White House Initiative to Discuss Native Students at Roundtable Today

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Native Brief: SHELTON, WASHINGTON - President Obama created the White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education at the end of last year to improve outcomes for American Indian and Alaska Native students. Since then, leaders of the Initiative have held a series of meetings with tribal leaders to discuss expanding opportunities for more American Indian and Alaska Native students to learn about their Native cultures and receive an education that prepares them for college.

The White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education Director Bill Mendoza and White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Associate Director Charles Galbraith will join Donald Laverdure, principal deputy assistant secretary for Indian affairs at the Interior Department, and Joyce Silverthorne, director of the Education Department’s Office of Indian Education today to discuss President Obama's education goals and Native students at the final scheduled educational roundtable.

The meeting in Shelton is the fourth in a series by the Initiative, in partnership with the Department of Education and the Department of the Interior, designed to leverage federal resources to meet the President's education goals. Previous meetings were held in Rapid City, South Dakota, Norman, Oklahoma, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, last month.

Members of the public must register in advance to participate at IndianEducation.org.

posted February 16, 2012 7:10 am est