The Obama administration has scheduled four tribal consultation sessions to discuss ways to improve the Indian school system.

The Interior Department and the Education Department convened the American Indian Education Study Group last September and held a series of listening sessions with tribal leaders and Indian educators. The primary focus was on improving student achievement in Bureau of Indian Education schools and incorporating tribal sovereignty into the BIE system.

"Based on input from these listening sessions, the study group has identified a framework for reform with a goal of high-achieving tribally controlled schools," the Bureau of Indian Affairs said in a notice that was published in the Federal Register on Thursday. "This goal would allow the schools to deliver methods and practices for every BIE student to meet and exceed high expectations and be well prepared for college, careers, and tribal and global citizenship."

The study group will continue its outreach by consulting tribes at four sessions in April and May. The schedule follows:

April 28, 2014 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Loneman Day School, Oglala, SD
April 30, 2014 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Riverside Indian School, Anadarko, OK
May 1, 2014 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Muckleshoot School, Auburn, WA
May 5, 2014 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Gila River Head Start Building, Sacaton, AZ

Federal Register Notice:
Indian Education Study Group (March 27, 2014)