Overview

Although Native Americans mark the beginning of U.S. history, their stories are either omitted or misrepresented in history or social studies curriculums. This is incredibly harmful as it not only perpetuates false narratives of Indigenous cultures but also causes people to be ignorant about the historical oppression Native Americans endure and their ongoing predicament in American society today. 

1. Pointed Summary

• The curriculum standards of 27 states do not even include Native Americans
• Some current history curricula negatively depict Native Americans, associating their practices with witchcraft
• The vast majority of Indigenous youths attend U.S. public schools, which are not operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs
• Only a third of Americans think that Native Americans are discriminated against in the United States

Relevance

Throughout history, Native Americans in the United States have endured genocide, cultural erosion, and currently experience the intergenerational trauma from residential boarding schools, which was established by the Civilization Fund Act of 1819. This act purposefully aimed to eradicate Native American culture. The federal government stripped Native American youths from their families and cultures and assimilated them into the “civilized” Western society by sending them to boarding schools. Students were forced to adopt Christian values, punished for speaking their languages, and forbidden from practicing their culture. These traumatic experiences have led to generations of trauma and cycles of abuse and violence, which are detrimental to the communities’ physical and mental well-being.

Based on a study by Penn State University, 87 percent of content relating to Native Americans taught at schools only focused on the pre-1900 period. Meanwhile, 27 states did not mention any Native American in their history curriculum standards. The lack of cultural and historical understanding of Native Americans allows non-Native Americans to be more prone to hold prejudiced views against the communities. Hence, the omission of Indigenous history in education curricula is a pressing issue that should not be overlooked. 

Current Stances

Incorporating Native American history remains an underrepresented issue in the United States. A 2019 report by the National Congress of American Indians states that 87% of state history standards omit Native American history after the 1900 period. Concurrently, 27 states entirely disregard Native Americans in their K-12 curriculums. While 90% of the states surveyed on the reports indicated progress on the implementation of Indigenous history in curriculums, there is generally a lack of standardization across the country.

Tried Policy

The Every Student Success Act (ESSA) signed in 2015 opens up a pathway to incorporate Indigenous cultures and languages in public schools for Native students. It provides funding to operate Indigenous language immersion programs, promote Indigenous cultures, and establish dropout prevention and mental health services. At the same time, the ESSA repealed the “highly qualified” requirement for teachers to be employed at public schools. This is extremely beneficial as now Tribal Elders can teach courses at schools without having to undergo a lengthy certification process. 

The Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (ISDEAA) in 1975 further allowed Indigenous tribes to assume administrative responsibility over federally funded programs such as housing, healthcare, roads, and education. These programs were mainly overlooked by the Bureau of Indian Affairs or Indian Health Services. This act aims to ensure the inclusion of tribal members and parents’ perspectives in developing the education curriculum for Native Americans and Native Alaskans. Although the ISDEAA is a step forward in creating a more culturally appropriate curriculum for schools funded or operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the vast majority of Native youths, approximately 90%, attend public schools in the United States. Therefore, it becomes more than necessary for all schools to incorporate Native American history into curriculum standards; and some states have begun executing this proposition. 

Montana was the first state to mandate Indigenous education for all public school students in 2005. In fact, it is the only state that requires it by constitution. In 2021, both North Dakota and Connecticut passed a law requiring the teaching of Native American history in schools. Some other states with similar laws passed or in progress include Oregon and California.

Policy Problem

A. Stakeholders

Native Americans 

It is imperative for Indigenous peoples, especially youths, to learn about Native American history at school as they are directly impacted by the representation of their culture and history in the curricula. In fact, many studies show that a false image portrayed or erasure of Indigenous peoples in school curricula have the potential to worsen the educational outcome and life trajectory of Indigenous students. At the same time, stereotypical portrayal of Indigenous culture promotes a hostile learning environment for Native students. Especially those who do not attend schools funded or operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Indigenous students are vulnerable to discrimination and may develop a misunderstanding of their own culture. 

Non-Native Americans 

To foster civilly engaged citizens of the next generation, youths ought to learn about the complete past of the land they reside on and the people who lived there thousands of years prior. By understanding Native Americans’ contributions to the development of the United States and the detrimental impacts of colonization on the community, American youths will be less susceptible to adopting prejudiced and stereotypical perceptions of Native Americans. Students will also become more culturally competent and aware of the ongoing modern systematic oppression experienced by Native Americans when exposed to Indigenous history.

