American Indian/First Nations/Native People have been historically under-represented in the ranks of college and university graduates in Canada and the United States. From an institutional perspective, the problem has been typically defined in terms of low achievement, high attrition, poor retention, weak persistence, etc., thus placing the onus…

This article describes the influences of William Demmert's formative years growing up in Alaska and his years as an educator of Native American students upon his career in Native education policy. It focuses on Alaska Native education during a ten-year period between 1980 and 1990 during which time he served as the director of the Center for…

Describes characteristics, mission, and innovations of indigenous higher education in North America, New Zealand, and other countries. Discusses institutions' commitment to community, integration of functions, participation of elders, spiritual elements, use of local language and traditional teaching practices, congenial learning environment, and…

The Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative (AKRSI) was established in 1994 under the auspices of the Alaska Native/Rural Education Consortium, representing over 50 organizations impacting education in rural Alaska. AKRSI's institutional homebase and support structure are provided by the Alaska Federation of Natives in cooperation with the University of…

Discusses types of indigenous higher education (i.e., independent institutions, affiliates of other universities, and integrated structures) and their distinctive qualities; e.g., commitment to community, integration of functions, sustained local leadership, spiritual harmony, use of local language, traditional ways of knowing and teaching,…

Native American college students often feel conflict between traditional holistic forms of knowledge and the compartmentalized knowledge encountered in college. University policies aimed at decreasing Native American student attrition must emphasize respect for cultural differences, education relevant to the Native American worldview, and…

Describes the successful school serving preschool-twelfth grade in St. Mary's Alaska--a small remote Yupik community. Examines the bilingual curriculum, strong community support, and the school's philosophy and goals emphasizing integration of Yupik ways and values and the educational responsibility of the community. (SV)

Two features limit the value of legislatively mandated high-stakes tests such as Alaska's Benchmark and High School Graduation Qualifying Exam as accountability tools in the current standards-driven environment. First, the sheer numbers of tests administered have led to a reliance on multiple choice and short-answer questions, with only minimal…

As part of a larger study of systemic education reform in rural Alaska, this case study examines the school improvement process undertaken in Yupiit School District (YSD). YSD consists of three Yupiaq villages in southwest Alaska that joined together in 1984 to form the Yupiit Nation and to run their own schools. In 1992 a district-level…

Describes the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative (AKRSI), which is documenting Alaska Native indigenous knowledge systems and developing pedagogical practices to integrate that knowledge into formal education. Discusses the Alaskan context of rural education; AKRSI's yearly cycle of activities in Alaska's five cultural regions; and activities…

Since its beginnings in 1970, a field-based teacher education program aimed at preparing certificated Alaska native teachers has graduated 80 teachers. Until then, the University of Alaska's teacher training program had been a traditional campus-based program aimed primarily at preparing teachers for urban schools, with no course that reflected…

A 3-year study of educational reform in rural Alaska centered around case studies in seven rural communities and school districts serving primarily Eskimo and American Indian students. Each community had embarked on a reform process called Alaska Onward to Excellence (AOTE) that strove to create educational partnerships between schools and their…

A study examined seven rural Alaska communities engaged in educational reform. Findings indicate that educators must work with small communities to design reforms around local culture; parents must participate actively in school life and decisions; district leaders must share leadership to increase local ownership of reforms; and education in…

The Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative (AKRSI) implements initiatives to document the indigenous knowledge systems of Alaska Natives and develop pedagogical practices and school curricula that appropriately incorporate indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing into the formal education system. These initiatives foster interconnectivity between two…

The Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative (AKRSI) was established in 1994 under the auspices of the Alaska Native/Rural Education Consortium, representing over 50 organizations concerned with education in rural Alaska. Its purpose is to implement initiatives that systematically document the indigenous knowledge systems of Alaska Native peoples and…