[Senate Hearing 114-192]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 114-192
S. 410, S. 1163, AND S. 1928
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HEARING
before the
COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
NOVEMBER 18, 2015
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Indian Affairs
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COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS
JOHN BARRASSO, Wyoming, Chairman
JON TESTER, Montana, Vice Chairman
JOHN McCAIN, Arizona MARIA CANTWELL, Washington
LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska TOM UDALL, New Mexico
JOHN HOEVEN, North Dakota AL FRANKEN, Minnesota
JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii
STEVE DAINES, Montana HEIDI HEITKAMP, North Dakota
MIKE CRAPO, Idaho
JERRY MORAN, Kansas
T. Michael Andrews, Majority Staff Director and Chief Counsel
Anthony Walters, Minority Staff Director and Chief Counsel
C O N T E N T S
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Page
Hearing held on November 18, 2015................................ 1
Statement of Senator Barrasso.................................... 1
Statement of Senator Franken..................................... 4
Statement of Senator Heitkamp.................................... 37
Statement of Senator Tester...................................... 2
Statement of Senator Udall....................................... 3
Witnesses
Accardi, Michelle, Director, State Policy and Outreach, National
Board for Professional Teaching Standards...................... 30
Prepared statement........................................... 32
Martinez, Glenabah, Associate Professor, University of New Mexico 13
Prepared statement........................................... 16
MoQuino, Robert, First Lieutenant Governor, Pueblo of Acoma...... 10
Prepared statement........................................... 11
Robinson, Lillian Sparks, Commissioner, Administration for Native
Americans, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services........ 5
Prepared statement........................................... 7
Appendix
Kawai`ae`a, Keiki, Director, Ka Haka `Ula O Ke`elikolani College
of Hawaiian Language, University of Hawai`i at Hilo, prepared
statement...................................................... 45
S. 410, S. 1163, AND S. 1928
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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015
U.S. Senate,
Committee on Indian Affairs,
Washington, DC.
The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:30 p.m. in room
628, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. John Barrasso,
Chairman of the Committee, presiding.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN BARRASSO,
U.S. SENATOR FROM WYOMING
The Chairman. Good afternoon. I call this hearing to order.
Today we will examine three bills: S. 410, a bill to
strengthen Indian education; S. 1163, a bill to amend the
Native American Programs Act of 1974 to provide flexibility and
reauthorization to ensure the survival and continuing vitality
of Native American languages; and S. 1928, a bill to support
the education of Indian children.
As our Nation honors and celebrates the heritage and
culture of Native Americans this month, it is very fitting that
today's hearing focuses on legislation that would help educate
the next generation of Native Americans.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics,
in the 2011-2012 school year, the national graduation rate
reached ``a profound milestone'' with 80 percent of the
students receiving a high school diploma. During the same
school year, Indian students were the lowest achieving ethnic
group to receive a diploma at a rate of only 67 percent.
High dropout rates, crumbling school facilities, recruiting
educators to teach Indian children, and the list of challenges
goes on. These are just some of the problems these bills are
intended to address.
S. 410, sponsored by Senator Udall, would establish a
program to help improve tribal and Bureau of Indian Education
school facilities. This bill would create a joint oversight
board between the Department of the Education and the
Department of the Interior.
I will turn to Senator Udall for more details about this
bill and the next one shortly.
S. 1163, sponsored by Senator Udall, and co-sponsored by
Senators Franken, Heinrich, Heitkamp, Murkowski, Schatz, and
Tester, would reauthorize and amend the Esther Martinez Native
Languages Preservation Act Grant Program. The previous
authorization expired in 2012.
Finally, S. 1928, sponsored by Vice Chairman Tester and co-
sponsored by Senators Franken and Heinrich would establish
Indian educator scholarship programs, loan forgiveness for
qualifying educators who teach Indian children, and establish
grants to assist educators with professional development and
training.
Now I will turn to Senator Tester, Vice Chairman of the
Committee, for his opening statement.
STATEMENT OF HON. JON TESTER,
U.S. SENATOR FROM MONTANA
Senator Tester. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this
legislative hearing.
The legislation we are covering today is all Indian
education-related. Every member of this Committee knows the
challenges that face our Native children across Indian country.
I have said time and time again there is no stronger tool
available to combat the disparities and challenges facing many
tribal communities than education.
Throughout this Congress, I have introduced several pieces
of legislation that look to improve the state of Indian
education. Earlier this year, I introduced a bill to ensure
that Native children can receive a culturally-relevant
education by expanding Native language programs to better
connect students with their rich heritage and help keep their
traditions and culture alive.
The bill has already been reported out of this Committee. I
want to thank the Chairman and my colleagues for that.
I have also introduced the Educational Programs for Indian
Children Act to improve and expand before school, after school
and summer school programs in Indian country so that Native
students can keep engaging in enrichment activities even after
the last school bell rings.
This bill is pending with the Committee on Agriculture.
I also introduced a bill to exempt Indian country from the
harmful effects of sequestration which has detrimentally
impacted Federal funding for Native education programs across
the board.
Now one of the pieces of legislation on today's slate of
bills is another one of my efforts to improve Indian education,
the Native Educator Support and Training Act, otherwise known
as the NEST Act.
This legislation aims to recruit and retain more teachers
for Indian country and provide some much needed support for
these dedicated professionals. It affords new scholarship
opportunities for future teachers who know they want to work in
Native classrooms.
It expands loan forgiveness programs for educators who are
already working in Native communities so that the increasing
cost of college will not stand in the way of any committed
individual who wants to serve tribal communities as a teacher.
This legislation also recognizes that teachers need access
to high quality professional development opportunities
throughout their career. The bill supports expansion of the
National Board certification and advanced degree opportunities
across Indian country.
If we want to ensure that our children are getting
qualified and capable teachers, we must begin by making college
more affordable and accessible to those who want to work in
Indian country schools.
Getting high quality teachers into our Native schools is
only one of the things we can do to improve the education our
kids are receiving. Native children should have access to the
same building blocks to success before they enter the classroom
as their non-Native peers.
That is why earlier today I introduced a bill to streamline
tribal early childhood programs at the Department of Health and
Human Services. There are several funding streams that exist at
HHS and this would break down the silent approach to funding
for tribes.
In addition, this new bill provides supplementary funding
to improve and expand tribal early childhood facilities and
infrastructure.
Not only should we be providing the best possible education
for our Native youth, it should be in the safest possible
environment.
If we can work together to make these initiatives a
reality, I believe that Indian country will have some of the
tools they need to improve the conditions facing too many
Native children and families across this country.
Education is the bedrock for all strong communities. That
is why I am glad this Committee continues to prioritize this
issue. As we move forward, I look forward to partnering with
everyone on this Committee and all our colleagues in the Senate
to ensure that Indian country has the resources and the
capacity to continue a building more successful future.
I want to thank the witnesses today for being here. I look
forward to your testimony.
Again, I would thank the Chairman for holding this
legislative hearing today so we can get these pieces of
legislation moving.
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Mr. Vice Chairman.
Senator Udall?
STATEMENT OF HON. TOM UDALL,
U.S. SENATOR FROM NEW MEXICO
Senator Udall. Thank you, Chairman Barrasso and Vice
Chairman Tester. Thank you for holding this hearing on these
three important bills today.
We want to do everything we can to ensure that the children
in Indian country have the best education possible. We know
this is just not the case and it has not been for years or for
decades. That history is a painful one and we have not gotten
it right yet.
We can and must do more for our children. That is why I
introduced the Building Upon the Unique Indian Learning and
Development Act. My bill calls for improved language immersion,
education leadership pipelines for teachers and principals, and
innovation for improving school facilities. We need to do all
of this and more.
I look forward to hearing from Dr. Glenabah Martinez, a
professor and Associate Dean at the University of New Mexico
and an expert on American Indian education about how we can
accomplish this.
Just to say a few words about the two New Mexico witnesses,
Dr. Glenabah Martinez is a professor and Associate Dean at the
University of New Mexico. She is going to testify today.
She was raised Taos Pueblo and taught high school social
studies for 14 years before receiving her PhD. Dr. Martinez has
conducted important research and published a book examining the
state of Indian education.
Her unique perspective as a former high school educator and
currently as a Dean of Education and Preparation and
Development will be an asset to today's hearing.
Thank you for making the long trip from New Mexico.
We also need robust funding for Indian education for school
construction, contract support, and administrative cost grants
to help tribes build capacity to manage their own education
programs.
Indian Country faces unique challenges, challenges of
distance, infrastructure and capacity.
I am very happy today also to see the First Lieutenant
Governor of the Pueblo of Acoma, Robert MoQuino. Mr. MoQuino
has joined us today to discuss this critical issue.
He is a long-time tribal leader in New Mexico. I always
look forward to my visits to his Pueblo of Acoma which is such
a beautiful place, rich in culture, steeped in history and
tradition. We are lucky to have the First Lieutenant Governor
with us today. I am also eager to hear his testimony.
Let me say a word or two about the bills. My bill, the
Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act
provides grants to Native American language and educational
organizations to help preserve dying Native languages in Indian
country.
We know if you cannot retain the language, you cannot
retain the culture. That is absolutely key. I hear that from
Indian leaders over and over again.
I would ask my colleagues to look at these pieces of
legislation and I very much appreciate their support.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Senator Udall.
Would any other Senators like to make a statement?
STATEMENT OF HON. AL FRANKEN,
U.S. SENATOR FROM MINNESOTA
Senator Franken. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding
today's hearing on Indian education and education legislation.
I am proud to co-sponsor Senator Tester's NEST Act and
Senator Udall's Native American Languages Reauthorization Act.
These bills are good steps toward providing Native Americans
with quality instruction that is connected to their culture.
I apologize if I have to step out. We are holding the first
meeting of the Education Conference Committee this afternoon.
I fought to include critical provisions for Indian country
in the Senate bill to fix No Child Left Behind. Senator
Murkowski and I worked together on amendments for immersion
programs for American Indian and Alaska Native languages.
Education is vital to increasing the opportunities
available to Native Americans. I look forward to working with
my colleagues to advance the bills we are considering in this
Committee and to also make sure that programs for Indian youth
remain a part of the Education bill.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Senator Franken.
