Native languages bill moves closer to House vote (fwd)

[phil cash cash]

Native languages bill moves closer to House vote

Posted: September 29, 2006
by: Jerry Reynolds / Indian Country Today
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?feature=yes&id=1096413745

WASHINGTON - A bill that would provide Department of Education funding
for Native language immersion schools passed the House of
Representatives late Sept. 27. It will now go to the Senate.

The Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act, H.R.
4766 in the House, was placed on the ''suspension calendar'' in hopes
it would get to the floor of the House for a vote before lawmakers take
their pre-election recess. Sponsored by Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., and
pushed by the National Indian Education Association among others, the
bill has been renamed to honor Martinez, a lifelong champion of the
Tewa tongue before her recent death in a car accident. The Ohkey
Owingeh (formerly San Juan Pueblo) elder was returning to New Mexico
from an honoring ceremony in Washington, in recognition of her
linguistic efforts, when her car was hit by an allegedly drunken
driver.

The bill and its subject matter had gained momentum in Congress
recently, but it was not expected to reach the floor following a field
hearing in Albuquerque, N.M., Aug. 31.

''What we've done is expand the vocabulary in Congress as it pertains to
Native language immersion,'' said Ryan Wilson, executive director of the
NIEA, of the bill's progress.

Support for the bill is based on scientific arguments that make two
points, he said. One is that the education of Indians in America simply
isn't working right now. Successful Indian students aren't a rarity,
''but they're more anomalous than they are the norm.''

The second scientific basis for the bill is that research is now
emerging, especially from Native Hawaii, to demonstrate that immersion
schooling in a heritage language creates an attachment to school and
learning that is not now commonly found at Indian schools. The research
suggests that Native language immersion schooling creates a sense of
ownership in a school and a say in individual destiny, Wilson said,
that ultimately leads students to love their learning, cherish their
teachers and value their days. These feelings underpin later academic
achievement, nostalgia for school days and alumni support.

''What the immersion school does is create a kinship system, a community
within the community. When you walk through those hallways, you feel
that.''

Native language immersion learning is not meant to displace English as
an everyday language. But Native students have not historically had a
chance to learn Native languages in an academic setting, Wilson said,
and that loss is connected to academic performance. Immersion learning
of heritage languages should be instituted at every level for Native
students, he added.

''What we need to do is create seamless learning venues'' - from Head
Start to kindergarten through elementary school, high school and
college.

Indians want Indian children to be the most educated students in the
nation, Wilson said. ''But it'll never happen under the exclusive
dominance of English.''