[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 48 (Thursday, April 27, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E666-E667]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            NATIVE AMERICAN LANGUAGES ACT AMENDMENTS OF 2006

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. ED CASE

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 27, 2006

  Mr. CASE. Mr. Speaker, I am most pleased to introduce the Native 
American Languages Amendments Act of 2006. This is a reintroduction in 
revised form of my bill, H.R. 2362, from the 108th Congress.

[[Page E667]]

  This vital legislation will authorize the Secretary of Education to 
provide grants to or enter into contracts with Native American language 
educational organizations, Native American language colleges, Indian 
tribal governments, organizations that demonstrate the potential to 
become Native American language educational organizations, or consortia 
of such entities, to establish Native American language nests for 
students under the age of 7 and their families. It will also authorize 
grants to operate, expand, and increase the number of Native American 
language survival schools throughout the country for Native American 
children and Native American language-speaking children.
  The bill also authorizes the establishment of four demonstration 
projects that will provide assistance to Native American language 
survival schools and Native American language nests. The programs 
selected are well known nationally: all have over ten years of highly 
successful operation, and are all Native American controlled.
  The demonstration sites range from a statewide system to a small 
localized program for under fifty students, and from programs 
restricted to elementary students to programs that go through high 
school and beyond. They include programs on reservations, programs in 
highly remote areas, and programs in urban areas. Students enrolled in 
them include children who are first language speakers and students from 
families where the language has not been spoken for three generations. 
They include programs with special strengths in teacher training and in 
resource materials development.
  The four sites selected are the four research sites in an ongoing 
national study of academic effectiveness by prominent Native American 
and non-Native American educational researchers and major research 
entities with extensive experience in the field. The demonstration 
programs are authorized to use technology in cooperating and 
coordinating their work with each other and with other participating 
Native American language programs. They will provide direction to the 
Secretary of Education in developing site visit evaluations of programs 
and may conduct follow-up data collection that will be valuable in 
providing direction to schools.
  Lastly, the bill provides direction relative to addressing barriers 
that have prevented Native Americans from accessing education in Native 
American languages. It also directs the Secretary of Education to 
provide for the inclusion of Native American language nests and Native 
American language survival schools in federal support for private 
schools and charter schools.
  The Native American Languages Amendments Act of 2006 is consistent 
with longstanding federal self-determination policies toward native 
peoples, which support the promotion of economic and social self-
sufficiency, as well as the preservation and revitalization of native 
culture, languages, art, history, religion, and values. Since language 
is a significant factor in the perpetuation of native cultures, the 
federal government enacted the Native American Languages Act of 1990 
urging federal support for Native American languages, and the Native 
American Languages Act Amendments of 1992 establishing a grant program 
at the Administration for Native Americans to fund the preservation of 
Native American languages. My bill continues this commitment by our 
federal government to ensure the survival of these unique cultures and 
languages.
  In my home state, I am proud that the people of Hawaii and the State 
of Hawaii have strongly supported the revitalization of Hawaiian 
culture, art, and language. In 1978, for example, the State of Hawaii 
wrote into its constitution a specific declaration that Hawaiian is one 
of our two official languages, along with English. This was a 
remarkable reversal from decades in which the very survival of the 
Native Hawaiian language was at risk due to benign neglect and to 
conscious efforts to discourage its use.
  There is also support for Hawaiian language programs in both our 
public and private schools. At the forefront of these efforts have been 
supporters of Aha Punana Leo, a Hawaiian language immersion program 
which has endeavored to include both students and parents in an 
exciting and innovative way to revitalize Hawaiian language and 
culture. Ms. Namaka Rawlins, Director of Aha Punana Leo, and her 
husband, Dr. William (Pila) Wilson, have been pivotal in these efforts. 
The lessons of family and community involvement in the preservation of 
the Hawaiian language that they and others have proven are and can be 
used by other native communities and cultures across the country.
  While the Aha Punana Leo program initially started with pre-school 
students, Hawaiian language survival schools were also established to 
allow for students to graduate from high school. Over 2,000 students 
are currently enrolled in Hawaiian language nests and survival schools. 
A Hawaiian language center--Hale Kuamoo--was eventually established at 
the University of Hawaii at Hilo with the collaboration of Aha Punana 
Leo as well as a Native College--Ka Haka Ula O Keelikolani College. 
Both programs have been crucial in providing training to teachers in 
Hawaiian language, college courses in Hawaiian, and graduate education 
in Hawaiian language and culture.
  The revitalization of the Hawaiian language in my state has been 
instrumental in the preservation of Hawaiian culture, which is 
important to all of us who call Hawaii home. Today's legislation will 
take this lesson nationwide in continuing the commitment made by the 
federal government in 1990 and the progress that has been made since 
that time to preserve Native American languages, including the Hawaiian 
language. Mahalo, and aloha.

                          ____________________