Historically, American Indian students have not fared well in their formal educational settings. Under the policy of self-determination, Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) schools have been created to provide an educational environment that is more culturally relevant for American Indian students.

The purpose of the study is to determine how the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 influenced the culturally based education at one BIE school in northern Minnesota. The case study was conducted using a focus group of teachers, interviews, and document analysis.

Findings of the study reveal there is a culturally rich environment available to all students at the Bug-O-Nay-Ge-Shig School including the physical surroundings, language and culture courses, traditional teaching, ceremonies, and the use of elders and other community resources. The Niigaane Ojibwe Language Immersion Program, the seasonal activities program, activities and classes offered by the cultural director, tribal government and history courses in the high school, the school’s database of cultural lessons and the cognitively guided instruction (CGI) approach to teaching mathematics are some of the major ways that culturally based education is supported and provided. Culturally related course credits are required for graduation from the school.

The results of the data indicate that NCLB negatively influenced the culturally based education throughout the school. The greatest impact was felt by staff in the Niigaane Ojibwe Language Immersion Program as the restrictions on their hiring practices directly affected delivery of the Ojibwe language. The findings also revealed that students were taken, on occasion, from Drum and Dance, Cultural Arts, and Ojibwe language classes for test preparation exercises. One final finding was that Title VII monies were used to support Title I activities within the school.

Positive changes occurred as a result of NCLB including teacher reassignment to match certification, increased efforts to align curriculum with state standards, and increased efforts to align curriculum horizontally and vertically within the school. NCLB funding was used for professional development initiatives considered to support culturally relevant approaches to working with American Indian students.