Politico Cove Day School Arizona Playground
M. Scott Mahaskey
Using decades-old playground equipment, a student plays on a merry-go-round at Cove Day School in Red Valley, Arizona. Abandoned uranium mines that once brought an employment boom to the area are scattered throughout the hills in the background.

How Did Reservations End Up With Some of the Worst Schools in the Country?

ICTMN Staff
12/2/15

The question of how Washington created some of the worst schools in the country is tackled by Politico in its Broken by Design series. The series investigates lesser known federal agencies where policy challenges meet political realities, this time they took on the Bureau of Indian Education.

The piece begins by calling attention to the 1928 Meriam Report, which called the education the federal government was providing to Indians “grossly inadequate.”

And still nothing is fixed eight decades later. When Politico asked secretary of education Arne Duncan about this, he said: “It’s just the epitome of broken, just utterly bankrupt.”

Politico talks about Crystal Boarding School on the Navajo Reservation—a school that has cracks in the walls, leaky pipes in the floors, and asbestos in the basement. And Crystal is just one of the 183 schools for Native American children across reservations in 23 states operated by the BIE. The Interior Department estimates it would take $1.3 billion to get the 60-plus schools that need new buildings into better shape.

Politico goes on to include a timeline of actions that have had an impact on Native education, as well as a number of images from schools run by the BIE.

To see their full report, visit Politico.com.

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hesutu's picture
hesutu
Submitted by hesutu on
My children have a wonderful education. They know my people's stories, history, language, values, medicine knowledge, cuisine, hunting methods, and spirituality. It is not possible nor reasonable to expect that our declared proven enemies will provide our children with culturally appropriate education. It is an impossible fantasy to imagine this will someday happen. Indulging in this fantasy is destroying our nations and knowledge. Fortunately for all of us a few of us do not participate in these hallucinations and fantasies that propaganda from our enemy is some sort of benefit or gift. If you care for your children or future generations at all, disenroll your children from these schools controlled by our enemies. It is not too late, but you can not do nothing. Complaining to our enemies about their continued maltreatment of us is reasonable, but it is not reasonable to expect they will change or go by our desires, and it is harmful to expose our children to their teachings and ways.
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tmsyr11's picture
tmsyr11
Submitted by tmsyr11 on
Because all the Social Media pundits and Race-based Agitators are focused on the Washington Redskin - Dallas Cowboy Foosball game. Race-based politics, 1492, and 1620 Thanksgiving Celebratios, and footballs games take precedence and time and attention than REAL-HARD Based facts as poor 'skools' and 'edjukation' amongst real, enrolled, registered Indian peoples. Priorities are 'in order' and as long as Facebook and Tweets exist so will race-based issues as foosball and Year 1492.
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Politico
Bureau of Indian Education
Arne Duncan
Native American Education
Native American students