The next MACIE meeting will be April 12 , 2007, from 12:00 to 4:00 P.M. in the Madison Room at the Grantree Inn, 1325 North 7th Avenue, in Bozeman. This meeting will be held in conjunction with the MIEA Conference April 12-15, 2007.

The Indian Education for All Best Practices Conference will take place May 7-8, 2007, in Bozeman. Participants will gain an increased awareness regarding Montana tribes and learn best practices for implementing IEFA into schools and classrooms. School and classroom-based programs will be highlighted, including Ready-to-Go Grants, Tribal History Projects, and Research projects from several Montana University System graduate students. Professor James Banks will provide a keynote presentation. He has been a leader in efforts to increase educational equality for all students in the United States and the world for more than three decades. Online registration and conference details may be accessed at http://eu.montana.edu/indianed. There is no registration fee to attend the conference. Registration is limited to 350 participants. For additional information, contact Angie Collins at the Office of Public Instruction at (406) 444-0708 or angelac@mt.gov.

In 1984 the Board established the Montana Advisory Council for Indian Education (MACIE) to advise the Board and the Superintendent of Public Instruction on matters related to Indian education. The council was created to implement a policy adopted by the Board to:

"... provide for more effective and meaningful participation by Indian people in planning, implementation, and administration of relevant educational services and programs under the authority of local school boards."

The council is composed of representatives of the eleven tribal groups in Montana and other groups working in the interest of Indian people.