We also support smaller rural school districts through remote educational and special education services, helping ensure that all students—regardless of a district's size or geographic location—have access to the resources, instruction, and supports necessary for success.
Team
Derek Stewart
Cultural Responsive Specialist
Derek Stewart is a professor at United Tribes Technical College and South Dakota State University, and a licensed K-12 art and special education teacher in North Dakota and South Dakota. Derek began studying the concept of effective cultural integration for improving academic achievement when starting his career at McLaughlin School District on the Standing Rock Reservation. That eventually led to a fifteen-year endeavor spent researching Lakota/ Dakota culture and innovative teaching practices. Derek was awarded the Mellon Faculty Career Enhancement Fellowship from the American Indian College Fund and has presented at the South Dakota Indian Education Summit, SDSU School of Art and Design, and TCU Faculty Research Convening in Denver, Colorado. These experiences have inspired him to continue researching and working towards equitable educational practices..
Jennifer Williams
SPED-Behavioral Specialist
Jennifer L. Williams, M.S., is a dual‑master’s‑level Special Education Case Manager and Educational Psychologist with advanced expertise in multi‑state compliance, virtual instruction, and trauma‑informed educational practice. She holds multiple state teaching licenses and ESL endorsements, allowing her to support multilingual learners alongside students with diverse academic, behavioral, and communication needs. Jennifer specializes in structured, data‑driven, and relationship‑centered approaches that blend precise, legally defensible documentation with a deep understanding of how trauma impacts learning, regulation, and engagement. Her work emphasizes safety, predictability, and accessible instructional design, ensuring students receive individualized, equitable support in the least restrictive environment.
Services
Research frameworks
Culturally Responsive Teaching
Framework
Culturally responsive teaching is an educational approach that recognizes the importance of including students' cultural references in all aspects of learning. The eight competencies for culturally responsive teaching provide a framework for educators to create inclusive, equitable, and engaging learning environments.
James A. Banks,
Multicultural Education
The Multicultural Dimensions Framework, developed by James A. Banks, outlines five key areas that schools can focus on to create more inclusive and equitable learning environments for all students.
Indigenizing Pedagogy
Community & Faculty Connection
Indigenizing pedagogy begins with collaborative efforts to define what culture means within the local Indigenous context. This process must involve open dialogue between faculty and community members to ensure that cultural teachings are understood through lived experience and not imposed from outside perspectives.
Zaretta Hammond
Culture Tree
Aliza Maynard’s Culture Tree metaphor presents culture as a living tree with three distinct layers, each representing different degrees of visibility and depth. At the top, the leaves correspond to surface culture—the visible aspects like food, dress, music, and rituals that people typically associate with cultural identity.
Testimonials
Workshops
Contact
- Bismarck, ND, USA
- +1-6512496999
- creatum1985@gmail.com
- Mon-Fri - 8:00-4:00
We’d love to learn more about the challenges your school is currently facing. Once we have a clear understanding of your unique needs, we’ll provide you with a free, customized action plan—ready for you to implement right away.