Students in Bureau of Indian Education schools perform consistently below Indian students in public schools on national and state assessments and stronger management and accountability are needed to begin reversing the trend, GAO has said.
It said, for example, that based on estimates from a 2011 study using national assessment data that BIE 4th grade students on average scored 22 points lower for reading and 14 points lower for math than Indian students attending public schools.
BIE’s administrative weaknesses have hampered its ability to assess the academic progress of its students and adequate yearly progress benchmarks for its schools as required by federal law, according to GAO-13-774.
It said that fragmented administrative services and a lack of clear roles for BIE and Indian Affairs’ deputy assistant secretary for management contributed to delays in schools acquiring needed materials.
GAO called on Indian Affairs to develop and implement decision-making procedures and a communications protocol to ensure that BIE has effective management controls and comports with federal laws and regulations. It also recommended that Indian Affairs develop a strategic plan that includes goals and measures for BIE and a revised strategic workforce plan. Interior agreed with the recommendations.