Native Language Immersion Student Achievement Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants to schools and private or tribal nonprofit organizations to develop and maintain, or improve and expand, programs that support the use by schools, from the prekindergarten through postsecondary level, of Native American languages as their primary language of instruction.
Requires grant applicants to present the Secretary with specified assurances and demonstrations that the schools they will support have the capacity to provide education primarily through a Native American language.
Requires grantees to:
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4214 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4214
To promote the academic achievement of American Indian, Alaska Native,
and Native Hawaiian children with the establishment of a Native
American language grant program.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 12, 2014
Mr. Cole introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Education and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To promote the academic achievement of American Indian, Alaska Native,
and Native Hawaiian children with the establishment of a Native
American language grant program.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Native Language Immersion Student
Achievement Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Congress established the unique status of Native
American languages and distinctive policies supporting their
use as a medium of education in the Native American Languages
Act (Public Law 101-477).
(2) Reports from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and tribal,
public, charter, and private schools and colleges that use
primarily Native American languages to deliver education, have
indicated that students from these schools have generally had
high school graduation and college attendance rates above the
norm for their peers.
(3) The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) includes policy barriers to schools taught
through Native American languages and a lack of adequate
funding to support such opportunities.
(4) There is a critical need that requires immediate action
to support education through Native American languages to
preserve these languages.
SEC. 3. NATIVE AMERICAN LANGUAGE SCHOOLS.
Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 7401 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``PART D--NATIVE AMERICAN LANGUAGE SCHOOLS
``SEC. 7401. NATIVE AMERICAN LANGUAGE SCHOOLS.
``(a) Purposes.--The purposes of this section are--
``(1) to establish a grant program to support schools using
Native American languages as the primary language of
instruction of all curriculum taught at the school that will
improve high school graduation rates, college attainment, and
career readiness; and
``(2) to further integrate into this Act, Federal policy
for such schools, as established in the Native American
Languages Act (Public Law 101-477).
``(b) Program Authorized.--
``(1) In general.--From the amounts made available to carry
out this section, the Secretary may award grants to eligible
entities to develop and maintain, or to improve and expand,
programs that support schools, including prekindergarten
through postsecondary education, using Native American
languages as the primary language of instruction of all
curriculum taught at the schools.
``(2) Eligible entities.--In this section, the term
`eligible entity' means a school or a private or tribal,
nonprofit organization that has a plan to develop and maintain,
or to improve and expand, programs that support schools using
Native American languages as the primary language of
instruction of all curriculum taught at the schools.
``(c) Application.--
``(1) In general.--An eligible entity that desires to
receive a grant under this section shall submit an application
to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing
such information as the Secretary may require, including the
following:
``(A) The name of the Native American language to
be used for instruction at the school supported by the
eligible entity.
``(B) The number of students attending such school.
``(C) The number of present hours of Native
American language instruction being provided to
students at such school, if any.
``(D) The status of such school with regard to any
applicable tribal education department or agency,
public education system, indigenous language schooling
research and cooperative, or accrediting body.
``(E) A statement that such school--
``(i) is engaged in meeting targeted
proficiency levels for students, as may be
required by applicable Federal, State, or
tribal law; and
``(ii) provides assessments of student
using the Native American language of
instruction, where appropriate.
``(F) A list of the instructors, staff,
administrators, contractors, or subcontractors at such
school and their qualifications to deliver high quality
education through the Native American language of the
school.
``(2) Additional application materials.--In addition to the
application described in paragraph (1), an eligible entity that
desires to receive a grant under this section shall submit to
the Secretary the following:
``(A) A certification from a Federally recognized
Indian tribe, or a letter from any Native American
entity, on whose land the school supported by the
eligible entity is located, or which is served by such
school, indicating that the school has the capacity to
provide education primarily through a Native American
language and that there are sufficient speakers of such
Native American language at the school or available to
be hired by the school.
``(B) A statement that such school will participate
in data collection conducted by the Secretary that will
determine best practices and further academic
evaluation of the school.
``(C) A demonstration of the capacity to have
speakers of its Native American language provide the
basic education offered by such school on a full-time
basis.
``(d) Awarding of Grants.--In awarding grants under this section,
the Secretary shall--
``(1) determine the amount and length of each grant;
``(2) ensure, to the maximum extent feasible, that
diversity in languages is represented; and
``(3) require the eligible entities to present a Native
language education plan to improve high school graduation
rates, college attainment, and career readiness.
``(e) Activities Authorized.--An eligible entity that receives a
grant under this section shall carry out the following activities:
``(1) Support Native American language education and
development.
``(2) Develop or refine instructional curriculum for the
school supported by the eligible entity, including distinctive
teaching materials and activities, as appropriate.
``(3) Fund training opportunities for teachers and, as
appropriate, staff and administrators, that would strengthen
the overall language and academic goals of such school.
``(4) Other activities that promote Native American
language education and development, as appropriate.
``(f) Report to Secretary.--Each eligible entity that receives a
grant under this section shall provide an annual report to the
Secretary in such form and manner as the Secretary may require.
``(g) Authorization of Appropriation.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2015,
and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal
years.''.
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Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.
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