National (US-)Indian School Board Association NISBA

  • NISBA’s mission is to support quality education in a safe environment from early childhood through life in accordance with the Tribe’s needs for cultural and economic well-being in keeping with the wide diversity of Indian tribes and communities as distinct cultural and governmental entities. NISBA will consider the spiritual, mental, physical and cultural aspects of the whole person within the familly, community and tribal context.
  • NISBA’s vision is to have empowered school board members, parents and other stakeholders exercising effective stewardship of Indian education in cooperation with their respective tribal governments.
  • Goals: … (full text Homepage).

Events: upcoming, past; Resources; Links; Focus Groups; Governancs; Directors; Schools: A-J, K-R, S-Z;
Address: NISBA, PO Box 790, Polson, MT 59860, USA;
Contact.

Legislation: The following is a draft proposal which was developed by Alan Lovesee on behalf of the National Indian School Board Association (NISBA), the Association of Community tribal Schools (ACTS), and the Native American Grant School Association (NAGSA). Through a variety of meetings and discussions which began as early as July of 1996, these amendments have been developed. 

The first discussion took place at a meeting in Snomass, Colorado, in July of 1996 and included tribal education representatives, school administrators, board members, and organizational representatives.  Each of the organizations have held membership meetings which provided further discussion and comment.

The original education laws (95-561 and 100-297) were passed 20 and 10 years ago respectively.  Although much progress has been made under these laws, modifications are continually needed in order to move Indian Education into the 21st Century.

Realizing the need for change, we have been working for some time to develop these proposals.  We sill continue to work with everyone to perfect a new piece of legislation.  There are two recent drafts; and , as a result of the legislative seminar held in Albuquerque, on April 26-27, there will be some additional modifications … (full text legislation).

Accomplishments:

  • Provided National Training Institutes for up to 500-700 school board members and administrators annually since 1984.
  • Coordinated the Bureau Effective Schools Team, an ad hoc group which provided oversight to OIEP’s Effective Schools reform efforts involving 144 schools from 1988-1985.
  • Coordinated OIEP’s Monitoring and Evaluation from 1993-1996. This was based on the Effective Schools correlates.
  • Coordinated OIEP’s Mentorship program sponsored by the Branch of Exceptional Education from 1994-1998 which reviewed the quality of special education programs being offered and technical assistance where needed.
  • Established and coordinated School Reform Summer Institutes for teams from schools to plan and learn together from 1995-2000.
  • Have representatives on OIEP’s Goals 2000 Panel, which was established to oversee the implementation of Goals 2000 and the Improving America’s Schools Act.
  • Provided input and testimony to Congress on appropriations, legislation and programs since 1984, the most recent being in April 2000 on the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
  • Published Leadership Beyond the Seventh Generation: A Tool for Facilitators, School Improvement Teams and Boards Working to Make Schools More Effective in January
  • 1995, reprinted an updated Volume II in October of 1995, and reprinted again in October
  • 1998 by Phi Delta Kappa International Center for Effective Schools. Over 6,000 copies have been distributed to school.
  • Provided Principals’ Academies/Renewal Retreats to help principals renew themselves and their sense of vision since 1994, including two large Principal Institutes with over 230 principals taking part in 1993 and 1994. The larger institutes were done in cooperation with the National Association of Elementary School Principals.
  • Provided regional workshops for school boards on a variety of topics: roles and responsibilities, parliamentary procedures, school reform activities, legislative process and others.
  • From 1997-2000, coordinated the Learning Record System of Assessment for teachers from the OIEP school system to establish a core group of teachers who can use this authentic assessment system as well as be able to coach other teachers in its use. Will continue to support this effort in cooperation with the Center for Language in Learning who developed the assessment system.
  • In cooperation with Salish Kootenai College, provided summer institutes for paraeducators who work with children with disabilities from 1996-2000.
  • Worked in cooperation with Dr. Larry Lezotte to provide a Training of Trainers to help school facilitate their use of Effective Schools as a school reform model.
  • In April of 2000, published Creating a Sacred Place to Support young American Indian and Other Learners, V 01. I, by Dr. Sandra Fox. This is a book designed for use by teachers of k-3 students which promotes the integration of reading, language arts, and science based upon Indian literature. The materials and activities are aligned with the new, more challenging language arts and science standards.