2009-01: Establish a NIEA Native Languages Working Group and White House Proposal

WHEREAS, the National Indian Education Association (NIEA) was established in 1970 for the purpose of advocating, planning, and promoting the unique and special educational needs of American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians; and

WHEREAS, NIEA as the largest national Indian organization of American Indian, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiian educators, administrators, parents and students in the United States, provides a forum to discuss and act upon issues affecting the education of Indian and Native people; and

WHEREAS, through its’ unique relationship with Indian nations and tribes, the federal government has established programs and resources to meet the educational needs of American Indians, Alaska Nativeand Native Hawaiians, residing on and off their reserved or non-reserved homelands; and

WHEREAS, NIEA has a long standing policy of supporting heritage language schools, Nativelanguage instruction in public BIE schools, and the overall integration of culturally responsive education;and

WHEREAS, this support and policy is reflected in NIEA Congressional testimony, NIEA board actions and NIEA membership resolutions including NEIA 08-03, NIEA08-04, NIEA 07-08, NIEA 07-12, and

WHEREAS, NIEA has supported the original Native American Languages Act, as well as amendments to NALA that led to the successful passage of the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act of 2006, and

WHEREAS, NIEA approached the White House in 2005 and requested a White House Initiative on Native languages, specifically to support immersion schools, and

WHEREAS, the White House was generally supportive of this request, and while they failed to advance an initiative on Native languages President Bush did sign into law the NALPA of 2006 on December 16th 2006, and

WHEREAS, President Obama made Native language Revitalization priority in his Native American platform while he was seeking the presidency of United States and

WHEREAS, it is crucial for NIEA and stakeholders to maintain momentum in the Native language revitalization movement and engage the White House to increase opportunities beyond existing programs and to inoculate immersion schools from adverse legislation, policy, and regulations promulgated by either the Federal government of State governments, and

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that NIEA Board members will form a working group comprised of NIEA board members and immersion school stakeholders to craft and approve a proposal for the White House concerning Native language issues, protecting language revitalization efforts especially immersion schools, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this working group will meet monthly via phone conference/webinar and email and will complete its work to craft a proposal within 90 days ofOctober 26th, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that NIEA does fully expect the Obama administration to honor the previous commitments it made to Native languages, and to ensure that this happens Indian country must have a hand in crafting a White House initiative/policy, and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that NIEA will advance to the White House in a timely manner the approved proposal from the established working group.