Would any other Senators like to make a statement?
[No response.]
The Chairman. I would like to welcome our witnesses here
today: the Honorable Lillian Sparks Robinson, Commissioner,
Administration for Native Americans, U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, Washington, D.C.; the Honorable Robert
MoQuino, First Lieutenant Governor, Pueblo of Acoma, Acoma
Pueblo, NM; Dr. Glenabah Martinez, Associate Professor,
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM; and Ms. Michelle
Accardi, Director, State Policy and Outreach, National Board
for Professional Teaching Standards from Arlington, Virginia.
I want to remind the witnesses that your full written
testimony will be made a part of the official hearing record.
Please try to keep your statements to five minutes or less so
that we may have more time for questions.
I look forward to hearing your testimony beginning with Ms.
Sparks Robinson. Please proceed.
STATEMENT OF LILLIAN SPARKS ROBINSON, COMMISSIONER,
ADMINISTRATION FOR NATIVE AMERICANS, U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Ms. Robinson. Thank you, Chairman Barrasso, Vice Chairman
Tester and members of the Committee.
It is my honor to testify before this Committee on behalf
of the Department of Health and Human Services on Native
language preservation and maintenance.
I am a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, which is located
in South Dakota. I serve as the Commissioner for the
Administration for Native Americans, which is part of the
Administration for Children and Families at HHS.
We are pleased that this Committee is considering S. 1163,
the Native American Languages Reauthorization Act of 2015 which
reauthorizes the Native American language provisions of the
ANA's authorizing statute, the Native Americans Programs Act of
1974, as well as the Native Language Immersion Student
Achievement Act.
ANA's mission is to support Native American communities to
be self-determining, healthy, economically self-sufficient, and
culturally and linguistically vibrant.
ANA supports three program areas: Native American
languages, environmental regulatory enhancement, and social and
economic developments.
Since 2010, ANA has held two separate annual competitions
for language projects. This year ANA intends to add an
additional language competition to fund a place space
demonstration that will address gaps in community coordination
across the Native language educational continuum.
We believe that language revitalization is essential to
continuing Native American culture and strengthening self
determination. Research tells us that the use of Native
American languages builds identity and assists communities in
moving towards social cohesion and self sufficiency.
Native American values and traditions are embedded in
language and there is growing evidence that Native language and
culture act as protective factors against suicide and suicidal
ideation, substance abuse disorders and other risky behaviors.
ANA funds opportunities to assess, plan and develop and
implement projects to ensure the survivor and vitality of
Native languages.
Over the years, ANA has funded many successful projects
that have resulted in increased usage and fluency of Native
languages. For example, Dakota Wicohan, a language program in
Minnesota, trained over eight Dakota language apprentices to
speak Dakota and receive language teacher certifications.
Their language levels increased by at least two levels and
the apprentices gained relevant classroom teaching experience,
and received language certifications from accredited programs.
Similarly, ANA assisted the Piegan Institute in Montana to
improve the Blackfeet speaking ability of children enrolled at
the Cuts Wood School. The project expanded upon the school's
pre-existing full day immersion program by offering more
learning activities outside of the classroom, including the
Blackfeet Elder Committee collaborating with project staff and
students on a radio project featuring Blackfeet language
lessons.
As a result of this project, all 30 children enrolled at
the school reached an advanced proficient level of Blackfeet.
Through ANA funding, the Native Village of Afognak in
Alaska provided immersion instruction through teacher
mentorship and instructional resource development. The project
mentored 16 Alutiiq language teachers in a structured immersion
model.
By the end of the project, 16 teachers received training
and were better prepared to pass on the language. Two teachers
were locally certified and all teachers increased at least one
or two levels on an Alutiiq-adapted language scale.
The demand for funding under our Native language programs
remains high. Based on grantee feedback, we believe that the
authority to fund Native language projects for longer periods
up to five years would result in increased sustainability of
the gains made.
Grantees would have more time to build a community of
speakers and language learners, strengthen partnerships, and
secure additional funding as projects move beyond the initial
planning and implementation stages.
Additional feedback from ANA grantees also indicates that
lowering the required number of participating students from ten
to five for language nests, and from fifteen to ten for
survival schools, would allow more communities to apply.
Listening sessions and tribal consultation indicate that
the extra investment in Native American language programs is
critical to our communities. As demonstrated by research,
Native language and culture fosters higher outcomes from Native
youth due to lower levels of depression, increased academic
achievement, and strengthened problem-solving skills.
When educational institutions recognize that Native culture
and language are inherent strengths, we increase the self-worth
and optimism of our youth. It is by going back to traditional,
ancestral, indigenous ways of knowing based in culturally and
linguistically specific values and norms, that we believe
Native American communities will thrive on their own terms.
Finally, as an administration, we are looking for ways to
be more responsive to the needs of Native American communities,
to develop and contribute to an evidence base for culturally
and linguistically responsive programming and to develop with
our partners culturally appropriate measurement tools and
research and evaluation designs that inform policy and
practice.
We are thankful for the continued support of this Committee
and look forward to working with Congress to reauthorize the
Native American Programs Act, including the Esther Martinez
Native Languages Act.
I am happy to answer any questions.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Robinson follows:]
Prepared Statement of Lillian Sparks Robinson, Commissioner,
Administration for Native Americans, U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services
Chairman Barrasso, Vice Chairman Tester, and members of the
Committee, it is my honor to testify before this Committee on behalf of
the Department of Health and Human Services on S. 1163, S. 1419, and
other related matters involving Native language preservation and
maintenance. I am a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, which is located
in South Dakota. I serve as the Commissioner for the Administration for
Native Americans (ANA), which is part of the Administration for
Children and Families (ACF).
ANA's mission is to support Native American communities to be self-
determining, healthy, economically self-sufficient, and culturally and
linguistically vibrant. We achieve our mission by providing
discretionary grants, training, and technical assistance to tribes and
Native American communities, including American Indians, Alaska
Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Native Pacific Islanders. ANA supports
three program areas: Native American Languages, Environmental
Regulatory Enhancement (ERE), and Social and Economic Development
Strategies (SEDS). We are pleased that this Committee is considering S.
1163, the Native American Languages Reauthorization Act of 2015,
reauthorizing the Native American language provisions of the Native
Americans Programs Act of 1974 (NAPA), as well as the Native Language
Immersion Student Achievement Act.
For fiscal year (FY) 2015, Congress appropriated approximately
$46.5 million to ANA, which distributed approximately $40.5 million to
Native American communities competitively. The President's FY 2016
budget request would fund ANA at $50 million. In addition to providing
competitive grants, ANA uses its funding to provide training and
technical assistance to Native American communities, as required by
Section 804 of NAPA.
ANA believes that language revitalization is essential to
continuing Native American culture and strengthening self-
determination. Research tells us that use of Native American languages
builds identity and assists communities in moving toward social
cohesion and self-sufficiency. Native American values and traditions
are embedded in language and there is growing evidence that that Native
language and culture act as protective factors against suicide and
suicidal ideation, substance abuse disorders, and other risky
behaviors. Historical and contemporary conditions, including widespread
and persistent poverty, have resulted in Native American peoples
experiencing significant health disparities and some of the harshest
living conditions in the United States. Remarkably, at the same time,
Native American peoples have met such significant conditions with
extraordinary abilities to survive, to overcome, and to draw from
culturally and linguistically-based tools to not just survive, but to
thrive. Native languages are among the most critical and meaningful of
these tools. ANA encourages applicants to involve elders and other
community members in determining proposed language project goals and
implementing project activities because community connectedness appears
key to sustaining successful Native language projects. ANA funding
provides opportunities to assess, plan, develop, and implement projects
to ensure the survival and vitality of Native American languages.
For over a decade, ANA awarded Native American language
preservation and maintenance funds to eligible entities under the
Native American Languages Act of 1992, but utilization of Native
American languages continued to decline for a variety of reasons,
including the English-only movement of many states in the mid-1990s to
early 2000s, as well as the requirement for highly qualified teachers
under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended (commonly
referred to as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)). We believe the
number of Native American language teachers diminished under NCLB due
to a lack of valid teacher assessments in Native American languages.
Specifically, the tools used to measure teacher quality did not
adequately address the unique attributes necessary for Native languages
education. The lack of teacher assessments validated with Native
American populations or accommodating Native languages resulted in
fewer Native American language teachers being able to obtain or
maintain the appropriate teaching certification. In response to this
dramatic and continued decline, Congress passed the Esther Martinez
Native American Languages Preservation Act of 2006. The law amended
NAPA to specifically target grants for language immersion and
restoration programs, two methods that have proven to be highly
successful in creating fluent speakers who, in turn, revitalize,
preserve, and maintain Native languages.
In 2014 and again in 2015, ANA partnered with the Department of
Education and the Department of Interior's Bureau of Indian Education
to host a Native American Languages Summit. During the first summit we
were able to include presentation from the Smithsonian Institution and
in 2015 our partnership expanded to include the Institute for Museum
and Library Services, the National Science Foundation, and the National
Endowment for Humanities as key Summit planning partners and
presenters. This expanded partnership facilitated a connection with the
Association for Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums, (ATALM), who
provided support, including scholarships for non-federal participants
to attend the Summit. Participants included federal staff, researchers,
tribal language programs, ATALM members and others involved in Native
American language revitalization efforts.
Building on the knowledge gained from the 2014 Native American
Languages Summit, the goal of the 2015 Native American Languages Summit
was to provide updates from the partners on their current efforts to
provide support for Native American communities that are seeking to
preserve and revitalize Native American languages. To the extent that
there is a need for additional support in ensuring the livelihood of
Native Languages, the Summit productively serves as a way to help
institutions and agencies develop ways to better implement and fund
coordinated evidence-based Native language instruction.
Over the years, ANA has funded many successful projects that have
resulted in increased usage and fluency of Native American languages.
For example, Dakota Wicohan is an ANA funded language program in
Minnesota that trained over eight Dakota Language apprentices to speak
Dakota outside of class and receive language teacher certifications.
Their language levels increased by at least two levels on the Grotto/
Fishman Scale. The apprentices gained relevant classroom teaching
experience, and received language certifications from accredited
programs. Due to the ANA funded project, the Dakota language can be
heard in the local community outside the classrooms: in camps, at
community activities, and even weekly radio broadcasts.
