White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Native Americans and Strengthening Tribal Colleges and Universities

The order establishes the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Native Americans and Strengthening Tribal Colleges and Universities, housed in the Department of Education and co-chaired by the Secretaries of Education, Interior, and Labor. It directs the Initiative to consult with Tribal Nations and Alaska Native Entities, identify evidence-based practices, monitor federal agency programs, develop partnerships, and advise the co-chairs on policy. It instructs the Executive Director to negotiate Memoranda of Agreement with the Bureau of Indian Education, the Administration for Native Americans, and the Indian Health Service. It requires each agency on the White House Council on Native American Affairs Education Committee to submit an Agency Plan with measurable goals, and directs the co-chairs to report annually to the President.

The order does not itself appropriate funds, change any regulation, or alter the legal status of any federal program. Implementation depends on future agency plans, MOA negotiations, and rulemaking. The order explicitly notes it creates no enforceable rights or benefits.

Native American and Alaska Native students at all levels — early childhood through postsecondary — including those in Bureau of Indian Education schools, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and urban and rural public schools. Federal agencies directed to coordinate include the Departments of Education, Interior, Labor, and Health and Human Services.

Native American students, who experienced the steepest decline in undergraduate enrollment from 2020 to 2021, gain a dedicated federal coordination body focused on their educational outcomes. Tribal Colleges and Universities, often the only postsecondary option in economically distressed rural areas, are named as a priority for expanded federal program access.

The Initiative is seated in the Department of Education, which also funds and staffs it. The Executive Director chairs the WHCNAA Education Committee and negotiates separate MOAs with BIE, ANA, and IHS within 180 days. Agencies on the Education Committee then submit individual Agency Plans on a schedule the co-chairs set, and report progress on a regular basis. The co-chairs synthesize agency progress and report annually to the President; enforcement relies on reporting requirements rather than penalties.