Photo: Celebrating Respect, Culture, and Education. November Native American Heritage Month
Happy Native American Heritage Month from the Office of Indian Education! We have a special announcement from Assistant Superintendent April Cambpell.
The month of November is National Native American Heritage Month. The Oregon Department of Education, Office of Indian Education honors and lifts our ancestors through celebration of traditional Indigenous knowledge, culture, heritage, and language. Without the support of our elders, the Office of Indian Education would continue to be a dream not yet realized. We honor and respect the government-to-government relationships with our federally recognized tribes of Oregon and strive to lift American Indian / Alaskan Native students, youth, and families.
In reflection, of President Biden and Secretary Deb Haaland acknowledgement of the devastating impacts of Indian Boarding Schools last week, I feel the continued urgency of the work our team holds. The American Indian / Alaska Native Student Success Plan, Tribal History / Shared History curriculum, Tribal Languages, Tribal Attendance Promising Practices, and Tribal Early Literacy efforts are integral and intentional efforts aimed to change the education landscape and highlight the fabulous strengths of each American Indian / Alaska Native students.
Districts can lean into this work through continued learning, consider applying for the USDOE Title VI program, ensuring historically accurate and culturally appropriate curriculum is taught in classrooms, supporting Native educators, and building space and relationships with American Indian / Alaska Native students, families, communities, and Tribes.
Please join us in celebrating National Native American Heritage Month, every month, and every day!
April Campbell, Assistant Superintendent, Oregon Department of Education
To see our November newsletter please visit: OIE November 2024 Newsletter
Introduction
That state we now call Oregon has been the homeland of diverse Native peoples since time immemorial. Their descendants, and Native people from throughout the United States, continue to live and thrive here.Developing an understanding of the diverse lifeways of today’s Native people and the legacy of our nation’s growth offers all people the opportunity to develop a shared future.
Historically, American Indian/Alaska Native Education is a rocky path. Many factors contribute to the Academic Achievement Gap that exists between American Indian/Alaska Native learners and their peers. Whether Native students are dropping out or stepping out, the result is the same, low employment rates, depressed economic development in Indian Country, separatism, and poverty.
In September 2017, ODE’s Office of Accountability, Research, and Information Services prepared the
American Indian/Alaska Native Students in Oregon: A Review of Key Indicators report, updated in March 2020, to further conversations about improving outcomes for Oregon’s American Indian student population.
As part of the Oregon 150 celebration, this video tracing the history of Oregon Tribes residing in the western part of the state was produced by the Western Oregon Tribal OR150 Committee. The video provides both an historical perspective and current information on five of the nine federally recognized Tribes in Oregon. The western Tribes in Oregon are: the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, the Coquille Indian Tribe, the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, and the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians. Students studying Oregon history or teachers preparing classes on Oregon history will find this video very informative.
Today
The Native population is about 1.4% of the total population in Oregon. American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) and Hawaiian Native students are potentially in every classroom and every district. Oregon is a national leader in adopting a comprehensive plan developed by Native education leaders. The
2020-2025 AI/AN Student Success Plan aligns to the strategic goals and key efforts of the Oregon Department of Education. The 2020-2025 plan focuses on eleven (11) educational objectives with accompanying strategies and measureable outcomes.
The Oregon Department of Education promotes active Tribal communication through the Indian Education Advisor to the Deputy Superintendent.
Executive Order 96-30 was issued by the Governor of the State of Oregon in 1996, it established State Government-to-Government Relations with the nine (9) federally recognized Tribes in Oregon. The purpose of the formal relationship was to improve services and develop avenues for consultation. Under EO 96-30 the
Government to Government Education Cluster was established.
Part C Title VI of the “Every Student Succeeds Act” (ESSA) of 2015 details the national expectations to provide a quality education for American Indian, Alaska and Hawaiian Native students. There are federal grant programs to 1) support the efforts of local educational agencies to meet the culturally related educational needs of Native students so such students can meet academic standards; 2) ensure that students gain knowledge and understanding of Native communities, languages, Tribal histories, traditions and cultures, and 3) to ensure that school staff who serve Native students have the ability to provide culturally appropriate and effective instruction
Office of Indian Education Updates