Grants Awarded

Grantee: Enemy Swim Day School
PR#: S415B220002
Project Name: Dakotah Iapi Kin Unhdukinipi: We Are Bringing Our Language Back to Life
Number of Students Served: 165 students
Tribe(s): Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe
Location: South Dakota
Grade Levels: Pre-K through Grade 8
Funding Amount: $333,969.00 Abstract Objective: This project has four primary goals: (1) increase the percentage of participating students who attain proficiency in the Dakotah Language as measured by the Stanford Foreign Language Oral Skills Evaluation Matrix (FLOSEM) by 5% by the end of the project; (2) improve student Dakotah Language learning by a minimum of 5 points annually as measured by Stanford FLOSEM; (3) increase by at least 80% the average number of participating students who meet or exceed expected academic growth as measured on the annual (fall to spring) Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment, and (4) increase participating student engagement in school by achieving higher attendance rates than peers in area schools, measured by comparing the combined average daily attendance rate for students in kindergarten through grade eight.
Population Served: 165 Pre-K through Grade 8 Students
Primary Activities: This project includes teaching through Dakotah Language immersion in classrooms and teaching the Dakotah Language in classes that do not have immersion using a variety of effective methodologies including Total Physical Response, Task-Based Language Teaching, Direct Approach, and the Communicative Method, as well as through culturally relevant, custom-designed Dakotah Language curriculum.
Outcomes: The overarching goal of this project is to revitalize Dakotah Language proficiency within the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe by incorporating the principles of the six facets of the Enemy Swim Day School model, which includes rapid language acquisition, immersion classrooms, core vocabulary, fluency activities, parent and community involvement, and social media and applications.
Grantee: Navajo Preparatory School, Inc.
PR#: S415B220005
Project Name: Diné Soaring – A Global Language Tradition: Expanding a Navajo Language Program
Number of Students Served: 271 Students
Tribe(s): Navajo Nation
Location: New Mexico/New Zealand
Grade Levels: Grades 9 – 12
Funding Amount: $400,000.00 Abstract Objective: This project encompasses five goals: (1) expand Navajo language curriculum to build stronger identity; (2) increase student awareness of the global network of Indigenous peoples, cultures, and languages; (3) increase availability of language assessments; (4) increase student engagement through storytelling and original stories; and (5) increase parent involvement.
Population Served: 271 Students in Grades 9 – 12
Primary Activities: Navajo Preparatory School is adding two new components to its existing Culture and Language program, as follows: (1) Students will be encouraged to “create their own stories” that reflect their commitment to the Navajo language, culture, traditions, and people. These stories will augment the stories that students have been collecting from their families and elders. (2) Navajo Preparatory School will introduce an International Student Exchange Program with Maori students in New Zealand.
Outcomes: Enroll 100% of students in Navajo language curriculum and 100% in professional development engagement. Six students annually will participate in an on-site international exchange program with Maori populations in New Zealand, with 100% of students participating via Zoom. Student fluency in both oral and written Navajo language will increase by 20%. In addition, 40% of students will create original heritage stories, and 60% of parents will attend quarterly Zoom meetings.
Grantee: Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
PR#: S415B220010
Project Name: Ksanka Language and Education Warriors (Project KLEW)
Number of Students Served: 130 Students
Tribe(s): Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d’Oreilles Tribes (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation)
Location: Montana
Grade Levels: Grades 7 – 12
Funding Amount: $1,499,305.00 Abstract Objective: Develop and maintain new Native American language programs. To meet this goal, Two Eagle River School (TERS) proposes to develop and maintain a Native American Language instruction program in the Ksanka language that will support Ksanka language education and development for Native American students, as well as provide professional development for teachers, staff, and administrators to strengthen overall language and academic goals in accordance with Title VI Indian Education Formula Grant requirements. The project will dedicate 100% of future funding to Ksanka Language instruction.
