Legislation proposed by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., would provide education savings accounts to Native American students who attend Bureau of Indian Education schools.
The Native American Education Opportunity Act would operate in Arizona, Florida, Mississippi, and Nevada, all states that currently have ESA programs, which enable students to pay for private school tuition, tutors, and educational materials. Up to 90 percent of the money that the BIE would spend on each student would be allocated to the savings account, and the federal agency would retain 10 percent of the per-pupil funds.
BIE schools have received increased attention in the past few years after several reports highlighted dangerous conditions and poor academics in the schools, which score among the lowest in the nation on standardized tests.