B. Risks of Indifference

Education significantly impacts students, influencing how they think and their prescription of the world. When Native American history is negatively portrayed in schools, it perpetuates false narratives of Indigenous communities that foster misunderstanding and reinforces stereotypes. The possibility of non-Native Americans remaining oblivious to the predicaments Native Americans face also increases when Indigenous history is omitted in school curriculums. According to research conducted in 2016 by Reclaiming Native Truth, a project aiming to empower the Native American community, almost half of Americans revealed that their school curriculum was inaccurate. As of 2018, only a third of Americans believed that Indigenous peoples face discrimination. Currently, another misconception is the idea that Indigenous peoples are monoliths. This perception is incredibly harmful as it diminishes the various unique cultures and traditions practiced by different communities. These biases continue to marginalize Indigenous peoples, preventing them from achieving economic, social, and political equality. Therefore, a failure to appropriately represent Native American history in the classroom risks continuing the present prejudice Americans hold against Indigenous peoples.  

For Indigenous youths attending public schools, seeing their culture negatively represented can also affect their sentiments towards their heritage. For example, Joanna Lewis, a member of the United Confederation of Taino People, indicated that the school curriculum often associated her cultural practices with witchcraft, causing her to feel ashamed of her background. When Indigenous history is not taught in the classroom, Native American students will continue to face stereotypical remarks and marginalization. Given that the majority of Native youths attend U.S. public schools, Indigenous students should be able to study in an inclusive environment where they can celebrate their culture. 

C. Nonpartisan Reasoning

As a country with 13.8% of immigrants, the United States ought to foster a respectful and equitable community to ensure everyone feels included. Understanding Native American history is crucial to fostering better relationships between Native Americans and non-Native Americans. This helps to promote an environment of mutual understanding and respect, which allows everyone to preserve and celebrate their heritage. 

Furthermore, implementing Native American history into educational programs is an act that can provide all students with the opportunity to learn about the accurate and holistic history of the United States. Having a comprehensive understanding of history will also help to foster the next generation of civically engaged youths. This is an interest for all parties regardless of political affiliation as these youths will continue to strengthen democracy and address social injustices in the U.S. 

Aside from providing a complete historical education for its citizens, the United States government holds an ethical responsibility to promote the teaching of Native American history as part of an effort to remedy the past and ongoing injustices experienced by the communities. 

Policy Options

To ensure that all Native American history curricula are culturally appropriate and historically accurate, the government should develop national standards that ought to be included in every curriculum throughout the country. These guidelines will serve as important references when states are looking to implement the curriculum. This may also increase the buy-in of states to teach Native American history as they no longer have to build one from scratch,

Furthermore, there should be increased federal and state funding to develop these curriculums and resources. At the same time, it is also imperative to consult Indigenous communities and incorporate the voices of Native Americans in this process. This looks like having schools partnering with various Native American tribes to design relevant and accurate curriculums. Nevertheless, there also needs to be professional competency training for teachers to effectively teach Native American history. This makes sure that students are not learning the information from a biased perspective. 

The federal government should mandate state-level implementation of Native American history. As such, all students will be exposed to a more comprehensive history and social science curriculum that allows them to be informed citizens. If the implementation is left to the discretion of the states, the effectiveness of this proposal will be largely diminished.

Conclusions and Recommendations

The policy options provide an overview of the adjustments necessary to construct an accurate and appropriate Native American history curriculum. When approaching the state-level implementation, it is recommended that the curriculum: 

1. Covers both the historical injustices and current systematic oppression of Native Americans,
2. Covers, at least, Indigenous tribes that reside on the lands of the state, and
3. Includes the voices and perspectives of the local Native American communities.

At the same time, the federal and state governments should: 

1. Prioritize the state-level implementation of Native American history,
2. Fund professional and cultural competency training for teachers teaching the curriculum,
3. Ensure that education materials, such as textbooks, are historically accurate and culturally appropriate, and
4. Partner with Native American communities or organizations and consult them for feedback and areas of improvement.

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Acknowledgment

The Institute for Youth in Policy wishes to acknowledge Paul Kramer, Carlos Bindert, Gwen Singer, and other contributors for developing and maintaining the Programming Department within the Institute.

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