HELENA, Mont.

Joe Anderson’s eyes get big when he talks about Indian Education for All.

A Helena High School English teacher and a member of the Blackfeet Tribe, Anderson has been teaching American Indian stories in his classroom for more than 30 years. But now, as an Indian education coach for the district, he is helping other teachers integrate American Indian culture into their classrooms and comply with a state law.

“The idea is not to somehow show Indian people in isolation, but to show them as part of the big circle of life,” Anderson says.

Indian Education for All is a state law passed in 1999 that requires Montana schools to teach all students about the state’s American Indian tribes and reservations. It expanded upon a 1972 provision in the Montana Constitution recognizing the cultural heritage of the state’s Indian tribes and committing the state to educational goals designed to preserve their identity.

Despite the state law and constitutional provision, the Legislature did not fund the requirement until a special session in 2005. Schools are just now starting to receive the money about $7 million in one-time funds and $3 million in ongoing funds, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Linda McCulloch said.

In Helena, Anderson is working with other literature teachers to develop a “First Peoples, First Stories” class unit for high school juniors.

Students are reading stories by American Indian authors and studying tribes as part of the class. State money has been used to buy new books and materials for the class.

Jordyn Pillatzke and Katrina Schweitzer, both juniors, say the class is their first specific exposure in school to American Indian culture and history.

“There have been a few things here and there, but this is the first actual course I’ve taken,” Pillatzke says.

Luke Dutton, also a junior, says learning about the tribes has been interesting. He’s discovered that the tribes are significantly different from one another.