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Show 35 HUMAN RIGHTS • As far back as 1969, a report issued by the Senate Labor and Indian Education called for Public Welfare Subcommittee on comprehensive approach to deal with the critical a Kennedy recommenda tions problems they per The Subcommittee, chaired by Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D Mass.), made 60 recommendations, among which were proposals to establish a national policy of excellence in Indian schools, hold a White House Conference on American Indian ceived in Indian education. a bill consolidating existing federal aid to education and develop and fund new programs, establish a National programs Indian Education to set standards and criteria, re of Indian Board examine and possibly replace BIA boarding schools with day schools, Affairs, draft and improve college aid and programs for Indians . • S 2482, a bill to initiate changes in Indian education, passed the Senate in October of 1971. The bill adopted only a few of the re port's many recommendations by authorizing funding for programs Nixon shuns even weak bill creating the National Office of Indian Education within the Of an Advisory Council. Though the bill was a limited measure, it did not have the full backing of the Nixon Ad ministration. HEW and the Department of the Interior both ob jected to funding provisions, saying that they were too expensive or went against the Administration's policy of avoiding new catagorical and fice of Education and programs, and that HEW had instituted actions which should complish much the same results ac . • The National Education Association and the National Congress both opposed to the bill for a different reason. They pointed out that lack of Indian participation in mat ters affecting education had been one of the biggest faults in the past, and said they could only back a bill that had been written in of American Indians were consultation with Indians and dian tribes. S 2482. was acceptable Consultation of this scope was to a never majority of In undertaken for Senator Kennedy said S 2482 could not be called a comprehen approach to Indian education because it dealt only with the 70 per cent of Indian children attending public schools, not the 30 per cent attending BIA schools. He recommended that Congress enact S 2482 and then turn to restructuring all Indian education programs and providing more construction funds for local Indian schools. • sive Comprehensive Indian Education Act (S 2724) is now in on Interior and Insular Affairs, which is chaired by Senator Henry Jackson (D Wash.) This bill is a truly • The the Senate Committee More compre hensive Jackson bill |
