Native American Language Resource Center/Grant Program (NALRC)

Objective: The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (UHH) Ka Haka ‘Ula O Keʻelikōlani (KH‘UOK), in consortia with the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS), and Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University (LCOOU), is proposing to implement the project—Aanikoobijigeng, Connecting Generations. Activities will be co-implemented by non-profit partners, Waadookodaading Ojibwe Language Institute (Waadoo), ‘Aha Pūnana Leo (‘APL), and Ke Kula ʻO Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu (Nāwahī). The consortium aims to establish a National Native American Language Resource Center (N- NALRC) in order to provide high-quality capacity-building services to Regional Centers, technical assistance providers, Tribal organizations, and institutions of higher education, in order to support the revitalization of Native American languages. Consortium members are based in Alaska, Wisconsin and Hawaiʻi. Languages and tribes represented are X̱aad Kíl, the traditional language of the Haida people; Lingít Yoo X̱ʼatángi, the traditional language of the Tlingit people; Smʼalgyax, the traditional language of the Tsimshian people; Ojibwe from the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe; and Native Hawaiian from Hawaiʻi.   

Primary Activities: The primary activities addressed by this project will be: (1) policy and advocacy, (2) support for teacher training programs, (3) resource development, (4) research and dissemination, and (5) leadership development.   

Outcomes: The N-NALRC: (1) is a consortium that reflects the diversity of Native American languages, cultures, and communities; (2) provides necessary resources and best practices to support distance learning and increase teacher learning programs; (3) provides accessible, practical, and high-quality resources for Native American language programs; (4) serves as a resource to spread best practices and provides technical support for Native American language medium/immersion programs and schools from pre-K to PhD; and (5) cultivates and nurtures the next generation of Native American language advocates through development programs for youth.   

Regional Centers

Objective: The project's objective is to create a fully operational regional language resource center based in Winnebago, Nebraska, to serve the central region to increase access to high-quality capacity-building services for Tribal individuals. Little Priest Tribal College will also develop web-based language education content/programming to increase the number of Native American language learners. 

Primary Activities: The center will provide high-quality capacity-building services, technical assistance, language learning programs, and resources to support the preservation, revitalization, and promotion of Native American languages within Tribal communities and educational systems in the central region. The programming will be a mix of online and in-person activities and will develop immersive and interactive language learning experiences tailored to the needs of Native language learners across different age groups and proficiency levels. 

Outcomes: Enhanced collaboration among local and regional educational entities leading to increased encouragement and support for the integration of Native American languages within educational systems at the same level as other world languages. Increased establishment and successful implementation of Native American language medium education programs at various educational levels, including preschool, elementary school, secondary school, and adult education, in Native American communities and school systems. Expanded access to web-based language education content leading to an increase in the number of individuals engaging in Native American language learning. By December 31, 2028, Little Priest Tribal College will engage at least 1,000 individuals in Native American learning language classes, institutes, professional development opportunities, and outreach efforts. 

Objective: This project will work toward four goals: (1) support the use of Native American languages in educational systems in the Pacific Northwest region, namely by providing language courses similar to those for other world languages; (2) support the development, adoption, and use of infrastructure to develop teacher expertise and to support the recruitment and retention of Native American language teachers in educational systems; (3) provide technical assistance to Native American language programs seeking other Federal resources; and (4) support North American language teachers, Tribal Nations' language programs, state education agencies, local education agencies, institutes of higher education, and the national and other regional Native American Language Resource Centers (NALRC) with materials, research, models, programming, curriculum, and assessment resources developed through the program and beyond through the Northwest Indian Language Institute NALRC Resource Hub. 

Population Served: Northwest Tribal Nations (Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde Community, Confederated Tribes of Umatilla Indian Reservation, and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, and the Coquille Indian Tribe). 

Primary Activities: Activities implemented under this project will include: (1) technical assistance for Tribal Language Revitalization Teams; (2) the development of courses and workshops to be based on determined needs and inputs from teams to the Steering Committee that will include content such as assessments, place-based curriculum development, and teaching via immersion; (3) the development of a Technical Assistance Program to support the development, funding, and implementation of language programs for Tribal entities, Native corporations, nonprofits, and Tribal colleges; and (4) the development of a robust digital resource center with a rich array of materials related to supporting the teaching and learning of Native American languages.  

Outcomes: Project outcomes include training and technical assistance to support the development of models, policies, and promising practices for the use of Native American languages in educational systems; teacher certification; immersion programming; and credit-bearing pathways and to support Native American programs seeking other Federal resources. Further outcomes include teacher training in language teaching and curriculum assessment/development, as well as teacher recruitment and retention models and practices. A digital resource center will provide access and use of the products from the proposed project as well as existing materials by NILI.   

Objective: The program aims to establish a West Regional Native American Language Center to be housed in the University of Arizona's American Indian Language Development Institute (AILDI) with the following objectives: (1) to provide support and advocacy for the inclusion of Native American languages in local, state, and regional educational systems; (2) to provide training and technical assistance in implementing evidence-based pedagogical strategies, assessments, qualifications, and processes for Native American language medium instruction; (3) to provide technical assistance to Native American language programs seeking other Federal resources; and (4) to provide consultation and support for Tribal language programs in the region in implementing and sustaining effective curricula and other language work.  

Region Served:  Tribes in the western region (Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah). 

Primary Activities: The program will support local educational infrastructure by creating shared resources. K — 12 schools, colleges, and universities in the western region will be offered evidence-based Native American language instructional materials, program design best practices, policy recommendations and communication materials, as well as assistance in advocacy, grant writing, and community action. It will also provide opportunities for connection between and among language workers by offering language teaching trainings and curricula. Additionally, it will expand access to the summer AILDI and will offer up to 10 workshops annually. The program will provide training and support for communities in grant writing, program development and maintenance, and advocacy.  

Outcomes: The anticipated outcomes of the program are: (1) the development of resources, programs, and tools for the creation and expansion of language programs and language community services for Tribes in the western region; (2) advocacy for the inclusion of Native American languages within educational systems in the western states; and (3) the support and expansion of AILDI summer institutes, and the development and provision of portfolio workshops and trainings.