 An early inspiration was an essay by Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, “An Accessible Aesthetic”: A major factor in effective education is the integration of what is learned in the school with the experiences children have in their homes and communities. An equal challenge is the integration of the culture of the community into the curriculum. While we want our children to be exposed to a variety of art forms and cultures, we do not want them to be alienated for their birthright, their own heritage. And their own heritage is valuable, not only because it is their own, but also because of the importance of a strong indigenous culture to the coherence of community life.
<coherence>  An early inspiration was an essay by Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, “An Accessible Aesthetic”: A major factor in effective education is the integration of what is learned in the school with the experiences children have in their homes and communities. An equal challenge is the integration of the culture of the community into the curriculum. While we want our children to be exposed to a variety of art forms and cultures, we do not want them to be alienated for their birthright, their own heritage. And their own heritage is valuable, not only because it is their own, but also because of the importance of a strong indigenous culture to the coherence of community life.
 An early inspiration was an essay by Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, “An Accessible Aesthetic”: 