Tribal Education Departments National Assembly, Co.
Serving education departments in Indian Country
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Tribal Education Departments National Assembly, Co. Serving education departments in Indian Country |
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NCAI President Hall Addresses National TED Forum
 NCAI President Tex Hall addresses the TEDs. Photo by Lisa Yellow Eagle |
On Sunday, November 16, 2003, TEDNA helped sponsor a National Tribal Education Departments Forum in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the 60th Annual Session of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI). The all-day event was attended by over eighty tribal leaders, Native educators, students, federal officials and staff, and, of course, tribal education directors and tribal education department staff. Joe Garcia, NCAI First Vice President, gave the welcome address, which was followed by a keynote address by NCAI President Tex Hall. A crowded room heard President Hall affirm that education is not only a "trust responsibility" of the federal government, it is a "sovereignty issue" for tribes. Cindy LaMarr, the new President of the National Indian Education Association (NIEA), the Co-Chair of the NCAI Human Resources Committee, and the Chair of the NCAI Education Subcommittee was at the Forum, and a report on efforts to gain direct federal funding for TEDs was given by Eric Tober of Johnston & Associates, NIEA's Washington, DC lobbyists. President Hall and President LaMarr pledged their organizations' support for TEDNA and promised to make seeking direct federal appropriations for TEDs a top priority. The memberships of both NIEA and NCAI passed resolutions supporting TEDNA at their annual meetings this year. |
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Two of TEDNA's original directors attended the Forum: Jerome Jainga, Education Director of the Suquamish Tribe in Washington, and Quinton Roman Nose, Education Director of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma. They led the presentations and discussions on TEDNA's draft Mission Statement and the process for drafting of TEDNA's By-Laws. As at the National TED Forum in Greensboro, North Carolina on November 2, 2003 at NIEA, several Albuquerque Forum participants volunteered to join the TEDNA organizing committees. The November 16th National TED Forum was co-sponsored by TEDNA, NCAI, NIEA, the Native American Rights Fund, the National Indian School Board Association, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation, the Jicarilla Apache Tribe, and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. National TED Forums have been held since 1994, typically in conjunction with meetings of NIEA or NCAI. Participants at the November 16th National TED Forum heard presentations and discussions on federal and state laws regarding Native language in curriculum and certification of teachers of Native languages; tribal education codes, and the use of digital telecommunications in Indian education. |
 TEDs get National Leadership: Pictured from left to right are Melody McCoy, NARF Staff Attorney; Joe Garcia, NCAI First Vice President; Cindy LaMarr, NIEA President; Irene Masayesva, NCAI Staff Attorney; Eric Tober, NIEA Lobbyist; Tex Hall, NCAI President ; Quinton Roman Nose, TEDNA Director; and Jerome Jainga, TEDNA Director. Photo by Lisa Yellow Eagle |
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The next National TED Fora are scheduled for March, June, and October 2004. |
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