The goal of Indian Education is to assist in the successful implementation of the Indian Education for all Act (MCA 20-1-501) and to work to close the achievement gap for American India Students in Montana. Indian Education for All is achieved through professional developments; classroom coaching; providing equitable and accessible funding to BPS schools; and through local partnerships. 

 In 1972, Montana rewrote its constitution. The constitutional delegates wrote, in Article X, Section 1(2), “The state recognizes the distinct and unique cultural heritage of American Indians and is committed in its educational goals to the preservation of their cultural integrity.” In 1999, the Montana Legislature passed House Bill 528 into law, which codified the constitutional intent as MCA 20-1-501. 

This law is known as Indian Education for All and states,“… every Montanan, whether Indian or nonIndian, be encouraged to learn about the distinct and unique heritage of American Indians in a culturally responsive manner; and ... every educational agency and all educational personnel will work cooperatively with Montana tribes … when providing instruction and implementing an educational goal…. It is also the intent of this part, predicated on the belief that all school personnel should have an understanding and awareness of American Indian tribes to help them relate effectively with American Indian students and parents, that educational personnel provide means by which school personnel will gain an understanding of and appreciation for the American Indian people.”

Montana Office of Public Instruction