Bilingual Education in Rural Schools with Native and Non-Native Students: Indigenous-Language Programme Elements for an Inclusive Model

Abstract

The inclusive bilingual-education programme suggestions and insights presented here are derived from grassroots input on the Flathead Reservation. This study focuses on the emic point of view. Views from the inside are valuable because they provide authoritative interpretations of local conditions. The author conducted 101 interviews with 89 educational stakeholders holding diverse perspectives on indigenous-language education in public schools on the Reservation. The bilingualeducation components addressed by the research participants include objectives, target population, frequency, and curriculum. Some of the participants' suggestions are applicable reservation-wide and some are specific to one of the three rural school districts selected for the study. These data are separately analysed and reported in two different sections in this paper. Although the envisioned bilingual-education programme will not, by itself, save any language, it can complement other community efforts by supporting Native-language education, creating a positive community environment for place-based language and cultural studies, and solidifying the foundation for further intensive second-language learning. The grassroots suggestions presented in this paper advance the goal of reversing language loss, in addition to enhancing place-based multicultural education for all. In the context of rural districts of mixed populations, the future of indigenouslanguage learning lies in well-planned coordination and collaboration among tribal and non-tribal entities, multiple language programmes, committed language educators who work in different settings, and curriculum developers from inside and outside of the language classroom.