Thomas Daschle: “an historic gathering took place in South Dakota last week. For 2 days, Indians and non-Indians came together to discuss…”

“an historic gathering took place in South Dakota last week. For 2 days, Indians and non-Indians came together to discuss how they could improve the schools attended by Indian children in South Dakota. The South Dakota Indian Education Summit was sponsored by our Governor, Mike Rounds, and our state Education Department, working with tribal leaders and educators. It grew out of an extraordinary conference last October that I was proud to cosponsor. That Gathering and Healing of Nations conference brought Indians and non-Indians together to talk honestly about the issues that divide us, and the issues that unite us. At the Indian Education Summit last week, most of the discussion focused on how to make sure the No Child Left Behind Act improves the schools Indian children attend. As we all know, concerns about No Child Left Behind are not limited to Indian Country. But they are especially acute in many parts of Indian Country, largely because of the Federal Government's long history of severely underfunding Indian education. I have heard from many Indian educators who tell me they are deeply concerned that the Federal Government will not provide Indian schools with the resources they need to meet the higher standards in No Child Left Behind.”