NIEA names Ahniwake Rose, Cherokee, as executive director

Thursday, September 20, 2012  

The National Indian Education Association has named Ahniwake Rose, a member of the Cherokee Nation, as its executive director.

Rose has worked for the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona and the National Congress of American Indians. She also helped study the No Child Left Behind Act and its impact on Indian education.

“We know Native American kids exposed to their own language and culture do better academically, but there is almost no quantitative data to support that. We need a five-year funding stream to show the link more sustainably over a longer period of time," Rose told Indian Country Today.

Rose said NIEA's priorities include the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and passage of the S.1262, the Native CLASS Act. Of the latter, she told ICT the bill was “written by and for Indian people. It’s very important to get that passed.”

NIEA also wants to ensure tribes are included in federal and state education policy initiatives.

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National Indian Education Association Names Cherokee Executive Director (Indian Country Today 9/19)