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Since Time Immemorial and Title VI

John McCoy (lulilaš) Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State

In 2015, the Legislature passed Senate Bill 5433 modifying the original 2005 legislation, now requiring the Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty in Washington state or other tribally-developed curriculum be taught in all schools.  In 2024, the Legislature passed House Bill 1879 naming the curriculum in honor of John McCoy (lulilaš). The use of the John McCoy (lulilaš) Since Time Immemorial curriculum has been endorsed by all 29 federally recognized tribes.

Ready to Go Lessons

To support the continuous teaching and learning you are providing your students, these “Ready to Go” lessons have been shared by Tribes and educators to provide you with quick access to a variety of complete lessons to implement along with or in addition to the John McCoy (lulilaš) Since Time Immemorial tribal sovereignty curriculum. 

By Grade Level

All grade level lessons

Teacher to Teacher & Librarian Implementation Videos

Looking for ideas on how to implement the John McCoy (lulilaš) Since Time Immemorial tribal sovereignty curriculum in your classroom? Across your district? Educators across the state share their ideas, lessons, and resources with you.

Teacher to Teacher a Librarian Webinars

The John McCoy (lulilaš) Since Time Immemorial tribal sovereignty curriculum uses three approaches:

An inquiry-based approach with five essential questions:

  1. How does physical geography affect the distribution, culture, and economic life of local tribes?
  2. What is the legal status of tribes who "negotiated" or who did not "negotiate" settlement for compensation for the loss of their sovereign homelands?
  3. What were the political, economic, and cultural forces consequential to the treaties that led to the movement of tribes from long-established homelands to reservations?
  4. What are ways in which Tribes respond to the threats and outside pressure to extinguish their cultures and independence?
  5. What do local Tribes do to meet the challenges of reservation life; and as sovereign nations, what do local Tribes do to meet the economic and cultural needs of their Tribal communities?

A place-based approach. Our approach encourages teachers and students to address the essential questions in the context of tribes in their own communities.

An integrated approach. Teachers choose how much time to spend on tribal sovereignty content to complete their units throughout the year. The integrated approach provides three levels of curriculum for each of the OSPI-recommended social studies units, each level building on the last. Tribal sovereignty lessons are aligned to the Common Core State Standards for English/Language Arts. Where appropriate, units build toward successful completion of Content Based Assessments (CBA).

The Office of Native Education within the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction frequently schedules John McCoy (lulilaš) Since Time Immemorial tribal sovereignty curriculum trainings.

This work has been created in partnership with private and public agencies and the Federally Recognized Tribes in Washington State. We express our gratitude to all the contributors to this effort. Without their support and expertise, this resource would not be possible. Please be aware that any adaptations should be considered carefully so as not to impact this thoughtfully crafted content design or introduce any unintended cultural bias.

Alternate material licenses with different levels of user permission are clearly indicated next to the specific content in the materials.

If this work is adapted, note the substantive changes and re-title, removing any Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction or Office of Native Education logos. Provide the following attribution: "This resource was adapted from original materials provided by the OSPI in partnership with the Federally Recognized Tribes in Washington state. Original materials may be accessed on the John McCoy (lulilaš) Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State website."

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Except where otherwise noted, "Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State" by Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction in partnership with the Federally Recognized Tribes in Washington State is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. All logos are property of their respective owners.

Title VI Indian Education Programs 

 

The Indian Education Formula Grant program is designed to address the unique cultural, language, and educationally-related academic needs of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) students, including preschool children, who are:

  1. A member of an Indian tribe or band, as membership is defined by the Indian tribe or band, including any tribe or band terminated since 1940, and any tribe or band recognized by the State in which the tribe or band resides;
  2. A descendant of a parent or grandparent who meets the requirements described in paragraph of this definition;
  3. Considered by the Secretary of the Interior to be an Indian for any purpose;
  4. An Eskimo, Aleut, or other Alaska Native; or
  5. A member of an organized Indian group that received a grant under the Indian Education Act of 1988 as it was in effect on October 19, 1994.

To enroll, parent guardians must complete an Indian Student Eligibility Certification Form for Title VI (506 Form) (Expires 06/30/2026). For more information, please contact your district’s Title VI Manager or Dr. Crystal Moore, Supervisory Education Program Specialist at the U.S. Department Office of Indian Education. See also 2023-24 ESSA Tribes and the Tribal Consultation page for more information.

Title VI Districts  

  • Aberdeen School District
  • Auburn School District
  • Bainbridge Island School District
  • Bethel School District
  • Bremerton School District
  • Cape Flattery School District
  • Central Kitsap School District
  • Chief Leschi Schools
  • Clover Park School District
  • Columbia School District (Hunters)
  • Cusick School District
  • Eatonville School District
  • Edmonds School District
  • Enumclaw School District
  • Federal Way School District
  • Ferndale School District
  • Fife School District
  • Franklin Pierce School District
  • Glenwood School District
  • Grand Coulee Dam School District
  • Granger School District
  • Highline School District
  • Hood Canal School District
  • Hoquiam School District
  • Inchelium School District
  • Keller School District
  • Kelso School District
  • Kent School District
  • La Conner School District
  • Lake Quinault School District
  • Lake Washington School District
  • Lummi Nation School
  • Lyle School District
  • Marysville School District
  • Monroe School District
  • Mt. Adams School District
  • Mt. Baker School District
  • Muckleshoot Tribal School
  • Nespelem School District
  • Nooksack Valley School District
  • North Beach School District
  • North Kitsap School District
  • North Thurston School District
  • Oakville School District
  • Ocosta School District
  • Okanogan School District
  • Olympia School District
  • Omak School District
  • Paschal Sherman Indian School
  • Peninsula School District
  • Port Angeles School District
  • Puyallup School District
  • Quileute Tribal School
  • Quillayute Valley School District
  • Renton School District
  • Seattle School District
  • Sequim School District
  • Shelton School District
  • South Bend School District
  • South Kitsap School District
  • Spokane School District
  • Sumner-Bonney Lake School District
  • Tacoma School District
  • Taholah School District
  • Toppenish School District
  • University Place School District
  • Wa He Lut Indian School
  • Wapato School District
  • Wellpinit School District
  • White River School District
  • Yakama Tribal School
  • Yakima School District
  • Yelm Community Schools

 

Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction - Title VI Indian Education Programs