The Tribal Early Literacy (TEL) work exists within the broader Early Literacy Success Initiative led by Governor Tina Kotek and ODE. This statewide initiative aims to increase early literacy for children from birth through Grade 3 and addresses disparities for historically underserved students, including AI/AN learners.
Components include:
- School district literacy grants
- Community literacy grants
- Tribal Early Literacy Grants
- Birth through Five Literacy Plan (co-led with Department of Early Learning and Care)
Governor Kotek’s leadership elevated early literacy as a state priority and underscored the importance of culturally responsive, research-aligned practices across all programs. Early literacy forms the foundation for lifelong learning and academic success. For American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) children, early literacy is deeply rooted in Tribal language, culture, identity, and community knowledge systems. Recognizing this, Oregon’s approach centers Tribal sovereignty, educational self-determination, and respectful government-to-government partnership.
The Oregon Department of Education (ODE), through the Office of Indian Education (OIE), collaborates with federally recognized Tribes to support Tribal-defined early literacy and language programming that reflects each Tribe’s priorities and community context. This page provides a statewide overview of Tribal Early Literacy in Oregon, including how efforts are supported, implemented, recognized, and sustained across systems.
- According to the 2023-24 (Oregon Statewide Report Card), 22% of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) third graders met proficiency in English Language Arts, compared with 39% of all students statewide.
- In 2024–25 (Oregon Statewide Report Card), AI/AN proficiency increased to 31%, while the statewide rate rose to 40%. This represents a 9-percentage-point increase for AI/AN students year over year and a modest narrowing of the statewide gap.
While this growth signals measurable progress in early literacy, fewer than one-third of AI/AN third graders are meeting proficiency benchmarks. Accelerating improvement will require sustained investment in culturally responsive, community-grounded literacy systems that both close persistent disparities and strengthen students’ foundational skills through their linguistic and cultural identities.
Statutory Authority & Legislative Context
Tribal Early Literacy Grants are part of Oregon’s Early Literacy Success Initiative, enacted through:
- House Bill 3198 (2023) — Establishes the Early Literacy Success Initiative, including Tribal Early Literacy Grants.
- OAR 581-017-0807 — Establishes Tribal Early Literacy grant rules as standalone, separate from community grants
- ORS 182.162–182.168 — Government-to-Government Relations with Tribal Nations (guiding sovereign engagement).
These authorities affirm that Tribal Early Literacy work must be Tribal-governed, culturally grounded, and community-defined.
Tribal Early Literacy Grants in Oregon
Tribal Early Literacy is Tribal-defined and community-driven. Tribes determine priorities, instructional approaches, and measures of success. Efforts may include:
- Tribal language-integrated literacy
- Intergenerational and family-centered learning
- Community and Tribal site-based programming
- Partnerships with school districts when desired by Tribes
These grants provide direct funding to Oregon’s nine federally recognized Tribes to support early literacy initiatives that reflect cultural values and language goals. Tribe-specific plans are designed and led by Tribal authorities, and funding supports Tribes in strengthening early literacy through culturally relevant and linguistically grounded approaches.
Purpose of the Grants
Tribal Early Literacy Grants support Tribal efforts to:
- Strengthen foundational early literacy skills
- Integrate Tribal language and oral traditions into literacy learning
- Support intergenerational transmission of language and literacy
- Expand culturally relevant literacy access for children and families
- Build community-defined, sustainable literacy programs
- Renormalize Tribal language and culture in early learning environments
- Support positive identity, wellbeing, and educational success
Allowable Uses with K-3 Early Literacy Focus
(Examples — Tribal discretion applies)
- Literacy instruction aligned with Tribal culture
- Tribal language-embedded literacy activities
- Family and community literacy engagement
- Elder and knowledge-holder involvement
- Tribal curriculum and materials design
- Coordination with districts when desired
- Extended learning and culturally grounded opportunities
Governance & Authority
Tribes determine all aspects of their early literacy and language programming: goals, instruction, language, teachers, settings, measures of success, and evaluation.ODE’s role is to provide funding, partnership, and systems alignment — without prescribing curriculum, instructional models, or assessment frameworks.
“This grant works because it trusts us to decide what literacy looks like for our children.”
— Tribal program leader theme
AI/AN Student Success Plan 2025-2023
GOAL 3: PURSUE NATIVE EXCELLENCE The success of Native youth in K–12 and postsecondary education is essential to tribal sovereignty, cultural preservation, and self-determination. Education equips Indigenous students with the knowledge, skills, and credentials needed to lead in governance, law, healthcare, education, and environmental stewardship—fields critical to protecting treaty rights and cultural heritage.
A strong foundation begins with early literacy, which is vital to lifelong learning and future academic success. In Oregon, the Early Literacy Success Initiative (HB 3198) centers culturally and linguistically responsive practices and provides non-competitive Tribal Early Literacy Grant funding to the nine federally recognized Tribes, alongside district grants that support AI/AN student literacy.
For Native students, literacy is deeply connected to oral tradition and language, strengthening cultural identity, community knowledge, and economic stability. Investing in Native education is an investment in future leaders, advocates, and changemakers for the next generation.
OBJECTIVE 3A: Expand Culturally Responsive Early Literacy Practices
- Ensure literacy instruction and materials reflect AI/AN cultures by incorporating Indigenous perspectives, histories, languages, and storytelling.
- Provide professional development for educators on culturally sustaining literacy instruction that integrates AI/AN languages, storytelling, and traditions.
