or Advanced Degree in Education or related field.
Successful peer reviewers would also have at least two or more of the following types of professional experience:
- Direct instructional and/or administrative experience in schools and/or districts with significant Native American, Alaska Native student populations.
- Direct research and evaluation experience of K-12 programming with a specific focus on Native American, Alaska Native students.
- Higher education administrators and faculty of teacher education programs who instruct Native American, Alaska Native professionals that will return to schools that serve significant Native American, Alaska Native populations.
- Persons who have administrative, project management or other leadership experience which helps their understanding of what happens in the classroom and how it applies to teacher/administrator training for high proportion Native American, Alaska Native educational programs.
- Responsible for partnership building between tribes and school districts/BIE funded schools.
- Responsible for the retention and persistence of traditional and non-traditional college age Native American students.
- Direct cultural, language, and/or educational K-12 program experience serving Native American, Alaska Native students.
- Grant writing experience resulting in a successful Federal grant award.
What is Required of Peer Reviewers if Selected?
- Peer Reviewers must commit to being available for required web-based training webinars (1-2 hours each) prior to the review, and then by videoconference via Zoom and/or Microsoft Teams one or two hours per conference call to occur three to four times in a two-week period.
- Peer Reviewers must commit to participating in a virtual review for up to two weeks, including reading, scoring, and finalizing written feedback on assigned applications in the timeframe set by ED. Exact dates are TBD.
How Do I Apply to Be a Peer Reviewer?
By April 15, 2025, please submit your completed application and resume, including complete contact information and complete work history (month/year start and end dates in employment history) to valisha.cranford@ed.gov. Access the application link here.
Please make sure there are no gaps in your resume. If there was a period of time you were not working, please make sure to list it on your resume. Your resume will be reviewed for conflicts of interest.
The Peer Reviewer and Assigned Alternate are paid positions, but the Unassigned Alternative is considered "on-call" and is not a paid position; however, we oftentimes need to promote Unassigned Alternates into Assigned Alternate positions whenever there is an unexpected vacancy.
Welcome to the Office of Indian Education
The U.S. Office of Indian Education (OIE) administers the Indian Education Program of ESEA, as amended by ESSA (Title VI, Part A), which establishes policies and provides financial and technical assistance for supporting LEAs, Indian Tribes and organizations, post- secondary institutions and other entities in meeting the special educational and cultural related academic needs of American Indians and Alaska Natives, 20 U.S.C. 3423c and 7401 et. seq. The OIE is headed by a Director who reports to the Assistant Secretary and who advises the Assistant Secretary on matters related to the programs administered by OIE.
The OIE has three primary responsibilities:
- To meet the unique educational and culturally related academic needs of Indian students, so that such students can meet the challenging State academic standards;
- To ensure that Indian students gain knowledge and understanding of Native communities, languages, Tribal histories, traditions, and cultures; and
- To ensure that teachers, principals, other school leaders, and other staff who serve Indian students have the ability to provide culturally appropriate and effective instruction and supports to such students.
The OIE is divided into three programming subparts:
- Subpart 1 – Formula Grants to Local Educational Agencies
- Subpart 2 – Special Programs and Projects for Indian Children “Discretionary Grants”
- Subpart 3 – National Activities
Seeking Peer Reviewers for 2025 Discretionary Grant Competitions
The U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Office of Indian Education (OIE) is soliciting highly qualified individuals to assist in the review process for the 2025 discretionary grant program competitions. To allow for sufficient time to recruit qualified peer reviewers, we are issuing this call now. In support of this competition, we continue to seek individuals who can participate in panel reviews either as peer reviewers, assigned alternate reviewers, and unassigned alternate reviewers. Reviewers will read, score, and provide constructive written feedback for applicants in ED’s G5 system. Assigned alternate reviewers will be assigned to a panel and will be expected to attend the panel discussion calls and submit draft technical review forms to the panel monitor. If a member of the panel is unable to complete the review, an assigned alternate reviewer will be made a reviewer and given access to G5. Unassigned alternate reviewers will be on standby and assigned to a panel if one of the assigned alternates becomes a reviewer.
Learn more in the "Become a Peer Reviewer" tab!
Meet the Director of OIE and learn more about their vision for the organization.
OIE's Annual Student Artist Competition encourages Native students of all ages to share their creative skills and stories.
OIE Organization and Contacts
Find our organizational chart and the content information for key members of the OIE staff.
Find contact information for each state's office of Indian Education.