Similarly, ANA assisted the Piegan Institute in Montana to improve
the Blackfeet speaking ability of children enrolled at the Cuts Wood
School. The project expanded upon the school's pre-existing full day
immersion program by offering more learning activities outside of the
classroom. In addition, the Blackfeet Elder Committee collaborated with
project staff and students on a radio project, producing and airing 12
hours of radio programming featuring Blackfeet language lessons and
archived recordings of Blackfeet speakers. As a result of this project,
all 30 children enrolled at the school reached an advanced proficient
level of Blackfeet.
Through ANA funding, the Native Village of Afognak in Alaska
provided immersion instruction through teacher mentorship and
instructional resource development. The project mentored 16 Alutiiq
language teachers in a structured immersion model. As a result of the
project, the number of people who are learning and teaching the
language drastically increased. By the end of the project, 16 teachers
received training and were better prepared to pass on the language. Two
teachers were locally certified and all teachers increased at least one
or two levels on an Alutiiq-adapted language scale.
Since 2010, ANA has held two separate annual competitions for
language projects, the Native American Language Preservation and
Maintenance Program and the Esther Martinez Initiative (EMI). ANA's
total investment in Native American language projects for FY 2010 to
2015 is approximately $78 million. Between 2006 and 2015, ANA received
998 applications for all Native American language projects. Of those,
116 applications were specifically for EMI projects, which ANA began
competing in 2010. \1\ Interest in the EMI program continues to grow.
In 2013, we reviewed 14 applications and in 2014 and 2015 we reviewed a
combined total of 54 applications across our two Native Language
program areas.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The Esther Martinez Initiative was enacted in 2006, but it was
not its own funding category in ANA until FY 2008.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In FY 2016, ANA intends to fund one or more Native Language
Community Coordination Demonstration projects to build upon the
successes of ANA's short-term, project-based Native Language funding.
This new effort is intended as a place-based demonstration that will
address gaps in community coordination across the Native language
educational continuum.
The FY 2016 budget request for the Administration on Native
Americans included an additional $3 million to support the Generation
Indigenous (Gen-I), an Administration-wide initiative launched in early
2015 that is focused on improving the lives of Native youth through new
investments and increased engagement across the Federal Government. The
budget request supports this initiative through investment in Native
American language instruction, such as the Native Language Community
Coordination Demonstration.
In addition, the FY 2016 budget request supports funding for Native
language programs at an additional $2.5 million for an anticipated 12
new Native language Preservation and Maintenance grants, $1.5 million
for an anticipated six Esther Martinez Native Language Immersion
grants, and $1.5 million for an anticipated 4-6 new Native Language
Community Coordination demonstration projects in addition to on-going
Native Language continuation grants. This funding will more than ensure
that ANA meets its target of $13 million in language awards.
The demand for funding under both the Preservation and Maintenance
and Esther Martinez Immersion (EMI) Acts remains high. In addition,
based on grantee feedback, we believe that the authority to fund EMI
and Preservation and Maintenance projects for longer periods (up to
five years, rather than the current three years) would result in
increased sustainability of the gains made. Grantees would have more
time to build a community of speakers and language learners, strengthen
partnerships, and secure additional funding as projects move beyond the
initial planning and implementation stages. Additional feedback from
ANA grantees also indicates that lowering the required number of
participating students from ten to five for language nests, and from
fifteen to ten for survival schools, would allow more communities to
apply.
Listening sessions and tribal consultation indicate that the extra
investment in Native American language programs is critical to our
communities. As demonstrated by research by Cornel Pewewardy and
Patricia Hammer, Harold Sorkness and Lynn Kelting-Gibson, and Janine
Pease-Pretty On Top, Native language and culture fosters higher
outcomes from Native youth due to lower levels of depression, increased
academic achievement, and strengthened problem-solving skills. When
educational institutions recognize that Native culture and language are
inherent strengths, we increase the self-worth and optimism of our
youth. It is by going back to traditional, ancestral, indigenous ways
of knowing based in culturally and linguistically specific values and
norms, that we believe Native American communities will thrive on their
own terms.
With respect to ANA's other program areas, the Social and Economic
Development Strategies (SEDS) program continues to be the grant program
for which we receive the most applications. In FY 2015, ANA reviewed a
total of 300 applications, 210 of which were for SEDS. Of these 210
applications, ANA was able to provide funding for 29 new awards at
approximately $7.8 million. This provided funding for 14 percent of the
applications received. This total included special initiatives like the
Native Asset Building Initiative, Social and Economic Development
Strategies for Alaska, and the Sustainable Employment and Economic
Development Strategies grants that target ANA investment towards
economic empowerment, but still within the framework of community-
driven projects. Finally, ANA is always looking for ways to be more
responsive to the needs of Native American communities, to develop and
contribute to an evidence base for culturally and linguistically
responsive programming, and to develop, with our partners, culturally
appropriate measurement tools and research and evaluation designs that
inform policy and practice.
We are thankful for the continued support of this Committee in
achieving the ANA mission. We look forward to working with Congress to
reauthorize the Native American Programs Act including the Esther
Martinez Native Languages Act, which continues to receive
appropriations. From a program administration perspective,
reauthorizing NAPA as a whole would also provide an opportunity to
comprehensively update program regulations, which is necessary for
improved program oversight and accountability.
ANA looks forward to the day when all ``Native Communities are
Thriving,'' and we look forward to working with you to make that
happen.
I would be happy to answer any questions.
The Chairman. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you
for your testimony.
Mr. MoQuino.
STATEMENT OF ROBERT MOQUINO, FIRST LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, PUEBLO
OF ACOMA
Mr. MoQuino. [Greeting in Native language.]
Thank you Chairman Barrasso, Vice Chairman Tester, and
members of the Committee for allowing me to present this
testimony on behalf of the Pueblo of Acoma.
The Pueblo of Acoma is engaged in an ongoing battle to save
our language. As our elders tell us, as we lose our ability to
speak our Acoma language, we are losing the very essence of our
traditional cultural values.
At the beginning of time immemorial, the Acoma language,
Keres, was given to the Acoma people by two spiritual mothers.
These mothers also gifted us the core values of family, culture
and tradition.
The Acoma language is essential for sustaining the culture
and value of our people. Our existence, identity and those of
future generations depends upon the continuation of our
language.
For instance, without Keres, one cannot fully understand
our creation story which explains that we were destined for Sky
City. Our religious and cultural ceremonies are conducted in
Keres.
Each year, our tribal leaders speak to the Acoma people at
Sky City exclusively in Keres. Without knowledge of the
language, our people cannot understand or participate fully in
our culture and civic life.
At Acoma, we have not forgotten our language. We just do
not use it. Therefore, we are focused on revitalizing use of
our language within our community, including teaching Keres to
our children in the local schools and developing and Acoma oral
history curriculum.
We are also developing home study program that provides
materials for home use intended to build among and encourage
conversations between our elders and our youth.
We had an Esther Martinez grant that allowed Acoma
development of a language nest for our smallest ones, ages
birth to five. Seeing these younger children going to their
language nest and hearing them learn to speak their native
tongue to the elders brought joy to so many in our community.
However, this was limited by law to three years and the
language nest had to be discontinued after funding ran out.
Under S. 1163, this grant can be up to five years, something
Acoma strongly supports.
The Pueblo of Acoma supports S. 410, S. 1163 and S. 1928 as
important steps toward assisting tribal communities in their
efforts to preserve, maintain and revitalize their Native
language.
In particular, S. 1163 would reauthorize the ANA Language
Grant Program. It would also lower the number of children
required to form language nests and extend the duration of
grants up to five years. This added flexibility is important to
enable tribes to design programs that best fit their needs.
We have had difficulties getting our Keres language
teachers certified by the State of New Mexico. We believe that
our elders are the best qualified to teach our language and
pass on our cultural knowledge. Therefore, Acoma supports the
expansion of programs to support Native language and culture in
S. 410.
Acoma also supports the bill's exemption to Native language
teachers from ESEA qualification requirements.
Finally, Acoma supports S. 1928 because it will encourage a
younger generation to become Native language teachers. This is
especially important as we are gradually losing our fluent
elderly speakers.
In closing, I would like to thank you. Thank you for this
opportunity to provide testimony about our Aak'um'e Dzeeni, our
Acoma language. Thank you for taking up these important bills
to help us in our struggle against language loss.
These legislative efforts are important not just to Acoma,
but to tribal people throughout the United States.
With that, can I say a few words in my Acoma language.
[Phrase in native language.]
Mr. MoQuino. Translation, again, thank you for hearing me
testify with our Acoma language.
With that, all my prayers and blessings go out to you and
your families. Thank you very much.
[The prepared statement of Mr. MoQuino follows:]
Prepared Statement of Robert MoQuino, First Lieutenant Governor, Pueblo
of Acoma
``As we lose our ability to speak our Acoma language, we are losing
the very essence of our traditional cultural values. All age groups
need to demonstrate Acoma language use.''--Acoma Antelope Clan Elders
Introduction
Thank you Chairman Barrasso, Vice Chairman Tester, and Members of
the Committee for allowing me to present this testimony on behalf of
the Pueblo of Acoma. My name is Robert MoQuino, and I am the 1st
Lieutenant Governor of the Pueblo of Acoma. I want to start by saying
Guuwaatsii. Guuwaatsii is how we say hello in our Aak'um'e Dzeeni
(Acoma Language), known as Keres. Guuwaatsii is the word that we use to
welcome someone into the Acoma world. So, I say Guuwaatsii to each of
you here today.
The Importance of Indigenous Languages
The Pueblo of Acoma is engaged in an ongoing battle to maintain,
preserve, and revitalize our native language of Keres. As one scholar
has described, ``[l]anguage loss in the United States is steady and
pronounced. At the beginning of the twentieth century most American
Indian people spoke their native tongues as a first or second language.
By the end of the century, of some 300 original North American
languages, just one-half were still spoken.'' \1\ Today, experts
predict that half of the over 6,000 languages currently spoken in the
world will disappear by the end of this century if nothing is done to
prevent the extinction of languages worldwide. \2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Charles Wilkinson, Blood Struggle: The Rise of Modern Indian
Nations 360 (2005).
