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A Statewide Partnership Effort Funded through the California Department of Education
Alice Piper as a 15-year-old student at Big Pine High School in 1923.
June 2: The Right to Belong Day of Awareness
On June 2, 1924, 15-year-old Alice Piper, a Paiute student from Big Pine, won her California Supreme Court case after being denied admission to her local high school because she was Native. That same day, Congress passed the Indian Citizenship Act, granting U.S. citizenship to Native Americans — though many were still denied full voting rights for decades. Together, these events mark a pivotal moment in Native civil rights, educational access, and the ongoing fight for belonging.
The Humboldt County Office of Education will release a K–12 Teaching Toolkit in early April to support educators in recognizing June 2 as a day of learning, reflection, and celebration of Native leadership, resilience, and belonging.
Join the NASMC Continuous Improvement Network!
Open to all California educators, administrators, Tribal partners, and community members, this online series supports the implementation of the Native American Studies Model Curriculum (NASMC) in alignment with state education code.
These professional developments introduce over 450 TK–12+ lessons and resources that center Native voices and histories. Participants will engage with Native scholars, curriculum writers, and knowledge keepers to support implementation of the NASMC in educational spaces throughout California. Continuing education units (1 or 3) are available through Cal Poly Humboldt. Join us in bringing meaningful, accurate, and community-rooted collaboration to inspire a future of respectful partnerships.
New Spring Session Dates! Our Best Practices and Deep Dives are being offered again in the spring!
Board of Education Presentation Video
This video is a presentation to the State Board of Education by the Humboldt and San Diego County Offices of Education.
To watch a full recording of the meeting, visit: State Board of Education Meeting September 11, 2025
Overview
The Native American Studies Model Curriculum (NASMC) is defined as lesson plans, primary source documents, planning resources, teaching strategies, and professional development activities to assist educators in teaching about Native American studies. The Humboldt County Office of Education and the San Diego County Office of Education have been selected as lead agencies in the development of the NASMC. By design, the model curriculum will be developed in partnership with California Tribes, other COEs, and native youth serving organizations. HCOE serves regions 1-3 as noted in map below.
To date, Humboldt County Office of Education has hosted 120 community meetings, reaching 2,546 participants, across Northern California.
Learn more about the HCOE’s NASMC journey from this ACSA Leadership article:
AB 167 Model Curriculum Projects
Assembly Bill 167, Chapter 252, Statutes of 2021 amended California Education Code sections 33540.2, 33540.4, 33540.6 and 51226.9, for the development and maintenance of model curricula relating to the Vietnamese American refugee experience, the Cambodian genocide, Hmong history and cultural studies, and Native American studies. The California Department of Education shall, in collaboration with, and subject to the approval of, the executive director of the state board, enter into contracts with county offices of education for the purposes of developing a model curriculum. Work on these projects will begin in 2022 and conclude by September of 2025.
Please continue to return to this page as information will be posted as the project progresses. Feel free to reach out to Colby Smart, HCOE Assistant Superintendent with questions about the NASMC project.
Additional Resources
NASMC Project Resources
- January 2025 Project Update (Google Slides) 2/3/25
- Zoom Recording of January 2025 Project Update 2/3/25
- November 2024 Project Update Slides (PDF) 11/21/24
- Zoom Recording of November 2024 Project Update11/21/24
- March 2024 Project Update Slides (PDF) 3/19/24
- Zoom Recording of February 2024 Project Update to Tribal Nations 2/14/24
- Zoom Recording of May Project Update Meeting 5/24/23
- NASMC Project Update Slides (PDF) 5/17/23
- NASMC Listening Session Slides 2/22/23
- Zoom Recording of Feb. 15 NASMC Project Update Meeting 2/22/23
- NASMC Project Update Slides (PDF) 2/17/23
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About the NAS Model Curriculum Project
- Survey from Phase One
General Resources
Contact Information
Maggie Peters
Native American Learning Specialist
Humboldt County Office of Education
Tel: 707.845.6960
Email: mpeters@hcoe.org
Cutcha Risling Baldy, Ph.D.
NASMC Lead Scholar
Cal Poly Humboldt
Tel: 707.826.4322
Email: crislingbaldy@humboldt.edu
Rosie Slentz, Ed.D
Director, Learning Support Services
Humboldt County Office of Education
Tel: 707.834.0786
Email: rslentz@hcoe.org
Colby Smart, Ed.D
Deputy Superintendent
Humboldt County Office of Education
Tel: 707.445.7031
Email: csmart@hcoe.org