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S. HRG. 114–192 

S. 410, S. 1163, AND S. 1928 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS 

UNITED STATES SENATE 

ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH CONGRESS 

FIRST SESSION 

NOVEMBER 18, 2015 

Printed for the use of the Committee on Indian Affairs 

( 

(II) 

COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS 

JOHN BARRASSO, Wyoming, Chairman 

JON TESTER, Montana, Vice Chairman 

JOHN MCCAIN, Arizona 

LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska 

JOHN HOEVEN, North Dakota 

JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma 

STEVE DAINES, Montana 

MIKE CRAPO, Idaho 

JERRY MORAN, Kansas 

MARIA CANTWELL, Washington 

TOM UDALL, New Mexico 

AL FRANKEN, Minnesota 

BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii 

HEIDI HEITKAMP, North Dakota 

T. MICHAEL ANDREWS, Majority Staff Director and Chief Counsel 

ANTHONY WALTERS, Minority Staff Director and Chief Counsel 

(III) 

C O N T E N T S 

Page 

Hearing held on November 18, 2015 ...................................................................... 1 

Statement of Senator Barrasso ............................................................................... 1 

Statement of Senator Franken ............................................................................... 4 

Statement of Senator Heitkamp ............................................................................. 37 

Statement of Senator Tester ................................................................................... 2 

Statement of Senator Udall .................................................................................... 3 

WITNESSES

Accardi, Michelle, Director, State Policy and Outreach, National Board for 

Professional Teaching Standards ........................................................................ 30 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 32 

Martinez, Glenabah, Associate Professor, University of New Mexico ................. 13 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 16 

MoQuino, Robert, First Lieutenant Governor, Pueblo of Acoma ......................... 10 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 11 

Robinson, Lillian Sparks, Commissioner, Administration for Native Americans, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services .................................... 5 

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 7 

APPENDIX

Kawai‘ae‘a, Keiki, Director, Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke‘elikolani College of Hawaiian 

Language, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, prepared statement ........................ 45 

(1) 

S. 410, S. 1163, AND S. 1928 

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015 

U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS, Washington, DC. 

The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:30 p.m. in room 

628, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. John Barrasso, 

Chairman of the Committee, presiding. 

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN BARRASSO, 

U.S. SENATOR FROM WYOMING 

The CHAIRMAN. Good afternoon. I call this hearing to order. 

Today we will examine three bills: S. 410, a bill to strengthen Indian education; S. 1163, a bill to amend the Native American Programs Act of 1974 to provide flexibility and reauthorization to ensure the survival and continuing vitality of Native American languages; and S. 1928, a bill to support the education of Indian children. 

As our Nation honors and celebrates the heritage and culture of 

Native Americans this month, it is very fitting that today’s hearing 

focuses on legislation that would help educate the next generation 

of Native Americans. 

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in the 

2011–2012 school year, the national graduation rate reached ‘‘a 

profound milestone’’ with 80 percent of the students receiving a 

high school diploma. During the same school year, Indian students 

were the lowest achieving ethnic group to receive a diploma at a 

rate of only 67 percent. 

High dropout rates, crumbling school facilities, recruiting educators to teach Indian children, and the list of challenges goes on. 

These are just some of the problems these bills are intended to address. 

S. 410, sponsored by Senator Udall, would establish a program 

to help improve tribal and Bureau of Indian Education school facilities. This bill would create a joint oversight board between the Department of the Education and the Department of the Interior. 

I will turn to Senator Udall for more details about this bill and 

the next one shortly. 

S. 1163, sponsored by Senator Udall, and co-sponsored by Senators Franken, Heinrich, Heitkamp, Murkowski, Schatz, and Tester, would reauthorize and amend the Esther Martinez Native Languages Preservation Act Grant Program. The previous authorization expired in 2012. 

2 

Finally, S. 1928, sponsored by Vice Chairman Tester and cosponsored by Senators Franken and Heinrich would establish Indian educator scholarship programs, loan forgiveness for qualifying 

educators who teach Indian children, and establish grants to assist 

educators with professional development and training. 

Now I will turn to Senator Tester, Vice Chairman of the Committee, for his opening statement. 

STATEMENT OF HON. JON TESTER, 

U.S. SENATOR FROM MONTANA 

Senator TESTER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this legislative hearing. 

The legislation we are covering today is all Indian education-related. Every member of this Committee knows the challenges that 

face our Native children across Indian country. 

I have said time and time again there is no stronger tool available to combat the disparities and challenges facing many tribal 

communities than education. 

Throughout this Congress, I have introduced several pieces of 

legislation that look to improve the state of Indian education. Earlier this year, I introduced a bill to ensure that Native children can 

receive a culturally-relevant education by expanding Native language programs to better connect students with their rich heritage 

and help keep their traditions and culture alive. 

The bill has already been reported out of this Committee. I want 

to thank the Chairman and my colleagues for that. 

I have also introduced the Educational Programs for Indian Children Act to improve and expand before school, after school and 

summer school programs in Indian country so that Native students 

can keep engaging in enrichment activities even after the last 

school bell rings. 

This bill is pending with the Committee on Agriculture. 

I also introduced a bill to exempt Indian country from the harmful effects of sequestration which has detrimentally impacted Federal funding for Native education programs across the board. 

Now one of the pieces of legislation on today’s slate of bills is another one of my efforts to improve Indian education, the Native Educator Support and Training Act, otherwise known as the NEST 

Act. 

This legislation aims to recruit and retain more teachers for Indian country and provide some much needed support for these 

dedicated professionals. It affords new scholarship opportunities for 

future teachers who know they want to work in Native classrooms. 

It expands loan forgiveness programs for educators who are already working in Native communities so that the increasing cost of 

college will not stand in the way of any committed individual who 

wants to serve tribal communities as a teacher. 

This legislation also recognizes that teachers need access to high 

quality professional development opportunities throughout their career. The bill supports expansion of the National Board certification and advanced degree opportunities across Indian country. 

If we want to ensure that our children are getting qualified and 

capable teachers, we must begin by making college more affordable 

3 

and accessible to those who want to work in Indian country 

schools. 

Getting high quality teachers into our Native schools is only one 

of the things we can do to improve the education our kids are receiving. Native children should have access to the same building 

blocks to success before they enter the classroom as their non-Native peers. 

That is why earlier today I introduced a bill to streamline tribal 

early childhood programs at the Department of Health and Human 

Services. There are several funding streams that exist at HHS and 

this would break down the silent approach to funding for tribes. 

In addition, this new bill provides supplementary funding to improve and expand tribal early childhood facilities and infrastructure. 

Not only should we be providing the best possible education for 

our Native youth, it should be in the safest possible environment. 

If we can work together to make these initiatives a reality, I believe that Indian country will have some of the tools they need to 

improve the conditions facing too many Native children and families across this country. 

Education is the bedrock for all strong communities. That is why 

I am glad this Committee continues to prioritize this issue. As we 

move forward, I look forward to partnering with everyone on this 

Committee and all our colleagues in the Senate to ensure that Indian country has the resources and the capacity to continue a 

building more successful future. 

I want to thank the witnesses today for being here. I look forward to your testimony. 

Again, I would thank the Chairman for holding this legislative 

hearing today so we can get these pieces of legislation moving. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much, Mr. Vice Chairman. 

Senator Udall? 

STATEMENT OF HON. TOM UDALL, 

U.S. SENATOR FROM NEW MEXICO 

Senator UDALL. Thank you, Chairman Barrasso and Vice Chairman Tester. Thank you for holding this hearing on these three important bills today. 

We want to do everything we can to ensure that the children in 

Indian country have the best education possible. We know this is 

just not the case and it has not been for years or for decades. That 

history is a painful one and we have not gotten it right yet. 

We can and must do more for our children. That is why I introduced the Building Upon the Unique Indian Learning and Development Act. My bill calls for improved language immersion, education 

leadership pipelines for teachers and principals, and innovation for 

improving school facilities. We need to do all of this and more. 

I look forward to hearing from Dr. Glenabah Martinez, a professor and Associate Dean at the University of New Mexico and an 

expert on American Indian education about how we can accomplish 

this. 

Just to say a few words about the two New Mexico witnesses, Dr. 

Glenabah Martinez is a professor and Associate Dean at the University of New Mexico. She is going to testify today. 

4 

She was raised Taos Pueblo and taught high school social studies 

for 14 years before receiving her PhD. Dr. Martinez has conducted 

important research and published a book examining the state of Indian education. 

Her unique perspective as a former high school educator and currently as a Dean of Education and Preparation and Development 

will be an asset to today’s hearing. 

Thank you for making the long trip from New Mexico. 

We also need robust funding for Indian education for school construction, contract support, and administrative cost grants to help 

tribes build capacity to manage their own education programs. 

Indian Country faces unique challenges, challenges of distance, 

infrastructure and capacity. 

I am very happy today also to see the First Lieutenant Governor 

of the Pueblo of Acoma, Robert MoQuino. Mr. MoQuino has joined 

us today to discuss this critical issue. 

He is a long-time tribal leader in New Mexico. I always look forward to my visits to his Pueblo of Acoma which is such a beautiful 

place, rich in culture, steeped in history and tradition. We are 

lucky to have the First Lieutenant Governor with us today. I am 

also eager to hear his testimony. 

Let me say a word or two about the bills. My bill, the Esther 

Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act provides 

grants to Native American language and educational organizations 

to help preserve dying Native languages in Indian country. 

We know if you cannot retain the language, you cannot retain 

the culture. That is absolutely key. I hear that from Indian leaders 

over and over again. 

I would ask my colleagues to look at these pieces of legislation 

and I very much appreciate their support. 

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much, Senator Udall. 

Would any other Senators like to make a statement? 

STATEMENT OF HON. AL FRANKEN, 

U.S. SENATOR FROM MINNESOTA 

Senator FRANKEN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding today’s 

hearing on Indian education and education legislation. 

I am proud to co-sponsor Senator Tester’s NEST Act and Senator 

Udall’s Native American Languages Reauthorization Act. These 

bills are good steps toward providing Native Americans with quality instruction that is connected to their culture. 

I apologize if I have to step out. We are holding the first meeting 

of the Education Conference Committee this afternoon. 

I fought to include critical provisions for Indian country in the 

Senate bill to fix No Child Left Behind. Senator Murkowski and I 

worked together on amendments for immersion programs for American Indian and Alaska Native languages. 

Education is vital to increasing the opportunities available to Native Americans. I look forward to working with my colleagues to 

advance the bills we are considering in this Committee and to also 

make sure that programs for Indian youth remain a part of the 

Education bill. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

5 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much, Senator Franken. 