\2\ See Endangered Languages, UNESCO.ORG, http://www.unesco.org/
new/en/culture/themes/endangeredlanguages/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Acoma is fighting against the tide of language loss because, as the
elders of our Antelope Clan have stated: ``As we lose our ability to
speak our Acoma language, we are losing the very essence of our
traditional cultural values. All age groups need to demonstrate Acoma
language use.'' For the Acoma people, our language is inextricably
intertwined with our cultural survival. At the beginning of time
immemorial, Aak'um'e Dzeenii (Acoma Language) was gifted to us by
Aak'um'e Hanu (Acoma People) by our two spiritual deities (Spiritual
Mothers) Iatiku and Tsi'tiwwshti naak'u. Along with Aak'um'e Dzeenii,
they gifted us the core values of family, culture, and tradition.
Aak'um'e Dzeenii is essential for sustaining the culture and values of
the people. Our existence and identity--and those of future
generations--depends upon the continuation of our language.
Language is the conduit by which our culture is transmitted. It is
through our native language that we pass on to the next generations the
Acoma world view and our traditional values. For instance, without
Keres one cannot fully understand our emergence story, which explains
that we were destined for Sky City. Without this language our young
people cannot fully participate in their religious and cultural
ceremonies. Every year, for example, our Governor gives an address at
Sky City that is all in Keres, and without knowledge of the language
our people cannot understand and participate in this important part of
our culture and our civic life.
We are struggling to keep our language alive because without day-
to-day use, our people are becoming less and less fluent in Keres. Our
elders--invaluable language resources for our community--are passing
on, taking with them the knowledge of generations. The need to pass
Keres on to our young people has never been more urgent. We ask for
your full support in helping us maintain our identity as Acoma people
by helping us keep our language alive.
Acoma Language Programs and Initiatives
Our Aak'um'e Dzeeni (Acoma Language) Program Coordinator, Gregg
Shutiva has stated that many Acoma Tribal citizens say that we are
losing our language, but his response to that is that ``we have not
forgotten our language, we just do not use it.'' Our Acoma Language
Retention Program (ALRP), therefore, seeks to revitalize and maintain
the Acoma Keres language in our community, and it has been in operation
for over a decade.
The ALRP focuses on teaching the Keres language to children through
Keres language instruction in the local schools, including Laguna--
Acoma Jr. Sr. High School, Cubero Elementary School, St. Joseph Mission
School, and Sky City Community School. However, we sometimes have
difficulty getting our Keres language teachers certified by the State
of New Mexico. The experts and teachers in our Keres language do not
always have the credentials required by the State. However, we believe
that our community is best prepared to select persons qualified to
teach our language and pass on our cultural knowledge.
The ALRP has also developed an Acoma Oral History Curriculum and
various arts and crafts programs for youth as well as adults.
Additionally, the ALRP offers three-week Keres language immersion camps
in the summer for children ages 5-16. ALRP activities depend on Tribal
appropriations as well as federal, state, and private grants.
Some of our grant-funded activities have had to be discontinued
because of a lack of federal funding. For instance, Acoma received a
$271,587 language preservation and maintenance grant from 2011-2014
from the Administration for Native Americans (ANA)--an Esther Martinez
grant. This grant allowed Acoma to develop a ``language nest'' for our
littlest ones--ages birth through 5. Seeing these youngest children
going to their language nest and hearing them learn to speak their
native language to their elders brought joy to so many in our
community. However, this program had to be discontinued after funding
ran out.
We recently applied for a renewal of the Esther Martinez grant to
sustain our language preservation and maintenance efforts, but our
application was denied. The denial letter stated that ``[d]ue to the
number of applications received and the demand for project dollars, ANA
could not fund all eligible applicants.'' Our application was therefore
``not selected for funding due to [ANA's] limited resources.''
Currently, the ALRP is focused on building a Home Study Program.
This program focuses on bringing the Keres language to the people in
their own environments, where multiple generations and individuals with
various levels of proficiency may all learn together. Our Home Study
Program was launched in FY 2014 and served 27 entities--households as
well as the staff of various Tribal programs. So far, this program has
been very popular and is working to increase day-to-day Keres use, but
additional funds are needed to sustain Acoma's innovative approaches to
language revitalization.
Support for S. 410, S. 1163, and S. 1928
The Pueblo of Acoma supports the Native language provisions of S.
410, S. 1163, and S. 1928 as important steps toward assisting Tribal
communities in their efforts to preserve, maintain, and revitalize
their Native languages. In particular, S. 1163 would amend the Native
American Programs Act of 1974 to reauthorize the ANA grant program
through FY 2020. This reauthorization is critical, as there are many
Native language programs in need of support. As the ANA's letter
declining Acoma's application for Esther Martinez funding indicated,
resources are extremely limited such that not all eligible applicants
are able to receive these vital resources. Additionally, Acoma supports
S. 1163's revisions to the grant program, which would lower the number
of children required to form language nests and language survival
schools and extend the duration of grants to up to five years. This
added flexibility is important to enable Tribes to design programs that
best fit their needs.
Acoma also supports the expansion of programs to support Native
language and culture in S. 410. The bill's exemption of Native language
teachers from Elementary and Secondary Education Act (``ESEA'')
qualification requirements and its mandate that states develop a
licensure or certification process for Native language teachers. As
stated above, Acoma has had difficulty getting Native language teachers
certified in New Mexico public schools. Tribal standards and processes
for selecting the individuals entrusted with passing on our Native
languages--and with them, important aspects of our cultures and
traditions--should be respected by states. S. 410 would also amend the
Native American Programs Act of 1974 to reauthorize appropriations for
grants through 2019. This reauthorization is critical to providing
Tribal language programs much-needed support.
Finally, Acoma supports S. 1928's provisions to support and train
Native language educators. The bill would cancel loans for Native
language immersion teachers and create a Native Language Teacher
Training Program. As our communities are losing more and more fluent
speakers as elders pass on, it becomes increasingly important that
younger generations dedicate themselves to becoming fluent in their
Native languages and becoming equipped to pass on these languages to
others.
Conclusion
In closing, I would like to say Da'waeh, which means thank you.
Thank you for this opportunity to provide testimony about our Aak'um'e
Dzeeni, our Acoma language. And thank you for taking up these important
bills to help us in our struggle against language loss. These
legislative efforts are important not just to Acoma, but to Tribal
people throughout the United States.
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Mr. MoQuino. We
appreciate your testimony and those good wishes.
Thank you.
Dr. Martinez.
STATEMENT OF GLENABAH MARTINEZ, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY
OF NEW MEXICO
Ms. Martinez. [Greeting in Native language.]
Chairman Barasso, Vice Chairman Tester, and distinguished
members of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, my name is
Glenabah Martinez. I am from the Pueblo Nation of Taos and the
Navajo Nation. I am honored to be present today at your
hearing.
I was born and raised at Taos Pueblo where I learned about
my cultural and linguistic traditions through daily life. My
parents and grandparents were instrumental in teaching me how
to speak my Native language, how to conduct myself in ceremony
and how to live in harmony with the earth.
I honor my grandparents and their wisdom as they guided
their children and grandchildren to honor the integrity of our
cultural sovereignty at Taos Pueblo and to set goals for
academic achievement in western education without compromising
our cultural foundation and core values as indigenous people.
On behalf of the College of Education at UNM, I appreciate
the opportunity to present to the Senate Committee on Indian
Affairs our support of the BUILD Act. My testimony will focus
on two components, on the language and cultural education
component and teacher and administrator cultural competence of
Native American learners.
Today, as this Committee reviews this vital and important
Act, our hope is that this body will affirm its commitment to
excellence in educational services provided for Native
students, families, Native nations and leadership.
As stated prior by the two speakers here, we also support
the reauthorization of the Esther Martinez Native American
Languages Act because it is critical for tribal language
initiatives that target early childhood populations.
While standard Federal programs such as Head Start have
been the primary source of preschool and early childhood
education, Native language maintenance has often been afforded
less emphasis in those programs in the mistaken belief that
earlier and earlier introductions to English will benefit our
children.
In reality, it has resulted in those preschool generations
at a loss for Native language development.
In retrospect, many Native tribes are now reconsidering how
important it is for young children to establish a firm
foundation in the Native language. This has moved an increasing
number of them to initiate early childhood language
initiatives.
However, as in school-based language programs, there is
much needed support for continued professional development for
preschool and early childhood educators.
A second component of the Act emphasizes the importance of
tribal leaders and members to teach Native languages in
schools. In New Mexico, we have the 520 Alternative Certificate
that was established in 2002.
This process allows fluent speakers to teach Native
languages in public schools. The tribe determines the
proficiency of the Native language person who applies for the
certificate and the State's Public Education Department follows
the lead of the tribe in issuing this three year and nine year
renewal certificate.
A critical aspect of this process is the training needed
for speakers who have never taught language in a school
setting. This is currently available to tribes in New Mexico
through UNM. UNM offers these services as IHE and does outreach
to all 22 tribal nations in our State as well as in others.
The third component of the bill seeks to allow standards
assessments, classroom lessons and teaching strategies to be
modified to accommodate diverse cultural and language learning
needs.
New Mexico is a geographic site with 22 sovereign Native
nations. Students in pre-K to 12 settings in our State can be
found in both urban and rural settings attending a wide range
of schools.
It is equally important to recognize cultural education
that takes place within specific Native nations through active
participation in culturally specific ceremonial life. This non-
western centered education embarks centuries old knowledge and
skills that pre-date European contact.
It is critical that curriculum instruction and assessment
not only be culturally relevant but also be culturally
sustaining.
The 13 Native faculty in the College of Education at UNM
recognizes the urgency of preparing Native and non-Native
teachers and administrators to provide Native students in New
Mexico with a quality education.
It is in this context that we developed 21 student learning
outcomes that pre-service teacher education candidates should
meet in their programs of study for certification from early
childhood to high school.
In conclusion, we make the following recommendations. One,
we recommend that the BUILD Act provide for expansion of the
Esther Martinez Act to include a specific focus on training
support for early childhood teacher education programs.
