Cross-Cultural Issues in
Alaskan Education
Vol. I
PART I
EDUCATIONAL POLICY ISSUES
Since most of the people of the world live in villages-and since, coincidentally, it is those same people who typically depend directly on the land for their subsistence and possess the smallest per-capita share of the world’s material wealth . . . it should come as no surprise that developing delivery systems to provide any kind of educational opportunities in small villages has never been a local or international priority, since to do so with any real integrity would predetermine a heightened awareness on the part of these anthropolitically slumbering millions, which would have certain and irreversible consequences for the ruling classes, both locally and internationally, that would not at the outset appear desirable to them.
- Bill Vaudrin
The following articles are addressed to issues with policy implications for the development, implementation, and evaluation of education programs in Alaska. They are issues being confronted by educational administrators, planners, practitioners and boards throughout the state, and particularly in the 21 new Rural Education Attendance Areas. The development of educational services for rural Alaska is still in the early formative stages, compared to the rest of the country. Alaskans are, therefore, in a position to establish policies and create programs attuned to contemporary needs and conditions, provided they can overcome traditional habits of thinking and approach things from new perspectives. Though this may seem an obvious consideration in a cross-cultural environment, an examination of schools in even the remotest corners of the State will indicate that it rarely occurs, outside of some unavoidable concessions to the physical environment. Though the issues in the following articles are not new, the authors have attempted to address them in the context of the unique conditions and contemporary state of affairs in Alaska. They should, therefore, contribute to an ongoing dialogue out of which new policies and programs can emerge.
Inupiaq Education-Eben Hopson
Rural Secondary Education: Some Alternative Considerations-D.M. Murphy
An Evaluator Views Northern Education Programs-Kathryn Hecht
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