Humboldt Celebrates Launch of State Native American Studies Curriculum

The Humboldt County Office of Education hosted Carrying Our Stories Forward on November 8, 2025 to celebrate the statewide release of the Native American Studies Model Curriculum. Developed in partnership with Tribal educators and the San Diego County Office of Education, the curriculum is designed to put Native perspectives at the center of classroom instruction and to correct longstanding gaps in how Native histories and cultures are taught.

The new model curriculum offers hundreds of standards aligned lessons, primary source materials, culturally grounded professional development, and a suite of resources intended to improve Native student engagement and the accuracy of instruction across the state. HCOE leaders and Tribal educators who helped shape the work emphasized that the curriculum is an ongoing, collaborative effort that will require sustained funding and partnership to expand its reach and to keep materials current.

For Humboldt County, the launch has concrete implications for classroom practice and for relationships between schools and local Tribal nations. The model curriculum provides ready made lesson plans and archival materials that local teachers can use to center Native voices. The inclusion of culturally grounded professional development aims to equip educators with methods and context so that instruction matches the expectations of Tribal partners and supports Native students more effectively.

The statewide nature of the project matters to local taxpayers and policymakers because implementation will require resources beyond a single event. HCOE officials and Tribal partners have signaled a need for ongoing investment in teacher training, curriculum adaptation for local Tribal histories, and the development of supplementary materials. Those commitments will affect budget planning at the county and district levels as schools integrate the model curriculum into existing course sequences.

The curriculum also changes accountability conversations. By offering standards aligned lessons, the product seeks to align culturally accurate instruction with state academic requirements. That alignment may ease curricular adoption and make it simpler for districts to demonstrate compliance with state learning standards while improving the representation of Native histories and cultures in classrooms.

Looking forward, the collaboration between HCOE, Tribal educators, and the San Diego County Office of Education sets a template for how regional offices can work with Tribal partners to produce classroom ready resources. Success will depend on continued partnership, targeted funding, and local adaptation so that the model curriculum not only reaches Humboldt County classrooms but resonates with Tribal communities and supports measurable gains in Native student engagement.