Population Served: 130 Students in Grades 7 – 12
Primary Activities: TERS will partner with the Kootenai Culture Committee (KCC) who will provide two language apprentices. The apprentices will teach Ksanka Language classes for a minimum of 50 students. In addition, summer events will be planned collaboratively with the KCC to provide opportunities for students and staff to visit cultural sites and experience the Ksanka Language in the context of place. Community outreach will also be planned in conjunction with KCC, including opportunities for TERS students to instruct younger students at sites such as the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CS&KT) Early Childhood Services. Class time will be spent with TERS students to develop material that can be shared with younger students in the community at cultural events and gatherings. Professional development will be provided to language apprentices and TERS staff, enabling them to employ a variety of methods and approaches to learning Ksanka.
Outcomes: TERS students will increase their knowledge and use of Ksanka Language through formal daily instruction and participation in cultural and language events in the community and at culturally significant sites. Students will be increasingly motivated and interested in learning and using the Ksanka Language for daily conversations, for learning, and for sharing with others.
Grantee: Little Wound School Board, Inc.
PR#: S415B220003
Project Name: Tokata Wicoicage Lakol Wounspe
Number of Students Served: 150
Tribe(s): Lakota Tribe
Location: South Dakota
Grade Levels:K through Grade 8
Funding Amount: $378,222.35 Abstract Objective: This project comprises the following three timebound objectives, (1) by the end of year one, an interactive census will be developed and administered to at least 250 adult members (from a population of 2,628) of the Lakota-speaking community in the Medicine Root District of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to identify 25 initial speaker-learner pairs to participate in the project; (2) by the end of year two, two home-based Lakota language support coaches will have supported 25 speaker-learner pairs in advancing language proficiency in the home by an average of at least one point on the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale; and (3) by the end of year five, two home-based Lakota language support coaches will have supported 50 speaker-learner pairs for at least three years in transferring the language from one generation to the next—with at least 85% of participants moving up one level on the ILR scale.
Population Served: 50 kindergarten through grade 8 students assessed as non-proficient Lakota speakers using the ILR, a verified tool used to classify language ability.
Primary Activities: We will use evidence-based best practices to enhance and expand Lakota language education through the school, within student homes, and throughout the community. Combined, these actions will provide environments where Lakota is spoken as the primary language of communication, which is a critical component of language learning. Our speaker-learner pairs will consist of an adult Lakota-fluent speaker and a student who lives in a Lakota-speaking home and attends Little Wound School. Students will take part in three hours of Lakota language immersion instruction, attend monthly Lakota-language immersion meals and social events, and participate in a week-long summer Lakota language retreat.
Outcomes: Students will be provided companion Lakota language curriculums that bridge the gap between in-school and at-home instruction, foster language use between native Lakota speakers and new language learners, and result in participating students increasing Lakota language proficiency by at least one point on the ILR scale.
Grantee: Comanche Academy Charter School
PR#: S415B220015
Project Name: Little Speakers Project
Number of Students Served: 60 – 140 Students
Tribe(s): The Comanche Nation Location: Oklahoma
Grade Levels: Pre-K through Grade 6
Funding Amount: $365,537.00 Abstract Objective: Reduce language barriers in the Comanche Academy Charter School (CACS) and in our community by (1) increasing daily time allocated for children to learn and acquire our language, (2) providing additional language material and instruction for teachers in our school, (3) creating online resources that are developmentally appropriate for children learning our language, and (4) scaffold and expand the current Comanche Language program at CACS through response to instruction formative assessment techniques.
Population Served: 60 – 140 Pre-K through Grade 6 Students
Primary Activities: Support from this grant program will be used to assist our need for consistent Comanche Language instructional time, adequate language resources, and sequential communication-based language instruction by certified Comanche Language Instructors, as well as making these resources available to our community at large through our partnership with the Comanche Nation Language Department. Planned activities include developing 25 units (of at least 10 lessons each) for the Transparent Language Online (TLO) learning platform for CACS students, developing a sequential Comanche Language and culture curriculum for Pre-K through grade 6 students, and delivering sequential Comanche Language and culture instruction 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week (171 days of instruction x 30 minutes/day = 85.5 hours). Student language skills will reach novice to mid-proficiency levels by the end of the project. In addition, the project will train teachers and instructors in the Comanche Language, and in how to integrate and connect the language curriculum through the Language Online learning management system (LMS), and in the classroom.
