Senate committee holds hearings on tribal education

Last week the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held the first of several hearings to examine the critical state of education in Indian Country.

The committee’s new chairman, Montana’s Sen. Jon Tester, stressed the impact of early childhood education.

“When we invest in early childhood education, we are investing in not only the child, but the family and the community around him or her. And to me, that is good policy,” Tester said in a press release.

Tester, a former elementary school teacher, said providing a quality education and improving opportunities for young people can be the foundation to tackling the larger issues facing Indian Country today. He stressed his fervid support for Native language programs that preserve cultural and identity.

In the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes 2012-2013 annual report, the top education issues CSKT faces are poor attendance, truancy, dropout and low graduation rates.