NEED: Providing Culturally Responsive Curriculum and Instruction

Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings and Standards (ARG)

South Dakota Department of Education

For: Teachers, administrators, community

• Provides seven essential understandings about the Oceti Sakowin people.
• Includes indicators, standards, activities, and resources related to each essential understanding.
• Designed to inform the development of curriculum and coursework in the history and culture of the Oceti Sakowin.

North Dakota Native American Essential Understandings (NDNAEUs) (ARG)

North Dakota Department of Public Instruction

For: Teachers, administrators

• Explain how Native American people relate to the world around them; promote and sustain their cultures, languages, and traditions; respond and contribute to society locally and globally; and live their Native identity.

Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsive Schools (ARG)

Alaska Native Knowledge Network

For: Teachers, administrators, community

• Set of cultural standards to guide schools and communities in assessing how well they are attending to their students’ educational and cultural well-being.
• Recognizes the unique contribution that indigenous people can make to the study of a school’s surrounding physical and cultural environment.
• Includes a description of ways the standards can be used.
• Schools and communities are encouraged to adapt these standards to reflect their local contexts.

Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence (CREDE) Standards for Effective Pedagogy (ARG)

CREDE

For: Teachers, administrators

• Set of five standards for pedagogy that is appropriate for culturally and linguistically diverse students is based on the results of 31 research projects conducted in a range of settings with diverse student populations.
• Applicable across content areas and grade levels.

Oklahoma Indian Tribe Education Guides (ARG)

Oklahoma State Department of Education

For: Teachers

• Illustrates how a state might align information about Native American tribes to its content standards.
• Provide information about each of the 39 tribes in Oklahoma, addressing each tribe’s migration/movement/forced removal, maps, language group, population, government, cultural identifiers, fine arts, significant events, current information, and other information such as elder testimonials.

Teachings of Our Elders Website (WOLR)

North Dakota Department of Public Instruction

For: Teachers, administrators

• Houses the NDNAEUs, Elder video interviews, lesson plans, and other resources that help teachers incorporate the NDNAEUs into their classrooms and curricula.

Alaska Native Knowledge Network (ANKN) Website (WOLR)

For: Teachers, administrators, community

• Includes resources related to Alaska Native knowledge systems and ways of knowing.
• Help Native people, educators, government agencies, and others access the knowledge that Alaska Natives have acquired over millennia.
• Includes curriculum resources, publications, information about academic programs related to Alaska Native culture and language, and a newsletter.

Center for Research on Education, Diversity, & Excellence (CREDE) Website (WOLR)

For: Teachers, administrators

• Explains the history of CREDE and includes publications related to research on effective pedagogy for culturally and linguistically diverse students and information about programs based on the CREDE standards of effective pedagogy.
• Includes videos of the standards being addressed in classrooms and rubrics to assess teachers’ use of the standards.

Office of American Indian Education Website (WOLR)

Oklahoma State Department of Education

For: Teachers

• Assists Oklahoma educators in working with tribes to support the full inclusion and success of Native American students in Oklahoma schools.
• Provides access to culturally appropriate resources and information through its website and professional development offerings.
• Includes links to a variety of organizations representing or serving Native Americans, information about the tribes of Oklahoma, and the work of the Oklahoma Advisory Council on Indian Education.

North Dakota Native American Essential Understandings (NDNAEUs) Overview Training (PD)

North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI)

For: Teachers, administrators

• Provides an overview of the NDNAEUs.
• Explains the resources available on the Teachings of Our Elders website.
• Explains approaches to designing lessons that incorporate the NDNAEUs.
• Solicits names of Elders who might be interested in participating in an interview for the website.
• Provides an overview of the optional trainings to address district/school needs related to understanding or implementing the NDNAEUs.

North Dakota Indian Education Summit (PD)

North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI)

For: Teachers, administrators

• An annual event that features keynote speakers and breakout sessions on a variety of topics related to teaching Native American students.
• Information about each year’s summit is posted on the NDDPI website several months before the event, which is held in July.

“Professional Learning Networks Designed for Teacher Learning” (ARG)

T. Trust

For: Teachers, administrators

• Explains two types of professional learning networks (PLNs) and reviews three popular ones (Edmodo, Classroom 2.0, and Educator’s PLN).
• PLNs promote communication, sharing, and learning among educators.

