NAM Discretionary Report 2018 & 2021 Cohorts (School Year 2023)

In the Native American Languages Act of 1990, Congress recognized the importance of preserving Native American languages by protecting and promoting the rights of Native Americans to develop their proficiency and use of Native American languages.1 In addition, it is the policy of the United States to encourage and support the use of Native American languages in the classroom to ensure the survival of Native American languages and to increase educational opportunities and achievement for Native American and Alaska Native students.2 Native language preservation has been shown to confer cognitive, socio-emotional, and educational benefits to Native students.3
Thus, the Native American and Alaska Native Children in School (NAM) program awards discretionary grants to eligible entities to develop and enhance capacity to provide effective instruction and support to Native American students who are identified as English learners (ELs). The goal of the NAM program is to support the teaching, learning, and studying of Native American languages.
This document highlights and presents information about the 2018 and 2021 grantee cohorts of the NAM program.4 It uses self-reported information from grantees in the 2022 fiscal year (FY). The data presented capture the grantees’ program performance results based on three GRPA measures for the cohorts. In addition to the required focus on English language proficiency, the NAM program identified priority areas for funded projects that included Native American and Alaska Native language instruction, remote instruction, parent engagement, and family literacy. The report also presents descriptions and graphs illustrating grantee school program types, project features, and reported program outcomes, progress, and challenges.