Outcomes: Teachers and instructors will be fully trained in the TLO platform and will achieve at least a Level 1 Comanche Language Teaching certification from the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma or a mid- to high-intermediate speaking proficiency level on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)/Oklahoma standards proficiency chart. Overall, the project will successfully reduce language barriers in CACS and in our community.
Grantee Name: Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Tribal Government PR# S45B200020
Project Name: Decoding the Future: Unangan Tunuu 2020 # of Students Served: 55
Tribe(s): Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Location: Alaska
Language(s): Unangan (Western Aleut) Grade Level: PK-12
Absolute Priority: 2 Funding Amount: $131,314
In partnership with Pribilof School District and Ilisagvik College, the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Tribal Government (ACSPI) will hire Native language staff and expand and adapt the current Unangan (UT) native language curriculum to scaffolded online pathways through the Canvas online learning management system (LMS) that includes site-specific, culturally informed ancient ways of learning and knowledge and is informed by input from the community, Elders, parents and local educators. The project goals are to (a) scaffold and expand the current UT language program through response to instruction formative assessment techniques; (b) adapt and digitize UT language curriculum so it is available through a learning management system; (c) train teachers and instructors in use of UT language curriculum and integrate and connect UT and Coding programs in co-seated learning cohorts through the LMS; and, (d) using Title VI funds and ACSPI general funds, sustain the program beyond the proposed funding cycle of this grant. The school is the St. Paul Island School, which is the largest school in the Pribilof School District. This K-12 primary school serves St. Paul and St. George island communities. The estimated number of participants is 55 students.
Grantee Name: Anchorage School District PR# S415B200006
Project Name: Project Anglicarluk Yugtun Uivengqelriaput (Expanding our Yup’ik Circle) # of Students Served: 120
Tribe(s): All Alaska Natives Location: Alaska
Language(s): Yup’ik Grade Level: 3-5
Absolute Priority: 2 Funding Amount: $169,012
Anglicarluk Yugtun Uivengqelriaput (Expanding our Yup’ik Circle) is a three-year project to expand, improve and sustain the current Yup’ik immersion program in the Anchorage School District (ASD) in Anchorage, Alaska. The current one-way immersion program was the district’s first Indigenous language immersion program in Yup’ik (Yugtun). Consortium partners are Cook Inlet Native Head Start (CINHS), Alaska Native Heritage Center, Clare Swan Early Learning Center, and University of Alaska Anchorage Alaska Native Studies Department. The Lower Kuskokwim School District will become a sister Yup’ik language immersion school, sharing Yup’ik immersion expertise and curriculum. ASD will expand its current immersion program at College Gate Elementary, a K-6 elementary school with a 36% Alaska Native/American Indian student population, with the goal of serving 120 new students by the end of the grant period. ASD’s elementary language immersion programs are school-within-a-school programs in seven of the district’s neighborhood schools. The elementary immersion programs continue into designated feeder middle and high schools. Currently in ASD, approximately 2,900 students are enrolled in K-12 language immersion programs. All ASD immersion programs are considered “choice programs” and entrance is lottery-based.
Grantee Name: Browning Public School District PR# S415B200017
Project Name: Ai po yii Speaking the Blackfeet Language # of Students Served: 225
Tribe(s): Blackfeet Tribe Location: Montana
Language(s): Blackfeet Grade Level: K-12
Absolute Priority: 2 Funding Amount: $115,000
The goals of the Ai po yii, Speaking the Blackfeet Language initiative are to (a) improve student academic outcomes through speaking and understanding the Blackfeet language, (b) develop pre- and postprogram assessments for K-12 students for the Blackfeet language, and (c) encourage sharing of Blackfeet cultural knowledge using digital media technology. The Blackfeet language teachers and our remaining Blackfeet language-speaking Elders will take part in professional development learning communities designed to enhance the teachers’ knowledge of the Blackfeet language and history by exploring new pedagogy methods. All students in grades K-12 who participate in the Blackfeet language immersion courses will increase their levels of speaking and writing by 10% each year. The Blackfeet/Native American Studies department will expand on the existing language curriculum, strengthening coordination by determining language proficiency by grade level. Our Class 7 Blackfeet Language teachers, certified teachers, parents and students will be trained in the ASLA method. Due to COVID-19, the district has moved to online course delivery until it is safe for in-person interaction. The department will explore types of online course content and delivery methods for lessons related to Blackfeet language and culture.
