Students in Connecticut will soon learn a new subject in school. Native American studies will be added to the public school social studies curriculum starting next year and the state announced a new partnership between the state Department of Education and tribal leaders.
The announcement is timely as November marks Native American Heritage Month. On the last day of November, state and tribal leaders said they plan to create a Native American studies curriculum for students in Kindergarten through 12th grade.
"This is the most important piece of legislation because it recognizes where we stand today and that we will no longer silence the voices that were here first," said Rep. Catherine Osten.
This model curriculum and curricular resources will include the study of Native American tribes in Connecticut, including Northeastern Woodland tribes.
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“Connecticut students deserve to have inclusive and accurate history lessons,” Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement. “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.”
The hope is to make students more aware of the contributions of national and local tribes.
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"All Connecticut students can learn about our roots through the voices of our people. Not through the colonizer's voice, but through the voice but through the voices that have been left out to tell our true, tragic, yet also very wonderful history in many ways. Our culture and our ways," Beth Regan, vice chairwoman, of the Mohegan Tribe Council Of Elders, said.
In Connecticut, five tribes are recognized by the state and two are also recognized federally.
"Now with implementing Native American curriculum into our social studies curriculum, now all Connecticut students can learn about our roots through the voices of our people, not through the colonizer’s voice. But through the voices that have been left out," said Vice Chairwoman of the Mohegan Tribe Council of Elders Beth Regan.
Staff from the CSDE Academic Office plan to release this curriculum in June 2023 and resources will be made available on GoOpenCT, Connecticut’s digital library of open education resources.
Some schools already have a program in place, but it will need to be offered in all K-12 state schools by the 2023-2024 school year.
