Detroit Public Schools Community District
This initiative Tracing Our Roots created a school-based digital museum that reimagines American history instruction. The project positioned K-12 students as historians and ethnographers of their own neighborhoods, where they work alongside teachers and community "griots" (elders and storytellers) to co-curate Detroit's living past. The initiative developed interlocking student, teacher, and community engagement frameworks, as well as a "Train-the-Trainer" professional development series, all designed to integrate inquiry-based local history and digital curation into the core curriculum.
Partners:
- DPSCD Social Studies and History Department
- DPSCD History and Social Studies Think Tank (District Teacher Leaders and Content Specialists)
- Elizabeth Triden - DPSCD Social Studies and History Department Lead
- Dr. Marsha Lewis - DPSCD Social Studies and History Department Lead
- Dr. Gholdy Muhammad - Professor, Author, and Teacher Leader
- Hill Pedagogies
- forwardEd LLC
- People in Education (PIE)
- Digital Inquiry Group (DIG)
- Allied Media Projects
- Over 60 Community "Griots" (Elders and Storytellers.)