Grantee Name: Mescalero Apache Schools PR# S415B200018
Project Name: Mescalero Apache Language Project # of Students Served: 704
Tribe(s): Mescalero Apache Tribe Location: New Mexico
Language(s): Mescalero Apache Language (MAL) Grade Level: K-12
Absolute Priority: 2 Funding Amount: $289,642
The Mescalero Apache Schools (MAS) are Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)-funded schools located on the Mescalero Apache Reservation of southcentral New Mexico. The primary objective of this project is to offer Mescalero Apache language (MAL) instruction at the Mescalero Apache Schools that approximately 704 students attend. Closely related to MAL teaching is the “project service” of preserving and maintaining the Mescalero Apache Language. The project will develop MAL materials and organize them into a multimedia, progressive and culturally based MAL curriculum, to become part of the Tribal MAL Archive that is presently maintained by Ndé Bizaa’. The project will support MAS efforts to (a) Hire six MAL teacher aides to assist current MAL teachers at the MAS; (b) provide formal training for eight MAL teachers and six teacher aides; (c) certify six MAL teacher aides as New Mexico State Native Language Instructors so they are prepared to become the next generation of MAL teachers at the MAS; (d) incorporate grandparents, parents and other guardians in MAL instructional activities at the schools; and (e) produce a MAL multimedia, progressive and culturally based curriculum for K-12 students at the MAS.
Grantee Name: Navajo Preparatory School, Inc. PR# S415B200013
Project Name: Diné Soaring: An Oral Language Tradition # of Students Served: 281
Tribe(s): Navajo Nation Location: New Mexico
Language(s): Navajo Grade Level: 9-12
Absolute Priority: 1 Funding Amount: $136,080
The Diné Soaring—An Oral Language Tradition program will serve 281 students in grades 9-12 at Navajo Preparatory School, a college preparatory high school with 98% Native American students. The program will fully interweave the Navajo language, culture and history into the school’s academic college preparatory program to create a Navajo culture of learning across the school. The introduction of storytelling to the school’s language program saves the memories and heritage of families, and links parents to their children’s education in a personal and meaningful way. This Navajo Language and Culture program will begin in ninth grade, moving students toward fluency across high school and by 11th grade. In the 12th grade, students will continue their studies of Navajo, but focus on learning the cultural component in more depth. Each course in the sequence (Navajo I through IV) has its own assessments and targeted proficiency levels — Novice, Intermediate, Advanced and Bilingual Seal (DODE) and Navajo Language & Culture Test (DODE). Navajo Prep will work to achieve the following outcomes: (1) 100% of students (281) in grades 9 to 12 will be enrolled in Navajo language curriculum, (2) ongoing professional development for all Navajo language teachers as well as teaching and administrative staff, (3) student fluency in oral Navajo language increases 20% from pretest outcomes, (4) student written skills in Navajo language increase 20% from pretest outcomes, (5) 75% of students will videotape stories from their family and elders, (6) 80% of students who “story-tell” self-report a greater sense of identity through storytelling, and (7) 75% of parents participate in family storytelling.
Grantee Name: Oneida Nation PR# S415B200004
Project Name: Language Nest Expansion Project (LNEP) # of Students Served: 434
Tribe(s): Oneida Tribe Location: Wisconsin
Language(s): Oneida Grade Level: PK-5
Absolute Priority: 2 Funding Amount: $94,991
The Language Nest Expansion Project (LNEP) specifically targets and serves students within the Oneida Nation School System (ONSS). The goal of the LNEP is to increase the number of Oneida language speakers who are proficient and conversationally competent by expanding immersion programming for students, parents and staff of the Tehatiw^nakhwa Language Nest. The goal is to expand the Nest into the elementary grade levels within ONSS, which has 434 students total that will benefit from this project. The program is a place where Oneida language and culture can be learned intergenerationally, thus bridging the gap between the generations that have experienced the most critical language loss. Objective 1: By the end of the project period, two Oneida Language Immersion instructor trainees will have increased their abilities in Oneida language immersion pedagogy by three steps measured by the Center for Research on Education, Diversity, and Excellence, Early Childhood Education standards for effective Indigenous pedagogy. Objective 2: By the end of the project period, Language Nest students will increase their proficiency of the Oneida Language by three steps as measured by the Oneida Language Proficiency scale. Objective 3: By the end of the project period, parents/caregivers/families of students in the Language Nest will increase overall cultural well-being by two levels as measured by the cultural connectedness scale by participating in bimonthly Language Nest engagement activities conducted by the Oneida Language Immersion instructor trainees.
