Indian Education Program in Fargo and West Fargo Schools

Indian Education Program in Fargo and West Fargo Schools
on May 17, 2021

A bill that requires all North Dakota schools to teach Native American history, culture, and treaty rights recently passed the North Dakota state senate. “I think it’s a very good step in the right direction for the state of North Dakota for the tribal and state partnership and advancing the Indian Education for all in the school districts,” Melody Staebner said. The state of North Dakota passed a bill that calls for requiring all elementary and secondary public and nonpublic schools in the state to include a curriculum on Native American history. The Indian Education Program goals in the city is to provide cultural awareness and to engage Native American students in school. “We have a good population of native American students in our Fargo and west Fargo schools districts. We have over 900 Native American students,” said Melody Staebner. “The Indian education program is here to really to bridge the gap between home and school and community,” stated Melody Staebner. The Indian Education Program has trained over 70 teachers on using the curriculum and about the Indian Culture. “It would be nice to have our students are of that culture to have that knowledge and even those who are not to have that knowledge as well,” said Brittany Gores. Teachers who trained with the Indian program say that native American education can be used all over the school from gym teachers to music teachers and have an impact on a student’s self esteem. ” A little bit of a connection but if we are able to teach more and our students can grasped on to that and be like yes this is what we do this is what we practice I can see that almost building some sort of confidence or just about feeling good about who they are and where they came from,” Brittany Gores said. The addition to the curriculum will take effect August 1, 2021. Source: https://www.kvrr.com/