Indian Education National Activities (State Tribal Education Partnership (STEP) and Native American Language (NAL)

The objectives of the State Tribal Education Partnership (STEP) program (CFDA 84.415A) are to (a) promote Tribal self-determination in education; (b) improve the academic achievement of Indian children and youth; and (c) promote the coordination and collaboration of Tribal educational agencies (TEAs) with State educational agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) to meet the unique educational and culturally related academic needs of Indian students. The objectives of the Native American Language (NAL) program (CFDA 84.415B) are to (a) to establish a grant program to support schools that use Native American and Alaska Native languages as the primary language of instruction; (b) to maintain, protect, and promote the rights and freedom of Native Americans and Alaska Natives to use, practice, maintain, and revitalize their languages, as envisioned in the Native American Languages Act (25 U.S.C. 2901 et seq.); and (c) to support the Nation’s First Peoples’ efforts to maintain and revitalize their languages and cultures, and to improve educational opportunities and student outcomes within Native American and Alaska Native communities. National Activities funds also support, through contracts, the National Indian Education Study, technical assistance to grantees, peer review of new grant awards, and logistical support activities, including tribal consultations and listening sessions. The objective of the Native American Language Resource Centers program (CFDA 84.415C) is to support establishing, strengthening, and operating one or more Native American language resource centers.