Grantee Name: Red Cloud Indian School PR# S415B200007
Project Name: Woiwahoye Gluotkunzapi “Keeping the Promise” # of Students Served: 120
Tribe(s): Oglala Sioux Tribe Location: South Dakota
Language(s): Lakȟóta Grade Level: K-5
Absolute Priority: 2 Funding Amount: $297,000
The Woiwahoye Gluotkunzapi “Keeping the Promise” project serves the Oglala Lakȟóta community of the Oceti Sakowin. The project goal is to transform Red Cloud School into a K-5 immersion language school and build on the foundational work of the Administration for Native Americans Grant with the launch of the Red Cloud School Lakȟóta Language Program. The Red Cloud Indian School will focus on four areas over the next three years: (1) work with at least 120 students to increase their Lakȟóta language fluency by providing them an immersion education of at least 720 hours of instruction through the Lakȟóta language each year, (2) increase teacher capacity and school capacity to support teachers to provide immersive Lakȟóta instruction to the elementary school students, (3) increase the engagement of family members, and (4) include Elders in classrooms as a critical component to the success of the program.
Grantee Name: ISD #625, Saint Paul Public Schools PR# S415B200015
Project Name: Dakhóta Uŋkíyapi kte. – We Will Speak Dakota # of Students Served: 311
Tribe(s): Multiple Sioux tribes Location: Minnesota
Language(s): Dakota Grade Level: K-12
Absolute Priority: 2 Funding Amount: $292,104
The Dakhóta Uŋkíyapi kte. – We Will Speak Dakota project will increase Dakota language teaching capacity in St. Paul Public Schools (SPPS). Native students who live in urban areas do not have access to materials and services that are available on reservations and this project aims to close this gap. The goals of this project are to increase the language learning capacity beginning with our K-8 students, with the possibility for further teacher and material development for high schoolers. The primary beneficiaries of this project are the 311 students enrolled in the Dakota language programs at the American Indian Magnet School (K-8) and Harding High School (9-12), the two SPPS schools with Dakota language programs. While the primary beneficiaries of this project are SPPS students, the secondary beneficiaries are the entire Dakota community across the United States. Dakhóta Owóksape will enable urban Dakota community members to learn their ancestral language no matter where they live. This project will offer (1) professional development for Dakota teachers through a Dakota Summer Institute; (2) a new Dakota teaching position; (3) Dakhóta Owóksape, an e-learning platform for Dakota; and (4) math, science and social studies materials in the Dakota language. With help from Dakhóta Iápi Okhódakičhiye, a four-year liberal arts college in Minnesota with strong world language and immersion education programs, and the Lakota Language Consortium (LLC), Dakhóta Uŋkíyapi kte will train teachers, create an interactive and adaptive digital learning platform, and develop Dakota language textbooks.
Grantee Name: Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation PR# S415B200019
Project Name: Shoshone-Paiute Tribes Shoshoni and Paiute Language Project # of Students Served: 116
Tribe(s): Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation Location: Idaho and Nevada
Language(s): Shoshoni and Paiute Grade Level: K-12
Absolute Priority: 1 Funding Amount: $141,452
The Shoshone Paiute Tribes (SPT) will introduce teaching of the Paiute language into the schools, as well as onto the Duck Valley Indian Reservation (DVIR), in conjunction with the limited Shoshoni language instruction already taking place. The Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation have a single overarching goal for the project: To build a sustainable Paiute and Shoshoni language instruction program on the Reservation that has achieved fluency in 20 percent of the on-Reservation members by the end of the project. To achieve this goal, the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes will hire staff to develop an instructional program with a large family engagement component, train language teachers, and adopt a curriculum and assessment protocols in conjunction with the Paiute and Shoshoni Language Team. The population to be served by this grant proposal includes the approximately 1,696 resident community members of the DVIR. Fundamentally, the SPT envision a community language program that requires both in-school and community-based instruction.
