BILL REQ. #:  H-1296.2 

Read first time 02/04/11.   Referred to Committee on 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.