Progress has been made since the 1983 announcement of President Reagan's American Indian policy which reaffirmed the government-to-government relationship of Indian tribes with the United States, recognized the primary role of tribal governments in reservation affairs, and called for special efforts to develop reservation economies. The principal objective of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is to actively encourage Indian and Alaska Natives in the self-determination of their own affairs. Education is the largest line item in the BIA budget; in fiscal year 1984 the BIA funded 206 education facilities (72 day schools, 49 on-reservation boarding schools, 62 tribally-controlled schools, and 15 dormitories) with an estimated average daily attendance of 43,193. Johnson-O'Malley funds provided supplemental programs for approximately 175,000 public school Indian students in 26 states. Total BIA appropriations for higher education were about $26 million, including grants for the operation of 19 tribally-controlled colleges. In April, 1984, there were 291 federally-recognized tribes and 197 federally-recognized Alaska village communities. The 1980 United States population of 1,418,195 for American Indians, Eskimos, and Aleuts reflected a 71% increase since 1971. Much recent Indian economic development can be credited to the policy of self-determination which has contributed to an Indian entrepreneurial explosion. (BRR)