Would any other Senators like to make a statement? 

[No response.] 

The CHAIRMAN. I would like to welcome our witnesses here 

today: the Honorable Lillian Sparks Robinson, Commissioner, Administration for Native Americans, U.S. Department of Health and 

Human Services, Washington, D.C.; the Honorable Robert 

MoQuino, First Lieutenant Governor, Pueblo of Acoma, Acoma 

Pueblo, NM; Dr. Glenabah Martinez, Associate Professor, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM; and Ms. Michelle Accardi, 

Director, State Policy and Outreach, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards from Arlington, Virginia. 

I want to remind the witnesses that your full written testimony 

will be made a part of the official hearing record. Please try to keep 

your statements to five minutes or less so that we may have more 

time for questions. 

I look forward to hearing your testimony beginning with Ms. 

Sparks Robinson. Please proceed. 

STATEMENT OF LILLIAN SPARKS ROBINSON, COMMISSIONER, 

ADMINISTRATION FOR NATIVE AMERICANS, U.S. 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 

Ms. ROBINSON. Thank you, Chairman Barrasso, Vice Chairman 

Tester and members of the Committee. 

It is my honor to testify before this Committee on behalf of the 

Department of Health and Human Services on Native language 

preservation and maintenance. 

I am a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, which is located in 

South Dakota. I serve as the Commissioner for the Administration 

for Native Americans, which is part of the Administration for Children and Families at HHS. 

We are pleased that this Committee is considering S. 1163, the 

Native American Languages Reauthorization Act of 2015 which reauthorizes the Native American language provisions of the ANA’s 

authorizing statute, the Native Americans Programs Act of 1974, 

as well as the Native Language Immersion Student Achievement 

Act. 

ANA’s mission is to support Native American communities to be 

self-determining, healthy, economically self-sufficient, and culturally and linguistically vibrant. 

ANA supports three program areas: Native American languages, 

environmental regulatory enhancement, and social and economic 

developments. 

Since 2010, ANA has held two separate annual competitions for 

language projects. This year ANA intends to add an additional language competition to fund a place space demonstration that will 

address gaps in community coordination across the Native language educational continuum. 

We believe that language revitalization is essential to continuing 

Native American culture and strengthening self determination. Research tells us that the use of Native American languages builds 

identity and assists communities in moving towards social cohesion 

and self sufficiency. 

6 

Native American values and traditions are embedded in language and there is growing evidence that Native language and culture act as protective factors against suicide and suicidal ideation, 

substance abuse disorders and other risky behaviors. 

ANA funds opportunities to assess, plan and develop and implement projects to ensure the survivor and vitality of Native languages. 

Over the years, ANA has funded many successful projects that 

have resulted in increased usage and fluency of Native languages. 

For example, Dakota Wicohan, a language program in Minnesota, 

trained over eight Dakota language apprentices to speak Dakota 

and receive language teacher certifications. 

Their language levels increased by at least two levels and the apprentices gained relevant classroom teaching experience, and received language certifications from accredited programs. 

Similarly, ANA assisted the Piegan Institute in Montana to improve the Blackfeet speaking ability of children enrolled at the 

Cuts Wood School. The project expanded upon the school’s pre-existing full day immersion program by offering more learning activities outside of the classroom, including the Blackfeet Elder Committee collaborating with project staff and students on a radio 

project featuring Blackfeet language lessons. 

As a result of this project, all 30 children enrolled at the school 

reached an advanced proficient level of Blackfeet. 

Through ANA funding, the Native Village of Afognak in Alaska 

provided immersion instruction through teacher mentorship and instructional resource development. The project mentored 16 Alutiiq 

language teachers in a structured immersion model. 

By the end of the project, 16 teachers received training and were 

better prepared to pass on the language. Two teachers were locally 

certified and all teachers increased at least one or two levels on an 

Alutiiq-adapted language scale. 

The demand for funding under our Native language programs remains high. Based on grantee feedback, we believe that the authority to fund Native language projects for longer periods up to five 

years would result in increased sustainability of the gains made. 

Grantees would have more time to build a community of speakers and language learners, strengthen partnerships, and secure additional funding as projects move beyond the initial planning and 

implementation stages. 

Additional feedback from ANA grantees also indicates that lowering the required number of participating students from ten to 

five for language nests, and from fifteen to ten for survival schools, 

would allow more communities to apply. 

Listening sessions and tribal consultation indicate that the extra 

investment in Native American language programs is critical to our 

communities. As demonstrated by research, Native language and 

culture fosters higher outcomes from Native youth due to lower levels of depression, increased academic achievement, and strengthened problem-solving skills. 

When educational institutions recognize that Native culture and 

language are inherent strengths, we increase the self-worth and optimism of our youth. It is by going back to traditional, ancestral, 

indigenous ways of knowing based in culturally and linguistically 

7 

specific values and norms, that we believe Native American communities will thrive on their own terms. 

Finally, as an administration, we are looking for ways to be more 

responsive to the needs of Native American communities, to develop and contribute to an evidence base for culturally and linguistically responsive programming and to develop with our partners 

culturally appropriate measurement tools and research and evaluation designs that inform policy and practice. 

We are thankful for the continued support of this Committee and 

look forward to working with Congress to reauthorize the Native 

American Programs Act, including the Esther Martinez Native 

Languages Act. 

I am happy to answer any questions. 

[The prepared statement of Ms. Robinson follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF LILLIAN SPARKS ROBINSON, COMMISSIONER, 

ADMINISTRATION FOR NATIVE AMERICANS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Chairman Barrasso, Vice Chairman Tester, and members of the Committee, it is 

my honor to testify before this Committee on behalf of the Department of Health 

and Human Services on S. 1163, S. 1419, and other related matters involving Native language preservation and maintenance. I am a member of the Rosebud Sioux 

Tribe, which is located in South Dakota. I serve as the Commissioner for the Administration for Native Americans (ANA), which is part of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). 

ANA’s mission is to support Native American communities to be self-determining, 

healthy, economically self-sufficient, and culturally and linguistically vibrant. We 

achieve our mission by providing discretionary grants, training, and technical assistance to tribes and Native American communities, including American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Native Pacific Islanders. ANA supports three 

program areas: Native American Languages, Environmental Regulatory Enhancement (ERE), and Social and Economic Development Strategies (SEDS). We are 

pleased that this Committee is considering S. 1163, the Native American Languages 

Reauthorization Act of 2015, reauthorizing the Native American language provisions 

of the Native Americans Programs Act of 1974 (NAPA), as well as the Native Language Immersion Student Achievement Act. 

For fiscal year (FY) 2015, Congress appropriated approximately $46.5 million to 

ANA, which distributed approximately $40.5 million to Native American communities competitively. The President’s FY 2016 budget request would fund ANA at 

$50 million. In addition to providing competitive grants, ANA uses its funding to 

provide training and technical assistance to Native American communities, as required by Section 804 of NAPA. 

ANA believes that language revitalization is essential to continuing Native American culture and strengthening self-determination. Research tells us that use of Native American languages builds identity and assists communities in moving toward 

social cohesion and self-sufficiency. Native American values and traditions are embedded in language and there is growing evidence that that Native language and 

culture act as protective factors against suicide and suicidal ideation, substance 

abuse disorders, and other risky behaviors. Historical and contemporary conditions, 

including widespread and persistent poverty, have resulted in Native American peoples experiencing significant health disparities and some of the harshest living conditions in the United States. Remarkably, at the same time, Native American peoples have met such significant conditions with extraordinary abilities to survive, to 

overcome, and to draw from culturally and linguistically-based tools to not just survive, but to thrive. Native languages are among the most critical and meaningful 

of these tools. ANA encourages applicants to involve elders and other community 

members in determining proposed language project goals and implementing project 

activities because community connectedness appears key to sustaining successful 

Native language projects. ANA funding provides opportunities to assess, plan, develop, and implement projects to ensure the survival and vitality of Native American languages. 

For over a decade, ANA awarded Native American language preservation and 

maintenance funds to eligible entities under the Native American Languages Act of 

8 

1992, but utilization of Native American languages continued to decline for a variety 

of reasons, including the English-only movement of many states in the mid-1990s 

to early 2000s, as well as the requirement for highly qualified teachers under the 

Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended (commonly referred to as the 

No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)). We believe the number of Native American language teachers diminished under NCLB due to a lack of valid teacher assessments 

in Native American languages. Specifically, the tools used to measure teacher quality did not adequately address the unique attributes necessary for Native languages 

education. The lack of teacher assessments validated with Native American populations or accommodating Native languages resulted in fewer Native American language teachers being able to obtain or maintain the appropriate teaching certification. In response to this dramatic and continued decline, Congress passed the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act of 2006. The law 

amended NAPA to specifically target grants for language immersion and restoration 

programs, two methods that have proven to be highly successful in creating fluent 

speakers who, in turn, revitalize, preserve, and maintain Native languages. 

In 2014 and again in 2015, ANA partnered with the Department of Education and 

the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Indian Education to host a Native American 

Languages Summit. During the first summit we were able to include presentation 

from the Smithsonian Institution and in 2015 our partnership expanded to include 

the Institute for Museum and Library Services, the National Science Foundation, 

and the National Endowment for Humanities as key Summit planning partners and 

presenters. This expanded partnership facilitated a connection with the Association 

for Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums, (ATALM), who provided support, including scholarships for non-federal participants to attend the Summit. Participants 

included federal staff, researchers, tribal language programs, ATALM members and 

others involved in Native American language revitalization efforts. 

Building on the knowledge gained from the 2014 Native American Languages 

Summit, the goal of the 2015 Native American Languages Summit was to provide 

updates from the partners on their current efforts to provide support for Native 

American communities that are seeking to preserve and revitalize Native American 

languages. To the extent that there is a need for additional support in ensuring the 

livelihood of Native Languages, the Summit productively serves as a way to help 

institutions and agencies develop ways to better implement and fund coordinated 

evidence-based Native language instruction. 

Over the years, ANA has funded many successful projects that have resulted in 

increased usage and fluency of Native American languages. For example, Dakota 

Wicohan is an ANA funded language program in Minnesota that trained over eight 

Dakota Language apprentices to speak Dakota outside of class and receive language 

teacher certifications. Their language levels increased by at least two levels on the 

Grotto/Fishman Scale. The apprentices gained relevant classroom teaching experience, and received language certifications from accredited programs. Due to the 

ANA funded project, the Dakota language can be heard in the local community outside the classrooms: in camps, at community activities, and even weekly radio 

broadcasts. 