Formula Grant Program
Purpose: Provides grants to support local educational agencies (LEAs) in their efforts to reform elementary and secondary school programs that serve Indian students. Programs are to be based on challenging state content and student performance standards used for all students, and are designed to assist Indian students to meet those standards.
Eligible applicants include:
- LEAs;
- Elementary and secondary schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs; and
- Indian tribes if the LEA has not established a parent committee and the tribe represents at least one-half of the eligible Indian students served by the LEA.
For an LEA to be eligible, a minimum of 10 Indian children must be enrolled in the applicant’s schools or constitute at least 25 percent of the total enrollment, except for schools in Alaska, California and Oklahoma, or any school located on a reservation or in proximity to a reservation.
Types of Project Activities
- Integrated educational services in combination with other programs that meet the needs of Indian children and their families
- School-to-work transition services that enable Indian students to participate in programs such as programs supported by tech-prep, mentoring, and apprenticeship.
- Enrichment programs that focus on problem-solving and cognitive skill development and directly support the attainment of challenging State content standards and State performance standards.
- Early childhood and family programs that emphasize school readiness.
- Activities to educate individuals concerning substance abuse and to prevent substance abuse.
- Culturally related activities that support the program described in the LEA’s application.
- The acquisition of equipment, but only if the acquisition of the equipment is essential to meet the purpose of the program.
Student Eligibility Requirements
The legislation defines “Indian” to mean an individual who is.. “A member of an Indian tribe or band, as membership is defined by the tribe or band, including:
- Any tribe or band terminated since 1940; and
- Any tribe or band recognized by the State in which the tribe or band resides;
- A descendant, in the first or second degree, or an individual described above;
- Considered by the Secretary of Interior to be an Indian for any purpose;
- An Eskimo, Aleut, or other Alaska Native; or
- A member of an organized Indian group that received a grant under the Indian Education Act of 1988 as was in effect October 19, 1994″.
View presentations about the Formula program from the NIEA 2021 Annual Convention.
Annual Performance Report (APR) Training Video
The training video below is available to assist OIE discretionary grantees with completing the APR. This video provides an overview of reporting requirements and guidance on the submission process.
Watch the APR Training video on YouTube.
OIE presented during the NIEA 2024 Annual Convention to provide an overview of the OIE Discretionary grants.
View the presentation here.
Demonstration Grants for Indian Children
Demonstration Grants for Indian Children is a competitive discretionary grant program that supports projects to develop, test and demonstrate the effectiveness of services and programs to improve educational opportunities and achievement of Indian children.
Program activities may include services to students in preschool to high school in areas such as family-based preschool emphasizing school readiness and parental skills; partnerships between schools and universities to aid, assist and encourage students in transitioning from high school to college, enrichment programs to increase the achievement of Indian children in one or more of the core academic subjects, programs designed to increase the rate of secondary school graduation; and programs that preserve and teach the native language and culture.
Eligible applicants include:
- A state or local educational agency;
- Indian tribes, organizations or institutions (including Indian institutions of higher education);
- Elementary and secondary schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs;
- A consortium of any eligible entities.
Priority is given to applications that include an Indian tribe, organization or institution.
Native American Language
The purposes of the NAL@ED program are to support schools that use Native American and Alaska Native languages as the primary language of instruction; maintain, protect, and promote the rights and freedom of Native Americans and Alaska Natives to use, practice, maintain, and revitalize their languages, as envisioned in the Native American Languages Act of 1990 (25 U.S.C. 2901 et seq.); and support the Nation’s First Peoples’ efforts to maintain and revitalize their languages and cultures, and to improve educational opportunities and student outcomes within Native American and Alaska Native communities.
Eligible entities include:
Indian tribe, Tribal college or university (TCU), Tribal Education Agency (TEA), Local Education Agency (LEA), BIE-funded school, Alaska Native Regional Corporation, a tribal, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, or other nonprofit organization, a nontribal for-profit organization may apply.
Native American Language Resource Center
The purposes of the NALRC program, which further aligns resources provided by the Department with the policies in the Native American Languages Act (NALA), 25 U.S.C. 2901 et seq., is to support establishing, strengthening, and operating one or more Native American language resource centers.
Eligible entities include:
An Indian Tribe; A Tribal College or University (TCU); A Tribal education agency (TEA); An LEA, including a public charter school that is an LEA under State law; A school operated by the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE); An Alaska Native Regional Corporation; A private, Tribal, or Alaska Native nonprofit organization; A non-Tribal for-profit organization.
Professional Development Program
The Professional Development program is a competitive grant program that supports activities to increase the number of qualified Indian individuals in professions that serve Indian people. Individuals who receive training under the Professional Development program are required to perform work that is related to the training received and that benefits Indian people, or repay all or a prorated part of the assistance received.
