Monday, September 22, 2008

Wisconsin May Revive Native Language Initiative

Wisconsin State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster has proposed reviving a state-funded program that supports Native American language instruction, the Wisconsin State Journal reported on Sept. 21.

In the 2009-2011 Education Agenda submitted last week to Governor Jim Doyle, Burmaster requested $250,000 for the Tribal Language Revitalization and American Indian Academic Achievement Initiative, which would allow tribes, in partnership with a school district, Cooperative Education Service Agency (CESA) or university, to apply for funding that could be used for instruction materials and/or to hire staff. The superintendent also requested $10,000 for FY 2010 and FY 2011 for Department-sponsored activities related to instructional leadership in tribal languages.

In a series published in June, the Wisconsin State Journal reported that only about one-half of 1 percent of the state’s tribal members can speak their native languages. And of the state's 426 school districts, only 10 offer classes in a tribal language, and only one is an immersion class. There are five endangered languages in the state.

The former state-funded tribal language initiative, which ended in 2003, supported efforts for more than two decades.

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