- Raise awareness and urgency around AI/AN early literacy rates by disaggregating data, analyzing subgroup performance, and identifying areas for targeted support and growth.
OBJECTIVE 3B: Strengthen Collaboration with Tribes and Families to Support Early Literacy
- Engage AI/AN families as key partners in early literacy efforts by providing resources and outreach to support home literacy development, building on the vibrant cultures and experiences they bring to the classroom.
- Build sustained partnerships with Tribes to ensure early literacy programs align with Indigenous knowledge, language, and the distinct educational priorities of each of the nine Tribes in Oregon.
- Leverage Early Literacy Success School District Grants to co-develop localized literacy strategies that reflect the unique cultural and linguistic needs of AI/AN students.
Oregon Early Literacy Framework & Tribal Early Literacy
Oregon’s Early Literacy Framework (K-5) provides guiding principles and evidence-aligned literacy domains for the state. Tribal Early Literacy aligns conceptually with the framework by emphasizing language, oral traditions, comprehension, print concepts, and culturally responsive practices — while ensuring Tribal authority and distinct approaches are honored. Tribal programs may reflect shared domains while implementing them through Tribal ways of knowing, language, and community practice.
Tribal Early Literacy Framework Crosswalk
To support systems alignment, OIE — in partnership with Tribal leaders — developed a Tribal Early Literacy Crosswalk that:
- Shows how Tribal literacy strategies conceptually align with state literacy domains
- Demonstrates Tribal language, storytelling, and culture as literacy assets
- Serves as a non-regulatory alignment tool for partners and stakeholders
The crosswalk respects Tribal sovereignty and does not prescribe instructional methods or redefine Tribal measures of success.
The Early Literacy Tribal Grant Program represents a $2 million state investment in Tribally designed and led early literacy systems. Grounded in Tribal sovereignty, language revitalization, and community-driven education, this initiative supports Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 3 learners while strengthening multigenerational literacy ecosystems across Tribal communities.
This work aligns directly with Oregon’s Early Literacy Initiative and the AI/AN Student Success Plan (2025–2030), advancing academic excellence, belonging, and shared accountability.
Participation & Reach
Across six Tribal Nations reporting:
Direct School-Based Students Served
- 580+ elementary students served through embedded Tribal language and literacy programming in school and Tribal education settings
Community & Event-Based Stuent Engagement
- 300+ additional Tribal youth engaged through book fairs, literacy nights, culture camps, language bowls, and summer outreach programming
Family & Community Engagement
- 1,100+ families and community members participated in literacy events, home toolkits, culture camps, and community-based language activities
Resource & Workforce Infrastructure
- 130+ culturally specific literacy resources developed and distributed (books, toolkits, language materials, digital platforms)
- 30+ Tribal educators supported through professional development, certification pathways, and literacy training
Funding Highlights - State Investment in Action
Expanded Access to Books & Materials
Book fairs, stipends, Tiny Libraries, literacy kits, and culturally relevant materials increased direct access to reading resources in Tribal homes and communities.
Language Revitalization Infrastructure
More than 20 newly developed Tribal language books, QR-embedded storytelling tools, multimedia resources, and digital libraries strengthened long-term language systems.
Family Literacy Systems
Family literacy nights, Kindergarten transition materials, caregiver toolkits, and school-Tribal partnerships reinforced families as first teachers.
Workforce Development
Educators participated in LETRS, NILI, Shared History workshops, Orton-Gillingham training, and culturally grounded curriculum development — strengthening instructional quality while honoring Indigenous pedagogy.
Community-Embedded Learning
Culture camps, language bowls, regalia-making workshops, storytelling events, and multigenerational gatherings integrated literacy with lived cultural practice.
Elders, Family & Multigenerational Learning
This initiative reinforced literacy as a whole-community responsibility:
Elders as Knowledge Holders
Elders led storytelling, language instruction, regalia-making, and cultural teachings — ensuring language is not only preserved, but lived.
Families as First Teachers
Home-based literacy toolkits, bilingual memory games, vocabulary cards, and literacy circles extended learning beyond school walls.
Multigenerational Impact
Programs brought children, parents, and grandparents together — strengthening identity, belonging, and academic engagement simultaneously.
Outcomes & Metrics
Language, Culture & Story
Integration of Tribal languages and oral traditions into daily literacy practice.
Family Engagement & Sovereignty
Co-designed literacy activities rooted in Tribal priorities and educational self-determination.
Tribal Early Literacy Workforce
Expanded educator capacity and strengthened certification pathways for Tribal language teachers.
Governance & Systems Leadership
Alignment with statewide early literacy frameworks while honoring Tribal authority, consultation obligations, and data sovereignty.
Community Voice
“Students don’t always feel confident in educational settings. By distributing culturally relevant books at Tribal events, we showed them they belong in the world of learning.”
— Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians
“Parents told us their children carried books everywhere, even sleeping with them at night. The pride and ownership they feel is incredible.”
— Klamath Tribes
“Our Elders are more than teachers — they are the heart of our language. Their stories and presence ensure the language is not just preserved, but lived.”
— Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians
“I get to teach kinders — not that I have to, I get to. That’s the joy of this work.”
— Warm Springs Language Teacher
Looking Ahead (2025-27 Biennium)
- All nine federally recognized Tribes in Oregon projected to participate
- Continued expansion of language immersion and intergenerational literacy models
- Co-developed baseline measures to strengthen AI/AN literacy outcome tracking
- Ongoing integration with Oregon’s Early Literacy Framework and AI/AN Student Success Plan