BILL REQ. #: S-1086.2
State of Washington | 62nd Legislature | 2011 Regular Session |
Read first time 02/07/11. Referred to Committee on Early Learning & K-12 Education.
AN ACT Relating to creating an Indian education division in the office of the superintendent of public instruction; adding a new section to chapter 28A.300 RCW; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 The legislature finds:
(1) Leadership, technical assistance, and advocacy is important to
promoting the academic success of all students, particularly including
American Indian and Alaska Native students;
(2) American Indian and Alaska Native students make up two and one-half percent of the total student population in the state and twenty-five percent or more of the student population in fifty-seven schools
across the state;
(3) The annual dropout rate for American Indian and Alaska Native
students has hovered around ten or eleven percent over the past three
school years and, while the on-time graduation rate for these students
has improved between the 2006-07 and 2008-09 school years, it is still
only fifty-two and seven-tenths percent; and
(4) Despite the passage of House Bill No. 1495 in 2005, with its
goal of educating citizens of the state about tribal history, culture,
treaty rights, contemporary tribal and state government institutions
and relations, and the contribution of American Indians and Alaska
Natives to the state, that goal has yet to be achieved in many schools.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 A new section is added to chapter 28A.300
RCW to read as follows:
(1) The Indian education division is created within the office of
the superintendent of public instruction. The superintendent shall
appoint an assistant superintendent for Indian education.
(2) The Indian education division shall:
(a) Provide assistance to school districts in meeting the
educational needs of American Indian and Alaska Native students;
(b) Facilitate the development and implementation of curricula and
instructional materials in native languages, culture and history, and
the concept of tribal sovereignty pursuant to RCW 28A.320.170;
(c) Provide assistance to districts in the acquisition of funding
to develop curricula and instructional materials in conjunction with
native language practitioners and tribal elders;
(d) Coordinate technical assistance for public schools that serve
American Indian and Alaska Native students;
(e) Seek funds to develop, in conjunction with the Washington state
native American education advisory committee, and implement the
following support services for the purposes of both increasing the
number of American Indian and Alaska Native teachers and principals and
providing continued professional development for educational
assistants, teachers, and principals serving American Indian and Alaska
Native students:
(i) Recruitment and retention;
(ii) Academic transition programs;
(iii) Academic financial support;
(iv) Teacher preparation;
(v) Teacher induction; and
(vi) Professional development;
(f) Facilitate the inclusion of native language programs in school
districts' curricula;
(g) Work with all relevant agencies and committees to highlight the
need for accurate, useful data that is appropriately disaggregated to
provide a more accurate picture regarding American Indian and Alaska
Native students; and
(h) Report to the governor, the legislature, and the governor's
office of Indian affairs on an annual basis, beginning in December
2012, regarding the state of Indian education and the implementation of
all state laws regarding Indian education, specifically noting system
successes and accomplishments, deficiencies, and needs.