Establishing and Sustaining Networked Improvement Communities: Lessons from Michigan and Minnesota (ARG)

A. R. Proger, M. P. Bhatt, V. Cirks, & D. Gurke

For: Teachers, administrators, researchers

• Describes the process for forming a networked improvement community (NIC), a type of collaborative research partnership that uses principles of improvement science within a network that includes various partners (e.g., schools, districts, state education agency).
• Includes lessons learned and other guidance for those seeking to form, participate in, or sustain a NIC.

“Getting Ideas into Action: Building Networked Improvement Communities in Education” (ARG)

A. S. Bryk, L. M. Gomez, & A. Grunow

For: Teachers, administrators

• Promotes networked improvement communities (NICs) as an approach to improvement research.
• The authors argue that NICs create the purposeful collective action needed to solve complex education problems.
• Published by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, which includes a variety of resources related to improvement science.

“Resource Roundup: Accelerating Improvement Through Networked Improvement Communities” (ARG)

J. Wackwitz

For: Teachers, administrators, researchers

• Includes a variety of resources to help educators understand how networked communities work and how to develop them.

The Five District Partnership (5DP) Website (WOLR)

5DP

For: Teachers, administrators

• A joint educational effort among five Massachusetts districts to improve instruction and academic achievement.
• Includes information about the mission, vision, and organization of the partnership, a resource section, and links to presentations made by 5DP teachers.
• Those not in the partnership can request permission to access the curriculum resources.

North Dakota Indian Education Summit (PD)

North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI)

• An annual event that features keynote speakers and breakout sessions on a variety of topics related to teaching Native American students.
• Information about each year’s summit is posted on the NDDPI website several months before the event, which is held in July.

The American Indian Education KnowledgeBase (WOLR)

South Central Comprehensive Center

For: Teachers, administrators

• Provides information, activities, tools, and examples that help educators examine and enhance their efforts to serve Native American students and close the achievement gap between Native American students and their non-Native peers.

Native Knowledge 360° (WOLR)

National Museum of the American Indian

For: Teachers, administrators

• Provides a broader perspective on the history and culture of Native Americans.
• Online resources include information, curriculum materials (e.g., lesson plans, posters), and professional development opportunities that assist educators in teaching and learning about Native Americans.
• Organized around an Essential Understandings framework aligned with social studies and other content standards.

Culturally Responsive Instructional Resources for American Indian/Alaska Native Students (WOLR)

Center on Standards & Assessment Implementation

• Resources and research studies on effective strategies teachers can use with Native American/Alaska Native students to improve student engagement and achievement in the classroom.

North Dakota Indian Education Summit (PD)

North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI)

For: Teachers, administrators

• An annual event that features keynote speakers and breakout sessions on a variety of topics related to teaching Native American students.
• Information about each year’s summit is posted on the NDDPI website several months before the event, which is held in July.

Essential Understandings & Culturally Responsive Practices Online Workshop (PD)

North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI)

For: Teachers

• Focuses on culturally responsive practices and how they fit with the NDNAEUs.
• Includes opportunities to view video clips, read and discuss articles, engage in reflective journaling around specific prompts, and, if colleagues are also participating in the workshop, engage in conversations with them about what is being learned.
• Participants focus on the personal and instructional aspects of cultural competence.

Culturally Responsive Instruction for Native American Students (PD)

Center on Standards & Assessment Implementation

For: Teachers, administrators

• Includes a set of videos and activities based on an instructional framework emphasizing experiential, active, and student-centered learning.
• Provides pedagogical principles that guide teachers in developing or adjusting lessons and curricula that integrate Native American students’ cultures.
• Includes guidance (e.g., agendas) for working in collaborative teams to engage in the professional learning.

Cognia Professional Learning & Consulting (PD)

For: Teachers, administrators

• Provides a range of professional development including trainings, workshops, conferences, online courses, and webinars on a variety of topics related to continuous improvement (e.g., instructional effectiveness, student engagement, assessment literacy).
• Their productivity platform, eProve, includes several tools (e.g., Effective Learning Environments Observation Tool and student surveys) that might be useful for measuring student engagement.

