Funding has been earmarked for the newly established Native American Language Resource Centers (NALRC), the first-ever Native American Teacher Retention Initiative (NATRI), and the State Tribal Education Partnership (STEP) program
The United States Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona stated, “these grant funds will provide Native American students with greater opportunities to learn in inclusive environments that uplift their cultures, revitalize their languages, and ultimately, promote their academic success and wellbeing. The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to ensuring Native American students have access to an inclusive and culturally affirming education that’s also reflected in the teachers in their schools.”
The funds will be put to use to improve the quality of education offered to Native Americans in a variety of important ways. The Native American Languages Resource Center (NALRC) initiative has built regional centers in the Western United States, the Pacific Northwest, and the Central United States. This is done to ensure that Native American languages are taught and used in schools across the country.
The Native American Teacher Retention and Improvement (NATRI) initiative is aimed at finding a solution to the ongoing problem of there not being enough Native American teachers by providing Native American educators with more opportunities for leadership and enhanced autonomy in the classroom.
In addition, the STEP program, which aims to better coordinate efforts among educational authorities at the tribe, state, and local levels to meet the special requirements of Native American children, would receive finance in the amount of $1.6 million. This would be done in order to meet the specific needs of Native American children.
Funding has been dispersed to higher education institutions and tribal colleges all throughout the country in order to address concerns such as the retention of instructors, the preservation of native languages, and the growth of professional development. These are only some of the challenges that will be addressed.
