MATC students and advisers along with their UWM counterparts had a unique opportunity to gain new insights into the latest developments for Native American education. The NIEA (National Indian Educational Association) held their 42nd convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico on October 27-30. The convention provided dozens of seminars. Many topics were covered, a few of them were: how educational data is gathered, education for early childhood, student success research, FAFSA, motivating classroom activities, urban education, health and wellness, and an emphasis on cultural and language preservation.

The convention also included a Pow Wow held on Friday, October 28, in the Albuquerque Convention Center. Language topics included how Native youth need to change from an oral collection of retaining tribal history and language to a written record and exercising this regularly from Native elders. This would enable a means to save the languages from extinction.

Recently, greater efforts have been made to revive lost languages. Better record keeping helps prevent language extinction as well as Native Elders and parents promoting the use of Native languages in the home. The convention is held yearly and continues to find new insights and research into Native education and culture.