The iDREAMS project aims to reinvent Computer Science education in K-12 schools, by using game design and computational science for motivating and educating students through an approach we call Scalable Game Design, starting at the middle school level. In this paper we discuss the use of Computational Thinking Patterns as the basis for our…

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…

This paper reports the creation, implementation, and discontinuation of a standards based spelling assessment program in Anchorage, Alaska. The program was initiated by the Anchorage school board as part of establishing district-wide performance goals for students in 1998-1999. Spelling was singled out for attention because of national discussions…

Through joint planning with a number of school districts and the Region X Title I Technical Assistance Center, and with the help of a Title I Refinement grant, Alaska has developed a system of data storage and retrieval using microcomputers that assists small school districts in the evaluation and reporting of their Title I programs. Although this…

This report discusses a study examining the impact of race on education policy decision-making. Though focusing primarily upon the process of change within schools, it also sought to understand the broader social and political context affecting reforms. The study was prompted by the discovery of high dropout rates and generally low achievement of…

During the 1985-86 school year, a district's implementation of a newly-adopted social studies curriculum for the grades from kindergarten through high school was studied using 50 Stages of Concern questionnaires and 23 Levels of Use interviews drawn from the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM). The study results suggested that (1) although citing…

Oil-industry-produced revenues, help finance Alaskan state and local governmental services including education. Capital losses incurred by the Exxon Corporation and by commerical fisheries as a consequence of the Exxon Valdez oil spill caused an economic recession, the result being diminished financing for a number of governmental programs and…

Large amounts of money can be wasted and serious disillusionment with the potential of distance education can set in when agencies decide to install extensive and expensive telecommunications systems before they conduct adequate planning. The State of Alaska spent $30 million to purchase and install the equipment for the Learn Alaska Network, a…

Alaska's geographic position at the crossroads between East and West and heavy trade with Japan have sparked widespread interest among Alaskans in education about Pacific Rim countries. In 1985 the Alaska Sister Schools Network was formed by the Alaska Department of Education and the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, to create opportunities for…

This summary presents the findings from four regional workshops conducted as part of the Alaska School Finance Study. The purposes of the workshops, held in Bethel, Juneau, Fairbanks, and Anchorage, were to consider current and future methods of financing the public schools, to obtain citizen and local educational agency concerns and…

The Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative (AKRSI) was established in 1994 under the auspices of the Alaska Native/Rural Education Consortium, representing over 50 organizations impacting education in rural Alaska. AKRSI's institutional homebase and support structure are provided by the Alaska Federation of Natives in cooperation with the University of…

This paper describes the efforts of a geographically isolated school district in Alaska to develop an outcome-based curriculum for preschool through 12th grade. In 1986, the new assistant superintendent for instruction introduced the idea of a district-wide outcome-based curriculum. The first curricular area selected for development was a…

Remarks of Alaska Native researcher and educator Paul Ongtooguk are presented. Alaska Natives have successfully educated themselves for thousands of years. Along with the promise of preparing students for the future, schools have promoted the idea that Native cultures should be stripped from the minds of children in order to prepare them for a…

The distance education and instructional technology projects that have been undertaken in Alaska over the last decade are detailed in this paper. The basic services offered by the "Learn Alaska Network" are described in relation to three user groups: K-12 education; postsecondary education; and general public education and information.…

Remarks of Alaska Native researcher and educator Paul Ongtooguk are presented. Alaska Native students perform worse on exit exams than any other population in the state. In the past, formal education was offered to Alaska Natives only if they gave up being Alaska Natives. The current system is not designed to solve the problems of Alaska Native…