Safety belts are not installed in school buses for several reasons. School buses are constructed differently from automobiles in terms of (1) the locations of doors and instrument panels relative to passengers, (2) outer construction, (3) seat design and padding, and (4) visibility on the road. Under current regulations, bus seats are constructed…

Concerns are cited regarding definitional, identification, and programing issues for emotionally disturbed students in rural Alaskan schools. Problems with the current state definition include its vagueness, reliance on noneducational experts, and implications that psychological or psychiatric treatment is necessary. Lack of resource room…

In this brief response to Courtney Cazden's article on anthropology's contribution to education (1983), it is argued that educators who reject anthropological contributions are doing so because they believe anthropology is doing harm. Asserts that "cultural differences" is replacing "cultural deprivation" as the fashionable…

This synopsis of educational technology concepts and opinions was written as part of a project to investigate how, if, and when innovative technology, particularly videodiscs, should be incorporated into Alaska's educational system. After reviewing the status and methods of educational technology, it is concluded that: (1) educational…

The Alaskan Klondike Gold Rush coincided with major events, including the arrival of the railroad, and it exemplified continuing trends in Seattle's (Washington) history. If not the primary cause of the city's growth and prosperity, the Klondike Gold Rush nonetheless serves as a colorful reflection of the era and its themes, including the…

Recent research shows that students at all grade levels, especially at-risk youngsters, learn more in small schools; small schools are more violence-free; and bonds created in small schools are likely to influence students' post-high-school behavior. Success is attributed to small schools' human scale, more willing students, more committed…

Reviews research on Native education in northern Canada and Alaska, focusing on historical, cultural, and political contexts; student behavior, student evaluation, and academic achievement; cultural differences between Native students and White teachers; and government policies related to curriculum. Contains 68 references. (SV)

Small, sometimes multi-cultural, rural schools need specialized preservice teacher education programs to prepare teachers. After outlining the classroom, school, and sociocultural characteristics affecting a teacher's success and survival in a rural community, this paper discusses the apparent lack of rural content in teacher preparation programs…

In an attempt to include more students with disabilities in large-scale assessments, 12 states (Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Louisiana, North Dakota, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia) allowed out-of-level testing during the 2000-2001 school year. This report discusses the context of state assessment…

This booklet identifies several crucial problems in Alaska Native education, for example: (1) Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE) occur in Alaska Native populations at relatively high rates and can produce mental retardation, hyperactivity, attention deficits, and learning disabilities; (2) while many Native rural school…

This report summarizes a state senate committee's assessment of school performance in Alaska and its conclusions and recommendations to the legislature. Chapter 1 describes Alaska's school districts, school enrollment, and educational expenditures. Chapter 2 discusses school reform in America in 1983-87, Alaska's comparative lack of reform…

The urban Alaska Native community in and around Fairbanks is drawing on its rural roots to reshape schooling experiences. Alaska Natives are resisting the pattern of dropping out and are claiming a place in school, asserting that it's okay to be Native; Native teachers are committed to developing Native curricular materials; and tribal colleges…

Rural school improvement requires that state educational policies empower rural educators to attempt innovative programs. After extensive grassroots input, the Alaska Legislature defined seven statewide educational needs relating to poor school performance. A Washington education reform bill allows schools to do anything not expressly forbidden by…

Based on a literature review and the 20 years experience of an Alaskan teacher and administrator, some recommendations are proposed to improve education in rural Alaska school districts with Alaska Native students, particularly Yup'ik Eskimos. Currently such school districts have an education system similar to that found throughout the United…

Alaska's public schools cost $1.2 billion in the 1992-93 school year. That included both operating and capital spending and amounted to about $10,000 for each of the state's 119,000 elementary and secondary students. Roughly one-quarter of the state government's general fund budget went to the schools, covering 64 percent of costs. About 30…