Native American Studies Model Curriculum
A Statewide Partnership Effort Funded through the California Department of Education
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 Humboldt County Office of Education and the San Diego County Office of Education 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 COEs, and native youth serving organizations. HCOE serves regions 1-3 as noted in map below.
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 Colby Smart, HCOE Assistant Superintendent with questions about the NASMC project.
Additional Resources
NASMC Project Resources
- November 2024 Project Update Slides (PDF) 11/21/24
- Zoom Recording of November 2024 Project Update 11/21/24
- March 2024 Project Update Slides (PDF) 3/19/24
- Zoom Recording of February 2024 Project Update to Tribal Nations 2/14/24
- Zoom Recording of May Project Update Meeting 5/24/23
- NASMC Project Update Slides (PDF) 5/17/23
- NASMC Listening Session Slides 2/22/23
- Zoom Recording of Feb. 15 NASMC Project Update Meeting 2/22/23
- NASMC Project Update Slides (PDF) 2/17/23
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About the NAS Model Curriculum Project
- Survey from Phase One
General Resources
Listening Sessions (Phase 3)
To date, Humboldt County Office of Education has hosted 113 community meetings, reaching 2,288 participants, across NorCal.
The HCOE team is currently completing drafts of curriculum, incorporating feedback from CA Native scholars, educators and the State Model Curriculum Coordinating Council. HCOE will provide updates on the progress of the work in November 2024 and January 2025.
Upcoming NASMC Public Updates
- Jan. 30, 2025 | 12-1pm (Register Now)
- Jan. 30, 2025 | 4-5pm (Register Now)
- January-March 2025: Tribal groups may request the opportunity to vet lessons that pertain to their cultural group. Tribes may also contribute their own curriculum or videos for the NASMC Resource List. Submit open source educational resources to Rebecca Lowry at RLowry@hcoe.org
Contact Information
Rebecca Lowry, MSW
Native American Learning Specialist
Humboldt County Office of Education
Tel: 707.582.2175
Email: rlowry@hcoe.org
Maggie Peters
Native American Learning Specialist
Humboldt County Office of Education
Tel: 707.845.6960
Email: mpeters@hcoe.org
Rosie Slentz, Ed.D
Director, Learning Support Services
Humboldt County Office of Education
Tel: 707.834.0786
Email: rslentz@hcoe.org
Colby Smart, Ed.D
Deputy Superintendent
Humboldt County Office of Education
Tel: 707.445.7031
Email: csmart@hcoe.org
Cutcha Risling Baldy, Ph.D.
NASMC Lead Scholar
Cal Poly Humboldt
Tel: 707.826.4322
Email: crislingbaldy@humboldt.edu