Brief Description: Encouraging tribal history to be included in the common school curriculum.

Sponsors: By House Committee on Education (originally sponsored by Representatives McCoy, Roach, Simpson, P. Sullivan, McDermott, Santos, Appleton, Darneille, Williams, Hunt, Haigh, Chase, Sells, Conway, Kenney, Kagi, Moeller, Ormsby and Blake).

House Committee on Education
Senate Committee on Early Learning, K-12 & Higher Education

Background:

Washington has a rich Native American heritage that dates back thousands of years. There are 29 federally-recognized Indian tribes whose reservations are located in Washington. The Governor's Office of Indian Affairs reports an additional seven tribes in Washington who are not federally recognized.

Washington's high school graduation requirements include a minimum of one-half credit of course work in Washington State history and government. Courses designed to meet this requirement are encouraged, but not required, to include information on the culture, history, and government of Washington Indian tribes.

The Washington State School Directors' Association (WSSDA) was created for the purpose of coordinating programs and procedures pertaining to the policymaking, control, and management of school districts in the state. The WSSDA reports annually to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) regarding recommendations to increase the efficiency of the common school system.

Summary:

The WSSDA is encouraged to convene regional meetings between local school boards and tribal councils to establish government-to-government relationships. Meetings should be scheduled at least annually beginning in 2006 and through 2010 and should be for the purposes of: (1) developing and implementing curricular materials to teach the history, culture, and government of Washington Indian tribes; and (2) identifying strategies to close the academic achievement gap. The WSSDA is directed to report to the Legislature in 2007, 2009, and 2011, regarding the progress made in developing the curricula and the potential for the curricula to contribute to efforts to close the achievement gap.
School districts are encouraged to incorporate information about tribal history, culture, and government into social studies courses in which Washington or United States history is taught. Districts also are encouraged to facilitate opportunities for cultural exchanges with tribes and to make good faith efforts to collaborate in the development of curricula with federally-recognized tribes whose reservations in whole or in part lie within the districts' boundaries. The OSPI is encouraged to assist districts in determining the locations of the reservations and traditional lands and territories of Washington Indian tribes.

Votes on Final Passage:

House   78   18
Senate   35   9   (Senate amended)
House   79   17   (House concurred)

Effective: July 24, 2005