Similarly, ANA assisted the Piegan Institute in Montana to improve the Blackfeet 

speaking ability of children enrolled at the Cuts Wood School. The project expanded 

upon the school’s pre-existing full day immersion program by offering more learning 

activities outside of the classroom. In addition, the Blackfeet Elder Committee collaborated with project staff and students on a radio project, producing and airing 

12 hours of radio programming featuring Blackfeet language lessons and archived 

recordings of Blackfeet speakers. As a result of this project, all 30 children enrolled 

at the school reached an advanced proficient level of Blackfeet. 

Through ANA funding, the Native Village of Afognak in Alaska provided immersion instruction through teacher mentorship and instructional resource development. The project mentored 16 Alutiiq language teachers in a structured immersion 

model. As a result of the project, the number of people who are learning and teaching the language drastically increased. By the end of the project, 16 teachers received training and were better prepared to pass on the language. Two teachers 

were locally certified and all teachers increased at least one or two levels on an 

Alutiiq-adapted language scale. 

Since 2010, ANA has held two separate annual competitions for language projects, 

the Native American Language Preservation and Maintenance Program and the Esther Martinez Initiative (EMI). ANA’s total investment in Native American language projects for FY 2010 to 2015 is approximately $78 million. Between 2006 and 

2015, ANA received 998 applications for all Native American language projects. Of 

those, 116 applications were specifically for EMI projects, which ANA began comVerDate Mar 15 2010 10:48 Mar 09, 2016 Jkt 098984 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 S:\DOCS\98984.TXT JACK
9 

1The Esther Martinez Initiative was enacted in 2006, but it was not its own funding category 

in ANA until FY 2008. 

peting in 2010. 1 Interest in the EMI program continues to grow. In 2013, we reviewed 14 applications and in 2014 and 2015 we reviewed a combined total of 54 

applications across our two Native Language program areas. 

In FY 2016, ANA intends to fund one or more Native Language Community Coordination Demonstration projects to build upon the successes of ANA’s short-term, 

project-based Native Language funding. This new effort is intended as a place-based 

demonstration that will address gaps in community coordination across the Native 

language educational continuum. 

The FY 2016 budget request for the Administration on Native Americans included an additional $3 million to support the Generation Indigenous (Gen–I), an Administration-wide initiative launched in early 2015 that is focused on improving the lives 

of Native youth through new investments and increased engagement across the Federal Government. The budget request supports this initiative through investment in 

Native American language instruction, such as the Native Language Community 

Coordination Demonstration. 

In addition, the FY 2016 budget request supports funding for Native language programs at an additional $2.5 million for an anticipated 12 new Native language 

Preservation and Maintenance grants, $1.5 million for an anticipated six Esther 

Martinez Native Language Immersion grants, and $1.5 million for an anticipated 

4–6 new Native Language Community Coordination demonstration projects in addition to on-going Native Language continuation grants. This funding will more than 

ensure that ANA meets its target of $13 million in language awards. 

The demand for funding under both the Preservation and Maintenance and Esther Martinez Immersion (EMI) Acts remains high. In addition, based on grantee 

feedback, we believe that the authority to fund EMI and Preservation and Maintenance projects for longer periods (up to five years, rather than the current three 

years) would result in increased sustainability of the gains made. Grantees would 

have more time to build a community of speakers and language learners, strengthen 

partnerships, and secure additional funding as projects move beyond the initial 

planning and implementation stages. Additional feedback from ANA grantees also 

indicates that lowering the required number of participating students from ten to 

five for language nests, and from fifteen to ten for survival schools, would allow 

more communities to apply. 

Listening sessions and tribal consultation indicate that the extra investment in 

Native American language programs is critical to our communities. As demonstrated 

by research by Cornel Pewewardy and Patricia Hammer, Harold Sorkness and Lynn 

Kelting-Gibson, and Janine Pease-Pretty On Top, Native language and culture fosters higher outcomes from Native youth due to lower levels of depression, increased 

academic achievement, and strengthened problem-solving skills. When educational 

institutions recognize that Native culture and language are inherent strengths, we 

increase the self-worth and optimism of our youth. It is by going back to traditional, 

ancestral, indigenous ways of knowing based in culturally and linguistically specific 

values and norms, that we believe Native American communities will thrive on their 

own terms. 

With respect to ANA’s other program areas, the Social and Economic Development 

Strategies (SEDS) program continues to be the grant program for which we receive 

the most applications. In FY 2015, ANA reviewed a total of 300 applications, 210 

of which were for SEDS. Of these 210 applications, ANA was able to provide funding for 29 new awards at approximately $7.8 million. This provided funding for 14 

percent of the applications received. This total included special initiatives like the 

Native Asset Building Initiative, Social and Economic Development Strategies for 

Alaska, and the Sustainable Employment and Economic Development Strategies 

grants that target ANA investment towards economic empowerment, but still within 

the framework of community-driven projects. Finally, ANA is always looking for 

ways to be more responsive to the needs of Native American communities, to develop and contribute to an evidence base for culturally and linguistically responsive 

programming, and to develop, with our partners, culturally appropriate measurement tools and research and evaluation designs that inform policy and practice. 

We are thankful for the continued support of this Committee in achieving the 

ANA mission. We look forward to working with Congress to reauthorize the Native 

American Programs Act including the Esther Martinez Native Languages Act, 

which continues to receive appropriations. From a program administration perspective, reauthorizing NAPA as a whole would also provide an opportunity to comprehensively update program regulations, which is necessary for improved program 

oversight and accountability. 

10 

ANA looks forward to the day when all ‘‘Native Communities are Thriving,’’ and 

we look forward to working with you to make that happen. 

I would be happy to answer any questions. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for 

your testimony. 

Mr. MOQUINO. 

STATEMENT OF ROBERT MOQUINO, FIRST LIEUTENANT 

GOVERNOR, PUEBLO OF ACOMA 

Mr. MOQUINO. [Greeting in Native language.] 

Thank you Chairman Barrasso, Vice Chairman Tester, and members of the Committee for allowing me to present this testimony on 

behalf of the Pueblo of Acoma. 

The Pueblo of Acoma is engaged in an ongoing battle to save our 

language. As our elders tell us, as we lose our ability to speak our 

Acoma language, we are losing the very essence of our traditional 

cultural values. 

At the beginning of time immemorial, the Acoma language, 

Keres, was given to the Acoma people by two spiritual mothers. 

These mothers also gifted us the core values of family, culture and 

tradition. 

The Acoma language is essential for sustaining the culture and 

value of our people. Our existence, identity and those of future generations depends upon the continuation of our language. 

For instance, without Keres, one cannot fully understand our creation story which explains that we were destined for Sky City. Our 

religious and cultural ceremonies are conducted in Keres. 

Each year, our tribal leaders speak to the Acoma people at Sky 

City exclusively in Keres. Without knowledge of the language, our 

people cannot understand or participate fully in our culture and 

civic life. 

At Acoma, we have not forgotten our language. We just do not 

use it. Therefore, we are focused on revitalizing use of our language 

within our community, including teaching Keres to our children in 

the local schools and developing and Acoma oral history curriculum. 

We are also developing home study program that provides materials for home use intended to build among and encourage conversations between our elders and our youth. 

We had an Esther Martinez grant that allowed Acoma development of a language nest for our smallest ones, ages birth to five. 

Seeing these younger children going to their language nest and 

hearing them learn to speak their native tongue to the elders 

brought joy to so many in our community. 

However, this was limited by law to three years and the language nest had to be discontinued after funding ran out. Under S. 

1163, this grant can be up to five years, something Acoma strongly 

supports. 

The Pueblo of Acoma supports S. 410, S. 1163 and S. 1928 as important steps toward assisting tribal communities in their efforts 

to preserve, maintain and revitalize their Native language. 

In particular, S. 1163 would reauthorize the ANA Language 

Grant Program. It would also lower the number of children required to form language nests and extend the duration of grants 

11 

1 Charles Wilkinson, Blood Struggle: The Rise of Modern Indian Nations 360 (2005). 

2See Endangered Languages, UNESCO.ORG, http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/ 

themes/endangeredlanguages/. 

up to five years. This added flexibility is important to enable tribes 

to design programs that best fit their needs. 

We have had difficulties getting our Keres language teachers certified by the State of New Mexico. We believe that our elders are 

the best qualified to teach our language and pass on our cultural 

knowledge. Therefore, Acoma supports the expansion of programs 

to support Native language and culture in S. 410. 

Acoma also supports the bill’s exemption to Native language 

teachers from ESEA qualification requirements. 

Finally, Acoma supports S. 1928 because it will encourage a 

younger generation to become Native language teachers. This is especially important as we are gradually losing our fluent elderly 

speakers. 

In closing, I would like to thank you. Thank you for this opportunity to provide testimony about our Aak’um’e Dzeeni, our Acoma 

language. Thank you for taking up these important bills to help us 

in our struggle against language loss. 

These legislative efforts are important not just to Acoma, but to 

tribal people throughout the United States. 

With that, can I say a few words in my Acoma language. 

[Phrase in native language.] 

Mr. MOQUINO. Translation, again, thank you for hearing me testify with our Acoma language. 

With that, all my prayers and blessings go out to you and your 

families. Thank you very much. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. MoQuino follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF ROBERT MOQUINO, FIRST LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, PUEBLO

OF ACOMA

‘‘As we lose our ability to speak our Acoma language, we are losing the very essence of our traditional cultural values. All age groups need to demonstrate Acoma 

language use.’’—Acoma Antelope Clan Elders 

Introduction 

Thank you Chairman Barrasso, Vice Chairman Tester, and Members of the Committee for allowing me to present this testimony on behalf of the Pueblo of Acoma. 

My name is Robert MoQuino, and I am the 1st Lieutenant Governor of the Pueblo 

of Acoma. I want to start by saying Guuwa ́a ́tsı ́ ́ı. Guuwa ́a ́tsı ́ ́ı is how we say hello 

in our Aak’um’e Dzeeni (Acoma Language), known as Keres. Guuwa ́a ́tsı ́ ́ı is the word 

that we use to welcome someone into the Acoma world. So, I say Guuwa ́a ́tsı ́ ́ı to each 

of you here today. 

