EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Alaska Natives face many challenges in education performance, attainment, and opportunities. Since the first Russian schoolmaster began teaching Aleut youth on Kodiak Island, a non-Native education system has determined educational policies and programs for Native people. Like American Indian nations in the Lower 48, Alaska Natives have struggled to make the system work for them, sometimes without success.

The performance of Alaska Natives and American Indians in school embodies a large portion of the literature on American education. On behalf of the First Alaskans Foundation, a nonprofit organization created by the Alaska Federation of Natives, McDowell Group, Inc. has completed a review of the academic literature surrounding the education of American Indians and Alaska Natives. The literature is one component of a larger study of Native education that McDowell Group is conducting for the Foundation. The purpose of this secondary research is to identify issues and methods that can enhance educational programs for Alaska Natives.

McDowell Group offers the following summary of key issues:

Historical and Current Situation

Historical Perspective

• The difficulties many Alaska Natives face in school reflect the history of education that has emphasized American Indian and Alaska Native assimilation into mainstream culture. Educational reform has been underway for years in Alaska, yet it will probably take decades for true change to occur.
  
• Evidence of discrimination continues to exist in our school system.

  Data Limitations

• Statistics do not tell the entire story. Reliable generalizations of Native academic achievement cannot be made due to small sample sizes, varying statistical methods, and incomparable data.
  
• Dropout studies indicate high rates for Alaska Natives, however, recent research questions the validity of many of these studies. Many dropout studies blame only the student for failing to stay in school. A variety of other factors contribute to non-retention, including many factors found within the school systems. These studies also do not take into account "stopouts "- students who temporarily stop their education then return to school;a common trend amongst Native peoples.

Findings that Enhance Alaska Native Education

Language and Culture are Key

• Academic programs that honor both Native culture and language appear to be successful in improving academic achievement. It is important, however, that these programs recognize individual and subgroup differences among Alaska Natives.
  
• American Indian/Alaska Native students perform competently and have a better understanding of mathematics and science when the curriculum integrates Native and Western knowledge systems.

  Learning and Teaching Styles

• A program that enhances the learning capabilities of one group of students will heighten the performance of the entire school. For example, holistic and experiential approaches that prove successful with Native students will enhance the education of all students.
  
• When teaching and learning styles match, educators are better able to address the needs of their Native students. Native learning styles differ from white students, for whom most educational curricula are written.

  Community Involvement is Key

• Schools do not exist in a vacuum. Research shows that Native student performance improves when schools reach out to the families and communities they serve. Parents, elders, and other community members should come together to design, implement, and support culture and language programs.
  
• Programs that link science to local ecology and tap the expertise of local experts create stronger ties between the school and community. Research indicates that Native student achievement improves.

  Native Students Need to "Own " Their Education

• Barriers to Native students 'success in college or vocational education are rooted in personal background and previous educational experience. Many Natives lack a "sense of ownership "of their education. Greater Native participation in education planning and design will improve Native students 'performance throughout their school careers.

  Despite the comprehensive literature, McDowell Group believes more research and analysis is needed in many issues affecting the education of Alaska Natives. A list of recommendations for further research concludes this report.

Return to the Alaska Native and American Indian Education: A Review of the Literature

Return to the McDowell Final Report

Return to Alaska Native Knowledge Network