Native American Studies Model Curriculum

OVERVIEW

The Native American Studies Model Curriculum (NASMC) is defined as lesson plans, primary source documents, planning resources, teaching strategies, and professional development activities to assist educators in teaching about Native American Studies. The San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) and the Humboldt County Office of Education (HCOE) have been selected as lead agencies in the development of the NASMC.  By design, the model curriculum will be developed in partnership with California Tribes, other county offices of education (COEs), and native youth serving organizations. NASMC is a statewide partnership effort funded through the California Department of Education.

SDCOE and HCOE will collaborate with California Native American tribes, multiple County Offices of Education (COEs), Native American educational, cultural experts, K-12 educators, American Indian/Native American Studies departments at institutions of higher education (IHEs), and American Indian non-profit agencies to build systemwide capacity across the state to develop and author NASMC curricular resources. This three-year project responds to the urgent need to design culturally responsive, placed-based instructional resources and champion California Indian and Native American authored digital units and resources.

The Project NASMC collaborative leaders are committed to:

• Increasing the value of, and access to, culturally responsive Native American Studies educational resources that improve representations and classroom climates for teaching and learning about California's first peoples;
• Assisting a statewide process of educator and community outreach to inform the development of a curriculum that reflects diverse, authentic voices of varying perspectives;
• Supporting school leaders and teachers to educate children and youth about the diverse histories, cultures, and contributions of California Native people; 
• Collaborating on efforts to support socially conscious and culturally competent K-12 educational leaders and educators; and 
• Building capacity of LEAs to lead their own professional learning and access the NASMC units and digital resources.

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AB 167 Model Curriculum Projects

Assembly Bill 167, Chapter 252, Statutes of 2021 amended California Education Code sections 33540.2, 33540.4, 33540.6 and 51226.9, for the development and maintenance of model curricula relating to the Vietnamese American refugee experience, the Cambodian genocide, Hmong history and cultural studies, and Native American studies. The California Department of Education shall, in collaboration with, and subject to the approval of, the executive director of the state board, enter into contracts with county offices of education for the purposes of developing a model curriculum. Work on these projects will begin in 2022 and conclude by September of 2025.

Please continue to return to this page as information will be posted as the project progresses.  Feel free to reach out to Dr. Staci Block, SDCOE Equity executive leadership coach, with questions about the NASMC project.

Seeds of Native Knowledge: Culturally Sustaining Teaching Institute 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• California Department of Education: Model Curriculum Projects Overview Page
• Instructional Quality Commission
• California Indian Education for All
• CSU San Marcos American Indian Studies Department
• California Indian Culture and Sovereignty Center
• California Indian Museum and Cultural Center
• Cal Poly Humboldt’s Native American Studies Department

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