Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Curriculum Adoption topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Duluth board hears proposal to adopt Exploring Social Studies Minnesota for elementary; secondary materials still in development
Summary
District content leads recommended Exploring Social Studies Minnesota for elementary classrooms, highlighting alignment to Minnesota's 2021 social studies standards and ethnic-studies strand; secondary adoption remains a work in progress and board members pressed for community consultation and resource timelines.
Susan Schmidt, content lead for secondary social studies, and London Goody, content lead for elementary, told the board the district is revising K–12 social studies to reflect Minnesota’s 2021 standards, with instructional shifts toward inquiry, disciplinary literacy and an added ethnic-studies strand.
The elementary committee piloted two programs and recommended Exploring Social Studies Minnesota, noting it is fully aligned to the new standards, requires no recurring subscription fees and supplies printable “blackline masters” that the district printer can produce to reduce consumable costs. The presenters said pilot feedback favored the chosen curriculum and that trainers had already delivered on-site professional development for elementary teachers.
For secondary grades, teachers are writing unit plans and pacing guides aligned to standards; the board was told that few vendor resources are fully aligned to Minnesota’s standards and that sixth grade intends to adopt the Minnesota Historical Society’s Northern Lights (latest edition) pending publication. Presenters said secondary teachers are still testing resources and may use a mixed approach of publisher materials plus curated primary-source collections.
Board members asked whether the district had consulted local African-heritage and other community groups on ethnic-studies implementation. Presenters said community review of an elective ethnic-studies course is planned for the coming summer and that the district solicited input from multiple communities and the district advisory committee during piloting.
Board members also asked about costs, hardcover vs. digital materials, textbook access for students who prefer print, and the timeline for rolling out secondary resources. Presenters and administrators acknowledged challenges finding high school materials aligned to Minnesota standards and said more time and teacher involvement will be needed to finalize secondary purchases.
The board did not vote on final adoption at the meeting; the district will proceed with planned teacher review, summer community input on electives, and return with any recommended adoption and budget implications.