Grantee Name: Yukon-Koyukuk School District PR# S415B200010
Project Name: Alaska Native Educational Language Development for Enlightenment and Respect and Instructional Integration (AN ELDER II) # of Students Served: 315
Tribe(s): Hughes Village Huslia Village, and Native Village of Minto Location: Alaska
Language(s): Denaakk’e and Benhti Kokhut’ana Kenaga’ Grade Level: K-12
Absolute Priority: 2 Funding Amount: $63,984
Alaska Native Educational Language Development for Enlightenment and Respect and Instructional Integration (AN ELDER II) is an Alaska Native (AN) language program proposed by a consortium led by the Yukon-Koyukuk School District (YKSD) as the lead applicant and fiscal agent certified by the Hughes Village Council, Hudotl’eekkaakk’e Tribe. YKSD’s Board is 100% AN and is closely working with Hughes, Huslia, and Minto Tribal Councils and Tanana Chiefs Conference to expand Athabascan language instruction to the District’s 315 village students. More than 98% of the village school students are AN (Athabascan) whose critically endangered Native languages are Denaakk’e and Benhti Kokhut’ana Kenaga’. The project goals include increasing the number of students attaining proficiency; increasing the number of students who show progress in learning NL development; increasing the number and percentage of participating students improving in academic outcomes; and increasing average daily attendance. The project will support staff with Native language professional development, support students with Native language workbooks, and provide the community with Native language activity nights.
Grantee Name: Waadookodaading Ojibwe Language Institute, Inc. PR# S415B200023
Project Name: Giikishkaa: Those Who “Move Ahead and Advance Forward” # of Students Served: 60
Tribe(s): Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin Location: Wisconsin
Language(s): Ojibwe Grade Level: 9-12
Absolute Priority: 2 Funding Amount: $385,632
The Giikishkaa Project will expand existing programs to ensure Waadookodaading students achieve high levels of Ojibwe language proficiency and academic success in all core subjects by developing new curriculum and assessments, and by increasing the cultural competency of instructional staff. The three-year objectives of the project include extending the Ojibwe medium curriculum and instructional program to serve grade 9-12 high school students in our new dual language, Ojibwe/English medium high school by developing an environmental project-based learning curriculum that synthesizes Indigenous and Western environmental sciences to take care of and protect Aki, our Earth; ensure 80% (n~40) of grades 9 –12 students will improve Ojibwe proficiency and literacy by at least one ACTFL sub-level or alternative individualized education plan benchmark as assessed through annual pre-and post-test comparisons using valid and reliable classroom-based assessments administered by licensed instructors; and have in place at least 15 instructional staff who demonstrate their ability to apply 12 or more skills they have learned by successfully completing subsistence/cultural skills training each month by achieving measurable benchmarks established in consultation with culture specialists and measured by new outcome scales.
Grantee Name: Albuquerque Public Schools PR# S415B180024
Project Name: Diné Bizaad & Shiwi’ma Bena:we Language Program # of Students Served: 120
Tribe: Navajo Nation, Pueblo of Zuni Location: New Mexico
Language: Navajo (Diné), Zuni Grade Level: 3-8
Absolute Priority: 1 Funding Amount: $249,438
The Albuquerque Public Schools Indian Education Department will launch the Diné Bizaad & Shiwi’ma Bena:we Language Program to establish and sustain Native language classes in both Zuni and Navajo (Diné) at the elementary and middle school levels (grades 3 to 8) serving at least 120 students (100 Navajo and 20 Zuni students) annually in order to revitalize Native languages through quality language instruction provided by well-prepared instructors. Albuquerque Public Schools believes that, when students receive culturally relevant instruction that supports, recognizes and honors their background, academic achievement and student outcomes will improve. Project outcomes include developing a tracking and reporting system for Native language fluency, ensuring at least 80% of project participants make progress towards fluency, increasing the number of students who demonstrate Native language fluency by earning the Native American Bilingual Seal, increasing project participants’ reading proficiency, increasing project participants’ average daily attendance and increasing the number of students enrolled in Native language immersion programs. In order to achieve these goals, the Indian Education Department will hire qualified Native language teachers, administer Native language proficiency assessments, provide professional development in Native language immersion models, recruit American Indian/Alaskan Native students and families to participate in the program and evaluate the success of the program in meeting its goal and outcomes.
