Education Secretary Rod Paige is visiting the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in New Mexico today to sign an agreement between the between the Department of Education and the American Indian Higher Education Consortium.

Under the agreement, AIHEC will work with the Office of Indian Education to develop a compendium of practices to assist high-risk American Indian students in middle and high school, identify strategies to assist college students in completing their degrees and provide professional development opportunities and other programs through grants opportunities.

Paige will present a check to AIHEC at a ceremony today. He will also talk about the No Child Left Behind Act.

AIHEC is a consortium of 34 tribal colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.

Relevant Links:
American Indian Higher Education Consortium - http://www.aihec.org