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Teaching the Native American experience
10/9/2017Oregon schools, including PPS, will focus more on the role of Native Americans in Oregon history, thanks to a bill passed by the state Legislature.
Senate Bill 13, which focuses on providing accurate, place-based tribal education across the state, was signed into law by Gov. Kate Brown over the summer. It directs the state Department of Education to develop curriculum and provide teacher training relating to Native American experience in Oregon.
Korinna Wolfe, PPS’s Senior Director for the Multiple Pathways to Graduation department, testified and advocated for PPS students in every step of the process—from the bill’s conception through the governor’s signature.
“Our tribal histories are often invisible,” Wolfe says. “When we speak of Native education in our curriculum, many people point to the Oregon Trail curriculum in 4th grade—much of which is from a settler’s perspective.”
For Wolfe, and others involved in the bill’s success, SB 13 is essential because it requires teaching Native American history from the perspective of tribal communities. The bill ensures that the Oregon Department of Education works with teachers and tribal communities to develop grade-specific curriculum.
Oregon was a federal relocation site for Native American communities and because of that long history of federally-mandated movement, Portland is home to the ninth-largest Native American community in the United States. Incorporating that history into our public education standards just makes sense, Wolfe says.
“Recognizing the role and presence of indigenous knowledge specific to Oregon will provide the opportunity to honor our Native ways of knowing and doing,” Wolfe says. “This knowledge will provide an opportunity to honor the land on which our students learn, identify multiple perspectives in education, and honor indigenous knowledge and our vibrant tribal communities.”
-Laura Hanson
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