The Pueblo of Isleta Elementary School at Isleta Pueblo in New Mexico. Photo from POI

Isleta Pueblo in New Mexico will host Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and other top officials tomorrow as the tribe enters a new era in education.

Starting with the new school year that starts in a couple of weeks, the tribe will be running the elementary school on the reservation. The Bureau of Indian Education transferred control of the newly-renamed Pueblo of Isleta Elementary School in March.

"With this final approval, the Pueblo of Isleta effectively assumes overall control and operation of the school and, is now able to create and fulfill the educational aspirations for Isleta Pueblo children as the Pueblo and their parents determine," the tribe said in a press release.

Gov. E. Paul Torres said the change will allow the tribe to emphasize culture and language as well as boost academic standards. When he attended the school as a child, he was encouraged not to speak Tiwa.

“We’re slowly losing our language, and we need to do something about it," Torres told KRQE.

The Obama administration has been helping tribes assert more self-determination over the education system. The first No Child Left Behind Act in Indian Country went to the Miccosukee Tribe of Florida earlier this summer.

Get the Story:
Isleta Pueblos enter new era in education (KRQE 7/30)
Media Advisory: Secretary Jewell to Celebrate a Major Milestone for Tribal Education (DOI 7/30)

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