North Dakota educators ask for more resources, American Indian studies to be incorporated into year-round curriculum

Students listened as Landon Schmeichel, an Advanced Placement U.S. history teacher at Legacy High School in Bismarck, N.D, taught a lesson about the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and how it led to the genocide of some 6,000 Cherokee during the forced Trail of Tears march.     

Despite the passing of North Dakota SB 2304 more than two years ago, Schmeichel had little to change in his curriculum. “Constantly students are asked to engage in a skill of change of time –– how do things change over time and what remains the same,” Schmeichel said.

North Dakota SB 2304 was signed into law by Gov. Doug Burgum on April 23, 2021. Its purpose is to teach American Indian-based curriculum to K-12 students. The bill requires fourth and eighth graders to have Indigenous studies lessons that focus on four of North Dakota’s five federally recognized tribes – the Sisseton-Wahpeton Tribe’s headquarters are located in South Dakota. The curriculum for this initiative, called Native Americans in North Dakota, is housed on the North Dakota Studies website.

The State Historical Society of North Dakota added resources for educators on their website, including a link to ND Indian Studies Online Curriculum Guides. The guides present the history and culture of the Standing Rock Oyate, the Mni Wakan Oyate, the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, plus the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara. Four units on civics, economics, geography and history are listed on the site. An order form for textbooks is available for educators and schools to order from as well.

Laura Forde, the Education and Engagement Manager at the State Historical Society of North Dakota, said it’s important for schools to teach American Indian studies year-round. “I think the legislation helps stress the fact that Native American culture, people and contributions are a part of all American history –– not just certain parts,” Forde said.

SB 2304 has mixed reactions from educators. Schmeichel, who’s been following the AP College Board guidelines, has already been including American Indian history in his curriculum. His students are asked to compare and contrast how different presidential administrations and different congressional acts impacted the relationship between the U.S. government and American Indians and tribes. “To be honest, its passage wouldn’t have changed the way I teach,” said Schmeichel. “Mostly, because it’s an integral part of what is United States history.”

While Schmeichel sees the bill as a good-faith attempt, it leaves more to be desired. “I like the spirit of SB 2304, that it’s required that social studies teachers instruct students on Native American history, but at the same time, it can’t just be one lesson or one unit where we touch on these developments,” said Schmeichel. “It has to be something that is interwoven into our conversations.”

Bismarck Public Schools serves 13,755 students across 29 public schools, making it the largest district in the state. The district has about 1,014 American Indian students enrolled, which makes Natives the biggest minority population, according to the Public School Review. Altogether, there are 12,729 American Indian students in the state of North Dakota, which represents 11% of the student population.

Bismarck Public School’s cultural coordinators have been incorporating more programs, including community engagement events, for their schools. Josh Standing Elk, the curriculum and instruction specialist at BPS, said the administration tries to create an inviting environment to build stronger relationships with their students’ families.

In his role, Standing Elk connects with teachers and makes sure they are achieving state standards. According to a 2019 social studies curriculum guide by the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, they recognize the importance of public education in nurturing prosperity, happiness, and a “high degree of intelligence, patriotism, integrity and morality.” Each institution is advised to follow the guide but also encourages schools to customize and create their own curriculum.

Currently, Standing Elk has been collaborating with the district’s Learning, Design and Innovation team to record lessons he’s taught in schools, uploading them to a database so educators can use this as a resource to plan their own lessons. As a former elementary school teacher, Standing Elk is first focusing on creating lesson plans for fourth graders and other K-5 students.

“You need to understand who your students are. Part of that is learning from their history. If we don’t understand the history of our Indigenous students, it makes it really hard to teach that content.”

Josh Standing Elk- Bismarck Public School’s Indigenous curriculum and instruction specialist

Over the last three or four years, educators such as Schmeichel have seen an interest in American Indian studies. Though instructors see this interest, some are hesitant to teach the subject matter due to a lack of experience.

“I think teachers, a lot of times, feel uncomfortable teaching about Native American history because historically we haven’t been good at teaching it or expecting them to have that knowledge,” Forde said.

Standing Elk said learning from the Indigenous perspective opens student’s minds by offering a different worldview. It also validates Indigenous students’ experiences. “Having that for your students not only makes them see themselves, but they also get a chance to become aware of their self-identity,” Standing Elk said.

In the future, Schmeichel wants more students to have greater access to primary sources and facts so they can participate more in skill-based activities, which will encourage them to interpret and have conversations about what they’re learning.

“I think facilitating conversations where students feel equipped enough to have academic discourse and get to a level of engagement that might challenge their prior knowledge and multiple perspectives is important,” Schmeichel said.

BPS has been working on building relationships with tribes across the state. The goal is to bring community knowledge keepers to classrooms for lessons and community engagement events throughout the school year. While he knows there have been barriers to creating stronger relationships, Standing Elk emphasized forming a line of communication with the state’s Native communities.

“When I think of the big picture, I think of an accessible list,” said Standing Elk. “A lot of your authentic educational experiences are going to be done through oral storytelling. Reaching out to those community knowledge keepers is important.”

The school district will continue to incorporate Indigenous curriculum through SB 2304 until it becomes a part of the norm, Standing Elk said.

“You need to contextualize before you teach the content,” said Standing Elk. “You need to understand who your students are. Part of that is learning from their history. If we don’t understand the history of our Indigenous students, it makes it really hard to teach that content.

(Contact Adrianna Adame at adrianna@imfreedomalliance.org)

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