The Importance of Indigenous Languages 

The Pueblo of Acoma is engaged in an ongoing battle to maintain, preserve, and 

revitalize our native language of Keres. As one scholar has described, ‘‘[l]anguage 

loss in the United States is steady and pronounced. At the beginning of the twentieth century most American Indian people spoke their native tongues as a first or 

second language. By the end of the century, of some 300 original North American 

languages, just one-half were still spoken.’’ 1 Today, experts predict that half of the 

over 6,000 languages currently spoken in the world will disappear by the end of this 

century if nothing is done to prevent the extinction of languages worldwide. 2

Acoma is fighting against the tide of language loss because, as the elders of our 

Antelope Clan have stated: ‘‘As we lose our ability to speak our Acoma language, 

we are losing the very essence of our traditional cultural values. All age groups need 

to demonstrate Acoma language use.’’ For the Acoma people, our language is inextricably intertwined with our cultural survival. At the beginning of time immemorial, Aak’um’e Dzeenii (Acoma Language) was gifted to us by Aak’um’e Hanu 

12 

(Acoma People) by our two spiritual deities (Spiritual Mothers) Iatiku and 

Tsi’tiwwshti naak’u. Along with Aak’um’e Dzeenii, they gifted us the core values of 

family, culture, and tradition. Aak’um’e Dzeenii is essential for sustaining the culture and values of the people. Our existence and identity—and those of future generations—depends upon the continuation of our language. 

Language is the conduit by which our culture is transmitted. It is through our 

native language that we pass on to the next generations the Acoma world view and 

our traditional values. For instance, without Keres one cannot fully understand our 

emergence story, which explains that we were destined for Sky City. Without this 

language our young people cannot fully participate in their religious and cultural 

ceremonies. Every year, for example, our Governor gives an address at Sky City 

that is all in Keres, and without knowledge of the language our people cannot understand and participate in this important part of our culture and our civic life. 

We are struggling to keep our language alive because without day-to-day use, our 

people are becoming less and less fluent in Keres. Our elders—invaluable language 

resources for our community—are passing on, taking with them the knowledge of 

generations. The need to pass Keres on to our young people has never been more 

urgent. We ask for your full support in helping us maintain our identity as Acoma 

people by helping us keep our language alive. 

Acoma Language Programs and Initiatives 

Our Aak’um’e Dzeeni (Acoma Language) Program Coordinator, Gregg Shutiva has 

stated that many Acoma Tribal citizens say that we are losing our language, but 

his response to that is that ‘‘we have not forgotten our language, we just do not use 

it.’’ Our Acoma Language Retention Program (ALRP), therefore, seeks to revitalize 

and maintain the Acoma Keres language in our community, and it has been in operation for over a decade. 

The ALRP focuses on teaching the Keres language to children through Keres language instruction in the local schools, including Laguna—Acoma Jr. Sr. High 

School, Cubero Elementary School, St. Joseph Mission School, and Sky City Community School. However, we sometimes have difficulty getting our Keres language 

teachers certified by the State of New Mexico. The experts and teachers in our 

Keres language do not always have the credentials required by the State. However, 

we believe that our community is best prepared to select persons qualified to teach 

our language and pass on our cultural knowledge. 

The ALRP has also developed an Acoma Oral History Curriculum and various 

arts and crafts programs for youth as well as adults. Additionally, the ALRP offers 

three-week Keres language immersion camps in the summer for children ages 5– 

16. ALRP activities depend on Tribal appropriations as well as federal, state, and 

private grants. 

Some of our grant-funded activities have had to be discontinued because of a lack 

of federal funding. For instance, Acoma received a $271,587 language preservation 

and maintenance grant from 2011–2014 from the Administration for Native Americans (ANA)—an Esther Martinez grant. This grant allowed Acoma to develop a ‘‘language nest’’ for our littlest ones—ages birth through 5. Seeing these youngest children going to their language nest and hearing them learn to speak their native language to their elders brought joy to so many in our community. However, this program had to be discontinued after funding ran out. 

We recently applied for a renewal of the Esther Martinez grant to sustain our language preservation and maintenance efforts, but our application was denied. The denial letter stated that ‘‘[d]ue to the number of applications received and the demand 

for project dollars, ANA could not fund all eligible applicants.’’ Our application was 

therefore ‘‘not selected for funding due to [ANA’s] limited resources.’’ 

Currently, the ALRP is focused on building a Home Study Program. This program 

focuses on bringing the Keres language to the people in their own environments, 

where multiple generations and individuals with various levels of proficiency may 

all learn together. Our Home Study Program was launched in FY 2014 and served 

27 entities—households as well as the staff of various Tribal programs. So far, this 

program has been very popular and is working to increase day-to-day Keres use, but 

additional funds are needed to sustain Acoma’s innovative approaches to language 

revitalization. 

Support for S. 410, S. 1163, and S. 1928 

The Pueblo of Acoma supports the Native language provisions of S. 410, S. 1163, 

and S. 1928 as important steps toward assisting Tribal communities in their efforts 

to preserve, maintain, and revitalize their Native languages. In particular, S. 1163 

would amend the Native American Programs Act of 1974 to reauthorize the ANA 

grant program through FY 2020. This reauthorization is critical, as there are many 

13 

Native language programs in need of support. As the ANA’s letter declining Acoma’s 

application for Esther Martinez funding indicated, resources are extremely limited 

such that not all eligible applicants are able to receive these vital resources. Additionally, Acoma supports S. 1163’s revisions to the grant program, which would 

lower the number of children required to form language nests and language survival 

schools and extend the duration of grants to up to five years. This added flexibility 

is important to enable Tribes to design programs that best fit their needs. 

Acoma also supports the expansion of programs to support Native language and 

culture in S. 410. The bill’s exemption of Native language teachers from Elementary 

and Secondary Education Act (‘‘ESEA’’) qualification requirements and its mandate 

that states develop a licensure or certification process for Native language teachers. 

As stated above, Acoma has had difficulty getting Native language teachers certified 

in New Mexico public schools. Tribal standards and processes for selecting the individuals entrusted with passing on our Native languages—and with them, important 

aspects of our cultures and traditions—should be respected by states. S. 410 would 

also amend the Native American Programs Act of 1974 to reauthorize appropriations for grants through 2019. This reauthorization is critical to providing Tribal 

language programs much-needed support. 

Finally, Acoma supports S. 1928’s provisions to support and train Native language 

educators. The bill would cancel loans for Native language immersion teachers and 

create a Native Language Teacher Training Program. As our communities are losing 

more and more fluent speakers as elders pass on, it becomes increasingly important 

that younger generations dedicate themselves to becoming fluent in their Native 

languages and becoming equipped to pass on these languages to others. 

Conclusion 

In closing, I would like to say Da ́’wa ́e ́h, which means thank you. Thank you for 

this opportunity to provide testimony about our Aak’um’e Dzeeni, our Acoma language. And thank you for taking up these important bills to help us in our struggle 

against language loss. These legislative efforts are important not just to Acoma, but 

to Tribal people throughout the United States. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much, Mr. MoQuino. We appreciate your testimony and those good wishes. 

Thank you. 

Dr. MARTINEZ. 

STATEMENT OF GLENABAH MARTINEZ, ASSOCIATE 

PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO 

Ms. MARTINEZ. [Greeting in Native language.] 

Chairman Barasso, Vice Chairman Tester, and distinguished 

members of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, my name is 

Glenabah Martinez. I am from the Pueblo Nation of Taos and the 

Navajo Nation. I am honored to be present today at your hearing. 

I was born and raised at Taos Pueblo where I learned about my 

cultural and linguistic traditions through daily life. My parents and 

grandparents were instrumental in teaching me how to speak my 

Native language, how to conduct myself in ceremony and how to 

live in harmony with the earth. 

I honor my grandparents and their wisdom as they guided their 

children and grandchildren to honor the integrity of our cultural 

sovereignty at Taos Pueblo and to set goals for academic achievement in western education without compromising our cultural 

foundation and core values as indigenous people. 

On behalf of the College of Education at UNM, I appreciate the 

opportunity to present to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs 

our support of the BUILD Act. My testimony will focus on two components, on the language and cultural education component and 

teacher and administrator cultural competence of Native American 

learners. 

14 

Today, as this Committee reviews this vital and important Act, 

our hope is that this body will affirm its commitment to excellence 

in educational services provided for Native students, families, Native nations and leadership. 

As stated prior by the two speakers here, we also support the reauthorization of the Esther Martinez Native American Languages 

Act because it is critical for tribal language initiatives that target 

early childhood populations. 

While standard Federal programs such as Head Start have been 

the primary source of preschool and early childhood education, Native language maintenance has often been afforded less emphasis 

in those programs in the mistaken belief that earlier and earlier 

introductions to English will benefit our children. 

In reality, it has resulted in those preschool generations at a loss 

for Native language development. 

In retrospect, many Native tribes are now reconsidering how important it is for young children to establish a firm foundation in 

the Native language. This has moved an increasing number of 

them to initiate early childhood language initiatives. 

However, as in school-based language programs, there is much 

needed support for continued professional development for preschool and early childhood educators. 

A second component of the Act emphasizes the importance of 

tribal leaders and members to teach Native languages in schools. 

In New Mexico, we have the 520 Alternative Certificate that was 

established in 2002. 

This process allows fluent speakers to teach Native languages in 

public schools. The tribe determines the proficiency of the Native 

language person who applies for the certificate and the State’s Public Education Department follows the lead of the tribe in issuing 

this three year and nine year renewal certificate. 

A critical aspect of this process is the training needed for speakers who have never taught language in a school setting. This is 

currently available to tribes in New Mexico through UNM. UNM 

offers these services as IHE and does outreach to all 22 tribal nations in our State as well as in others. 

The third component of the bill seeks to allow standards assessments, classroom lessons and teaching strategies to be modified to 

accommodate diverse cultural and language learning needs. 

New Mexico is a geographic site with 22 sovereign Native nations. Students in pre-K to 12 settings in our State can be found 

in both urban and rural settings attending a wide range of schools. 

It is equally important to recognize cultural education that takes 

place within specific Native nations through active participation in 

culturally specific ceremonial life. This non-western centered education embarks centuries old knowledge and skills that pre-date 

European contact. 

It is critical that curriculum instruction and assessment not only 

be culturally relevant but also be culturally sustaining. 

The 13 Native faculty in the College of Education at UNM recognizes the urgency of preparing Native and non-Native teachers and 

administrators to provide Native students in New Mexico with a 

quality education. 

15 

It is in this context that we developed 21 student learning outcomes that pre-service teacher education candidates should meet in 

their programs of study for certification from early childhood to 

high school. 

In conclusion, we make the following recommendations. One, we 

recommend that the BUILD Act provide for expansion of the Esther Martinez Act to include a specific focus on training support for 

early childhood teacher education programs. 

Two, we recommend the BUILD Act provide the support for 

training collaborations between tribal nations and local tribal colleges and universities with faculty expertise and experience with 

Native language initiatives. 

