The 1972 Indian Education Act was the landmark legislation establishing a widespread approach to meeting the unique needs of American Indian and Alaska Native students. This act provides federal assistance in education over and above the limited funds appropriated annually for Indian education programs in the Office of Education, Department of Health, Education and Welfare, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior, to help close the gap which now exists between Indian education and the general educational level of the United States.
The Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975 authorized the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, and some other government agencies to enter into contracts with, and make grants directly to, federally recognized Indian tribes. The tribes would have authority for how they direct the funds, which gave them