Examining American Indian Perspectives in the Central Region on Parent Involvement in Children’s Education (ARG)

Regional Educational Laboratory Central

For: Teachers, administrators

• Examined Native American parents’ perceptions of parent involvement in their children’s education and factors that may encourage or discourage involvement.
• Can be used as a basis for further research and informed dialogue to increase Native American parent involvement and student academic achievement.

Culturally Responsive Resources for Native Students: Webinar Introduction (WOLR)

Co-sponsored by the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Southwest, the Center on Standards & Assessment Implementation (CSAI), and the National Indian Education Association (NIEA)

For: Teachers, administrators

• Examines the high-quality online repositories of culturally responsive education resources housed on the CSAI and NIEA websites, and the processes used to review the resources.

Engaging Native Families and Communities (four-part webinar series) (WOLR)

1. Need for Resources
2. Review of the Research
3. A Toolkit of Resources
4. Questions and Discussion

Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest

For: Teachers, administrators

• Includes information and resources to help engage Native American/Alaska Native, Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander, and Indigenous families and communities in students’ education.
• Address the need for resources, provide a review of research and a toolkit of resources, and feature a series of questions and discussions related to the topic.

North Dakota Indian Education Summit (PD)

North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI)

For: Teachers, administrators

• An annual event that features keynote speakers and breakout sessions on a variety of topics related to teaching Native American students.
• Information about each year’s summit is posted on the NDDPI website several months before the event, which is held in July.

Culture Card: A Guide to Build Cultural Awareness; American Indian and Alaska Native (ARG)

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

For: Teachers, administrators

• Assists in building cultural competence when serving Native American and Alaska Native communities.
• Covers regional differences, cultural customs, spirituality, communication styles, the role of veterans and older adults, and health disparities.

Tribal Nations and the United States: An Introduction (ARG)

National Congress of American Indians

For: Teachers, administrators, policymakers, public

• Provides a basic overview of the history and underlying principles of tribal governance.
• Provides information that helps the general public understand and engage effectively with contemporary Native American Nations.

Engaging Native Families and Communities (four-part webinar series) (WOLR)

1. Need for Resources
2. Review of the Research
3. A Toolkit of Resources
4. Questions and Discussion

Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest

For: Teachers, administrators

• Includes information and resources to help engage Native American/Alaska Native, Hawaiian Native/Pacific Islander, and Indigenous families and communities in students’ education.
• Address the need for resources, provide a review of research and a toolkit of resources, and feature a series of questions and discussions related to the topic.

Culturally-Based Curriculum Resources (including lessons & units of study) (LCT)

Alaska Native Knowledge Network

For: Teachers, administrators

• Illustrates ways Indigenous and Western knowledge systems can be brought together in curriculum and instruction.

Montana’s Indian Education for All Curriculum Resources (LCT)

Montana Office of Public Instruction

For: Teachers, administrators

• Helps teachers implement Montana’s Indian Education for All act.
• Helps educators and students learn about the distinct and unique heritage of Native Americans in a culturally responsive manner.

Since Time Immemorial: Tribal Sovereignty in Washington State (LCT)

State of Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

For: Teachers

• Assists teachers in integrating tribal perspectives into their history and contemporary issues lesson plans.
• Supports the teaching of tribal sovereignty, history, and current issues.
• Resources include primary sources such as documents, images, and maps; videos; and links to external websites.

Indian Education Lesson Plans (LCT)

Oklahoma State Department of Education

For: Teachers

• Ready-to-use lesson plans for various grades from 1 to 12 to address the history, culture, and perspectives of Oklahoma Indian tribes.

South Dakota’s Oceti Sakowin Curriculum (LCT)

The Oceti Sakowin Workgroup

For: Teachers

• Linked to South Dakota’s Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings and the state’s content standards.
• Additional lessons/units and resources are linked in the Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings and Standards document.

Resource Repository for Culture-Based Education Curriculum (LCT)

National Indian Education Association

For: Teachers

• Searchable database that includes lessons for grades K–12 in various content areas, as well as links to other resources.

Math in a Cultural Context (MCC) (LCT)

University of Alaska Fairbanks, School of Education

For: Teachers

• Set of ongoing projects to develop culturally based math curricular materials for elementary school students.
• Developed in collaboration with Yup’ik elders, teachers, and Alaskan school districts.
• Modules are available for purchase.
• Online courses may also be available.