Three, we recommend the BUILD Act provide support for university-based teacher programs and initiatives focused specifically on 

developing teacher and administrator cultural competency in working with Native American students building teacher pipelines to attract Native American students into the teaching profession. 

Finally, we recommend the BUILD Act support collaborative initiatives between tribes and local colleges of education to assist in 

technical assistance and capacity building. 

I applaud this Committee and Senator Tom Udall for taking action on the quality of education Native American students, families 

and Native nations receive. I believe it is in this spirit of love for 

humanity that injustices can be addressed and corrected for our 

youth, families and indigenous peoples as a means of ensuring educational justice and equity. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Mr. Vice Chairman for granting 

me this opportunity to speak to you today. I look forward to addressing any questions you or your Committee members may have. 

Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Ms. Martinez follows:] 

16 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF GLENABAH MARTINEZ, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY

OF NEW MEXICO


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The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much, Doctor Martinez. 

Ms. ACCARDI. 


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30 

STATEMENT OF MICHELLE ACCARDI, DIRECTOR, STATE 

POLICY AND OUTREACH, NATIONAL BOARD FOR 

PROFESSIONAL TEACHING STANDARDS 

Ms. ACCARDI. Thank you, Chairman Barrasso, Vice Chairman 

Tester and distinguished Committee members for the opportunity 

to speak on the Native Educator Support and Training, or NEST, 

Act. 

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is a 

proud supporter of the NEST Act. My name is Michelle Accardi 

and I am a National Board Certified Teacher. 

For fourteen years I was a special education teacher in Albuquerque, New Mexico’s public schools. I also had the privilege of 

working with students as a teacher and consultant at two Bureau 

of Indian Education-affiliated schools on the Laguna and Zia Pueblos in New Mexico. 

In November of 2011, I became the Director of State Policy for 

the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in Arlington, Virginia. 

In my office in Arlington, I have a picture of my last class in Albuquerque that rests alongside a small piece of pottery. The pot 

was a farewell gift from Douglas and his grandparents. Douglas 

was a Native American student that I worked with for three years. 

He had faced many hardships in his young life and was being 

raised by his grandparents. As much as they wanted to keep him 

close to his family and their roots in their tribal community, his 

special needs could not be adequately addressed by the teachers 

there. They made the difficult choice to bring him to live in Albuquerque. 

I am proud to say that I was able to work with Douglas and help 

him to make great progress in his reading, math, and social skills. 

I still smile when I think of the jokes he loved to tell and how excited he would get when he had the joy of telling his grandmother 

that he had done well on a lesson. 

It breaks my heart when I think about how much he missed by 

not being in the community that he loved and not learning his traditions, culture, language, and family. Native families should not 

have to relocate to find the best teachers for their children. 

As I work at the National Board to develop initiatives and policies to bring more Board-certified teachers into the classrooms that 

need them most, I see the butterfly pattern on that small pot and 

think of Douglas. 

I thank you for the opportunity to discuss the National Board 

Certification and our outreach to Native American educators and 

educators who teach Native American students, and why the NEST 

Act is critical for expanding these efforts. 

The National Board is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the 

advancement of the teaching profession for the benefit of all teachers and all students. The National Board’s rigorous certification 

process defines, develops, and assesses quality teaching, with a 

proven connection to improved student learning and achievement. 

Similar to the professional boards in the fields of medicine, architecture and engineering, National Board Certification assures the 

public, parents, families, and communities, that the teachers who 

31 

educate our children are experts in their field and have the skills 

to help all students learn. 

Two critical components of Board certification are reflective practice and collaboration among peers, family and community to improve student learning. As I went through the process, I developed 

a laser-like focus in identifying what did well and what I could improve the next time to make sure my students’ learning advanced. 

More than a decade of research from across the country confirms 

that students taught by board-certified teachers learn more than 

students taught by other teachers. The positive impact of having 

board-certified teachers is even greater for minority and low income students. 

Unfortunately, currently there are only approximately ten boardcertified teachers in BIE-affiliated schools nationwide. In contrast, 

as of November 2015, more than 110,000 teachers across the Nation have achieved board certification, including 152 in Montana, 

585 in Wyoming and 969 in New Mexico. 

We all know the tremendous struggles faced by Native American 

students and that students at BIE schools historically have lower 

graduation rates and lower scores on national and State assessments than their counterparts in many public schools. 

To help address these inequities, in 2014, the National Board 

began a partnership with the Bureau of Indian Education designed 

to make board certification the norm among BIE teachers. More 

specifically, this projects aims to support the BIE in reaching its 

goal of 1,000 board certified teachers in BIE-affiliated schools by 

the year 2020. 

Any plan to grow the number of NBCTs serving Native students 

must address the challenges and context of the schools themselves 

while recognizing the logistical, pedagogical and cultural advantages of having students taught by members of their community. 

This project will support BIE-affiliated teachers in the development and validation of their knowledge and skills, setting a clear 

pathway towards board certification. 

The BIE is currently funding candidate support, bonuses for certification completion and salary increases for teachers who achieve 

certification. The BIE is also funding mentoring and support for 

candidates for board certification. 

Professional development of existing staff supported by resources 

from the National Board is a critical strategy in this work. The initiative provides support to increase the instructional capacity of 

those teachers who are not yet eligible or ready for certification. 

For instance, the National Board is providing teachers in BIE 

schools with access to videos and reflective papers of board-certified 

teachers through a newly-launched ATLAS online library. 

After the first year of the project, I am happy to report that more 

than 350 teachers in BIE-affiliated schools have begun their journey to board certification. The work is off to a promising start. 

The NEST Act is critical to accelerating these efforts and expanding their impact on teachers and students. The National 

Board is particularly pleased that the bill provides support for 

teachers to pursue board certification and recognizes teachers who 

have achieved certification through additional compensation. 

32 

The bill, in addition to promoting board certification among 

teachers in BIE-affiliated schools, helps to strengthen teaching and 

learning in tribal schools and other schools with high concentrations of Native American students. 

On behalf of the National Board, I thank you for the opportunity 

to speak with you regarding these critical issues and I am happy 

to take any questions. 

[The prepared statement of Ms. Accardi follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF MICHELLE ACCARDI, DIRECTOR, STATE POLICY AND

OUTREACH, NATIONAL BOARD FOR PROFESSIONAL TEACHING STANDARDS

Thank you Chairman Barrasso, Vice Chairman Tester, and distinguished committee members for the opportunity to speak on the Native Educator Support and 

Training, or NEST, Act. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards 

is a proud supporter of the NEST Act. 

My name is Michelle Accardi and I am a National Board Certified Teacher. For 

fourteen years I was a special education teacher in New Mexico in the Albuquerque 

Public Schools. I also had the privilege of working with students as a teacher and 

consultant at two Bureau of Indian Education affiliated schools (BIE schools) on the 

Laguna and Zia Pueblos in New Mexico. In November of 2011, I became the Director of State Policy for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in 

Arlington, Virginia. 

In my office in Arlington, I have a picture of my last class in Albuquerque that 

rests alongside a small piece of pottery. The pot was a farewell gift from Douglas 

and his grandparents. Douglas was a Native American student that I worked with 

for three years. He had faced many hardships in his young life and was being raised 

by his Grandparents. As much as they wanted to keep him close to his family and 

his roots in their community, his special needs could not be adequately addressed 

by the teachers there. They made the difficult choice to bring him to live in Albuquerque. I am proud to say that I was able to work with Douglas and help him to 

make great progress in his reading, math, and social skills. I still smile when I 

think of the jokes he loved to tell and how excited he would get when he was able 

to tell his grandmother that he had done well on a lesson. I am still sad when I 

think of how much he missed by not being able to stay in the community he loved, 

learning his traditions, culture, language, and family. Going and visiting home 

every few weekends simply was not the same. Native families should not have to 

relocate to find the best teachers for their child. As I work at the National Board 

to develop initiatives and policies to bring more Board Certified teachers into the 

classrooms that need them most, I see the butterfly pattern on that small pot and 

think of Douglas. 

I thank you for the opportunity to bring you information about National Board 

Certification and our outreach to Native American educators and all educators who 

teach Native American students—and why the NEST Act is critical for expanding 

these efforts. 

For 25 years, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards has been 

at the forefront in establishing the highest measure of teaching excellence. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the teaching profession for the benefit of all teachers 

and all students. The National Board’s rigorous certification process defines, develops, and assesses quality teaching, with a proven connection to improved student 

learning and achievement. National Board Certification assures the public—parents, 

families, and communities—that the teachers who educate our children are experts 

in their field and have the skills to help all students learn. 

More specifically, National Board Certification is an advanced credential which indicates that a teacher demonstrates high levels of content and pedagogical knowledge and skill for their specific area of teaching. Similar to professional boards in 

the fields of medicine, architecture, and engineering, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards has established the standards and assessments to measure what effective teachers should know and be able to do in their classrooms. 

Board Certified teachers provide evidence that they are lifelong learners who are 

able to translate their knowledge to students. 

Reflection is at the center of everything that a Board Certified teacher does. Every 

lesson can be improved, every child can learn more tomorrow. The certification process requires that teachers not only submit video of their teaching, but detailed analytic papers explaining their evidence that they are meeting the standards and reVerDate Mar 15 2010 10:48 Mar 09, 2016 Jkt 098984 PO 00000 Frm 00036 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 S:\DOCS\98984.TXT JACK
33 

1 National Research Council, Assessing Accomplished Teaching: Advanced-Level Certification 

Programs (Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press, 2008). 2Strategic Data Project (2012). SDP Human Capital Diagnostic: Los Angeles Unified School 

District. Center for Education Policy Research, Harvard University. 3LCavalluzzo, L.C. (2004). Is National Board Certification an effective signal of teacher quality? The CNA Corporation; D. Goldhaber and E. Anthony, ‘‘Can teacher quality be effectively 

assessed?’’ The Review of Economics and Statistics 89, no. 1 (2007): 134–50. 4 J. Cowan and D. Goldhaber, National Board Certification and Teacher Effectiveness: Evidence from Washington (Bothell, Wash.: The Center for Data and Research, University of Washington, 2015), http://www.cedr.us/papers/working/CEDR%20WP%202015– 

3lNBPTS%20Cert.pdf; L. Cavalluzzo et al., From Large Urban to Small Rural Schools: An Empirical Study of National Board Certification and Teaching Effectiveness (Arlington, Va.: CAN 

Analysis and Solutions, 2015), https://web.mail.comcast.net/service/home// 

?auth=co&loc=enlUS&id=400532&part=2. 5 J. Cowan and D. Goldhaber, National Board Certification and Teacher Effectiveness: Evidence from Washington (Bothell, Wash.: The Center for Data and Research, University of Washington, 2015), http://www.cedr.us/papers/working/CEDR%20WP%202015– 

3lNBPTS%20Cert.pdf. 

flecting on what they can do better. As I went through the process, I developed a 

laser-like focus on identifying what I did well and what I could improve the next 

time to ensure my students learning advanced. If I expect my students to improve 

every day, I must always be seeking ways to improve as their teacher. 