Two, we recommend the BUILD Act provide the support for
training collaborations between tribal nations and local tribal
colleges and universities with faculty expertise and experience
with Native language initiatives.
Three, we recommend the BUILD Act provide support for
university-based teacher programs and initiatives focused
specifically on developing teacher and administrator cultural
competency in working with Native American students building
teacher pipelines to attract Native American students into the
teaching profession.
Finally, we recommend the BUILD Act support collaborative
initiatives between tribes and local colleges of education to
assist in technical assistance and capacity building.
I applaud this Committee and Senator Tom Udall for taking
action on the quality of education Native American students,
families and Native nations receive. I believe it is in this
spirit of love for humanity that injustices can be addressed
and corrected for our youth, families and indigenous peoples as
a means of ensuring educational justice and equity.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Mr. Vice Chairman for granting
me this opportunity to speak to you today. I look forward to
addressing any questions you or your Committee members may
have.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Martinez follows:]
Prepared Statement of Glenabah Martinez, Associate Professor,
University of New Mexico
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Doctor Martinez.
Ms. Accardi.
STATEMENT OF MICHELLE ACCARDI, DIRECTOR, STATE
POLICY AND OUTREACH, NATIONAL BOARD FOR
PROFESSIONAL TEACHING STANDARDS
Ms. Accardi. Thank you, Chairman Barrasso, Vice Chairman
Tester and distinguished Committee members for the opportunity
to speak on the Native Educator Support and Training, or NEST,
Act.
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is a
proud supporter of the NEST Act. My name is Michelle Accardi
and I am a National Board Certified Teacher.
For fourteen years I was a special education teacher in
Albuquerque, New Mexico's public schools. I also had the
privilege of working with students as a teacher and consultant
at two Bureau of Indian Education-affiliated schools on the
Laguna and Zia Pueblos in New Mexico.
In November of 2011, I became the Director of State Policy
for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in
Arlington, Virginia.
In my office in Arlington, I have a picture of my last
class in Albuquerque that rests alongside a small piece of
pottery. The pot was a farewell gift from Douglas and his
grandparents. Douglas was a Native American student that I
worked with for three years.
He had faced many hardships in his young life and was being
raised by his grandparents. As much as they wanted to keep him
close to his family and their roots in their tribal community,
his special needs could not be adequately addressed by the
teachers there. They made the difficult choice to bring him to
live in Albuquerque.
I am proud to say that I was able to work with Douglas and
help him to make great progress in his reading, math, and
social skills. I still smile when I think of the jokes he loved
to tell and how excited he would get when he had the joy of
telling his grandmother that he had done well on a lesson.
It breaks my heart when I think about how much he missed by
not being in the community that he loved and not learning his
traditions, culture, language, and family. Native families
should not have to relocate to find the best teachers for their
children.
As I work at the National Board to develop initiatives and
policies to bring more Board-certified teachers into the
classrooms that need them most, I see the butterfly pattern on
that small pot and think of Douglas.
I thank you for the opportunity to discuss the National
Board Certification and our outreach to Native American
educators and educators who teach Native American students, and
why the NEST Act is critical for expanding these efforts.
The National Board is a nonprofit organization dedicated to
the advancement of the teaching profession for the benefit of
all teachers and all students. The National Board's rigorous
certification process defines, develops, and assesses quality
teaching, with a proven connection to improved student learning
and achievement.
Similar to the professional boards in the fields of
medicine, architecture and engineering, National Board
Certification assures the public, parents, families, and
communities, that the teachers who educate our children are
experts in their field and have the skills to help all students
learn.
Two critical components of Board certification are
reflective practice and collaboration among peers, family and
community to improve student learning. As I went through the
process, I developed a laser-like focus in identifying what did
well and what I could improve the next time to make sure my
students' learning advanced.
More than a decade of research from across the country
confirms that students taught by board-certified teachers learn
more than students taught by other teachers. The positive
impact of having board-certified teachers is even greater for
minority and low income students.
Unfortunately, currently there are only approximately ten
board-certified teachers in BIE-affiliated schools nationwide.
In contrast, as of November 2015, more than 110,000 teachers
across the Nation have achieved board certification, including
152 in Montana, 585 in Wyoming and 969 in New Mexico.
We all know the tremendous struggles faced by Native
American students and that students at BIE schools historically
have lower graduation rates and lower scores on national and
State assessments than their counterparts in many public
schools.
To help address these inequities, in 2014, the National
Board began a partnership with the Bureau of Indian Education
designed to make board certification the norm among BIE
teachers. More specifically, this projects aims to support the
BIE in reaching its goal of 1,000 board certified teachers in
BIE-affiliated schools by the year 2020.
Any plan to grow the number of NBCTs serving Native
students must address the challenges and context of the schools
themselves while recognizing the logistical, pedagogical and
cultural advantages of having students taught by members of
their community.
This project will support BIE-affiliated teachers in the
development and validation of their knowledge and skills,
setting a clear pathway towards board certification.
The BIE is currently funding candidate support, bonuses for
certification completion and salary increases for teachers who
achieve certification. The BIE is also funding mentoring and
support for candidates for board certification.
Professional development of existing staff supported by
resources from the National Board is a critical strategy in
this work. The initiative provides support to increase the
instructional capacity of those teachers who are not yet
eligible or ready for certification.
For instance, the National Board is providing teachers in
BIE schools with access to videos and reflective papers of
board-certified teachers through a newly-launched ATLAS online
library.
After the first year of the project, I am happy to report
that more than 350 teachers in BIE-affiliated schools have
begun their journey to board certification. The work is off to
a promising start.
The NEST Act is critical to accelerating these efforts and
expanding their impact on teachers and students. The National
Board is particularly pleased that the bill provides support
for teachers to pursue board certification and recognizes
teachers who have achieved certification through additional
compensation.
The bill, in addition to promoting board certification
among teachers in BIE-affiliated schools, helps to strengthen
teaching and learning in tribal schools and other schools with
high concentrations of Native American students.
On behalf of the National Board, I thank you for the
opportunity to speak with you regarding these critical issues
and I am happy to take any questions.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Accardi follows:]
Prepared Statement of Michelle Accardi, Director, State Policy and
Outreach, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
Thank you Chairman Barrasso, Vice Chairman Tester, and
distinguished committee members for the opportunity to speak on the
Native Educator Support and Training, or NEST, Act. The National Board
for Professional Teaching Standards is a proud supporter of the NEST
Act.
My name is Michelle Accardi and I am a National Board Certified
Teacher. For fourteen years I was a special education teacher in New
Mexico in the Albuquerque Public Schools. I also had the privilege of
working with students as a teacher and consultant at two Bureau of
Indian Education affiliated schools (BIE schools) on the Laguna and Zia
Pueblos in New Mexico. In November of 2011, I became the Director of
State Policy for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
in Arlington, Virginia.
In my office in Arlington, I have a picture of my last class in
Albuquerque that rests alongside a small piece of pottery. The pot was
a farewell gift from Douglas and his grandparents. Douglas was a Native
American student that I worked with for three years. He had faced many
hardships in his young life and was being raised by his Grandparents.
As much as they wanted to keep him close to his family and his roots in
their community, his special needs could not be adequately addressed by
the teachers there. They made the difficult choice to bring him to live
in Albuquerque. I am proud to say that I was able to work with Douglas
and help him to make great progress in his reading, math, and social
skills. I still smile when I think of the jokes he loved to tell and
how excited he would get when he was able to tell his grandmother that
he had done well on a lesson. I am still sad when I think of how much
he missed by not being able to stay in the community he loved, learning
his traditions, culture, language, and family. Going and visiting home
every few weekends simply was not the same. Native families should not
have to relocate to find the best teachers for their child. As I work
at the National Board to develop initiatives and policies to bring more
Board Certified teachers into the classrooms that need them most, I see
the butterfly pattern on that small pot and think of Douglas.
I thank you for the opportunity to bring you information about
National Board Certification and our outreach to Native American
educators and all educators who teach Native American students--and why
the NEST Act is critical for expanding these efforts.
For 25 years, the National Board for Professional Teaching
Standards has been at the forefront in establishing the highest measure
of teaching excellence. The National Board for Professional Teaching
Standards is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of
the teaching profession for the benefit of all teachers and all
students. The National Board's rigorous certification process defines,
develops, and assesses quality teaching, with a proven connection to
improved student learning and achievement. National Board Certification
assures the public--parents, families, and communities--that the
teachers who educate our children are experts in their field and have
the skills to help all students learn.
More specifically, National Board Certification is an advanced
credential which indicates that a teacher demonstrates high levels of
content and pedagogical knowledge and skill for their specific area of
teaching. Similar to professional boards in the fields of medicine,
architecture, and engineering, the National Board for Professional
Teaching Standards has established the standards and assessments to
measure what effective teachers should know and be able to do in their
classrooms. Board Certified teachers provide evidence that they are
lifelong learners who are able to translate their knowledge to
students.
Reflection is at the center of everything that a Board Certified
teacher does. Every lesson can be improved, every child can learn more
tomorrow. The certification process requires that teachers not only
submit video of their teaching, but detailed analytic papers explaining
their evidence that they are meeting the standards and reflecting on
what they can do better. As I went through the process, I developed a
laser-like focus on identifying what I did well and what I could
improve the next time to ensure my students learning advanced. If I
expect my students to improve every day, I must always be seeking ways
to improve as their teacher.
Board certification emphasizes collaboration among peers and family
and community engagement. Board-certified teachers develop
relationships with the family members, community leaders, and other
teachers and professionals who support that student. They also seek to
collaborate with other expert teachers in their school to improve
student learning, analogous to the natural and common consultations
among medical specialists working with the same patient.
More than a decade of research from across the country confirms
that students taught by Board-certified teachers learn more than
students taught by other teachers. A study mandated by Congress and
conducted by the National Research Council reached this conclusion in
2008 in its comprehensive review of studies of National Board
Certification up until that time. \1\ Estimates of the increase in
learning by students of Board-certified teachers average an additional
one to two months of learning gains. \2\ The positive impact of having
a Board-certified teacher is even greater for minority and low-income
students. \3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ National Research Council, Assessing Accomplished Teaching:
Advanced-Level Certification Programs (Washington, D.C.: The National
Academies Press, 2008).
