Indigenous educational models in higher education that incorporate Elder wisdom, knowledge, and experience are supported by educators but often not well understood or implemented. This study provides an in-depth exploration of six Elders' experiences serving as members of university instructor teams in a Rural Human Services university program.…

As a pilot intervention strategy to support undergraduate students, especially rural and Alaska Native students who are pursuing biomedical science research and career trajectories, we have developed a unique, mid-level Research, Advising, and Mentoring Professional (RAMP) position. In this article we outline the reasons for creating this…

This article explores the marginalized contexts of rural and Native American communities that have made recruitment and retention in teacher education inequitable in remote areas. Through facilitating a Culturally Responsive Pedagogy workshop series with schools in a neighboring rural county, having a large Native population and a very low student…

Youth Leaders Program (YLP) is a health intervention implemented in a rural Alaskan school district, which utilizes natural helpers and peer leaders to increase protective factors such as school engagement and personal/cultural identities, and to reduce risks associated with drug/alcohol abuse, violence, and bullying. Through these means, the…

Limited research is available concerning teacher retention and teacher attrition in Arctic Alaska. This paper reports survey research findings, which identify factors related to teacher retention and attrition in Alaskan Arctic Native communities. Teacher retention rates (2009-2013) vary widely over time showing no significant trends. Results…

In this article, the author relates his experience working for the Department of Education as an "arts content coach" and visiting in rural Alaska's schools. He shares how he is guiding the youths in analyzing the visual elements of stage pictures so that they can create their own tableaux of important historical inventions. He asks some…

The Alaska Statewide Mentor Project (ASMP) is a joint effort of the University of Alaska and the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development to address the persistently low teacher retention rates in the state, especially in rural districts that predominantly serve Alaska Native (AN) students. Over six years, teacher retention in rural…

In light of attempts to build a stronger appreciation for knowledge that is often constructed by the dominant Western culture's standards, this article focuses on the efforts to create agency among classroom teachers who teach in rural Alaskan schools. In discussions around the theories of assessment--the focal point of a summer course examined…

Indigenous students in rural Alaska hold high educational aspirations and yet few students realize their educational goals (Hamilton & Seyfrit, 1993; Kleinfeld & McDiarmid, 1986; McDiarmid & Kleinfeld, 1981). Our purpose in this study was to understand why so many Alaska Native students from small, isolated communities…

Many Alaskan schools are located in extremely remote or "fly-in" places. These geographical extremes affect the recruitment and retention of teachers to remote rural schools. Through a partnership between the Southwest Region School District of Alaska and the Department of Education at Alaska Pacific University (APU), 14 pre-service…

The eight early childhood educators who participated in this study were admitted into a 60-credit statewide distance-delivered Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree program at the University of Alaska. All eight educators were women of Alaska Native ancestry who lived and worked in remote and rural Native communities. Seven of these teachers…

Describes the history of Alaska's extensive school construction project, which offers many of the state's 11,000-plus rural students their first opportunity to attend high school in their home villages. Geographic, technological, and cultural differences from the continental United States have made Alaska's system of secondary education unique.…

This article examines the politics of educational transfer in a rural Alaskan school district with schools in two Alaska Native villages and one non-Native community. The author examines why and how the district imported standards-based education. While the district presented its reform as a rational, consensus-driven policy process, this…

An attorney involved in Alaska's "Molly Hootch Case" chronicles the events surrounding the class action suit, which resulted in a 1976 consent decree to establish a high school program in all of the 126 villages that wanted one. Legal, educational, and cultural consequences for bush Alaska are discussed. (BS)

Examines dropout rates in small village high schools. Reports that the shift from boarding schools to small village high schools has dramatically reduced the dropout rates of rural Alaska native students. Suggests related characteristics are small size, personalized atmosphere, sense of community, and individualized instruction. (DHP)