Board certification emphasizes collaboration among peers and family and community engagement. Board-certified teachers develop relationships with the family 

members, community leaders, and other teachers and professionals who support 

that student. They also seek to collaborate with other expert teachers in their school 

to improve student learning, analogous to the natural and common consultations 

among medical specialists working with the same patient. 

More than a decade of research from across the country confirms that students 

taught by Board-certified teachers learn more than students taught by other teachers. A study mandated by Congress and conducted by the National Research Council 

reached this conclusion in 2008 in its comprehensive review of studies of National 

Board Certification up until that time. 1 Estimates of the increase in learning by 

students of Board-certified teachers average an additional one to two months of 

learning gains. 2 The positive impact of having a Board-certified teacher is even 

greater for minority and low-income students. 3

Earlier this year, two separate groups of independent researchers released new 

studies finding Board-certified teachers are more effective at advancing student 

learning than non-Board-certified teachers. 4 To cite one of those studies, researchers Dan Goldhaber and James Cowan focused on Washington State: ‘‘Board-certified 

teachers are more effective than non-certified teachers with similar experience.’’ 5

Unfortunately, currently, there are only approximately 10 Board-certified teachers 

in BIE-affiliated schools nationwide. In contrast, as of November 2015, more than 

110,000 teachers across the nation have achieved National Board Certification, including 152 Board-certified teachers in Montana, 585 Board-certified teachers in 

Wyoming, and 969 Board-certified teachers in New Mexico. 

We all know the tremendous struggles faced by Native American students and 

that students at BIE schools historically have lower graduation rates and lower 

scores on national and state assessments than many of their counterparts in public 

schools. 

To help address these inequities, in 2014, the National Board began a partnership 

with the Bureau of Indian Education to help teachers in BIE-affiliated schools become Board certified. The effort overall is designed to make Board Certification the 

norm among BIE teachers. More specifically, this project aims to support the BIE 

in reaching its goal of 1,000 Board certified teachers in BIE schools by the year 

2020. Such a magnitude of accomplished teachers would constitute a critical mass 

leading the learning of BIE students to high levels. 

Any plan to grow the number of NBCTs must address the challenges and contexts 

of the schools themselves. For the BIE, the challenges of rural schools coupled with 

the logistical, pedagogical, and cultural advantages of having students taught by 

members of their community lead to a clear principle guiding this project’s work. 

This project will support BIE teachers in the development and validation of their 

knowledge and skills—setting a clear pathway toward Board certification. 

The BIE is providing funding for candidate fee support, bonuses for certification 

component completion and salary increases for teachers who achieve certification. 

The BIE is also providing funding for mentoring and support of candidates for National Board Certification. 

In addition, the initiative provides support to increase the instructional capacity 

of teachers who are not yet eligible or ready for certification. For instance, the NaVerDate Mar 15 2010 10:48 Mar 09, 2016 Jkt 098984 PO 00000 Frm 00037 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 S:\DOCS\98984.TXT JACK
34 

tional Board is providing teachers in BIE schools with access to videos and reflective 

papers of Board-certified teachers through a newly-launched ATLAS online library. 

By fostering a dialogue among all 4,000 BIE teachers and supporting teachers in 

their pre-service and early-career development, the initiative builds a self-sustaining 

culture of professional learning and peer support. Professional development of existing staff, supported by resources from the National Board, is a critical strategy in 

this work given the difficulty BIE faces in attracting teachers and principals to remote locations. 

In short, the project is creating an expectation and a pathway for teachers in BIEaffiliated schools to achieve certification, which includes support and resources for 

achieving this goal. 

After the first year of the project, I’m happy to report that more than 350 teachers 

in BIE-affiliated schools have begun their journey towards board certification and 

are regularly participating in mentoring sessions led by Board-certified teachers to 

increase their instructional capacity, ultimately benefiting the students in these 

schools. 

This work is off to a promising start. The NEST Act is critical to accelerating 

these efforts and expanding their impact on teachers and students. The National 

Board is particularly pleased that the bill provides support for teachers to pursue 

Board certification and recognize teachers that have achieved Board certification 

through additional compensation, both of which encourage more teachers to 

strengthen their teaching so it meets the profession’s high standards. The bill, 

through promoting Board certification among teachers in BIE-affiliated schools, 

helps to strengthen teaching and learning in tribal schools and other schools with 

high concentrations of Native American students. 

On behalf of the National Board, I thank you for the opportunity to speak with 

you regarding these critical issues and I’m happy to take any questions. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Ms. Accardi. 

We will start questioning at this time and I would like to turn 

to Senator Udall. 

Senator UDALL. Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. 

Lieutenant Governor MoQuino, you mentioned in your testimony 

that Acoma had some difficulty getting Native language teachers 

certified by the State of New Mexico. Can you tell me more about 

the barriers you have encountered and how these barriers impacted 

students? 

Mr. MOQUINO. We have had issues within the State of New Mexico because, as I mentioned, our elderly are the ones who speak fluently and that is who we look up to. The State wants them to go 

back to school to get a certified teacher certificate. 

We get comments from our communities of why do I have to go 

back to school to get a certified teacher certificate? Do they teach 

that class in Keres? I say, no, they do not. They say, why do we 

have to go back to school to get certified to teach our own Native 

language? That is the issue. 

Senator UDALL. They are telling the elders who have spoken this 

language sometimes for 70 or 80 years that they have to go back 

and get a degree in order to learn how to teach the language to the 

younger people? 

Mr. MOQUINO. Exactly. 

Senator UDALL. That is a big barrier. 

Mr. MOQUINO. Yes, it is. 

Senator UDALL. We have to work on that. We really have to work 

on that one. 

You were the beneficiary of an Esther Martinez grant at the 

Acoma Pueblo. This grant allowed you to develop a language NEST 

only to be shuttered when the funding was withdrawn as you mentioned in your testimony. 

Mr. MOQUINO. Right. 

35 

Senator UDALL. Can you tell us a little more about the importance of that program and the progress it was making? 

Mr. MOQUINO. Sure. The language NEST is we get a lot of our 

young kids to learn and teach our traditional culture and language 

from birth on up to five years old. As I mentioned, that is very 

beautiful to hear a younger kid growing up saying in our Native 

language, as I mentioned, Guuwa ́a ́tsı ́ ́ı, hello. 

We want our kids to learn that language as we grow up. As tribal administration, in this position, we encourage our young men to 

learn the language because you never know when they might be in 

this position. 

That is how we encourage them. We would like that language 

NEST from Esther Martinez to keep going forward. That is what 

we see within our community with the people up at Acoma. 

Senator UDALL. Thank you, Mr. MoQuino, for those comments. 

Turning now to Dr. Martinez, you have been spearheading some 

very innovative efforts at the University of New Mexico to recruit 

and retain more Native educators in New Mexico. 

Can you talk a bit more about the American Indian Educator 

Mentor Program and other initiatives that seem to be working? 

Ms. MARTINEZ. This is one of about 13 programs. What we have 

here is in the written testimony but the mentor program was recently established by Dr. Christine Sims. We are the CPIs of this 

project. It has ECMC private funding. We only have funding for 

two years. 

With this project, we will be able to provide stipends. We cannot 

provide scholarships but we can provide stipends for people seeking 

certification in the secondary area in the STEM fields as well as 

history, language arts and physical education. 

We are hoping to attract young people who are maybe in their 

junior or senior years and may be working on a degree in biology, 

history or math and tell them about the great love of teaching and 

talk about the contributions they can make to society. That is one 

of the grants we have. 

Native faculty at the College of Education are all former practitioners, whether we were counselors, teachers or administrators. 

Our mere presence in the College of Education, you can see I look 

pretty Native, but to see someone like that on faculty and know 

they are pursuing research, like Terri Flowerday with the Indigenous Research Lab, that we are really trying hard to recruit and 

retain Native students at the graduate and under graduate level. 

Senator UDALL. You have a career’s worth of experience in teaching and Native education. Have you seen improvements over this 

time or do you think the current state of education for Native students is worse than a decade ago? 

Ms. MARTINEZ. Quantitatively speaking, if you look at the dropout rates and proficiency rates on high stakes testing, I would say 

statistically we are not improving. Part of that can be attributed 

to the modifications in part to ELL, English language learners, the 

fact that there are very little modifications, if any, in that area. 

Qualitatively, I would say that you probably have a growing 

number of Native educators who are very attentive to the needs of 

Native youth. For example, I work with incarcerated Native American youth at a State run detention facility. These are maximum 

36 

security youth who hopefully will leave the facility or maybe go on 

to an adult facility. 

The qualitative element of that is to teach Native studies and 

talk about sovereignty, optimism and history, like Alcatraz and 

things of that sort, to see them and how they view their lives and 

how they begin to see themselves not as an individual fighting 

against many negative challenges but empowering themselves 

through knowledge. 

Qualitatively as an educator, I can see a difference when you 

talk to them about issues related to them in not only a culturally 

relevant way but in a culturally sustaining way, honoring who we 

are as Native people. 

Senator UDALL. Thank you. 

Thank you to all of today’s witnesses. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much, Senator Udall. 

Senator Franken, I think you are next. 

Senator FRANKEN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Thank you all for your testimony. 

Promoting Native American languages is not just about the language itself, it is also about the history interwoven into that language or with that language. Lieutenant Governor MoQuino called 

it ‘‘the conduit by which our culture is transmitted.’’ 

That is why bills like Senator Udall’s that support the vitality of 

Native languages are so important. 

We have seen and heard from your testimony the benefits of instruction in Native languages. In some schools where indigenous 

language is the primary language of instruction, we have seen improved graduation rates and better college enrollment rates than in 

schools where Native American students are taught only in 

English. 

Beyond the academic benefits, there are significant cognitive, 

psychological and cultural benefits from the American language immersion programs. That is why I fought to include language in the 

K through 12 education reauthorization that will create language 

immersion programs in Indian country. 

Dr. Martinez, let us start where you left off. What are the key 

benefits that you and other researchers have identified to Native 

language immersion and instruction programs? 

Ms. MARTINEZ. One the primary benefits is that it establishes a 

strong cultural, linguistic foundation for Native youth to navigate 

later on as they go through elementary, middle school and high 

school education. 

