Governor, Department of Education Announce New Native American Studies Model Curriculum

Press Release

Governor Ned Lamont and the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) today announced a new partnership with Connecticut’s recognized tribal nations to create a new Native American studies model curriculum.

This partnership and model curriculum stems from recently enacted legislation requiring school districts to include Native American studies as part of the social studies curriculum in the school year commencing July 1, 2023, and each year thereafter. This model curriculum and curricular resources, once finalized, will include the study of Native American tribes in Connecticut, including Northeastern Woodland tribes.

“Connecticut students deserve to have inclusive and accurate history lessons,” Governor Lamont said. “This curriculum is an important part of acknowledging our past and historical connections with our tribal nations. We are going beyond acknowledgment by building meaningful relationships with our tribal leaders and this curriculum effort is a prime example of that.”

“This partnership with Connecticut’s tribal nations is critical to ensuring the Native American studies curriculum development process is driven by Connecticut’s native and indigenous voices,” CSDE Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker said. “It is our goal to develop nation-leading educational resources and curriculum tools with subject matter experts in their fields and community members, while providing those resources at no cost to districts.”

“Native Americans play a critical role in Connecticut’s history and continue to play a critical role in Connecticut today,” CSDE Chief Academic Officer Irene Parisi said. “This is an opportunity to fully illuminate the historical and contemporary wisdom and contributions of Native Americans. The Connecticut State Department of Education is excited for this partnership and to curate cultural assets of each Connecticut tribe.”

Each of the five recognized tribes in Connecticut has its own individual story, and this curriculum will help students become aware of them.

Staff from the CSDE Academic Office plan to release this curriculum in June 2023 and have already begun meeting with officials from Connecticut’s tribes, as well as educators and other stakeholders to develop curriculum standards to inform curriculum resources and materials for the Native American studies model curriculum. Once completed, these curriculum resources will be made available on GoOpenCT, Connecticut’s digital library of open education resources.