1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to education; modifying staff development and 
  1.3             teacher preparation curriculum to include American 
  1.4             Indian tribal history, government, and culture; 
  1.5             modifying the graduation rule to include an 
  1.6             understanding of American Indians; amending Minnesota 
  1.7             Statutes 1994, section 126.70, subdivision 2a; and 
  1.8             Laws 1994, chapter 647, article 7, section 15. 
  1.9   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.10     Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 126.70, 
  1.11  subdivision 2a, is amended to read: 
  1.12     Subd. 2a.  [STAFF DEVELOPMENT OUTCOMES.] (a) The staff 
  1.13  development committee shall adopt a staff development plan for 
  1.14  improving student achievement of education outcomes.  The plan 
  1.15  must be consistent with education outcomes that the school board 
  1.16  determines.  The plan shall include activities that enhance 
  1.17  staff skills for achieving the following outcomes: 
  1.18     (1) foster readiness for learning for all pupils; 
  1.19     (2) increase pupils' educational progress by using 
  1.20  appropriate outcomes and personal learning goals and by 
  1.21  encouraging pupils and their parents to assume responsibility 
  1.22  for their education; 
  1.23     (3) meet pupils' individual needs by using alternative 
  1.24  instructional opportunities, accommodations, modifications, 
  1.25  after-school child care programs, and family and community 
  1.26  resources; 
  1.27     (4) effectively meet the needs of children with 
  2.1   disabilities within the regular classroom and other settings by 
  2.2   improving the knowledge of school personnel about the legal and 
  2.3   programmatic requirements affecting students with disabilities, 
  2.4   and by improving staff ability to collaborate, consult with one 
  2.5   another, and resolve conflicts; and 
  2.6      (5) provide equal educational opportunities for all 
  2.7   students that are consistent with the school 
  2.8   desegregation/integration and inclusive education policies 
  2.9   adopted by school districts and approved by the state. 
  2.10     (b) The staff development committee is strongly encouraged 
  2.11  to include in its plan activities for achieving the following 
  2.12  outcomes: 
  2.13     (1) facilitate organizational changes by enabling a 
  2.14  site-based team composed of pupils, parents, school personnel, 
  2.15  representatives of children with disabilities, and community 
  2.16  members who generally reflect the racial composition of the 
  2.17  school to address the pupils' needs; 
  2.18     (2) evaluate the effectiveness of education policies, 
  2.19  processes, and products through appropriate evaluation 
  2.20  procedures that include multiple criteria and indicators; 
  2.21     (3) provide effective mentorship oversight and peer review 
  2.22  of probationary, continuing contract, and nonprobationary 
  2.23  teachers; 
  2.24     (4) assist elementary and secondary students in learning to 
  2.25  resolve conflicts in effective, nonviolent ways; 
  2.26     (5) effectively teach and model violence prevention policy 
  2.27  and curricula that address issues of sexual, racial, and 
  2.28  religious harassment; and 
  2.29     (6) provide challenging instructional activities and 
  2.30  experiences, including advanced placement and international 
  2.31  baccalaureate programs, that recognize and cultivate students' 
  2.32  advanced abilities and talents; and 
  2.33     (7) in consultation with the American Indian parent 
  2.34  committee established under section 126.51, design and implement 
  2.35  programs, provide in-service training for teachers, and develop 
  2.36  and disseminate appropriate, corresponding materials to increase 
  3.1   teacher and student knowledge of American Indian tribal 
  3.2   government history and culture. 
  3.3      Sec. 2.  Laws 1994, chapter 647, article 7, section 15, is 
  3.4   amended to read: 
  3.5      Sec. 15.  [TEACHER PREPARATION CURRICULUM.] 
  3.6      (a) Consistent with Laws 1993, chapter 224, article 12, 
  3.7   section 34, the state board of teaching, with the assistance of 
  3.8   organizations representing diverse cultures, the state American 
  3.9   Indian education committee shall decide whether or not to 
  3.10  include in the curriculum for preparing all beginning elementary 
  3.11  and social studies teachers a course of study of anthropology 
  3.12  that encompasses a study of the indigenous people of the 
  3.13  midwest, and a study of the history of the indigenous people 
  3.14  that encompasses a study of the Minnesota area in precolonial 
  3.15  times through the twentieth century, government, and culture of 
  3.16  Minnesota based American Indian tribes. 
  3.17     (b) Consistent with Laws 1993, chapter 224, article 12, 
  3.18  section 34, the state board of teaching shall ensure that the 
  3.19  human relations curriculum of all teacher preparation programs 
  3.20  includes components of American Indian language, history, 
  3.21  government, and culture. 
  3.22     Sec. 3.  [GRADUATION RULE; AMERICAN INDIANS.] 
  3.23     (a) The graduation standards rule committee of the state 
  3.24  board of education shall hold a public hearing to consider 
  3.25  including the following understandings in the graduation rule: 
  3.26     (1) an understanding that sovereignty is the basis of 
  3.27  treaties between American Indian tribes and the United States 
  3.28  government; 
  3.29     (2) an understanding that sovereignty is the foundation of 
  3.30  tribal government; 
  3.31     (3) an understanding of the relationship between tribes and 
  3.32  the federal, state, and local governments; 
  3.33     (4) an understanding that tribally enrolled American 
  3.34  Indians have a dual citizenship; and 
  3.35     (5) an understanding that American Indian tribes and their 
  3.36  members have a unique political status that is different from 
  4.1   other racial, ethnic, and cultural groups. 
  4.2      (b) At the hearing, the board shall also consider for 
  4.3   inclusion in the graduation rule a requirement that pupils have 
  4.4   learning opportunities that: 
  4.5      (1) describe and analyze the concept of sovereignty and the 
  4.6   relationship of sovereignty to treaties and tribal governments 
  4.7   of Minnesota-based American Indian tribes in a historical 
  4.8   context; 
  4.9      (2) examine persisting issues involving rights, roles, and 
  4.10  status of tribes in Minnesota; 
  4.11     (3) observe and analyze contemporary American Indian issues 
  4.12  in relationship to the concept of sovereignty; and 
  4.13     (4) describe the rights and responsibilities of citizenship 
  4.14  in relationship to tribal members. 
  4.15     (c) The board must examine the issues in paragraphs (a) and 
  4.16  (b) in relationship to both the Ojibwe and Dakota.