TEDNA

From Indianz.com, here. An excerpt on the importance of language immersion programs and the Native Language Immersion Student Achievement Act (S. 1948):

As President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe I would like to say kudos to the National Congress of American Indians for including the Native Language Immersion Student Achievement Act (S.1948) as a priority legislative issue in the upcoming NCAI Unity Impact Week.

In my first public appearance as the President elect of the Oglala Sioux Tribe I called for Congress to introduce this crucial legislation. I have often through Congressional testimony and communications with the Obama administration expressed the need for a more robust Native language Immersion agenda.

NCAI in highlighting this issue is doing two good things. The first is that NCAI is responding to “language Tribes” and their desire to see immersion, and language revitalization move closer to the front of Indian country’s agenda.

The second is that NCAI is recognizing that through its web page, budget recommendations, Congressional testimony, lobbying efforts, and speeches it is providing Congress, the Administration and Indian Country with both implicit and explicit messages that devalues Native languages, Immersion Schools when they are not included.

And here is a joint letter that TEDNA signed onto with many other organizations supporting S. 1948.