Cankdeska Cikana Community College was part of cohort 3 of the Tribal College Rural Systemic Initiative (TCRSI). Programs in this cohort received planning support in the first year, with the subsequent two years used to implement systemic reform. As a result of this initial funding, 100% of the teachers at the target schools were trained and began to implement standards based curriculum in their classrooms. Strategies for Phase II were selected based on extensive research on high poverty schools that scored highly on standardized achievement measures. Effective reform efforts have been shown to provide professional development programs of high quality, be well coordinated with desired instructional outcomes results oriented, and have consistent policies throughout the system. Successful schools carefully assessed student performance in comparison with standards and created additional time for academic instruction. Based on this research, the C4 Initiative will expand on the following three fronts.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Standards Based Curriculum training offered twice per year will acquaint new hires and provide current developments for experienced teachers. Additional training sessions will focus on standards based assessment, including objective, standard alternative assessments to standardized tests. C4 will coordinate a Summer Science Institute during which teachers pilot lesson plans using independent and guided research in mathematics and science, and alternative assessment. With the coordination of C4 this curriculum will be piloted, evaluated and revised by the teachers involved in implementing it. This teacher-as-researcher model is anticipated to contribute to the scientific training of the workforce, and increase school commitment to the curriculum. An innovation in this area is the inclusion of a second strand of training for paraprofessionals, with a separate Summer Institute for teacher aides.
CONSISTENT POLICIES
The existing RSI Council of reservation programs aimed at improving SMET at the k through 14 level will be expanded to include Title I and RSI programs on other reservation. This committee will meet monthly to coordinate activities that will leverage resources, maximize teacher participation and have the optimal impact on student achievement. The Project Director will be appointed a member of the curriculum committee at each of the target schools. These committees are charged with adoption, implementation and publication of policies supporting standards based curriculum and other aspects of systemic reform. Extensive use of telecommunications will facilitate coordination with off-reservation programs.
COORDINATED RESOURCES
Examples of resource coordination outcomes are dual high school-college credit course to increase advanced opportunities in mathematics and science, and training at the state Indian Education Association conference supported jointly by all North Dakota reservation RSI projects. RSI staff and Council will coordinate the development of after-hours instruction in mathematics and science, funded by resources from private and federal grant funded programs already on the reservation. Training for these programs and policy development will be provided with RSI funds and by the RSI Council respectively.
Cankdeska Cikana can draw upon three years of successful collaboration with the school districts and an experienced RSI Project Director who is an enrolled tribal member and also a former middle school mathematics and science teacher. As such, the project begins with a high level of credibility with the target school administrators and teachers.
