INTRODUCTION

Purpose

Nationwide statistics indicate that Alaska Natives and American Indian students are the most at risk of all minority groups for failure in school. ¹ When compared to non-Native students, they drop out of school more frequently, are less likely to graduate, and generally have lower educational attainment. For generations, various approaches have been taken to improve education outcomes. While there are some successes, statistics still show much room for improvement. One of the key issues in improving education for Alaska Natives is to gain an understanding of their educational attitudes and values. This is the purpose of the Alaska Native Household Education Survey.

On behalf of the First Alaskans Foundation, McDowell Group, Inc. has conducted baseline research on Alaska Native attitudes and values toward education. The First Alaskans Foundation, a nonprofit organization created by the Alaska Federation of Natives, seeks to influence positive change in the lives of Alaska Native people. The Foundation sees education as a key to positive change.

The McDowell Group study for First Alaskans Foundation has four components:

• A random telephone survey of one thousand Alaska Native households' opinions, attitudes, and values regarding education was conducted in the spring of 2001. Results of the survey are reported in this document.
  
• A secondary review of national and Alaska research identified programs and techniques that could enhance Alaska Native education. The report was completed in June of 2001.
  
• Executive interviews of experts in the education field will provide further insight and suggestions for improving the delivery of education services to Alaska Natives. A report was completed in September of 2001.
  
• Focus group discussions on issues affecting Alaska Native education will be conducted in the fall of 2001.

  The survey component of this study is critical for understanding how Alaska Natives feel about their education and the value it has in their lives. Subjects explored in this survey analysis include: importance of education to Alaska Natives, barriers to educational success, evaluation of the Alaska education system, suggestions for improvement of the system, and differences among generational, cultural, urban and rural groups.

Methodology

Random telephone surveys were conducted with 1,000 Alaska Native households in Alaska in April and May of 2001. Interviews were conducted with individuals 18 years and older. The sample was selected based on a proportional representation of 2000 Census geographic distribution of Alaska Native households and cultural group affiliation.

A Technical Advisory Group, made up of representatives from First Alaskans Foundation and the ANCSA Education Consortium, was established to provide guidance for this study. In consultation with the Technical Advisory Group, McDowell Group designed a survey instrument. The survey contained 28 questions exploring the following subjects:

• Importance of education to Alaska Natives
  
• Barriers to academic achievement
  
• Solutions for improving academic achievement
  
• Role of culture and language in education
  
• Expectations of Alaska Native children's education
  
• Evaluations of Alaska school performance
  
• Evaluations of quality of education received
  
• Perception of fairness and prejudice within the educational system
  
• Opinions and satisfaction with Alaska educational experiences
  
• Demographic information, including cultural group affiliation, age, household income, and gender.

  Findings of the survey have a maximum margin of error of +3.2 percent for the full 1,000 household sample. The maximum margin of error for the subgroup analyses may be higher.

¹ American Indian Relief Council, http://www.airc.org/living/education.html.

Return to the Alaska Native Household Education Survey

Return to the McDowell Final Report

Return to Alaska Native Knowledge Network