Resiliency in Native Languages: The Tale of Three Indigenous Communities' Experiences with Language Immersion

This article examines the experiences of three Indigenous communities with language immersion models in preschool through 12th grades to revitalize and preserve their native languages through ethnographic research design and methods. The history and implementation of language instruction in three Indigenous communities are summarized. The analysis consists of a multi-stage process, including the examination of test scores and other qualitative and quantitative data for each school community. Schools were compared according to school demographics and standardized tests, and based on relevant issues featured in the research literature about Indigenous language revitalization. A summary analysis of data findings from additional anecdotal information and test data to explore research questions about academic achievement and Native language-medium education is provided.