The purpose of this study is to understand recent developments regarding curriculum standards for teaching Indigenous histories and contemporary matters, specifically within Michigan’s K-12 Public Schools(MPS). This presentation draws from interviews with a range of stakeholders, including: current and former students and educators within MPS; politicians and government officials involved in relevant legislation; university professors concentrating their work in Native Studies at universities in Michigan; and representatives of Tribal Nations located in Michigan. This project also integrates relational discussions with Washington-based educators involved in the teaching and implementation of Washington’s Since Time Immemorial (STI) Curriculum. This presentation will share research analyses of relevant pieces of legislation and academic sources pertaining to Indigenous-centered curriculum. The objective of this research is to inform a written piece addressing current efforts to expand education on Indigenous histories and contemporary matters in MPS including efforts made in the past, actions currently in progress, suggested plans for the future, and what Michigan may learn from Washington’s efforts to fully implement STI through examining shortcomings in the implementation of STI curriculum and how these failures may serve to inform Michigan’s protocol for introducing revised standards. Given that one of the major proposals to the expansion of Indigenous-related curriculum involves teaching Indian Boarding School histories, the long-term implications of this research contribute to ensuring youth are educated about the devastating consequences of residential schools, which in turn aims to assure similar policies are not introduced in the future. Discussion of these findings will emphasize institutions which allow(ed) destructive policies like that of boarding schools to be implemented, reframing the common narrative perpetuated in schooling systems that such policies are the result of a few “bad actors.” This research is interested in exploring how curricula contribute to the latter perspective, and whether newly implemented standards effectively convey the former viewpoint.

This study presents a design research project to create high-fidelity prototypes for culturally inclusive and responsible Indigenous e-publications, specifically targeting the Cherokee community. The initiative addresses the issue of knowledge transmission, which has traditionally relied on oral traditions, by leveraging digital platforms to record and organize traditional ecological knowledge. Using Cherokee Earth Dwellers (Teuton & Shade Family, UW Press, 2023), a comprehensive book on Cherokee culture, as a primary source, the project integrates audio and video with text from the print book to craft a multimodal educational resource. The methodology is grounded in 10 usability heuristics and participatory design principles, involving members from the Cherokee community in the design process to ensure the final e-publication meets their needs and expectations. Drawing on previous research in Indigenous studies, co-design workshops, participatory sciences, and human-computer interaction, the project aims to produce an interactive e-publication as a vital resource for Cherokee educators and youth, enhancing access to Cherokee culture for educational purposes through digital mediums, thus fostering language revitalization and cultural education. Anticipated outcomes include design guidelines for research towards Culturally-inclusive, Relational and Responsible web design.