Hans Christian Andersen Open School, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Hans Christian Andersen Open School is a K-8 school serving 1,000 children in south Minneapolis. It is one of three schools in the Hans Christian Andersen Schools, which were designated as a Multicultural Gender-Fair Demonstration Site in 1989. The Open School emphasizes a multicultural and gender-fair education for all students. It is characterized by open classrooms, team teaching, and options that allow students to choose topics of learning.
North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (1995) describes the multicultural programs at Hans Christian Andersen Schools:
"In 1989, Hans Christian Andersen Schools were designated as the Multicultural Gender-Fair Laboratory Demonstration Site for the Minneapolis Public Schools by the superintendent and the Board of Education. The schools also serve as the site for the district's American Indian Program. The site, known as the 'Schools of Many Voices,' is located in south Minneapolis and serves approximately 1,700 students and their families.
The superintendent's charge to school staff was to design a laboratory school which will be a model demonstration site for the implementation of exemplary multicultural gender-fair instructional practices and curriculum. The premise of school developers is that if schooling is multicultural and gender-fair, all students will achieve at higher levels; have good cross-race, culture, and gender relationships; and function well in a culturally diverse community, nation, and world.
A Multicultural Planning Council spent a year developing a conceptional model for education that is multicultural, an implementation plan, and a document outlining the planning process. The Council also established the first Multicultural Summer Curriculum Laboratory conducted by teachers on site. Council members included staff and administration from Andersen's five programs; parents and students; representatives from area colleges and preservice education programs; and representatives from community, state, and local agencies. Reflecting the diversity of the community, Council membership included African Americans, Asian Americans, American Indians, European Americans, and Latinos." (pp. 10-11)
For further information, refer to the Hans Christian Anderson Open School home page.
