House Education Committee to highlight Tlingit school program for "Excellence in Education" series
Event comes as staff struggles to fund program
May 5, 2026
The Alaska House Education Committee will highlight Juneau’s Tlingit Language, Literacy and Culture (TCLL) program as an example of excellence in education on Wednesday at the Capitol building.
The groundbreaking program, which was established by Sealaska Heritage Institute and the Juneau School District (JSD) in 2000, is a place-based optional program in JSD where the Tlingit language and culture are celebrated, respected and integral to daily instruction of state standards.
The program’s mission is to educate and empower youth by grounding them in the Tlingit language, worldview, values and philosophy. TCLL uses a culture-based curriculum to foster a connection to Alaska Native culture and the land in which it has thrived for thousands of years.
Committee Co-Chair Andi Story invited educators from TCLL to give a presentation on the work of the team, which includes four language teachers, five classroom teachers, three elders and a principal. Story also invited TCLL students to perform at the event.
“I asked TCLL to present to the House Education Committee because the program represents many of the goals we have around education in Alaska. It highlights our Indigenous culture and languages,” said Rep. Story. “It is the 25th year of their program. It elevates elders and children.”
TCLL was developed after a study found that the incorporation of traditional tribal values directly contributes to Alaska Native student success by fostering an environment to grow leadership skills, self-confidence and creativity. The program at Harborview Elementary grew over the years to accommodate children through grade 5. In 2023, SHI expanded TCLL to include students up to grade 8.
The presentation this week follows on the heels of an event organized by TCLL parents and staff on May 2 to showcase and raise funds for the program. The fundraiser featured five dance groups, an auction and a performance by the TCLL middle school band. The event, along with donations from several Native organizations, local businesses, families of TCLL students and SHI partners, raised over $13,000 to continue supporting the program when a grant from SHI ends in September due to a lack of federal funding. The money raised will go toward food, transportation and field trips for students.
“The event was highly successful due to the hard work of the TCLL language teachers and dedicated TCLL parents. Seeing the crowd of people who were there to hold up the program and children was very heartwarming,” said Jamie Shanley, director of language and primary education at Sealaska Heritage Institute. “This should be a message to our state and local district on our communities’ educational priorities, and that funding should be allocated accordingly to continue expanding this necessary program.”
SHI has provided JSD with several grants since TCLL’s inception. During the 2025-2026 school year, JSD funded five classroom teachers and two language teachers. A grant from SHI funded a TCLL principal position and two language instructors. Support from SHI also provided additional resources for TCLL staff, students and families, including professional development opportunities for teachers, an online Tlingit language course for students’ families, teacher curriculum development, biweekly field trips to SHI’s Indigenous Science Building and a Tlingit Elder who works daily in each TCLL classroom.
With the lack of funding from SHI, the support provided by the grant will disappear, along with the principal and one language teacher position.
SHI is working to identify funding for the continuation of TCLL.
“We have come so far and the TCLL staff has worked so hard to make this program a success and a model for other school districts,” said SHI President Rosita Worl. “It’s difficult to watch a program celebrated for excellence losing the resources needed to make it whole.”
The “Excellence in Education” event is scheduled for 9:15 am, Wednesday, May 6, in the Betty Davis Room, suite 106.
Sealaska Heritage Institute is a private nonprofit founded in 1980 to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska. Its goal is to promote cultural diversity and cross-cultural understanding through public services and events. SHI also conducts social scientific and public policy research that promotes Alaska Native arts, cultures, history and education statewide. The institute is governed by a Board of Trustees and guided by a Council of Traditional Scholars, a Native Artist Committee and a Southeast Regional Language Committee.
CONTACT: Kathy Dye, SHI Communications and Publications Deputy Director, kathy.dye@sealaskaheritage.com.
Caption: TCLL students are pictured during their graduation ceremony in May 2023. Photo by Stacy Unzicker, courtesy of SHI. Note: News outlets are welcome to use this photo for coverage of this story. For a higher resolution image, contact kathy.dye@sealaskaheritage.com.