Especially in New Mexico, we have a range of students, some 

youth who have a very strong cultural and linguistic foundation, 

like myself. I grew up hearing the language and learning about 

ceremony as part of my being raised at Taos Pueblo. 

Youth who have primarily grown up in urban areas, cities and 

so on, who may be a combination of many different tribes, maybe 

half Native and half African-American or half Hispanic, oftentimes 

because they are in an urban setting, it is very difficult for them 

sometimes to understand their identities because they do not hear 

the language around them all the time. 

37 

Social media is full of language. The English language is a hegemonic device. It is very much out there. It is everywhere around 

you. The difficulty then is to try to teach a language and maintain 

it on a daily basis so it is not just something where you know the 

alphabet and can identify objects but it becomes part of the way 

you view yourself and the world. 

Senator FRANKEN. This is for anyone. We have talked a lot about 

cultural trauma. Is there a connection between learning your language, your cultural language and a healing of that trauma? 

Ms. MARTINEZ. I will defer to someone else. Maybe Mr. MoQuino 

would like to address that? 

Mr. MOQUINO. To answer that, yes, there is a very strong healing within our own language and just talking to people. Kids who 

get in trouble, as administrators, we go to schools, as I mentioned. 

We tell them to continue their education and be good. We use the 

three R’s. I do not know if you know the three R’s. It is not reading, 

writing and arithmetic. 

It is respect, responsibility and reflection. Respect your school, 

respect your teachers, respect your parents, respect yourself. Have 

responsibility for yourself, the things you do at school and at home 

and everyplace else in your tribal culture. Reflection, look at yourself in the mirror. Who do you see? 

That is what we encourage. It inspires our younger kids to really 

think it over and say yes, those are very healthy, healing type 

words we like to hear both in English and in our Native language 

at Acoma. 

Senator FRANKEN. Dr. Martinez, I only have about 20 seconds 

left but do you want to answer that? 

Ms. MARTINEZ. I was going to say yes. If you want, I can send 

you some research on that which does show a direct link between 

healing from historical trauma and cultural language programs because there is data out there. 

Senator FRANKEN. I would love to see that. We will make sure 

you get my contact information. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

The CHAIRMAN. Senator Heitkamp. 

STATEMENT OF HON. HEIDI HEITKAMP, 

U.S. SENATOR FROM NORTH DAKOTA 

Senator HEITKAMP. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Building on what Senator Franken discussed, I think we would 

all like to see that because we are all in this process of trying to 

figure out what is the new dynamic, where have we failed so spectacularly when you look at the numbers in terms of growth and opportunity, in terms of pride and respect and responsibility and reflection. 

I think several of us on this Committee, including Senator 

Franken and myself, have come to believe that in order to restore 

or really begin to grow, we need to do a little more of that reflection. We need to be responsible for the reflection. Language is a big 

building block, a big foundational part in understanding who people are as they try to either put back their life or grow a different 

life than what they have seen around themselves. 

38 

I want to reflect on language programs in two ways. Number one 

is quality and sustainability. I think Senator Franken gave me a 

quick look when you said only 10 teachers in the BIE system today 

are in fact certified. We find that to be less than appropriate, less 

than responsible behavior. 

Yet we have this conflict with language programs where we do 

not necessarily want to make that certification a barrier to developing that building block of restoration of language and rebuilding 

culture. 

This is for anyone. I will tell you that the elders in my communities in Indian country frequently are concerned sometimes with 

the language programs because the language that is being taught 

does not reflect what they have learned. 

Who is the better keeper than an elder and someone who basically spent the great part of their life speaking the language? How 

do we balance those two issues which is the need for qualified with 

board certification, as you pointed out in terms of outcomes, but 

also taking a look at how this is truly different, language programs 

are truly different? How do we balance that? 

I will ask you, Ms. Robinson. How do you bridge that gap when 

you look at the programs for which you are responsible? 

Ms. ROBINSON. It certainly is a difficult balance. I have to say 

looking through the bills and hearing some of the witnesses today, 

one of the methods that has proven to be effective is for the State 

or the board certification process to work with the tribe so that the 

tribe is able to do an alternative certification of these elders who 

are in the classrooms working with the teachers. 

One of the projects I mentioned in Montana was the Cuts Wood 

School and talked specifically about elders working with the teachers in the classroom and increasing the proficiency level of Native 

languages for 30 students. I believe New Mexico has alternative 

certifications. 

One of the things we promote or support under ANA is for tribes 

to work with local education agencies or SEAs to figure out how to 

determine the best people are to be in the classroom to do Native 

language teaching. 

Senator HEITKAMP. Ms. Martinez, you seem to be nodding your 

head. Do you believe that this alternative process that has been 

adopted will, in fact, take care of the problem as I see it which is 

we want people who truly know the language to be the teachers of 

the language? 

Ms. MARTINEZ. Yes. My colleague, Dr. Christine Sims and I have 

worked on this program. We do have an alternative education certification program. It has been very successful. 

As an example, we have the Keres Children’s Language Center, 

the KCLC, which is a Montessori school located in Cochiti Pueblo 

for children between the ages of three and five years old. Trisha 

Moquino was one of my former graduates. She is a founder of this 

school. 

They have worked successfully in using the Keres language as a 

Native instruction and now they have added a kindergarten and 

first grade to continue that instruction. 

Another example of this is Jemez Pueblo at Walatowa. The tribal 

council has mandated that their Head Start program make the 

39 

transition to full Towa immersion program in order to maintain 

their Towa language system. 

The same thing has been happening at my Pueblo of Taos where 

we have the Tiwa Baby Program and the Head Start program. 

Senator HEITKAMP. Do you feel comfortable that in all those programs the language being taught is, in fact, the historic and cultural language? 

Ms. MARTINEZ. It is because of the people who teach and the program that Christine Sims runs. 

The concern is that we need to have further support. I was just 

telling a friend of mine that a lot of this work we do pro bono. We 

use a lot of our own resources. It would be great if we had some 

kind of funding source to continue this work. 

Senator HEITKAMP. Mr. Chairman, may I be indulged with one 

additional question? 

The CHAIRMAN. Please do. 

Senator HEITKAMP. That is sustainability. Obviously there are 

not enough resources to cover all the programs that want these resources. I think a number of you have suggested extensions or looking at a longer period of time. 

I think we have to say what additional stress does that put on 

additional tribal entities that would like to see access to these programs which will not get access if we extend the time period. 

Ms. Robinson, how do you respond to the concern about sustainability of these programs and how can we extend these resources? 

Ms. ROBINSON. We share the same concerns about sustainability. 

It breaks our hearts when we hear that we funded an Esther Martinez program at Acoma that was doing well but once the project 

period was over, they were no longer able to continue operation of 

the program. 

Five years, while it would make a difference, we realize there is 

still a lot to do. ANA, unfortunately, is not designed to do long 

term, sustainable types of programs but more so short term 

projects. 

I think the NEST is one way to begin to take a look at how we 

can incorporate more long term, sustainable programming, looking 

at the Department of Education, the Department of Interior and 

the projects they have and how they are supporting and promoting 

Native languages. 

I think ANA is there to help with teacher certifications, curriculum development and do a lot of the supplemental and additional activities that need to be done but we are not I think the 

proper source to do the long term sustainability. 

Senator HEITKAMP. I think that is right but I think the question 

is when do we see a program at that level where it then can launch 

independently or launch into BIE programming or into public 

school programming? That is my concern. 

My concern is we have picked an arbitrary number and it may 

not be enough to prove the fact that we want these programs to 

be sustainable and we can achieve different outcomes if they are. 

Ms. ROBINSON. I am excited that this year we are going to be 

doing a different competition or an additional competition that is 

taking a look at the continuum of education across the community. 

40 

What we are hoping will come as a result or an outcome is there 

will be long term, sustainable educational programming in the Native languages starting at the early childhood level, going through 

K through 12 and through higher education. 

It is five years initially. It is a demonstration project so it will 

be a cohort. We will be providing extensive, intensive and focused 

training and technical assistance, treating these grants as cooperative agreements. We will be working with them regularly. 

We will convene them regularly to help develop what data should 

be collected, what rigorous evaluation would look like, how we will 

measure success, how to standardize procedures that seem to be 

working and how to really build an evidence base. 

Hopefully after that five years, we will be able to do another five 

years. Again, we understand that this is sort of piecemeal but we 

are hoping to be able to show at the end of the first five years that 

we can build this sustainability if we put the initial investment 

first. 

Senator HEITKAMP. I have just a final comment. We hear this all 

across the board, whether it is substance abuse programs, additional programs for housing which is we have these kind of new 

starts where we start something and we never see it through. We 

have to figure out the sustainability piece of this. 

My time has expired. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the extra 

few minutes. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Senator Heitkamp. 

I was going to ask Dr. Martinez if she could supply us with that 

information both you and Senator Franken asked for? We will insert it as part of the official record of today’s testimony. 

Ms. MARTINEZ. On trauma, language and cultural policy? Okay. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you. 

Ms. Robinson, according to your written testimony, the number 

of Native American language teachers diminished under No Child 

Left Behind due to a lack of valid teacher assessments in Native 

American languages. 

The testimony highlighted one grant your agency awarded which 

trained language apprentices to receive language teacher certifications. The apprentices then gained relevant classroom experience. 

What has the Administration for Native Americans done to increase, in the long run, the number of Native language teachers in 

schools since the passage of the Esther Martinez Native American 

Languages Preservation Act? 

Ms. ROBINSON. The way the Esther Martinez and all of our programs are designed is that they are community-driven. It is a community approach and it is the community that is prioritizing what 

they would like to do with regards to Native languages. 

We have highlighted and promoted model programs including a 

master apprentice which was highlighted in our testimony as well 

as other techniques to help teachers become immersion language 

teachers and then be certified. 

It really depends on the pool of applications that we receive and 

how they are reviewed by their peers. We have a peer panel review. Once it comes to us, it is really just a matter of saying yes 

to the funding. 

41 

Because we do not have the grasp we would like in terms of how 

many applications are received that are specifically focused on professional development and certification of teachers, we want to take 

a look now to see how many applications come in specifically for 

that reason and how we might be able to do a better job of providing additional support specifically for those types of applications 

for grants. 

The CHAIRMAN. The Native American Programs Act has been on 

the books for about 40 years. It requires you to collect and disseminate information related to the social and economic conditions of 

Native Americans. You are also required to submit an annual report to Congress about the conditions. 

Could you help the Committee understand how the language programs in these bills will help to address the social and economic 

conditions you have been evaluating in these reports? 

