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District distributes thousands of native‑authored books after state grant; librarians to promote collections
Summary
Ann Arbor staff described a grant‑funded effort to add thousands of native‑authored and themed books to school libraries across levels, including class sets and preschool titles, supported by a Michigan Department of Education Section 99D grant and local grant administration.
District staff described a grant project that purchased thousands of native‑authored and themed titles for schools at multiple grade levels as part of a state Section 99D Teaching Diverse Histories grant.
Jared Allman, district chair for secondary social studies, said the grant funded class sets and library additions across elementary, middle and high schools: he reported purchasing 11 native‑authored titles for elementary supplemental reading, more than 10,000 secondary books across 25 titles, 34 preschool titles for Westerman, and roughly 2–15 copies (speaker’s numeric transcription varied) of select titles for each elementary school. Taken together staff said the district added “over 500 newly titles” to school libraries and described a large statewide procurement and distribution effort; Allman said the district has a tiny URL (tinyurl.com/aaps-native-books) to review the full list.
The project included curriculum and educator learning cohorts, an educational summit with 215 attendees, an indigenous artist series and workbook/poster promotional materials for librarians. Staff emphasized the long‑term intention to sustain native narratives beyond Native American Heritage Month through classroom integration and library displays.
What’s next: teachers and librarians will continue promoting the collections and staff said they will use bookmarks and posters to encourage student engagement; the district plans continued teacher professional development around indigenous histories.
