Cedarburg School District to add new American Indian history curriculum after DPI ruling
The Cedarburg School District will have a new American Indian history curriculum next school year after a Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction ruling March 6 on a 2021 complaint from community group Bridge The Divide.
The DPI made two findings. The first was that the Cedarburg School District is "providing adequate instructional materials, texts and library services which reflect the cultural diversity and pluralistic nature of American society" and was in compliance with state statutes.
The second finding was that the Cedarburg School District was "in substantial compliance" with a state statute relating to the teaching of American Indian history and culture "and has a clear and articulated plan for full compliance." Wisconsin statutes require school districts to include teaching American Indian history, culture and tribal sovereignty as part of the social studies curriculum at least twice at the elementary level and at least once in the high school level.
The new ruling updates a preliminary ruling the DPI made in September 2022. At that time, the agency ruled that the school district was not in compliance with state statutes. After the district provided additional evidence, the DPI revised its preliminary ruling and stated the district was in compliance with five of the six components of state statutes related to teaching about American Indian history, culture and tribal sovereignty.
The new curriculum for teaching American Indian history, culture and tribal sovereignty will be taught in the fourth, eighth and ninth grades starting in the 2023-24 school year. The district's plan to implement its new curriculum next school year will help it reach full compliance, the DPI said.
Wisconsin Indian Education Association (WIEA) Board President James A. Pete praised the decision by the district to implement Act 31, according to a statement from he Wisconsin Indian Education Association. Act 31 requires school districts to "provide instruction on the history, culture, and tribal sovereignty of Wisconsin’s eleven federally-recognized American Indian nations and tribal communities."
Bridge the Divide complaint started DPI investigation
Bridge the Divide, a Cedarburg-based community group, filed a complaint in December 2021 with the DPI alleging that the Cedarburg School District's curriculum and instructional materials lacked diversity and needed an update.
“For years, Cedarburg residents have been seeking transparency and honesty about how our schools’ curriculum addresses race,” said Erica Turner, a Cedarburg resident and executive director of Bridge the Divide, in a joint news release from Bridge the Divide and the Wisconsin Indian Education Association. “We are proud that our efforts yielded such clear information about how the district can improve and grow— and we are so excited for the 4th, 8th, and 9th graders who will experience the district’s new Native Peoples of Wisconsin units next fall. All students deserve an education that prepares them to be informed, empathetic participants in our diverse society.”
Turner said in a March 22 phone interview that she had "mixed emotions" about the DPI ruling.
"I was very excited that they saw the things we saw, that there's a deficit. Really happy they saw that and acknowledged it and were going to hold the school district accountable for the education of Native American history and sovereignty," Turner said, adding, "A little disappointed that the rest of the complaint that the DPI found them compliant ... you know that Cedarburg typically doesn't just do things adequately. They excel in so many things. I was hoping that they would push to help them excel in all areas of our complaint, but really happy that minimally, they are acknowledging there was a deficit in this portion and showing how they're taking steps to fix it."
Elisabeth Lambert, a Wisconsin education lawyer who advised Bridge The Divide during the complaint process, said the ruling was a result of Bridge The Divide's efforts over the years.
"It's kind of this story of this community organization showing a ton of tenacity and not taking superficial answers and using this formal process that the state makes available to get to a conversation with the school district about race that yielded some productive outcomes," Lambert said in a March 21 phone interview.
In response to the DPI's ruling, the Cedarburg School District said it "immediately conducted a complete investigation" of its efforts, confirmed the district's compliance with state and federal laws "and that the District’s instructional program provides students with an appreciation of different value systems andcultures," according to a district statement March 15.
"The DPI’s findings and order confirms the high educational standards expected in the Cedarburg School District. As is standard practice, the CSD Board will continue to work with District administration to further improve the curriculum in all areas and enhance the learning experiences of each student," the district said in the statement.
"In reference to the differences in the curriculum for next year, more explicit instruction on the eleven Indian Nations of Wisconsin and their tribal sovereignty for students within our Social Studies curriculum at the elementary and middle school levels," Cedarburg School District communications coordinator Karen Egelhoff explained in a March 22 email.
Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AlecJohnson12.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Cedarburg School District to add new Native American curriculum
