Division of Performance and Accountability

The Bureau of Indian Education operates under the U.S. Department of the Interior and serves as the primary agency responsible for delivering education services to American Indian students. This agency plays a crucial role in ensuring that students from indigenous communities have access to quality education.

The BIE manages a network of schools that are predominantly situated on or near reservations, catering specifically to the unique cultural and educational needs of Native American students. These schools aim to provide an environment that acknowledges and respects the cultural diversity of the students while offering a comprehensive education. Within the BIE, the Division of Performance and Accountability assumes a critical role in overseeing and enhancing the effectiveness of the educational programs. This division focuses on several key aspects:

1. Assessing Educational Outcomes: The division is involved in evaluating the academic performance and achievements of students within the BIE schools. This assessment helps identify areas of success and areas that may require improvement.
2. Monitoring School and Student Performance: The division closely monitors the performance of both schools and individual students, which may include tracking academic progress, attendance rates, and other relevant metrics to ensure that educational goals are being met.
3. Implementing Accountability Measures: To maintain high standards of education, the division establishes and enforces accountability measures. This may include setting benchmarks for academic achievement.
4. Ensuring Compliance with Federal Regulations: The Division of Performance and Accountability works to ensure that BIE schools comply with federal regulations governing education. This includes adherence to curriculum standards, reporting requirements, and other guidelines set forth by the U.S. Department of Education.

The Bureau of Indian Education, through its Division of Performance and Accountability, strives to not only provide education to Native American students but also to continually assess, monitor, and improve the educational outcomes and overall performance of the schools within its jurisdiction. This comprehensive approach reflects a commitment to offering quality education while maintaining accountability and compliance with relevant regulations.

As stated in Title 25 CFR Part 32.3, BIE’s mission is to provide quality education opportunities from early childhood through life in accordance with a tribe’s needs for cultural and economic well-being, in keeping with the wide diversity of Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages as distinct cultural and governmental entities. Further, the BIE is to manifest consideration of the whole person by considering the spiritual, mental, physical, and cultural aspects of the individual within his or her family and tribal or village context.