One component of the Professional Development program supports training for qualified Indian individuals to (1) become teachers, administrators, teacher aides, social workers, and ancillary educational personnel; and (2) improve the skills of Indian individuals serving in these capacities. The second component of the program supports training of qualified Indian individuals in fields other than education that result in a degree at the graduate level.
Eligible entities include:
- Institutions of higher education, including Indian institutions of higher education;
- A state or local educational agency in consortium with an institution of higher education;
- An Indian tribe or organization, in consortium with an institution of higher education.
State Tribal Education Partnership Program
The purposes of this program are to: (1) Promote increased collaboration between Tribal education agencies (TEAs) and the State educational agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) that serve students from the affected Tribes; and (2) build the capacity of TEAs to conduct certain administrative functions under certain Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) formula grant programs for eligible schools, as determined by the TEA, SEA, and LEA.
Eligible entities include a Tribal education agency (TEA) that is from an eligible Indian Tribe and is authorized by its Tribe to administer this program, or a consortium of such TEAs, in partnership with a State educational agency (SEA) and local educational agency (LEA).
American Rescue Plan - American Indian Resilience in Education
The purpose this program is to support Tribal education agencies (TEAs) in the provision of direct services to Indian children and youth.
ARP-AIRE is a one-time discretionary grant competition with a $20 million appropriation authorized under Section 11006(1) of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) to provide awards to Tribal Education Agencies for activities authorized under section 6121(c) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Those activities include a broad range of direct services to Indian children and youth, their teachers, and families.
Programs include NYCP, ACE, and NATRI.
Encouraging more Native languages in school and beyond.
To support a National and several Regional centers of Native language resource-building.
To increase the number of Native teachers and administrators in our nation's schools.
To support the building and proliferation of Tribal education agencies (TEAs)
To support Tribal Education Agencies (TEAs) in the provision of direct services to Indian children and Youth.
OIE Discretionary Grants Technical Assistance
Check out grant specific resources, events, and due dates under the ‘Discretionary Program’ tab.
Research Website
This research website is designed to provide teachers, educators, administrators and others working with American Indian and Alaska Native students information and resources to enhance Indian education in your community.
Executive Orders
- Executive Order 13336: American Indian and Alaska Native Education (5/5/04)
- Executive Order 13096: American Indian and Alaska Native Education (8/6/98)
- Executive Order 13175: Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments (11/6/00)
Department of Education Resources
- U.S. Department of Education Guide To Education Programs
- Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA)
- U.S. Department of Education Budget Office
- Budget Process in the U.S. Department of Education
Indian Education Resources
- White House Conference on Indian Education Final Report Executive Summary. Event held January 22-24, 1992 and published May 22, 1992
February 2, 2011 - White House Conference on Indian Education Final Report Executive Summary, Volumes I & II. Event held January 22-24, 1992 and published May 22, 1992
February 2, 2011 - Indian Nations at Risk: An Educational Strategy for Action
The now archived Indian Nations At Risk: An Educational Strategy for Action report was released in 1991 and chronicles the findings of an educational Task force comprised of tribal leaders, educators and co-chaired by former Secretary of Education Terrel H. Bell and Dr. William Demmert (Tlingit/Sioux).
(February 2, 2011) - Indian Nations At Risk Report: Listening to the People
This volume contains the summaries of 20 papers commissioned by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force.
(February 2, 2011) - Indian Nations At Risk Report: Listening to the People
This volume contains the full report and an introduction to the 20 papers commissioned by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force.
(February 2, 2011) - Indian Nations At Risk Report: Listening to the People
This volume contains the full 20 papers commissioned by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force.
(February 2, 2011) - Indian Nations At Risk Report: Listening to the People
This volume contains the summaries from the regional hearings held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force.
(February 2, 2011) - Open Discussion Between the National Advisory Council on Indian Education and the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force
This volume contains the summaries from the regional hearings held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force in October 1990.
(February 2, 2011) - Native Language and Culture – Breakout session between the National Advisory Council on Indian Education and the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force
This volume contains the summaries from the breakout session on native Language and Culture held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force in October 1990.
(February 7, 2011) - Urban Indian Education – Breakout session between the National Advisory Council on Indian Education and the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force
This volume contains the summaries from the breakout session on urban Indian education held by the Indian Nations At Risk Task Force in October 1990.