Grantee Name: Anchorage School District (AK) PR# S415B170006
Project Name: Project Yugtun Qanerluten: Speak in Yup’ik! # of Students Served: 150
Tribe: Yup’ik Location: Alaska
Language: Yup’ik Grade Level: K1
Absolute Priority: 1 Funding Amount: $400,852
Anchorage School District (AK) proposes to develop and implement an indigenous partial one-way language immersion program in Yupik within an ASD elementary school, to improve outcomes for students participating in the project, and to assist Alaska Native people to revitalize and maintain their languages and cultures. Measurable objectives and performance outcomes include development and implementation of a Yup’ik immersion program within an ASD elementary school, including site selection, personnel recruiting and training, curriculum development, and Yup’ik immersion instruction beginning in grades K and 1; and annual increases in percentages of project students who show growth in English Language Arts scores on district assessments, improved school attendance, gains in social-emotional competencies (invitational priority) as measured by the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment; and increased proficiency levels in the Yup’ik language as measured by the Avant STAMP 4S/4Se assessments.
Grantee Name: Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe K-12 School PR# S415B170015
Project Name: Nisawi – Middle Level Learning Project # of Students Served: 50
Tribe: Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin Location: Wisconsin
Language: Ojibwe Grade Level: 4-8
Absolute Priority: 2 Funding Amount: $493,750
Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe K-12 School (WI) proposes to ensure that Waadookodaading Ojibwe Immersion School students will achieve high levels of Ojibwe fluency and academic success through full Ojibwe immersion in all core subjects by developing new middle level curriculum, adding grade 8, and doubling the number of certified Ojibwe immersion teachers. Waadookodaading (“The place where we all help each other”) Ojibwe Immersion School launched in 2001 as one of the first indigenous immersion schools of its kind in the upper Midwest. Located on the Lac Courte Oreilles (LCO) Ojibwe Reservation in northwest Wisconsin, it has operated since 2012 as a PK-7 school-within-a-school authorized by the Bureau of Indian Education within the LCO Ojibwe School contract. It currently enrolls 77 students from LCO and surrounding reservations (Lac du Flambeau, Bad River, Red Cliff, and St. Croix). This proposal will impact 50 students annually by the end of the project period: 13 new students at the middle level (grades 4-8, with 8th grade added in 2018) and 37 current students in grades 4-7 who will benefit from new curriculum. The expected outcomes include: (1) By the end of the third year of the project period, a comprehensive middle school (grades 4-8) Ojibwe immersion curriculum will be developed and implemented; (2) By the end of the second and third years of the project period, 80% (n~40) of Nisawi’s students will improve their Ojibwe fluency and literacy by at least one ACTFL sub-level or alternative IEP benchmark as assessed through annual pre- and post-test comparisons using valid and reliable classroom-based assessments; (3) By the end of the second and third years of the project period, 95% (n~48) of Nisawi’s students will demonstrate a minimum of 75% growth toward achieving at least one ACTFL sub-level or alternative assessment benchmark; (4) By the end of the project period, 5 new teachers will complete three years of instructional mentorship in the Lesson Study collaborative training model; and (5) By the end of the second year of the project, Waadookodaading will refine the LCO Ojibwe School Data-Driven Decision-Making Model to improve the level of data collection, analysis, and data-driven decision-making.
