[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1419 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1419

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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 21, 2015

 Mr. Tester (for himself, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Udall, Mr. Heinrich, and Ms. 
   Heitkamp) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
              referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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.

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) Such successful schools include Native American 
        language medium schools focusing on both children who enter 
        school speaking Native American languages and children who 
        enter school with little or no knowledge of a Native American 
        language, as well as Native American Language Nests and Native 
        American Language Survival Schools.
            (4) 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.
            (5) There is a critical need that requires immediate action 
        to support education through Native American languages to 
        revitalize and maintain 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 schools 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 sites and streams, using Native 
        American languages as the primary language of instruction of 
        all curriculum taught.
            ``(2) Eligible entities.--In this section, the term 
        `eligible entity' means any of the following entities that has 
        a plan to develop and maintain, or to improve and expand, 
        programs that support the entity's use of one or more Native 
        American languages as the primary language of instruction in a 
        school:
                    ``(A) An Indian tribe (as defined in section 103 of 
                the Native American Languages Act (25 U.S.C. 2902)).
                    ``(B) A Tribal College or University (as defined in 
                section 316 of the Higher Education Act of 1965).
                    ``(C) A tribal education agency.
                    ``(D) A public elementary school or secondary 
                school (including a public charter school).
                    ``(E) A private and accredited elementary school or 
                secondary school.
                    ``(F) A school operated by the Bureau of Indian 
                Education.
                    ``(G) A Regional Corporation (as defined in section 
                3 of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 
                1602)).
                    ``(H) A private or tribal nonprofit organization.
                    ``(I) A consortium of any of the entities described 
                in subparagraphs (A) through (H).
    ``(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 instruction in 
                or through 1 or more Native American languages being 
                provided to targeted 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 
                        academic proficiency levels for students, as 
                        may be required by applicable Federal, State, 
                        or tribal law, including the availability of 
                        coursework for students to fulfill the 
                        requirements necessary to obtain a high school 
                        diploma;
                            ``(ii) will strive to achieve high level 
                        language fluency in students in the Native 
                        American language of the school; and
                            ``(iii) provides assessments of students 
                        using the Native American language of 
                        instruction, where appropriate.
                    ``(F) A list of the qualifications of the staff to 
                deliver effective 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) Tribal certification.--
                            ``(i) In general.--A certification from a 
                        Federally recognized Indian tribe, or a letter 
                        from any State or community recognized 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 an endorsement to provide 
                        education primarily through the 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.
                            ``(ii) Inability to secure certification.--
                        If neither a certification nor a letter can be 
                        secured as described in clause (i), the 
                        eligible entity may submit to the Secretary an 
                        explanation of why such certification and 
                        letter cannot be obtained. The Secretary may 
                        waive the certification and letter requirement 
                        under clause (i) if the explanation is deemed 
                        acceptable.
                    ``(B) Collection of data.--A statement that such 
                school will collect data relative to high school 
                graduation, college attendance, or other data relevant 
                to student achievement, career readiness, or community 
                participation of students who matriculate through its 
                programs, and will participate in data collection 
                conducted by the Secretary that will determine best 
                practices and further academic evaluation of the 
                school.
                    ``(C) Demonstration of capacity.--A demonstration 
                of the capacity to have speakers of its Native American 
                language provide instruction in the content curriculum 
                offered by such school.
                    ``(D) Native language education plan.--A Native 
                language education plan that integrates high 
                achievement in the Native American language with 
                improved student academic achievement, high school 
                graduation rates, college attainment, and career 
                readiness by carrying out the activities authorized in 
                subsection (e).
    ``(d) Awarding of Grants.--In awarding grants under this section, 
the Secretary shall--
            ``(1) determine the amount and length of each grant; and
            ``(2) ensure, to the maximum extent feasible, that 
        diversity in languages is represented.
    ``(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) Develop a Native language alignment plan to create or 
        refine assessments of student proficiency on State or tribally 
        developed academic standards for Native American language 
        schools, aligned with the Native language of instruction in 
        such schools, as appropriate.
            ``(5) 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) Building Native Language Immersion Evidence Base.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, in consultation with the 
        Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, 
        shall compile and analyze data and reports provided under 
        subsection (f) to evaluate the outcomes of the grant program 
        and contribute to the evidence base of Native language 
        immersion student outcomes.
            ``(2) Dissemination.--Not later than 180 days after the 
        date the Secretary receives all reports under subsection (f), 
        the information described in paragraph (1) shall be 
        disseminated to Congress, including the Subcommittee on Indian, 
        Insular and Alaska Native Affairs and the Committee on 
        Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives, 
        and the Committee on Indian Affairs and the Committee on 
        Health, Education, Labor and Pensions of the Senate.
    ``(h) Authorization of Appropriation.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2016, 
and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal 
years.''.
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