Transition Projects for American Indian Youth

 

Project Intersect began July 1, 2006 and is a four-year federally funded research-based project designed for American Indian and non-Indian students in grades K-8. The focus is to enhance students’ interest, understanding, enthusiasm, and performance in standards-based art education, language arts, mathematics, and science. By combining culturally competent art benchmarks Project Intersect will develop new and effective interventions for arts education that integrate a culturally responsive model with standard-based education. This approach will create a learning environment where children (American Indian and non-Indian) gain basic skills within two cultures.

Project Intersect will work with students in Independent School District 94-Cloquet, Minnesota and neighboring Fond du Lac Ojibwe School on the Fond du Lac Reservation. Additional collaborators are the University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration (ICI) and Department of Curriculum and Instruction (C&I) Art Education Program, and local American Indian artists.

The overall purpose of the project is to:

1. partner with local American Indian artists to infuse culturally responsive American Indian visual and performing arts into K-8 arts education;
2. integrate American Indian arts activities into language arts, math, and science education;
3. ensure that this American Indian arts-based curriculum is aligned with state and national benchmarks and content standards in the visual and performing arts, language arts, math, and science;
4. research the effectiveness of the culturally integrated American Indian curricular model in improving student academic performance in language arts, math, and science; and
5. disseminate program results and outcomes for national and statewide replication.

The first year of Project Intersect will involve the development of a Design Team that will include 20-25 members chosen for their ability to provide essential linkages between the American Indian community, the elementary and middle schools, the tribal college; the Carlton County Arts Network, and the Indian Education Parent Committees. Team members will also represent University of Minnesota art education faculty and Institute on Community Integration staff. Key staff of these organizations all contributed to the development of the project model, research design, and grant application. American Indian community representatives will include parents, elders, and tribal council members, community members, Indian Education Committee members, Fond du Lac Museum staff, and administrators, as well as tribal college staff, local American Indian artists, and additional key stakeholders from the tribal community. School community representatives will include 1-8 teachers, administrators, curriculum specialists, and education experts.

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