This topic just came up at a board meeting of the Wis. Indian Ed. Assoc.
last week. Apparently, our state DPI has established a situational
certification for the teaching of Native languages, and requires that the
local school board jointly request the license with the local Parent
Advisory Committee (Title IX). Getting all parties to agree on the teacher
can be a trick, but it apparently has been done. Some of the strongest
opposition has come from the teacher unions, who are concerned about the
precedent of certifying professionals untrained in pedagogy. This is a
legitimate concern.
Our DPI Office of Indian Education is located at:
PO Box 7841
Madison, WI 53707
608/266-2899
There has been some turnover there recently, and I don't know who currently
holds the position.
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* Erik Phelps *
* University of Minnesota *
* PHELPS@EPIVAX.EPI.UMN.EDU *
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