Grantee Name: Oglala Lakota College PR# S415B170018
Project Name: Lakota Woglaka Wounspe. (Lakota Speaking Academy) 2020 # of Students Served: 20
Tribe: Oglala Sioux Tribe Location: South Dakota
Language: Lakota Grade Level: K-6
Absolute Priority: 2 Funding Amount: $404,024
Oglala Lakota College, (SD) proposes to develop a sustainable Lakota language school as a model for schools teaching Lakota language on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and other Lakota-speaking areas. The project plans to operate and improve the Lakota Woglaka Wounspe K-6 Lakota immersion school for up to 20 students a year to become proficient in the Lakota language while learning skills needed to succeed in further schooling. The project will refine and validate assessment of Lakota Language using the OPI, OLPA, etc. to get baselines and track progress or project students. In addition, the project will develop a family and community involvement model that reinforces children’s learning at home. Expected outcomes include students become proficient in Lakota according to their age level and have the skills necessary to succeed at the next level; a valid and reliable Lakota language assessment; a user manual for having families and communities reinforce Lakota language learning at home; and an annotated bibliography and collection of Lakota language source materials, instruction materials, pedagogical guides, student outcomes, student profile, portfolio and learning plan, and K-6 student outcomes and curriculum.
Grantee Name: San Carlos Apache Tribe PR# S415B170031
Project Name: One People – One Nation Project # of Students Served: 1,500
Tribe: San Carlos Apache Tribe Location: Arizona
Language: Apache Grade Level: Preschool – 12
Absolute Priority: 2 Funding Amount: $495,420
San Carlos Apache Tribe (AZ) proposes a three year initiative to increase Apache Language proficiency among the San Carlos Apache Indian students in pre-K – Grade 12 that will lead to enhancement of the apache culture in everyday life by developing a school based language preservation curriculum and associated assessments. The applicant, the San Carlos Apache Tribe’s Education Department of the Language Preservation Office will partner with San Carlos Apache College and San Carlos Unified School District to recruit and train Apache language teachers and develop school-based instruction and expansion of Apache-based content instruction during the three years of the project. The program will serve the San Carlos Apache students in pre-K – Grade 12 who attend the Tribe’s early childhood education and the San Carlos Unified School District schools, and will focus in Year 1 Pre-school –Primary grades, Year 2 Middle grade to Grade 8 Year 3: Grades 9-12. Supplemental instruction will be provided by the Tribe’s Pathway to College and Apache College Programs. Community partners will provide activity based learning opportunities so students are immersed in Apache Language. The expected outcomes of the project include (1) Children and youth participants who have been in the program for three years will demonstrate competence in Apache based on an age appropriate Apache Language Proficiency Examination; (2) The percentage of participating students meeting the state academic standards for their grade will increase from the baseline of 4% in English Language Arts and 8% in Math to 8% and 16% respectively in year 1; 16% in English Language Arts and 24% in Math in year 2; and 24% in English Language Arts and 32% in Math in year 3 based on the state Assessment; and (3) The average daily attendance of participating students will increase from the baseline rate of 88% to 92% in year 1, 94% in year 2, and 96% in year 3 based on district reporting to the State.
Grantee Name: Yukon-Koyukuk School District PR# S415B170011
Project Name: Alaska Native Educational Language Development for Enlightenment and Respect (AN ELDER) # of Students Served: 315
Tribe: Alaska Native (Athabascan) Location: Alaska
Language: Denaakk’e and Benhti Kokhut’ana Kenaga’ Grade Level: PK-12
Absolute Priority: 1 Funding Amount: $438,848
Yukon-Koyukuk School District  – YKSD – (AK) proposed a consortium collaboration with,the Huslia, Minto, and Rampart Tribal Councils, Brightways Learning and the Alaska Association of School Boards to promote Athabascan language development and expansion. More than 98% of the district’s village school students are Alaska Native (Athabascan), whose native languages are Denaakk’e and Benhti Kokhut’ana Kenaga’. These Athabascan languages are critically endangered. YKSD’s Athabascan language program has existed and been offered to K-4 students for several years. YKSD and its partners are proposing to expand it, based on feedback from tribal consultation and evaluation of past efforts. All of YKSD’s schools, which will include 315 Alaska Native (AN) students across Grades PreK-12, will participate in this project. Student outcomes will include: a 20% gain in Native language proficiency each year; a 20% gain in the number of students moving to the next Native Language Development level; a 10% increase in students who meet or exceed proficiency standards on state assessments; an increase in daily attendance; and, the publication of at least eight digital storybooks in the Native languages.

Last Modified: 03/07/2023

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