Every Child Achieves Act of 2015
Floor Speech
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Mr. ROUNDS. Mr. President, I rise today to speak on my amendment to the Every Child Achieves Act, which is amendment No. 2078. I would like to thank Senator Udall for joining me in supporting this important amendment.
Since my time working in the South Dakota State Legislature and also as Governor of South Dakota, education in Indian Country has faced incredible obstacles, especially in rural and high-poverty areas. This is true not only in my State but across the entire Nation. Because of these barriers, 10 out of 13 Bureau of Indian Education high schools in South Dakota have graduation rates below 67 percent, and 6 of those schools have graduation rates at or below 40 percent. Meanwhile, the national high school graduation rate is 80 percent. These graduation rates must be changed, and my amendment will help lay a foundation to fix the systemic problems Indian Country faces.
To address these concerns as well as other States' concerns, an analysis needs to be conducted to more closely examine these educational downfalls. So today we are proposing an amendment to the Every Child Achieves Act that would direct the Departments of Interior and Education to both study and create strategies to address these challenges. This amendment is being supported by the National Indian Education Association, the Great Plains Tribal Chairman's Association, and the National Education Association.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, amendment No. 2078 will have no impact on Federal spending.
This amendment would require the Departments of Interior and Education to conduct a study in rural and poverty-stricken areas of Indian Country in order to identify Federal barriers that restrict tribes from implementing commonsense regional policies instead of a one-size-fits-all policy directed from Washington. It requires that they identify recruitment and retention options for teachers and school administrators and identify the limitations in the funding source and flexibility for schools that receive these funds. It would study and provide a strategy on how to increase high school graduation rates.
It is critical that we identify the limitations and barriers which tribal schools face and lay out a strategy to fix those problems. I hope my colleagues will join Senator Udall and me in supporting this straightforward amendment to help our students in Indian Country.
I yield the floor.
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