Since Time Immemorial (STI)

Teacher preparation programs must integrate the Since Time Immemorial curriculum into their programs and courses, and ensure that teacher candidates engage and familiarize themselves with the content. Programs may modify the curriculum in order to incorporate elements that have a regionally specific focus

Washington State or Pacific Northwest history and government

• Programs must require candidates to complete a one quarter or semester course, or the equivalent, in either Washington State or Pacific Northwest history and government
• This requirement may be completed by candidates prior to the program or external to the program, but completion must be verified by the program prior to the program recommending candidates for certification
• Any course used to meet this requirement must include information on the culture, history, and government of the American Indian peoples who were the first human inhabitants of the state and the region.

These requirements apply to all approved teacher preparation programs, including alternative routes, traditional routes, and CTE teacher preparation programs.

To prepare candidates to successfully teach about the history, culture, and government of American Indian people, much more than just curriculum integration is needed. Candidates need to be able to demonstrate the intersection of cultural competence, equity, and pedagogy in their teaching practices.

Integrating the Since Time Immemorial curriculum into educator preparation programs is one part of a bigger picture of continuous learning and partnership with tribes, educational service districts (ESDs), and school districts. PESB and OSPI’s Office of Native Education (ONE) are working together to support opportunities and resources for all parties.

Promising practices for educator preparation programs involve a variety of models centered around four main areas:

1. Relationships, partnerships, and collaboration between tribal nations, preparation programs, and districts
2. Professional learning for program leaders, faculty, and field supervisors
3. Content and curriculum
4. Evidence of engagement

Several preparation programs participated in webinars sharing their models centered around these four main areas. Programs are highly encouraged to view the recorded webinars and study the slide decks of models of promising practices for examples of how they can begin and progress in this work.

Relationships, partnership, and collaboration

As a foundation of this work, promising practices involve educator preparation programs establishing partnerships and collaborating with local tribes and local school districts in proximity to the program’s physical location. Preparation program leaders should work with their organization’s Native Education Liaison or, if the organization does not have a liaison, take it upon themselves, to reach out to local tribes and local tribal schools. Partnerships should advance the mutual interests of all parties, with the interests of all native and non-native students at the forefront.

View the tribal partnership webinar with guest speaker Denny Hurtado of the Skokomish tribe.

Resources for establishing partnerships with local tribes and school districts:

• School districts and nearest federally recognized Indian tribes
• Interactive Washington State tribal map
• Tribal maps
• Tribal chair contact information
• Federally recognized tribes in Washington State
• Non-federally recognized tribes in Washington State
• Tribal colleges
• Washington State tribal schools
• Affiliated tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI)
• Washington State Indian education association

Professional learning

Building upon the foundation of partnerships with local tribes, a second main area of promising practice is professional learning for program leaders and faculty around the Since Time Immemorial curriculum as it relates to and reflects local tribal history and culture. Preparation program leaders, faculty, and candidates are welcome to attend the following OSPI/ONE webinars to gain an understanding of the Since Time Immemorial curriculum and other resources available on the STI curriculum website. Registration is required for these webinars. Learn more.

STI introductory webinars (August – November, 2022)

Introductory level training sessions will encompass:

• an overview of the STI curriculum including some history and legislation
• a guided navigation through the STI website 
• introduction to the Native Knowledge 360 curriculum developed by the National Museum of the American Indian and other pertinent materials
• an opportunity to plan to integrate and implement STI curriculum into your classrooms

“Implementing Since Time Immemorial in your school” principal focused webinar (October 11, 1-3 pm) Register to attend.

This webinar is designed for school principals to support staff to integrate and implement the tribal history, governance, and sovereignty lessons in all classrooms in elementary, middle, and high schools and to strengthen relationships with Native families and tribal partners.

In-person STI Training of trainer session  (November 15, ESD 113/Tumwater, 8-4 pm) Contact Joan.Banker@k12.wa.us to register.

Two free clock hours will be offered per webinar, and registration is required.

Content and curriculum

The third area of promising practice is integrating the Since Time Immemorial curriculum into the preparation program curriculum across all subject areas. The Since Time Immemorial tribal sovereignty curriculum is aligned to social studies, English language arts, environmental and sustainability education, and social-emotional learning state standards.

The webinar recordings and slide decks include several various models from preparation programs demonstrating how this could be done.  In addition to those models, the following resources can be helpful to programs in this work.

• Since Time Immemorial curriculum
• OSPI/ONE  “Ready to Go” lesson resources
• OSPI/ONE  Since Time Immemorial professional learning guide
• Lesson planning template
• Examples of model
• Grade level outcomes – “The big five outcomes” for each grade level found on page two of the STI Overview.

Evidence of engagement

How can preparation programs monitor their engagement? The following list is not exhaustive, rather these are examples of evidence that indicate the preparation program is engaged on a holistic level.

• Tribal and district partnerships
• Professional learning for faculty, staff, and field supervisors
• Demonstration of learning and understanding by teacher preparation candidates through various assignments, artifacts or assessments

Models of promising practices

• PESB/ONE tribal consultation webinar
• PESB/ONE tribal consultation slide deck
• PESB/ONE teacher preparation program models webinar
• PESB/ONE teacher preparation program models slide deck
• UW principal preparation program model materials