North Dakota’s Indian Education Summit a Festival of Ideas

(North Dakota Department of Public Instruction image)

(KNOX) – State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler said this week’s North Dakota Indian Education Summit will feature remarks by a former national Teacher of the Year and information about using customized artificial intelligence to connect with Native students.

More than 120 educators have registered for the 11^th annual Summit, which is being held in the ground-floor west wing of the state Capitol on Thursday, July 17, and Friday, July 18. It will have speakers focusing on youth education issues, key elements of effective instruction for Native students, and the importance of teachers.

“This summit gives educators an opportunity to exchange ideas, discuss best practices, and absorb information to help ensure all of North Dakota’s students are succeeding,” Baesler said.

Simpson and Steever helped to develop the Department of Public Instruction’s Teachings of the Elders website, which features interviews of North Dakota tribal elders, and the North Dakota Native American Essential Understandings initiative, which Baesler began in 2015. The resources provide North Dakota’s K-12 teachers with background about the history, culture and traditions of the state’s tribes.