Federal management of programs that serve tribes and their members has been on our High Risk List since 2017—i.e., especially vulnerable to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, or in need of transformation.
Since then, the Bureau of Indian Education has been working to better oversee 183 schools that serve 46,000 American Indian students. For instance, BIE has addressed leadership commitment issues, and made plans—including one to help address facility safety hazards.
However, BIE still needs to address other key management issues. For example, it continues to face challenges hiring and retaining enough staff to support and oversee schools.