Ms. ROBINSON. We are taking a look now at emerging research 

and some of the research mentioned earlier which suggests Native 

language which is intrinsically tied to Native culture certainly 

serves as a protective factor for risky behavior and behaviors that 

are not ideal for young people, students and communities to live 

healthy lifestyles which in turn leads to economic and social conditions of not just that individual but of that family, that community 

or that tribe. 

We are looking now at the data we have with regard to what language programs have we funded, what improvements have we seen 

with regard to what the language programs are reporting to us in 

terms of the outcomes they determined for themselves and how 

that relates to what we hope will be overall increased social and 

economic conditions. 

We are taking a look again at revamping how we are reporting 

that information to Congress so that it is a useful tool and not just 

a thick document that puts everything in there and is hard to navigate. 

We are very interested in your feedback and the feedback from 

others in terms of additional information they would like to see in 

that report. 

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. MoQuino, the Pueblo of Acoma has a language retention program. It is funded by the tribe and by other 

sources. The program teaches the tribal languages in local schools 

and hosts language immersion summer camps. 

I was wondering if you could share with the Committee how this 

program has positively impacted student academic achievement 

and other benchmarks for success? 

Mr. MOQUINO. The language program is funded within our own 

tribal appropriation funding. It inspires and we like to encourage 

our kids to learn our language at a very young age which will help 

them both in our traditional culture and as we call it, the outside 

world. 

That is why we like this program. We want support from within 

the administration to keep it growing because, as I mentioned, we 

are losing our language. We are. We are not inspiring our young 

ones to learn the culture, the language. 

Besides that, we rely on our elders. Our elders are the ones who 

are very, very traditional, very fluent and that is where we go back 

42 

to. We like to get them involved a lot. It is hard to get them to attend these language nests which there is no more language nest. 

To me, as I mentioned, we inspire our young ones to learn the 

culture, learn the language so they can fully understand how the 

system, the culture and traditions work. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you. 

Ms. Accardi, the Bureau of Indian Education blueprint for reform 

contains several recommendations to reform Indian education. One 

of the recommendations suggested that your organization partner 

with the Bureau to help teachers pursue teacher certification. 

The goal would be to reach one thousand board certified teachers 

in the Bureau of Indian Education schools by 2020. 

I am a board certified orthopedic surgeon and worked closely 

with the Department of Education of Wyoming and the people who 

are working on board certification. I think it is a very important 

part of any educational system. 

Since the partnership has begun with the Bureau of Indian Education, can you talk about what progress has been made to increase 

standards for teachers who are language instructors and generally 

how things are going with the certification process? 

Ms. ACCARDI. One of the aspects of the project that really has exemplified the partnership between the Bureau of Indian Education 

and board certified teachers would be the WoLakota Project in 

South Dakota where they have a board certified teacher who is 

working alongside with the tribal elders collecting the stories and 

creating a curriculum that then goes back into the classrooms so 

that the teachers are able to use the stories and language of the 

elders as part of their ongoing, daily lessons whether they are 

working with math or social studies. They are promoting the language of the children’s culture. 

Having the board certified teachers there really helped that 

project to be able to hone in on the specific curriculum points that 

needed to be enhanced and also made it very comfortable for the 

elders who may not have had a lot of experience in a classroom to 

know there was a board certified teacher there to help them 

through the instructional hurdles that might happen along the way 

without requiring them to get additional certifications other than 

own language and culture. 

In terms of the projects nationwide, as I stated we have had 

about 350 teachers who have started. The first sets of scores for the 

teachers will be coming out in the next few weeks. 

One part of the project with which we are very pleased is the Bureau is not only providing bonuses for the teachers as they complete each of the four components of board certification but they 

have also come to them with a message that this is a journey of 

growth so they will be able to provide additional instruction, additional mentoring and will pay for any required retakes. 

It is not a project that is here and will be pulled immediately if 

they are not immediately successful. 

We are very committed to the fact that you cannot parachute in 

people or projects to these locations and schools and expect lasting 

success. The children of our first nations will continue to be last 

until we build projects that begin in the community and come back 

to the community. 

43 

As we expand our work, we are very hopeful we will be able to 

reach the tribal colleges and begin working with pre-service teachers, begin working with high school students so they see becoming 

a teacher in their tribal community as a career that is just as honorable and respected as being a doctor or lawyer. 

That is where we see lasting sustainability as we increase the 

number of board certified teachers to help these students along 

that journey. 

The CHAIRMAN. I think it is a terrific program. I encourage you 

to continue along that route. 

Thank you 

Ms. ACCARDI. Thank you. 

The CHAIRMAN. Are there any additional questions? If there are 

no more questions for today, other members may also submit written follow up questions to you for the record. 

The hearing record will be open for two weeks. 

I want to thank each of you for being here as witnesses today. 

This hearing is adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 3:25 p.m., the Committee was adjourned.] 

(45) 

A P P E N D I X 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF KEIKI KAWAI‘AE‘A, DIRECTOR, KA HAKA ‘ULA O 

KE‘ELIKOLANI COLLEGE OF HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE, UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I AT HILO

S. 1928 The Native Educator Support and Training Act (NEST Act) 

Aloha Senators Barrasso and Tester, 

On behalf of Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke‘eliko ̄lani College of Hawaiian Language at UH 

Hilo, I humbly submit testimony in response and strong consideration for the NEST 

Act. As a background, Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke‘eliko ̄lani College has a charge from the 

State of Hawai‘i to focus on education with primary impact on Native Hawaiians 

and other Native American peoples. To our knowledge, we are presently the only 

tertiary education institution in the United States that is fully operating preschool 

through doctorate education through the medium of a Native American language. 

Our student body consists primarily of Native Hawaiians, but also include American 

Indians, Alaska Natives and other indigenous peoples. We are also part of a larger 

consortium and coalition of programs in Hilo that results in many educational professionals as visitors to our programs here. 

Visitors typically spend most of their time at our P–12 laboratory school Native 

language medium/immersion site Na ̄wahı ̄okalani‘o ̄pu‘u (Na ̄wahı ̄) with some 400 students enrolled. Since our first high school graduation in 1999 we have had an 87 

percent immediate enrollment into college from high school and not a single drop 

out. The students at Nawahi School are over 95 percent of Native Hawaiian ancestry and approximately 70 percent from free and reduced lunch backgrounds. Their 

teachers have been trained and certified by our College here with the curriculum 

of the school developed and produced under the leadership of the College, including 

individuals who have graduated from our master’s and doctoral programs focused 

on indigenous language revitalization and education through such languages. 

Our work is based in the science of linguistics as well as the careful alignment 

of academic programming with indigenous worldviews and cultures. 

The positive outcomes of Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke‘eliko ̄lani in providing successful education to Native children through their endangered ancestral language have not 

come with considerable struggle. That struggle continues as the educational approaches of our College do not easily fit into mainstream organizational structures 

of mainstream funding opportunities. We are very much in support of S. 1928 as 

the goals of the NEST Act have the potential to serve Native American communities, including many who have visited us and continue to work with us. This bill 

is important as it provides critical support for the recruitment, preparation and ongoing development of Native educators who are needed to meet the needs of existing 

preschool to secondary Native language education, as well as to assure program 

growth. Attaining high levels of cultural, linguistic, and professional proficiency of 

each Native language teacher is essential. This requires the demonstration of language and culture knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and skills, academic content 

knowledge and cultural and professional disposition to develop the cultural competence and academic achievement of students. Many of these requirements are additional to ‘‘normal’’ teacher preparation requirements for new teachers in mainstream English-medium schools and require specialized, distinct preparation and 

ongoing development. 

We also feel that a few modifications of the bill will make it stronger. The following are our recommended changes: 

1. First we recommend that, except for cases specifically relating to existing programs, e.g., the Bureau of Indian Education, the term Native American be 

used throughout the bill. Such a change is especially important for those 

parts of the bill that deal with education in and through Native American 

languages. The Native American Languages Act of 1990 uses the inclusive 

term ‘‘Native American’’ and its inclusive approach has played a major role 

in the high level of cooperation among initiatives involving Native American 

languages since then. 

46 

2. Second we recommend that the preparation of teachers include attention to 

training in the delivery of content areas, e.g., language arts, mathematics, 

science, social studies, through Native American languages and the heritage 

of those languages. Such attention to a range of academic fields including 

STEM and STEAM will provide teacher candidates with a holistic approach 

when combined with training in Native American languages and in appropriate education pedagogy. 

3. Title I: Educator Assistance 

a. p. 5, 14 (I) Advanced Study—Revise: . . .leading to initial teacher certification or an advanced degree in early childhood, elementary, secondary 

education, school administration, or Native language/culture education. . . 

b. Strongly support comprehensive scholarship funding package that covers 

tuition, educational expenses and a monthly stipend, all of which will become an excellent recruitment strategy and incentive. This is greatly needed to assist fulltime study and on-time completion. Currently, the availability of financial aid for graduate level programs is difficult to obtain. 

c. p. 16, 23 (1) . . .for recruitment and placement of preschool, elementary. . . 

d. Specify priority of fulltime employment within high need area,, i.e. Hawaiian language immersion (pp 16–17) 

4. Third, we recommend that in Sec 381 (d)(1) (A) and (B) there be included 

opportunities to train program administers and developers, with the suggested wording being: 

(A) Development of a new Native American immersion and language teacher 

training program that leads to state or tribal teacher program administrator, or program developer certification or an advanced degree in early 

childhood, elementary, secondary education, language program administration, or Native language/culture education. 

(B) Support and expansion of an existing Native American immersion and 

language teacher training program that leads to state or tribal teacher, 

program administrator, or program developer certification or an advanced 

degree in early childhood, elementary, secondary education, language program administration, or Native language/culture education. 

(C) Fourth, we recommend that provisions for the use of distance education, 

telecommunications, and summer institutes be especially supported to 

allow teacher, program administrator and program developer candidates 

from remote communities the opportunity to participate in the benefits of 

the NEST Act while also working in their home communities during the 

regular school session. 

5. Finally, we encourage that program also include a new (E) after Sec. 381 

(d)(2)(D) as follows: 

and; (D) other activities that have the potential to further strengthen education through Native American languages and the ability of communities to 

sustain programs and schools taught through Native American languages. 

We extend our mahalo to Senators Tester, Franken and Heinrich for introducing this important bill as it supports the recruitment, preparation and ongoing development of Native educators who are needed to meet the needs of existing preschool to secondary Native language schools, as well as to assure the 

program growth. We urge that it be passed with appropriate amendments as 

suggested above. 

Æ