The Indian Education Act of 1972 (Public Law 100-427) enabled local education agencies throughout the United States to identify their Indian student populations, establish parent committees, hold public hearings and write grants identifying the needs of Indian students who will participate in their programs. This law provides local school districts with additional monies to provide over and beyond educational and culturally-related services to identified Indian students, at no additional cost to the districts.

The Ventura County Indian Education Consortium serves 92 elementary schools; 22 middle, intermediate and junior high schools; and 32 high schools through the county; servicing 127 schools in the consortium. There are more than 1,495 students of American Indian or Alaskan Native descent who will be served during the 2005-06 school year in the 146 schools in the consortium.

Students who are eligible for this federallly-funded program must have an Indian Student Eligibility Certification Form 506 completed by their parents and on file in our Indian Education Office. Only identified American Indian students may participate in this specially funded program.

What Services are Offered? Middle & Junior High School Level - Grades 6 - 9

1. Counseling. Special counseling for those students who need to build a feeling of self-worth, individual pride and a positive attitude toward themselves and others.

2. Basic Skills. Additional assistance in the basic skills areas of language, reading and mathematics.

3. Tutoring. Tutoring assistance or referral for those students who rank in the lower quartile on the Stanford 9 or other related tests used by each district within the consortium, and for those who are having difficulty in classroom assignments.

The main focus of this program is to encourage all students of American Indian descent to finish high school. The reason Indian Education was implemented was to reduce the high drop-out rate among Native Americans throughout the United States.

Students of American Indian descent will receive counseling in career and postsecondary education beginning in the ninth grade through graduation. The students receive instructions regarding grade-level course selections, personal and Indian cultural guidance, and development of a positive attitude toward achieving short and long-range goals.

The program also provides students with information regarding foundations, grants and scholarships, as well as other financial aids, to assist them entering in vocational and/or technical trade schools, community colleges and selected private universities, state universities and state colleges.

An annual College an Career Motivational Workshop or meetings, which all of our juniors and seniors attend, enables each student to explore various careers, meet college and university personnel, and find out about other work areas available to them. Informaion on scholarships, grants, and financial aid is presented to students.

Since about 1975, the span during which this program has been serving Indian students in the Ventura Unified School District, we have had less than a 1% dropout rate. We will continue providing the same level of services to each student throughout the school districts in the consortium's service area.