(February 7, 2011)
Scholarships and Student Financial Aid for American Indian and Alaska Native Students
- Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Indian Education Programs
- Indian Health Services Scholarship Program
- Gates Millennium Scholars Program
- American Indian College Fund
- American Indian Graduate Center
- Knowledge River, a center for the study of information resources and technology issues related to American Indians and Hispanics at the University of Arizona, received a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Science to recruit more Hispanics and American Indians into library and information science degree programs.
Related Sites
- National Congress of American Indians
- Native American Rights Fund (NARF)
- U.S. Department of Education Grant Management System, G6 Hotline (888) 336-8930
- Manage Your Grant: Website includes EDGAR; Federal application forms and grants information
- National Indian Education Association
- American Indian Higher Education Consortium
- BIE – Bureau of Indian Education
- ERIC, U.S. Department of Education
- National Museum of the American Indian
Tips for Teachers & Parents
Seeking Peer Reviewers for 2025 Discretionary Grant Competitions
The U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Office of Indian Education (OIE) is soliciting highly qualified individuals to assist in the review process for the 2025 discretionary grant program competitions. To allow for sufficient time to recruit qualified peer reviewers, we are issuing this call now. In support of this competition, we continue to seek individuals who can participate in panel reviews either as peer reviewers, assigned alternate reviewers, and unassigned alternate reviewers. Reviewers will read, score, and provide constructive written feedback for applicants in ED’s G5 system. Assigned alternate reviewers will be assigned to a panel and will be expected to attend the panel discussion calls and submit draft technical review forms to the panel monitor. If a member of the panel is unable to complete the review, an assigned alternate reviewer will be made a reviewer and given access to G5. Unassigned alternate reviewers will be on standby and assigned to a panel if one of the assigned alternates becomes a reviewer.
Who Would Be Successful Peer Reviewers?
Readers are eligible to apply if you have not served as a reviewer of the same OIE grant program for three consecutive years.
Successful peer reviewers would have the following experience and skills:
- Prior experience as panel monitors or reviewers in other ED discretionary grant competition reviews with experience in the subjects mentioned below.
- Direct experience working in ED’s G5 grants system.
- Excellent writing skills.
- Team player who can work with fellow panelists to complete reviews and written feedback under significant time constraints.
- Bachelor or Advanced Degree in Education or related field.
Successful peer reviewers would also have at least two or more of the following types of professional experience:
- Direct instructional and/or administrative experience in schools and/or districts with significant Native American, Alaska Native student populations.
- Direct research and evaluation experience of K-12 programming with a specific focus on Native American, Alaska Native students.
- Higher education administrators and faculty of teacher education programs who instruct Native American, Alaska Native professionals that will return to schools that serve significant Native American, Alaska Native populations.
- Persons who have administrative, project management or other leadership experience which helps their understanding of what happens in the classroom and how it applies to teacher/administrator training for high proportion Native American, Alaska Native educational programs.
- Responsible for partnership building between tribes and school districts/BIE funded schools.
- Responsible for the retention and persistence of traditional and non-traditional college age Native American students.
- Direct cultural, language, and/or educational K-12 program experience serving Native American, Alaska Native students.
- Grant writing experience resulting in a successful Federal grant award.
What is Required of Peer Reviewers if Selected?
- Peer Reviewers must commit to being available for required web-based training webinars (1-2 hours each) prior to the review, and then by videoconference via Zoom and/or Microsoft Teams one or two hours per conference call to occur three to four times in a two-week period.
- Peer Reviewers must commit to participating in a virtual review for up to two weeks, including reading, scoring, and finalizing written feedback on assigned applications in the timeframe set by ED. Exact dates are TBD.
How Do I Apply to Be a Peer Reviewer?
By April 15, 2025, please submit your completed application and resume, including complete contact information and complete work history (month/year start and end dates in employment history) to valisha.cranford@ed.gov. Access the application link here.
Please make sure there are no gaps in your resume. If there was a period of time you were not working, please make sure to list it on your resume. Your resume will be reviewed for conflicts of interest.
The Peer Reviewer and Assigned Alternate are paid positions, but the Unassigned Alternative is considered "on-call" and is not a paid position; however, we oftentimes need to promote Unassigned Alternates into Assigned Alternate positions whenever there is an unexpected vacancy.
The purpose of the consultation was to receive meaningful input from American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
The National Activities authority funds research and data collection to provide information on the education status of the Indian population.
The White House Initiative for Native Americans and Tribal Colleges and Universities.
Our Locations
Office of Indian Education
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Ave., SW
LBJ Bldg., 4B116
Washington, DC 20202-6335
Phone: 202-219-1589
E-mail: indian.education@ed.gov
