Tribal Transportation: Better Data Could Improve Road Management and Inform Indian Student Attendance Strategies

Abstract

Roads on tribal lands are of particular importance for connecting people to essential services, such as schools, because of the remote location of some tribes. These roads are often unpaved and may not be well maintained. The federal government funds two programs to improve and maintain roads on tribal lands. BIA maintains the NTTFI and DMR databases to support these programs. GAO was asked to review condition and school-access issues related to roads on tribal lands. This report examines: (1) the extent to which the NTTFI and DMR systems provide useful data on these roads; (2) any challenges to improving and maintaining these roads; and (3) what is known about the connection between road condition and school attendance as well as other aspects of school transportation. GAO reviewed documents and relevant literature; analyzed road-inventory and student attendance data; and interviewed federal, state, local, and tribal transportation and education officials. GAO visited three selected tribes, based on road mileage and presence of BIE schools, among other factors.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 22, 2017
Accession Number
AD1156797

Entities

People

  • Rebecca Shea

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accuracy
  • Business Administration
  • California
  • Civil Rights
  • Communication Systems
  • Congress
  • Construction
  • Geography
  • Governments
  • National Governments
  • Native Americans
  • New Mexico
  • Social Media
  • South Dakota
  • Students
  • Teamwork
  • United States

Readers

  • Defense Acquisition Program Management
  • Pavement Materials Engineering.
  • STEM Education