Assessing Lakota Language Teaching Issues on the Cheyenne River Reservation.

A study examined community attitudes concerning Lakota language instruction in the schools on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in South Dakota. Surveys were completed by 88 Native American, Caucasian, and mixed-heritage households. Results indicated agreement with the establishment of intensified Lakota language education for all school levels on the reservation. The majority of respondents who agreed with expanded Lakota language education were 40-50 years old--the age group that holds most decision-making positions within the tribal government. Respondents indicated a slight preference for bilingual education over immersion programs. Research suggests that immersion classrooms result in the quickest and most complete language learning in young children. Therefore, it is suggested that residents be informed of these findings to ensure increasing support for immersion programs. As the second choice, immersion still received enough positive responses to make a pilot project in Head Start and the lower elementary level a likely success. Re-vernacularizing Lakota will requir