Essential Understandings & Culturally Responsive Practices Online Workshop (PD)

North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI)

For: Teachers

• Focuses on culturally responsive practices and how they fit with the NDNAEUs.
• Includes opportunities to view video clips, read and discuss articles, engage in reflective journaling around specific prompts, and, if colleagues are also participating in the workshop, engage in conversations with them about what is being learned.
• Participants focus on the personal and instructional aspects of cultural competence.

North Dakota Indian Education Summit (PD)

North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI)

For: Teachers, administrators, researchers

• An annual event that features keynote speakers and breakout sessions on a variety of topics related to teaching Native American students.
• Information about each year’s summit is posted on the NDDPI website several months before the event, which is held in July.

A Resource for Equitable Classroom Practices 2010 (ARG)

Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland

For: Teachers, administrators

• Presents examples and non-examples to illustrate 27 specific, observable teacher behaviors that communicate high expectations to students.
• Includes research to support the use of each practice.

“Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy: A Needed Change in Stance, Terminology, and Practice” (ARG)

D. Paris

For: Teachers, administrators, researchers

• Proposes the term culturally sustaining pedagogy as an alternative to culturally relevant or responsive pedagogy in order to emphasize the importance of perpetuating and fostering multilingualism and multiculturalism as part of schooling in a democracy.

Culturally Responsive Teaching: A Guide to Evidence Based Practices for Teaching All Students Equitably (ARG)

B. Krasnoff

For: Teachers, administrators

• Provides information, explanation, and research about practices that are associated with culturally responsive teaching.

Woope Sakowin – Classroom Management (PD)

WoLakota Project

For: Teachers, administrators

• Explains alternative classroom management strategies based on universal virtues adaptable to any classroom.
• These strategies encourage students to take ownership for their actions and interactions with others.
• Participants learn how to adapt the framework to their own belief systems, translations, and terminology.

Cultural Models of Education and Academic Performance for Native American and European American Students (ARG)

For: Teachers

• Examined the role of cultural representations of self and positive student-teacher relationships in the academic performance of White and Native American students.
• Native students shared less trust for teachers than did White students.
• Trust for teachers was positively related to academic performance for Native students but not for White students.

Intersections of Identity and Education: The Native American Experience in Indigenous Education (ARG)

For: Teachers, administrators

• Recounts the author’s personal experiences in school as a Native American individual.
• Includes recommendations and best practices to retain Native American students, including teachers and administrators being attentive to the community and endorsing an ongoing partnership to build trusting relationships.

Cultural Identity Central to Native American Persistence in Science (ARG)

For: Teachers, administrators

• Native American students’ commitment to science was best predicted by science identity, which in turn was predicted by science self-efficacy and Native American identity.
• Includes recommendations for culturally tailored internships and mentorships for Native American high school youth.

Native American College Student Persistence (ARG)

For: Teachers, administrators, researchers

• Five factors that support Native American students’ post-secondary school persistence: skill development, family and peer support, appropriate role models, financial aid, and a culturally sensitive school environment.

Native American Educators’ Perceptions on Cultural Identity and Tribal Cultural Education: An Application of Transculturation Theory (ARG)

For: Teachers, administrators, district, researchers

• Personal interviews with educators to gather insight into effective classroom practices promoting the success of Native American students.
• A strong cultural identity reinforced by culturally relevant pedagogy and curriculum is critical to Native American students’ success.

Engaging High School Girls in Native American Culturally Responsive STEAM Activities (ARG)

For: Teachers, administrators

• Explored the impact of culturally responsive Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) activities embedded in Dakota/Lakota values and traditions.
• Enrichment activities were part of project STEAM Girls.
• Results indicated an increased interest in STEM studies and STE careers.
• Indigenous relevancy of activities matters, even if not tribally specific.

The Relevance of Cultural Activities in Ethnic Identity among California Native American Youth (ARG)

For: Teachers, administrators, district, state

• Used the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure scale to determine whether participation in cultural practices was associated with stronger ethnic identity among a large sample of Native American adolescents in California.
• Participation in cultural activities was positively associated with stronger ethnic identity, and a strong ethnic identity was associated with higher grades in school for females but not males.