Sisseton Wahpeton Rural Systemic Initiative

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The Sisseton Wahpeton Rural Systemic Initiative, based at the Sisseton WahpetonCommunity College, is in many aspects a continuation of the Tribal Colleges RuralSystemic Initiative. However, since it is a locally based project, instead of a six-stateeffort, we will be able to concentrate on the educational needs of the Lake TraverseReservation population to a far greater extent. The ultimate goal of the SWRSI project isimprove the education, particularly in the areas of math and science, of our childrenthrough systemic reform. This is a process that requires the support and dedication of allthe stakeholders in the community. This reform began three years ago with theintroduction of the TCRSI program, with the development and adoption of standards andincreased professional development in research-based curricula. The formation of acoalition of the local school districts and the establishment of "focal schools" alsooccurred. Activities during the TCRSI project are referred to as Phase I.Phase II will be a more intensive program of systemic reform, with our majorobjectives being the increased implementation of research-based curricula and thedevelopment of culturally relevant alternative assessments. These assessments will betied to benchmarks established by local and state standards, and correlated to traditionalstandardized tests. By this method our schools will be able to develop better teachingmethods based on our students learning styles.The implementation of research-based curricula is a potential hazard if notsupported by up-to-date and intensive professional development for teachers. Whenthese programs are introduced without understanding their underlying philosophies, thecurriculum becomes part of the problem. Our second objective is to create a system ofprofessional development that is curriculum specific, intensive, ongoing, and relevant toteacher needs. At the same it must be able to overcome the problems of a rural setting,limited budgets, and high teacher turnover rates. Our strategy to overcome these issues isto use distant learning technologies, web-based support, and the development of localexperts at SWCC and lead-teachers in the focal schools. Information given at"traditional" workshops and via video conferencing sessions will be placed on curriculasupport web pages available 24 hours a day to our participants. Questions related to theuse of the curricula could be posted with answers being provided by expert consultants orother classroom teachers. To combat the high teacher turnover rate Internet courses fortraining purposes will be developed and maintain by SWRSI and collaboratinginstitutions. These efforts will directly address the issue of sustainability.The third objective of the SWRSI project is to increase the level of cooperationbetween the individual focal schools and the tribal college. An AdministratorsCommittee and a Steering Committee (composed of focal schoolteachers, SWCC staff,and community members) has been formed as one component of this effort. Theprofessional development activities of SWRSI will attribute to this effort, as each schoolwill help plan and participate in these joint-training sessions.