BIE Education Program Specialist Named Part of Cognia’s Circle of Excellence

Kimberly Redmond Carr, EdD, an Education Program Specialist with the Bureau of Indian Education, has been recognized with the prestigious Cognia Circle of Excellence award in October 2024 for her groundbreaking work in system accreditation for Phoenix ERC schools.

Cognia is a global nonprofit organization that provides accreditation and certification, assessment, and professional services to schools and school systems. The Circle of Excellence award recognizes outstanding educators and administrators who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and innovation in advancing education.

Redmond Carr assists eight schools in meeting educational standards and provides guidance and resources to school leadership. She began working for the BIE in July 2022, significantly impacting the ERC’s purpose and operations.

For the last two years, Redmond Carr has led the Phoenix ERC in transitioning from individual accreditation with Cognia to system accreditation. BIE schools and principals in the Phoenix ERC no longer must undergo the entire accreditation process individually. Instead, they can be accredited together as a group.

“I said, ‘We need to transition to system accreditation because that is what we really are,’” Redmond Carr said. “It will help us leverage our strengths and support each other with our weaknesses across all our schools. We don't do these things alone; we shouldn't and can't. It's just too much.”

The Phoenix ERC, under the direction of Education Program Administrator Maxine Roanhorse-Dineyazhe, EdD, established a stakeholders leadership team, which included principals, teacher leaders, and parents from each school. They met regularly to develop a plan for the accreditation process, and everyone contributed. After almost two years, the Phoenix ERC became the first group of BIE schools accredited as a system through Cognia in October 2024. Shortly after, Redmond Carr was notified she received the Circle of Excellence award.

“I'm proud of the team, and I'm honored. It's touching after a lifetime of effort to have an award acknowledging it,” Redmond Carr said. “But I'm not alone. If it hadn't been for Dr. Roanhorse-Dineyazhe and her vision and support for everything we're doing, none of this would have happened. And, of course, the leadership team.”

This achievement highlights BIE’s commitment to supporting educators and schools across its network, fostering collaboration to ensure high-quality education for the 40,000 students it serves.

Now accredited as a school system, the Phoenix ERC has a collaborative and consistent curriculum and assessment guidelines across all schools for the next six years. They have established working groups for teachers across grades and subjects to enhance their lessons and help students achieve their academic goals, thanks to their hard work and leadership from Redmond Carr and Roanhorse-Dineyazhe. 

“We feel the momentum and the energy, and doing it together is helping all of us,” Redmond Carr said. “It’s a joy.”

The Bureau of Indian Education implements federal Indian education programs and funds 183 elementary and secondary day and boarding schools. BIE oversees the operation of two postsecondary schools, Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute and Haskell Indian Nations University. BIE administers grants for 29 Tribally controlled colleges and universities and two Tribal technical colleges. For more information, visit the BIE website at https://www.bie.edu/.