\2\ Strategic Data Project (2012). SDP Human Capital Diagnostic:
Los Angeles Unified School District. Center for Education Policy
Research, Harvard University.
\3\ LCavalluzzo, L.C. (2004). Is National Board Certification an
effective signal of teacher quality? The CNA Corporation; D. Goldhaber
and E. Anthony, ``Can teacher quality be effectively assessed?'' The
Review of Economics and Statistics 89, no. 1 (2007): 134-50.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Earlier this year, two separate groups of independent researchers
released new studies finding Board-certified teachers are more
effective at advancing student learning than non-Board-certified
teachers. \4\ To cite one of those studies, researchers Dan Goldhaber
and James Cowan focused on Washington State: ``Board-certified teachers
are more effective than non-certified teachers with similar
experience.'' \5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ J. Cowan and D. Goldhaber, National Board Certification and
Teacher Effectiveness: Evidence from Washington (Bothell, Wash.: The
Center for Data and Research, University of Washington, 2015), http://
www.cedr.us/papers/working/CEDR%20WP%202015-3_NBPTS%20Cert.pdf; L.
Cavalluzzo et al., From Large Urban to Small Rural Schools: An
Empirical Study of National Board Certification and Teaching
Effectiveness (Arlington, Va.: CAN Analysis and Solutions, 2015),
https://web.mail.comcast.net/service/home//
?auth=co&loc=en_US&id=400532&part=2.
\5\ J. Cowan and D. Goldhaber, National Board Certification and
Teacher Effectiveness: Evidence from Washington (Bothell, Wash.: The
Center for Data and Research, University of Washington, 2015), http://
www.cedr.us/papers/working/CEDR%20WP%202015-3_NBPTS%20Cert.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unfortunately, currently, there are only approximately 10 Board-
certified teachers in BIE-affiliated schools nationwide. In contrast,
as of November 2015, more than 110,000 teachers across the nation have
achieved National Board Certification, including 152 Board-certified
teachers in Montana, 585 Board-certified teachers in Wyoming, and 969
Board-certified teachers in New Mexico.
We all know the tremendous struggles faced by Native American
students and that students at BIE schools historically have lower
graduation rates and lower scores on national and state assessments
than many of their counterparts in public schools.
To help address these inequities, in 2014, the National Board began
a partnership with the Bureau of Indian Education to help teachers in
BIE-affiliated schools become Board certified. The effort overall is
designed to make Board Certification the norm among BIE teachers. More
specifically, this project aims to support the BIE in reaching its goal
of 1,000 Board certified teachers in BIE schools by the year 2020. Such
a magnitude of accomplished teachers would constitute a critical mass
leading the learning of BIE students to high levels.
Any plan to grow the number of NBCTs must address the challenges
and contexts of the schools themselves. For the BIE, the challenges of
rural schools coupled with the logistical, pedagogical, and cultural
advantages of having students taught by members of their community lead
to a clear principle guiding this project's work. This project will
support BIE teachers in the development and validation of their
knowledge and skills--setting a clear pathway toward Board
certification.
The BIE is providing funding for candidate fee support, bonuses for
certification component completion and salary increases for teachers
who achieve certification. The BIE is also providing funding for
mentoring and support of candidates for National Board Certification.
In addition, the initiative provides support to increase the
instructional capacity of teachers who are not yet eligible or ready
for certification. For instance, the National Board is providing
teachers in BIE schools with access to videos and reflective papers of
Board-certified teachers through a newly-launched ATLAS online library.
By fostering a dialogue among all 4,000 BIE teachers and supporting
teachers in their pre-service and early-career development, the
initiative builds a self-sustaining culture of professional learning
and peer support. Professional development of existing staff, supported
by resources from the National Board, is a critical strategy in this
work given the difficulty BIE faces in attracting teachers and
principals to remote locations.
In short, the project is creating an expectation and a pathway for
teachers in BIE-affiliated schools to achieve certification, which
includes support and resources for achieving this goal.
After the first year of the project, I'm happy to report that more
than 350 teachers in BIE-affiliated schools have begun their journey
towards board certification and are regularly participating in
mentoring sessions led by Board-certified teachers to increase their
instructional capacity, ultimately benefiting the students in these
schools.
This work is off to a promising start. The NEST Act is critical to
accelerating these efforts and expanding their impact on teachers and
students. The National Board is particularly pleased that the bill
provides support for teachers to pursue Board certification and
recognize teachers that have achieved Board certification through
additional compensation, both of which encourage more teachers to
strengthen their teaching so it meets the profession's high standards.
The bill, through promoting Board certification among teachers in BIE-
affiliated schools, helps to strengthen teaching and learning in tribal
schools and other schools with high concentrations of Native American
students.
On behalf of the National Board, I thank you for the opportunity to
speak with you regarding these critical issues and I'm happy to take
any questions.
The Chairman. Thank you, Ms. Accardi.
We will start questioning at this time and I would like to
turn to Senator Udall.
Senator Udall. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman.
Lieutenant Governor MoQuino, you mentioned in your
testimony that Acoma had some difficulty getting Native
language teachers certified by the State of New Mexico. Can you
tell me more about the barriers you have encountered and how
these barriers impacted students?
Mr. MoQuino. We have had issues within the State of New
Mexico because, as I mentioned, our elderly are the ones who
speak fluently and that is who we look up to. The State wants
them to go back to school to get a certified teacher
certificate.
We get comments from our communities of why do I have to go
back to school to get a certified teacher certificate? Do they
teach that class in Keres? I say, no, they do not. They say,
why do we have to go back to school to get certified to teach
our own Native language? That is the issue.
Senator Udall. They are telling the elders who have spoken
this language sometimes for 70 or 80 years that they have to go
back and get a degree in order to learn how to teach the
language to the younger people?
Mr. MoQuino. Exactly.
Senator Udall. That is a big barrier.
Mr. MoQuino. Yes, it is.
Senator Udall. We have to work on that. We really have to
work on that one.
You were the beneficiary of an Esther Martinez grant at the
Acoma Pueblo. This grant allowed you to develop a language NEST
only to be shuttered when the funding was withdrawn as you
mentioned in your testimony.
Mr. MoQuino. Right.
Senator Udall. Can you tell us a little more about the
importance of that program and the progress it was making?
Mr. MoQuino. Sure. The language NEST is we get a lot of our
young kids to learn and teach our traditional culture and
language from birth on up to five years old. As I mentioned,
that is very beautiful to hear a younger kid growing up saying
in our Native language, as I mentioned, Guuwaatsii, hello.
We want our kids to learn that language as we grow up. As
tribal administration, in this position, we encourage our young
men to learn the language because you never know when they
might be in this position.
That is how we encourage them. We would like that language
NEST from Esther Martinez to keep going forward. That is what
we see within our community with the people up at Acoma.
Senator Udall. Thank you, Mr. MoQuino, for those comments.
Turning now to Dr. Martinez, you have been spearheading
some very innovative efforts at the University of New Mexico to
recruit and retain more Native educators in New Mexico.
Can you talk a bit more about the American Indian Educator
Mentor Program and other initiatives that seem to be working?
Ms. Martinez. This is one of about 13 programs. What we
have here is in the written testimony but the mentor program
was recently established by Dr. Christine Sims. We are the CPIs
of this project. It has ECMC private funding. We only have
funding for two years.
With this project, we will be able to provide stipends. We
cannot provide scholarships but we can provide stipends for
people seeking certification in the secondary area in the STEM
fields as well as history, language arts and physical
education.
We are hoping to attract young people who are maybe in
their junior or senior years and may be working on a degree in
biology, history or math and tell them about the great love of
teaching and talk about the contributions they can make to
society. That is one of the grants we have.
Native faculty at the College of Education are all former
practitioners, whether we were counselors, teachers or
administrators. Our mere presence in the College of Education,
you can see I look pretty Native, but to see someone like that
on faculty and know they are pursuing research, like Terri
Flowerday with the Indigenous Research Lab, that we are really
trying hard to recruit and retain Native students at the
graduate and under graduate level.
Senator Udall. You have a career's worth of experience in
teaching and Native education. Have you seen improvements over
this time or do you think the current state of education for
Native students is worse than a decade ago?
Ms. Martinez. Quantitatively speaking, if you look at the
dropout rates and proficiency rates on high stakes testing, I
would say statistically we are not improving. Part of that can
be attributed to the modifications in part to ELL, English
language learners, the fact that there are very little
modifications, if any, in that area.
Qualitatively, I would say that you probably have a growing
number of Native educators who are very attentive to the needs
of Native youth. For example, I work with incarcerated Native
American youth at a State run detention facility. These are
maximum security youth who hopefully will leave the facility or
maybe go on to an adult facility.
The qualitative element of that is to teach Native studies
and talk about sovereignty, optimism and history, like Alcatraz
and things of that sort, to see them and how they view their
lives and how they begin to see themselves not as an individual
fighting against many negative challenges but empowering
themselves through knowledge.
Qualitatively as an educator, I can see a difference when
you talk to them about issues related to them in not only a
culturally relevant way but in a culturally sustaining way,
honoring who we are as Native people.
Senator Udall. Thank you.
Thank you to all of today's witnesses.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Thank you very much, Senator Udall.
Senator Franken, I think you are next.
Senator Franken. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you all for your testimony.
Promoting Native American languages is not just about the
language itself, it is also about the history interwoven into
that language or with that language. Lieutenant Governor
MoQuino called it ``the conduit by which our culture is
transmitted.''
That is why bills like Senator Udall's that support the
vitality of Native languages are so important.
We have seen and heard from your testimony the benefits of
instruction in Native languages. In some schools where
indigenous language is the primary language of instruction, we
have seen improved graduation rates and better college
enrollment rates than in schools where Native American students
are taught only in English.
Beyond the academic benefits, there are significant
cognitive, psychological and cultural benefits from the
American language immersion programs. That is why I fought to
include language in the K through 12 education reauthorization
that will create language immersion programs in Indian country.
Dr. Martinez, let us start where you left off. What are the
key benefits that you and other researchers have identified to
Native language immersion and instruction programs?
