Indigenous students in rural Alaska hold high educational aspirations and yet few students realize their educational goals (Hamilton & Seyfrit, 1993; Kleinfeld & McDiarmid, 1986; McDiarmid & Kleinfeld, 1981). Our purpose in this study was to understand why so many Alaska Native students from small, isolated communities…

This report examines the educational status of ethnic and racial minorities in Alaska and draws attention to the ways demographic changes in Alaska may affect these groups. The Alaska Native population, as opposed to other ethnic minorities, is the focal point of this study. This is the largest minority group in the state and the one experiencing…

In this brief response to Courtney Cazden's article on anthropology's contribution to education (1983), it is argued that educators who reject anthropological contributions are doing so because they believe anthropology is doing harm. Asserts that "cultural differences" is replacing "cultural deprivation" as the fashionable…

Examines dropout rates in small village high schools. Reports that the shift from boarding schools to small village high schools has dramatically reduced the dropout rates of rural Alaska native students. Suggests related characteristics are small size, personalized atmosphere, sense of community, and individualized instruction. (DHP)

The reflective inquiry approach to teacher preparation is based on analysis of teaching "cases" and is particularly relevant for teachers in Alaska's rural multicultural schools. Students learn to ask ethical as well as pedagogical questions and to reflect upon larger issues imbedded in the details of school life. (Author/SV)

To guide Alaskan Natives and minority students from adolescence to productive adulthood, the Yukon-Koyukuk school district's Postsecondary Counselor Program has successfully developed academic and urban survival skills. The program tracks students through programs, hospitals, and centers. The model could be adapted for students seeking employment…

This booklet identifies several crucial problems in Alaska Native education, for example: (1) Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE) occur in Alaska Native populations at relatively high rates and can produce mental retardation, hyperactivity, attention deficits, and learning disabilities; (2) while many Native rural school…

Youth organizations as educational settings were examined in a series of small-scale studies describing what happens to young people who participate in such organizations. The project, an overview of which is given in the introductory chapter of this report was organized into three components. The initial, exploratory study examined what scouting…

This study examines changes in the entrance and success rates of Native students in Alaska colleges from 1963 to 1972, a time when special college recruitment and assistance programs were being developed. Information is based on the college records of those Natives who entered college for the first time at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks…

Boarding schools were the only option for rural high school students in Alaska until 1976, when the state began building many, very small, village high schools following a class action law suit. Selective, academic boarding schools continue to be an option. A survey of rural households found community satisfaction and improved student outcomes as…

Presents model for developing localized district computer software targeted to Native American students from particular language communities. Describes process through which Yukon/Koyukuk School District developed computer software for Athabaskan students. Emphasizes software as one tool in teacher-directed language arts program, not replacement…

This paper examines what student teachers learn from writing a case about their student teaching experience. An analytic framework was developed to understand what students learn from writing such narratives. It contained six elements: (1) an intention, which formed the springboard for the dramatic action; (2) an initial conceptual map which…

This paper discusses issues involved in teaching culturally diverse students and questions current practices in multicultural teacher education. The central portion of the paper describes and discusses an alternative approach to multicultural teacher education through the Teachers for Alaska program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Teachers…

Fifteen years' experience of conducting politically controversial statewide research on rural/small school and Alaska Native educational issues in Alaska forms the background of this paper, which identifies practical strategies for gaining access to sites and data, developing support for research enterprises, and communicating information in ways…

Because rural Alaska educators were skeptical of the applicability to their teaching situations of various educational research results, researchers randomly surveyed rural Alaskan teachers to provide background information for the Rural Effective Schools Project and for educators who want to help rural schools increase their effectiveness. Three…