In 1982, the Ute Tribe Education Division facilitated the publication of the Ute History Textbook “A HISTORY OF THE NORTHERN UTE PEOPLE” authored by the late Fred A. Conetah, tribal member and historian.  This textbook was adopted by the Ute Tribal Business Committee as the official Ute history textbook to be used in the public schools. 

In 1990, the Federal government passed the Native American Languages Act that encourages states to address Native Languages in school curricula and the certification of teachers of Native Languages.  However, the 2001 federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) includes stricter requirements for education standards, teacher qualifications, and English language proficiency.  This push for more accountability from the schools may impact any state Native American Language teacher certification laws.  The NCLB is a part of a present trend of the control of education being taken away from local school boards and being taken over by the state and federal governments.

As you can see, there have been several shifts in Ute Indian education policy over the past century.  The first policy of the U.S. Government was to assume full responsibility for the education of Ute Indian people through government operated or contracts with religious groups to provide schools (1870 to 1950).  Beginning with the 1930’s into the 1950’s, the government’s policy was to shift this federal responsibility over to the state governments and local school districts.  In the 1950’s, the federal government moved into a policy era of assimilation and termination of the federal trust responsibility.  Then in the 1970’s, a new policy shift occurred, one that fostered “self-determination” or tribal responsibility for program operation with financial support from the Federal Government.  And although many great accomplishments have been made in Ute Indian education under this last policy, a new federal policy emerged in the 1980’s.  This latest policy is referred to as the “New Federalism” of the Reagan Administration and it places responsibility for Indian education programs on the Ute Tribal Government, including the fact that the tribal government must take a greater responsibility in operating these programs with reduced federal aid or no aid at all.  In the 21^st Century, education policy is shifting the power away from local districts and toward the state and federal government. 

In view of the above, it is critical that the Ute Tribal Government determine the future course of educational development for its people.  In addition to adopting the Ute Indian Tribe 2004 Education Plan, the Ute Tribal Government needs to move forward with writing a Tribal education code as a basis for working with state and federal governments.  The Ute Tribe 2004 Education Plan, based on the research findings shared below, has been established for the benefit of the Ute tribal constituents in an attempt to improve educational attainment, increase the use of the Ute language, enhance knowledge of Ute culture, foster healthier individuals, and create Tribal members able to function well in both the Ute culture and the dominant Anglo culture.