The U.S. Department of Education has announced more than $8 million in grant funding across three key initiatives for Indigenous student languages.
The funding will be used for programs to increase access to Native American languages in U.S. schools, support and promote Native American teachers, and ensure Tribal Educational Agencies can coordinate grant resources with state and local partners.
Nearly $3 million in funding will support a new Native American Language Resource Centers program. Its aim is to help preserve and protect Native languages by promoting their use in all classrooms, content areas, and types of schools.
Another chunk of the funding will be used to help address the shortage of Native American educators. Part of the grant money will go toward promoting job retention through opportunities for Native teachers to serve in leadership roles in their schools.
The Native American Languages Act of 1990 declared as policy that Native Americans were entitled to use their own languages. It came after the U.S. Government systematically tried for decades to eradicate Indigenous languages through forced assimilation, "relocation", and mandatory English language learning and speaking. Many children were removed from their homes and placed in boarding schools aimed at stripping them of their unique cultures, including languages.