OTHER CULTURE-RELATED ISSUES

The informants were asked how educational needs of Alaska Natives differ from other students, and about other cultural issues. Teaching styles and the role of community in education were examined.

Differing Educational Needs

Alaska Native students come from a setting with a different background and history, which affects their performance and their relationship with teachers and schools. A top national administrator believes the educational needs of American Indian/Alaska Natives "differs in two key ways:the social setting, and the reality of the personal and social needs of students." We need, he said, "unique strategies to address these areas."

"Culture is an aspect of the differences between the educational needs of Native and non-Native students, but it's not the only difference." The national administrator recounted a conversation he had with a Navajo elder who asked him, "Do you know what's wrong with Indian education? Hollywood. Children spend so much time in front of the TV that that's where they're learning values. They're not learning about Native culture …Children are spending less time with elders and parents. A significant number of parents abuse alcohol and are not present for their children, and in many cases, those that are off earning money are also not there to the extent that they need to be for their children." He added, "Values are changing very fast, and the culture of youth may be very different from what adults see as the local culture."

"Education is more than just training for jobs. It's training for how to be a human being. This process needs to be brought forward and made new for every generation. The arts, writing, and other ways of expression provide a means for this kind of training, and communities need to do more of this. This enables children to have linkages with their local culture."

Native students are not necessarily compatible with the school, according to some informants. A "one size fits all" is not the best policy because it is not specific or too different for the Native students. One academic expert said, "there is plenty of evidence that shows if you adapt the curriculum to fit Native students, they do very well."

Language development issues are different for Alaska Native students. One former teacher states," many times teachers that go into the village are saying the kids don't understand them. The kids pause, think, and process, and it is very difficult for them to speak smoothly. This is a cultural difference."

Inconsistency Between Native Culture and Classroom Education

Interviewees agreed that classroom education is often inconsistent with Native culture or the rural lifestyle. Teacher training is based on the Western model. As teachers graduate from these programs, a personal transition needs to take place to reconcile the two worlds. As a retired education director states, "the reality is that this most effectively takes place if the teachers come from the region in which they teach." In addition, "learning materials do not relate to their cultural experience," adds a professor. For example, pictures of father going off to work with a briefcase, and pictures of lawnmowers and tractors are not relevant to most Alaska Native children. While teaching American or world history is important, these lessons are presented from a perspective that Alaska Natives cannot identify with. Very little is taught about the history of their own people or their region.

Teacher Training and Style

While incorporating traditional knowledge in the classroom may be positive, one professor felt it was essential to assure teachers were not "teaching about culture," but rather "teaching through culture." Teachers should not teach "just bits and pieces, but incorporate all aspects of their culture."

In rural Alaska, 80 percent of the teachers come from a state other than Alaska. One program advisor felt that "not only are the teachers not Native, they are not even Alaskan. They have no idea of culture and environment in rural communities. They have no reference point for the type of environment in which they will be teaching. This causes a major barrier between the student and the teacher and it impedes learning." Adding to this dilemma is the high turnover rate of teachers.

"Alaska Natives need Alaska Native teachers from their own region," stated one informant. Some programs have been developed to encourage and support the hire of Alaska Native teachers. One notable example is the Alaska Native Teachers for Excellence Project. ² According to the education director responsible for this program, during the course of the project, 52 Native teachers were placed in teaching positions within Anchorage and 74 Native teachers were placed elsewhere in the state.

The Role of Parents and Extended Family

The role of a parent is integral to the success of a student. When discussing this role, the informants did not necessarily only consider a mother or a father in this role. It was recognized that extended family, like aunts, uncles, and grandparents, may also serve a "parent's role," especially considering the influence of certain Alaska Native cultures. Regardless of the level of school, the role of the parent is to make sure children are "well-fed, well-rested," "disciplined," and "don't skip or drop out of school." Some informants felt it was important for parents to represent a "living example" and "to reinforce that education is valuable regardless of what form of education." One informant adds, "When parents understand this, the quicker we can help kids." A policy maker believes family is at the core of the community and central to removing barriers, stating "the family plays a strong role: teaching survival, subsistence, Native traditions, values and beliefs. If the local school was not just a building but a part of the community, there would be no barrier between school and community and the barriers to Native education would fade."

The Role of Community

The community's role is very important, and education needs to be pushed into being broader than just what happens in schools. Communities "foster education as a well-accepted norm," states an education director.

There are lots of good programs, but "effective programs require effective local leadership," states a national administrator. "We need to institutionalize changes so that they are not so dependent on leadership." Many effective programs fall apart once the initial leader leaves. The key may be investing in parent and governance structure rather than in the administrative end of these programs. A policy maker states, "the community should be telling the school what children should learn and how they should learn it. Native local advisory boards are not very strong, but they need to be empowered so that the local schools work with the community and on behalf of the Native students in that community."

One education director presented an example of how a community can support the education of its children. In a community in her region, the community cut BINGO and closed stores during school hours. They also established a tough curfew. In the schools, parents are required to come to parent/teacher conferences.

The community can also play an important role in supporting their children in pursuing post-secondary education without jealousy or rejection. One informant put it bluntly: "The community should support their students who go off to college in the same way that they rally to support young women when they get pregnant out of wedlock."

² Cook Inlet Tribal Council received a grant from the U.S. Department of Education for the purpose of three-year program to increase the number of certified Native teachers and administrators in the Anchorage School District. The program provided mentoring for new American Indian and Alaska Native teacher applicants. Seminars and one-on-one sessions helped applicants sharpen their application and interview skills and improve their readiness to accept a teaching position. The program also provided up to 1, 600 hours of in-class sessions on cross-cultural curriculum integration and improved educational opportunities for Alaska Native students through cultural diversity training of school staff, parents, and students.

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