Diabetes Education for Tribal Schools (DETS)

The Diabetes Education for Tribal Schools (DETS) is a curriculum designed for American Indian and Native Alaskan (AI/NA) students in kindergarten through high school. Developed in an effort to address the impact of type 2 diabetes in AI/NA populations, the curriculum combines science with teachings on the Native American tribal world view and values.

The three primary goals of the project are to increase the understanding of diabetes through learning the scientific basis of the disease, to enhance the value and use of both science and traditional knowledge, and encourage youth to pursue careers in the sciences and health.

The goal of DETS project is to increase the understanding and awareness of diabetes among American Indian and Native Alaskan students in kindergarten through high school through a combination of science lesson and traditional value.

The DETS project was disseminated to public schools with a large American Indian/ Native Alaskan student body in 14 states during the 2007-2008 school year. The participating classrooms were evaluated on the student knowledge gain on science and attitude towards science, and the teacher acceptability of the curriculum.

The results of an evaluation study showed the academic achievement of student's significantly improved after participating in DETS (p<0.001). Knowledge in science and health significantly increased across grade levels and a higher percentage of students showed interest in pursuing a career in science and health.

The results of the survey on teachers showed that the curriculum was easy to use and engaging. Moreover, 87% of elementary teachers thought that the curriculum was culturally appropriate.