based violence during the COVID–19 pandemic has intensified safety concerns for Native American women and girls, who were already victimized at higher rates than other women in the United States.
The Federal Government must put strong focus on early childhood and K–12 educational opportunities. These are important to developing and strengthening Native American communities, and they set the stage for educational advancement and career development, including opportunities to attend TCUs.
TCUs also merit focused attention, as these institutions are integral and essential to Tribal communities. Their foundation, tradition, and mission are unique, and their cultural grounding is invaluable to providing high-quality education and successful outcomes for Native American students. TCUs fulfill a vital role in maintaining and preserving irreplaceable Native languages and cultural traditions; in promoting excellence in Native American education from early childhood through primary and secondary education, into postsecondary education, and throughout graduates’ careers; in offering an entry point for a career in academia, strong technical and trade school opportunities, job training, and other career-building programs to Native Americans; and in supporting Tribal economic development efforts by building and strengthening a highly skilled Native American workforce. Often, they are the only postsecondary institutions within some of our Nation’s most economically disadvantaged and rural areas. As a result, TCUs provide crucial employment opportunities and services in communities that continue to suffer high rates of unemployment and resulting social and economic distress. The Federal Government therefore reaffirms and strengthens our commitment to Native American communities by investing in TCUs to support their continued growth and success.
It is the policy of my Administration to advance equity, excellence, and justice in our Nation’s education system and to further Tribal self-governance, including by supporting activities that expand educational opportunities and improve educational outcomes for all Native American students. My Administration will help expand opportunities for Native American students to learn their Native languages, histories, and cultural practices; promote indigenous learning through the use of traditional ecological knowledge; and enhance access to complete and competitive educations that prepare Native American students for college, careers, and productive and satisfying lives. This includes supporting educational opportunities for students attending TCUs, given the unique advantages those institutions provide. My Administration is further committed to ensuring all Native American students have the ability to pursue careers that provide economic security for themselves and their families, including Native American women, who currently, on average, earn just 60 cents to every dollar earned by White men. To these ends, my Administration will collaborate with Tribal Nations to collect better data on educational attainment gaps faced by Native American students to help deepen understanding of these gaps, including barriers to workforce participation, and inform solutions.
Sec. 2. White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Native Americans and Strengthening Tribal Colleges and Universities. (a) To advance equity in our Nation’s schools, to promote the economic opportunity that follows it, and to fulfill our commitment to furthering Tribal sovereignty, there is established in the Department of Education the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Native Americans and Strengthening Tribal Colleges and Universities (Initiative), of which the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of the Interior, and the Secretary of Labor shall serve as Co-Chairs. The Secretary of Education shall, in consultation with the other Co-Chairs of the Initiative, designate an Executive Director for the Initiative (Executive Director). The Executive Director shall co-chair the Education Committee of the White House Council on Native
