This series of case studies profiles six teachers thought by colleagues, students, and the rural Alaska communities they serve to be good teachers. The case studies reported here describe the techniques that make these teachers responsive and perceptive in their interactions with Alaska Native students. The names of the teachers and the villages…

Compares occupational values of 232 rural Eskimo secondary students with those of 117 urban white adolescents from Fairbanks. Shows Eskimo adolescents resemble white counterparts in their work values but significant cultural differences appear in extent to which each group seeks intrinsic satisfactions from wage work. (NEC)

An indigenous, village-controlled, largely village-funded youth organization in a remote Western Alaska village serves educational, social, recreational, service, and economic functions; provides activities vital to community social/recreational life, relief from stress, and alternatives to substance abuse; and increases competency and sense of…

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…

This report examines the demand for teachers, teacher turnover, and teacher education in Alaska. Surveys were conducted with school district personnel directors, directors of Alaska teacher education programs, teachers who exited Alaska schools in 2001, and rural and urban instructional aides. Alaska is facing teacher shortages, but these are…

The Chevak Village Youth Association (CVYA) was developed in a rural Eskimo village (population 520) both to educate youth and to integrate them into functional roles in the community. CVYA is an entirely indigenous youth organization, created and managed by the youth and young adults of the village. It has evolved, in part, as a response to the…

A majority of adults in most Alaska Native villages were without jobs in 1990, and the situation was probably not substantially better in 1998. This report summarizes current Alaska Native employment data and employment trends, provides information on public and private programs that target Native hire, and describes promising approaches for…

In a survey of 304 teachers selected randomly from Alaska's rural schools, significantly fewer teachers in Native communities thought students would attend or graduate from college or could achieve at or above national norms. Many Native leaders view these attitudes as evidence that prejudiced attitudes create school failure among Native children.…