Alaska’s state education department has selected five tribes for a pilot program that will allow tribes to open new independent schools.
The state tribal education compacting program was established under Senate Bill 34, which passed the Legislature and was signed into law by Gov. Dunleavy last year. The five selected tribes each receive grant funding to start their school over the next handful of years through a compact agreement with the state’s Department of Education and Early Development.
The tribes can set their own curriculum and schedule. They’ll receive guidance from the Alaska Federation of Natives as the program moves forward.
Supporters say the program will improve education for Alaska Native students. It’s part of a larger push to bring more culturally relevant lessons into the classroom to support Indigenous students.
Sealaska Heritage Institute holds a conference each year that brings together educators to train them on how to bring Alaska Native culture into their lessons. The University of Alaska Fairbanks also offers standards for culturally responsive teaching set out by several Alaska Native organizations and tribes.
According to the state education department, the schools would be open to all students from kindergarten through high school.
“These State Tribal Education Compact Schools (STECs) would be public schools open to all students and would offer a unique, culturally rich combination of Western and millennia-old tribal educational models,” reads information on the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development.”
The tribes selected for the pilot program include Ketchikan Indian Community, the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, King Island Native Community, Knik Tribe and Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope.
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