Ms. Martinez. One the primary benefits is that it
establishes a strong cultural, linguistic foundation for Native
youth to navigate later on as they go through elementary,
middle school and high school education.
Especially in New Mexico, we have a range of students, some
youth who have a very strong cultural and linguistic
foundation, like myself. I grew up hearing the language and
learning about ceremony as part of my being raised at Taos
Pueblo.
Youth who have primarily grown up in urban areas, cities
and so on, who may be a combination of many different tribes,
maybe half Native and half African-American or half Hispanic,
oftentimes because they are in an urban setting, it is very
difficult for them sometimes to understand their identities
because they do not hear the language around them all the time.
Social media is full of language. The English language is a
hegemonic device. It is very much out there. It is everywhere
around you. The difficulty then is to try to teach a language
and maintain it on a daily basis so it is not just something
where you know the alphabet and can identify objects but it
becomes part of the way you view yourself and the world.
Senator Franken. This is for anyone. We have talked a lot
about cultural trauma. Is there a connection between learning
your language, your cultural language and a healing of that
trauma?
Ms. Martinez. I will defer to someone else. Maybe Mr.
MoQuino would like to address that?
Mr. MoQuino. To answer that, yes, there is a very strong
healing within our own language and just talking to people.
Kids who get in trouble, as administrators, we go to schools,
as I mentioned. We tell them to continue their education and be
good. We use the three R's. I do not know if you know the three
R's. It is not reading, writing and arithmetic.
It is respect, responsibility and reflection. Respect your
school, respect your teachers, respect your parents, respect
yourself. Have responsibility for yourself, the things you do
at school and at home and everyplace else in your tribal
culture. Reflection, look at yourself in the mirror. Who do you
see?
That is what we encourage. It inspires our younger kids to
really think it over and say yes, those are very healthy,
healing type words we like to hear both in English and in our
Native language at Acoma.
Senator Franken. Dr. Martinez, I only have about 20 seconds
left but do you want to answer that?
Ms. Martinez. I was going to say yes. If you want, I can
send you some research on that which does show a direct link
between healing from historical trauma and cultural language
programs because there is data out there.
Senator Franken. I would love to see that. We will make
sure you get my contact information.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Senator Heitkamp.
STATEMENT OF HON. HEIDI HEITKAMP,
U.S. SENATOR FROM NORTH DAKOTA
Senator Heitkamp. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Building on what Senator Franken discussed, I think we
would all like to see that because we are all in this process
of trying to figure out what is the new dynamic, where have we
failed so spectacularly when you look at the numbers in terms
of growth and opportunity, in terms of pride and respect and
responsibility and reflection.
I think several of us on this Committee, including Senator
Franken and myself, have come to believe that in order to
restore or really begin to grow, we need to do a little more of
that reflection. We need to be responsible for the reflection.
Language is a big building block, a big foundational part in
understanding who people are as they try to either put back
their life or grow a different life than what they have seen
around themselves.
I want to reflect on language programs in two ways. Number
one is quality and sustainability. I think Senator Franken gave
me a quick look when you said only 10 teachers in the BIE
system today are in fact certified. We find that to be less
than appropriate, less than responsible behavior.
Yet we have this conflict with language programs where we
do not necessarily want to make that certification a barrier to
developing that building block of restoration of language and
rebuilding culture.
This is for anyone. I will tell you that the elders in my
communities in Indian country frequently are concerned
sometimes with the language programs because the language that
is being taught does not reflect what they have learned.
Who is the better keeper than an elder and someone who
basically spent the great part of their life speaking the
language? How do we balance those two issues which is the need
for qualified with board certification, as you pointed out in
terms of outcomes, but also taking a look at how this is truly
different, language programs are truly different? How do we
balance that?
I will ask you, Ms. Robinson. How do you bridge that gap
when you look at the programs for which you are responsible?
Ms. Robinson. It certainly is a difficult balance. I have
to say looking through the bills and hearing some of the
witnesses today, one of the methods that has proven to be
effective is for the State or the board certification process
to work with the tribe so that the tribe is able to do an
alternative certification of these elders who are in the
classrooms working with the teachers.
One of the projects I mentioned in Montana was the Cuts
Wood School and talked specifically about elders working with
the teachers in the classroom and increasing the proficiency
level of Native languages for 30 students. I believe New Mexico
has alternative certifications.
One of the things we promote or support under ANA is for
tribes to work with local education agencies or SEAs to figure
out how to determine the best people are to be in the classroom
to do Native language teaching.
Senator Heitkamp. Ms. Martinez, you seem to be nodding your
head. Do you believe that this alternative process that has
been adopted will, in fact, take care of the problem as I see
it which is we want people who truly know the language to be
the teachers of the language?
Ms. Martinez. Yes. My colleague, Dr. Christine Sims and I
have worked on this program. We do have an alternative
education certification program. It has been very successful.
As an example, we have the Keres Children's Language
Center, the KCLC, which is a Montessori school located in
Cochiti Pueblo for children between the ages of three and five
years old. Trisha Moquino was one of my former graduates. She
is a founder of this school.
They have worked successfully in using the Keres language
as a Native instruction and now they have added a kindergarten
and first grade to continue that instruction.
Another example of this is Jemez Pueblo at Walatowa. The
tribal council has mandated that their Head Start program make
the transition to full Towa immersion program in order to
maintain their Towa language system.
The same thing has been happening at my Pueblo of Taos
where we have the Tiwa Baby Program and the Head Start program.
Senator Heitkamp. Do you feel comfortable that in all those
programs the language being taught is, in fact, the historic
and cultural language?
Ms. Martinez. It is because of the people who teach and the
program that Christine Sims runs.
The concern is that we need to have further support. I was
just telling a friend of mine that a lot of this work we do pro
bono. We use a lot of our own resources. It would be great if
we had some kind of funding source to continue this work.
Senator Heitkamp. Mr. Chairman, may I be indulged with one
additional question?
The Chairman. Please do.
Senator Heitkamp. That is sustainability. Obviously there
are not enough resources to cover all the programs that want
these resources. I think a number of you have suggested
extensions or looking at a longer period of time.
I think we have to say what additional stress does that put
on additional tribal entities that would like to see access to
these programs which will not get access if we extend the time
period.
Ms. Robinson, how do you respond to the concern about
sustainability of these programs and how can we extend these
resources?
Ms. Robinson. We share the same concerns about
sustainability. It breaks our hearts when we hear that we
funded an Esther Martinez program at Acoma that was doing well
but once the project period was over, they were no longer able
to continue operation of the program.
Five years, while it would make a difference, we realize
there is still a lot to do. ANA, unfortunately, is not designed
to do long term, sustainable types of programs but more so
short term projects.
I think the NEST is one way to begin to take a look at how
we can incorporate more long term, sustainable programming,
looking at the Department of Education, the Department of
Interior and the projects they have and how they are supporting
and promoting Native languages.
I think ANA is there to help with teacher certifications,
curriculum development and do a lot of the supplemental and
additional activities that need to be done but we are not I
think the proper source to do the long term sustainability.
Senator Heitkamp. I think that is right but I think the
question is when do we see a program at that level where it
then can launch independently or launch into BIE programming or
into public school programming? That is my concern.
My concern is we have picked an arbitrary number and it may
not be enough to prove the fact that we want these programs to
be sustainable and we can achieve different outcomes if they
are.
Ms. Robinson. I am excited that this year we are going to
be doing a different competition or an additional competition
that is taking a look at the continuum of education across the
community.
What we are hoping will come as a result or an outcome is
there will be long term, sustainable educational programming in
the Native languages starting at the early childhood level,
going through K through 12 and through higher education.
It is five years initially. It is a demonstration project
so it will be a cohort. We will be providing extensive,
intensive and focused training and technical assistance,
treating these grants as cooperative agreements. We will be
working with them regularly.
We will convene them regularly to help develop what data
should be collected, what rigorous evaluation would look like,
how we will measure success, how to standardize procedures that
seem to be working and how to really build an evidence base.
Hopefully after that five years, we will be able to do
another five years. Again, we understand that this is sort of
piecemeal but we are hoping to be able to show at the end of
the first five years that we can build this sustainability if
we put the initial investment first.
Senator Heitkamp. I have just a final comment. We hear this
all across the board, whether it is substance abuse programs,
additional programs for housing which is we have these kind of
new starts where we start something and we never see it
through. We have to figure out the sustainability piece of
this.
My time has expired. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the extra
few minutes.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Heitkamp.
I was going to ask Dr. Martinez if she could supply us with
that information both you and Senator Franken asked for? We
will insert it as part of the official record of today's
testimony.
Ms. Martinez. On trauma, language and cultural policy?
Okay.
The Chairman. Thank you.
Ms. Robinson, according to your written testimony, the
number of Native American language teachers diminished under No
Child Left Behind due to a lack of valid teacher assessments in
Native American languages.
The testimony highlighted one grant your agency awarded
which trained language apprentices to receive language teacher
certifications. The apprentices then gained relevant classroom
experience.
What has the Administration for Native Americans done to
increase, in the long run, the number of Native language
teachers in schools since the passage of the Esther Martinez
Native American Languages Preservation Act?
Ms. Robinson. The way the Esther Martinez and all of our
programs are designed is that they are community-driven. It is
a community approach and it is the community that is
prioritizing what they would like to do with regards to Native
languages.
We have highlighted and promoted model programs including a
master apprentice which was highlighted in our testimony as
well as other techniques to help teachers become immersion
language teachers and then be certified.
It really depends on the pool of applications that we
receive and how they are reviewed by their peers. We have a
peer panel review. Once it comes to us, it is really just a
matter of saying yes to the funding.
Because we do not have the grasp we would like in terms of
how many applications are received that are specifically
focused on professional development and certification of
teachers, we want to take a look now to see how many
applications come in specifically for that reason and how we
might be able to do a better job of providing additional
support specifically for those types of applications for
grants.
The Chairman. The Native American Programs Act has been on
the books for about 40 years. It requires you to collect and
disseminate information related to the social and economic
conditions of Native Americans. You are also required to submit
an annual report to Congress about the conditions.
Could you help the Committee understand how the language
programs in these bills will help to address the social and
economic conditions you have been evaluating in these reports?
