Cook Inlet Tribal Council to develop analysis and recommendations for Native education models for Alaska

This week Today the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development announced a grant to Cook Inlet Tribal Council to conduct an analysis and identify strategies for developing culturally relevant curriculum, programs, and school partnerships for Alaska Native and American Indian students.      

DEED’s collaboration with CITC will build upon CITC’s successful education initiatives to determine the best ways to further Alaska Native involvement in Alaska public education through chartering, STEM programs, computer science, and other educational models to improve outcomes for students. CITC has a long history of increasing tribal ownership of education for Alaska Native students.

CITC will conduct four primary activities during the project. CITC will organize approximately 15 community work sessions throughout Alaska. Parental input and student voices will be prominent in these community and regional work sessions. CITC will also conduct other activities with many different stakeholders to help create a vision of education for Alaska’s future. Following the community sessions, CITC staff and an Advisory Group will synthesize the input gathered through the projects various methods. CITC will deliver a report to DEED that includes strategic priorities and recommended education models for values-based K-12 public education in Alaska that can be shared with tribes throughout the state.

Alaska’s Education Challenge includes five strategic priorities. This grant directly addresses three of those: Working to close the achievement gap by ensuring equitable educational rigor and resources; Increase career, technical, and culturally relevant education to meet student and workforce needs; and improve the safety and well-being of students through school partnerships with families, communities, and tribes.

The full grant proposal is available on DEED’s website under “CRRSA Act Information.”