Ms. Robinson. We are taking a look now at emerging research
and some of the research mentioned earlier which suggests
Native language which is intrinsically tied to Native culture
certainly serves as a protective factor for risky behavior and
behaviors that are not ideal for young people, students and
communities to live healthy lifestyles which in turn leads to
economic and social conditions of not just that individual but
of that family, that community or that tribe.
We are looking now at the data we have with regard to what
language programs have we funded, what improvements have we
seen with regard to what the language programs are reporting to
us in terms of the outcomes they determined for themselves and
how that relates to what we hope will be overall increased
social and economic conditions.
We are taking a look again at revamping how we are
reporting that information to Congress so that it is a useful
tool and not just a thick document that puts everything in
there and is hard to navigate.
We are very interested in your feedback and the feedback
from others in terms of additional information they would like
to see in that report.
The Chairman. Mr. MoQuino, the Pueblo of Acoma has a
language retention program. It is funded by the tribe and by
other sources. The program teaches the tribal languages in
local schools and hosts language immersion summer camps.
I was wondering if you could share with the Committee how
this program has positively impacted student academic
achievement and other benchmarks for success?
Mr. MoQuino. The language program is funded within our own
tribal appropriation funding. It inspires and we like to
encourage our kids to learn our language at a very young age
which will help them both in our traditional culture and as we
call it, the outside world.
That is why we like this program. We want support from
within the administration to keep it growing because, as I
mentioned, we are losing our language. We are. We are not
inspiring our young ones to learn the culture, the language.
Besides that, we rely on our elders. Our elders are the
ones who are very, very traditional, very fluent and that is
where we go back to. We like to get them involved a lot. It is
hard to get them to attend these language nests which there is
no more language nest.
To me, as I mentioned, we inspire our young ones to learn
the culture, learn the language so they can fully understand
how the system, the culture and traditions work.
The Chairman. Thank you.
Ms. Accardi, the Bureau of Indian Education blueprint for
reform contains several recommendations to reform Indian
education. One of the recommendations suggested that your
organization partner with the Bureau to help teachers pursue
teacher certification.
The goal would be to reach one thousand board certified
teachers in the Bureau of Indian Education schools by 2020.
I am a board certified orthopedic surgeon and worked
closely with the Department of Education of Wyoming and the
people who are working on board certification. I think it is a
very important part of any educational system.
Since the partnership has begun with the Bureau of Indian
Education, can you talk about what progress has been made to
increase standards for teachers who are language instructors
and generally how things are going with the certification
process?
Ms. Accardi. One of the aspects of the project that really
has exemplified the partnership between the Bureau of Indian
Education and board certified teachers would be the WoLakota
Project in South Dakota where they have a board certified
teacher who is working alongside with the tribal elders
collecting the stories and creating a curriculum that then goes
back into the classrooms so that the teachers are able to use
the stories and language of the elders as part of their
ongoing, daily lessons whether they are working with math or
social studies. They are promoting the language of the
children's culture.
Having the board certified teachers there really helped
that project to be able to hone in on the specific curriculum
points that needed to be enhanced and also made it very
comfortable for the elders who may not have had a lot of
experience in a classroom to know there was a board certified
teacher there to help them through the instructional hurdles
that might happen along the way without requiring them to get
additional certifications other than own language and culture.
In terms of the projects nationwide, as I stated we have
had about 350 teachers who have started. The first sets of
scores for the teachers will be coming out in the next few
weeks.
One part of the project with which we are very pleased is
the Bureau is not only providing bonuses for the teachers as
they complete each of the four components of board
certification but they have also come to them with a message
that this is a journey of growth so they will be able to
provide additional instruction, additional mentoring and will
pay for any required retakes.
It is not a project that is here and will be pulled
immediately if they are not immediately successful.
We are very committed to the fact that you cannot parachute
in people or projects to these locations and schools and expect
lasting success. The children of our first nations will
continue to be last until we build projects that begin in the
community and come back to the community.
As we expand our work, we are very hopeful we will be able
to reach the tribal colleges and begin working with pre-service
teachers, begin working with high school students so they see
becoming a teacher in their tribal community as a career that
is just as honorable and respected as being a doctor or lawyer.
That is where we see lasting sustainability as we increase
the number of board certified teachers to help these students
along that journey.
The Chairman. I think it is a terrific program. I encourage
you to continue along that route.
Thank you
Ms. Accardi. Thank you.
The Chairman. Are there any additional questions? If there
are no more questions for today, other members may also submit
written follow up questions to you for the record.
The hearing record will be open for two weeks.
I want to thank each of you for being here as witnesses
today.
This hearing is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 3:25 p.m., the Committee was adjourned.]
A P P E N D I X
Prepared Statement of Keiki Kawai`ae`a, Director, Ka Haka `Ula O
Ke`elikolani College of Hawaiian Language, University of Hawai`i at
Hilo
S. 1928 The Native Educator Support and Training Act (NEST Act)
Aloha Senators Barrasso and Tester,
On behalf of Ka Haka `Ula O Ke`elikolani College of Hawaiian
Language at UH Hilo, I humbly submit testimony in response and strong
consideration for the NEST Act. As a background, Ka Haka `Ula O
Ke`elikolani College has a charge from the State of Hawai`i to focus on
education with primary impact on Native Hawaiians and other Native
American peoples. To our knowledge, we are presently the only tertiary
education institution in the United States that is fully operating
preschool through doctorate education through the medium of a Native
American language. Our student body consists primarily of Native
Hawaiians, but also include American Indians, Alaska Natives and other
indigenous peoples. We are also part of a larger consortium and
coalition of programs in Hilo that results in many educational
professionals as visitors to our programs here.
Visitors typically spend most of their time at our P-12 laboratory
school Native language medium/immersion site Nawahiokalani`opu`u
(Nawahi) with some 400 students enrolled. Since our first high school
graduation in 1999 we have had an 87 percent immediate enrollment into
college from high school and not a single drop out. The students at
Nawahi School are over 95 percent of Native Hawaiian ancestry and
approximately 70 percent from free and reduced lunch backgrounds. Their
teachers have been trained and certified by our College here with the
curriculum of the school developed and produced under the leadership of
the College, including individuals who have graduated from our master's
and doctoral programs focused on indigenous language revitalization and
education through such languages.
Our work is based in the science of linguistics as well as the
careful alignment of academic programming with indigenous worldviews
and cultures.
The positive outcomes of Ka Haka `Ula O Ke`elikolani in providing
successful education to Native children through their endangered
ancestral language have not come with considerable struggle. That
struggle continues as the educational approaches of our College do not
easily fit into mainstream organizational structures of mainstream
funding opportunities. We are very much in support of S. 1928 as the
goals of the NEST Act have the potential to serve Native American
communities, including many who have visited us and continue to work
with us. This bill is important as it provides critical support for the
recruitment, preparation and on-going development of Native educators
who are needed to meet the needs of existing preschool to secondary
Native language education, as well as to assure program growth.
Attaining high levels of cultural, linguistic, and professional
proficiency of each Native language teacher is essential. This requires
the demonstration of language and culture knowledge, pedagogical
knowledge and skills, academic content knowledge and cultural and
professional disposition to develop the cultural competence and
academic achievement of students. Many of these requirements are
additional to ``normal'' teacher preparation requirements for new
teachers in mainstream English-medium schools and require specialized,
distinct preparation and ongoing development.
We also feel that a few modifications of the bill will make it
stronger. The following are our recommended changes:
1. First we recommend that, except for cases specifically
relating to existing programs, e.g., the Bureau of Indian
Education, the term Native American be used throughout the
bill. Such a change is especially important for those parts of
the bill that deal with education in and through Native
American languages. The Native American Languages Act of 1990
uses the inclusive term ``Native American'' and its inclusive
approach has played a major role in the high level of
cooperation among initiatives involving Native American
languages since then.
2. Second we recommend that the preparation of teachers
include attention to training in the delivery of content areas,
e.g., language arts, mathematics, science, social studies,
through Native American languages and the heritage of those
languages. Such attention to a range of academic fields
including STEM and STEAM will provide teacher candidates with a
holistic approach when combined with training in Native
American languages and in appropriate education pedagogy.
3. Title I: Educator Assistance
a. p. 5, 14 (I) Advanced Study--Revise: . . .leading to
initial teacher certification or an advanced degree in early
childhood, elementary, secondary education, school
administration, or Native language/culture education. . .
b. Strongly support comprehensive scholarship funding
package that covers tuition, educational expenses and a monthly
stipend, all of which will become an excellent recruitment
strategy and incentive. This is greatly needed to assist
fulltime study and on-time completion. Currently, the
availability of financial aid for graduate level programs is
difficult to obtain.
c. p. 16, 23 (1) . . .for recruitment and placement of
preschool, elementary. . .
d. Specify priority of fulltime employment within high need
area,, i.e. Hawaiian language immersion (pp 16-17)
4. Third, we recommend that in Sec 381 (d)(1) (A) and (B)
there be included opportunities to train program administers
and developers, with the suggested wording being:
(A) Development of a new Native American immersion and
language teacher training program that leads to state or tribal
teacher program administrator, or program developer
certification or an advanced degree in early childhood,
elementary, secondary education, language program
administration, or Native language/culture education.
(B) Support and expansion of an existing Native American
immersion and language teacher training program that leads to
state or tribal teacher, program administrator, or program
developer certification or an advanced degree in early
childhood, elementary, secondary education, language program
administration, or Native language/culture education.
(C) Fourth, we recommend that provisions for the use of
distance education, telecommunications, and summer institutes
be especially supported to allow teacher, program administrator
and program developer candidates from remote communities the
opportunity to participate in the benefits of the NEST Act
while also working in their home communities during the regular
school session.
5. Finally, we encourage that program also include a new (E)
after Sec. 381 (d)(2)(D) as follows:
and; (D) other activities that have the potential to further
strengthen education through Native American languages and the
ability of communities to sustain programs and schools taught
through Native American languages.
We extend our mahalo to Senators Tester, Franken and Heinrich
for introducing this important bill as it supports the
recruitment, preparation and on-going development of Native
educators who are needed to meet the needs of existing
preschool to secondary Native language schools, as well as to
assure the program growth. We urge that it be passed with
appropriate amendments as suggested above.
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