Honorable Senator Daniel K. Inouye, Chairman of the Senate My name is Perry T. Mendenhall, Chairman of the Nome Eskimo Nome Eskimo Community duly supports many of the testimonies Many changes and events have taken place in the past 20 Promoting Individual and Community Improvement NOME ESKIMO COMMUNITY MAY 27, 1989, pg 2 Examples in education are: EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENT CHANGE: State colleges now require that a high school graduate must have completed three years of high school math: two years of Algebra and one year of geometry, and three years of science, one with lab, before they could enter into any baccalaureate program come 1990. The State Universities are not attracting and producing teachers fast enough or competent enough to teach the above high school math and science courses for many of the "small highs school programs" in rural Alaska. On the national level, good math and science teachers are also lacking to fill their schools in the lower 48; and industry is also competing for these same type of teachers to work for them. The small rural high school programs do not have the capabilities to attract or hold the strong competent math/science instructors needed to prepare their high school graduates to meet the new 1990 college requirements. The importance of math/science courses are not generally emphasized enough while the rural Native students are going through their K-12 grade experience, as to how it applies to their life and future college or employment career. So they would tend to avoid such courses if at all possible. Then when they want to go to college to further themselves, they find that they will probably have to take more than one year of developmental math/science courses before entering into regular college courses. They will not receive credits for these developmental courses. The Alaska Native high school students will feel that they are being penalized for this NEW SHORTCOMING. Nome ESKIMO Community May 27, 1989- pg. 3. It should be noted that various teacher training workshops are being held by the universities to help rural teachers become more competent to teach the needed "math/science courses" for the small rural high school programs to deal with this shortcoming; and they are endeavoring to attract Natives to enter into math/science programs at the university level. The need is greater now then these "catch-up programs" can handle. Hopefully the small high school programs will be able to offer the Math/Science course options to their Native students who want to further their education. Presently "honors" high schools are being considered for the "elite" college bound. ROLE MODELS: There is a need for Native professionals to serve in Alaska's schools and universities as educators and administrators, so that Native students could see Native educators working as role models. The "Statistical Profile of the American Indian, Eskimo, and Aleut Populations for Alaska: 1980" report which was prepared by: Racial Statistics Branch Bureau of the Census shows the "educational attainment" graphs of Alaska Natives to have improved "slightly" between 1970 and 1980, yet there is still room for improvements to increase this attainment. The "Demographic Overview of Alaska" report, prepared by: Edna Ehgeak MacLean Alaska Dept. of Education MAY 27, 1989, pg. 4 ALASKA NATIVE HEARING shows that out of 6,372 teachers in Alaska, only 170 Alaska Natives and 43 American Indians serve as teachers. (July '88). [THESE REPORTS ARE ATTACHED] There is a need for special funds to be made available to There is also a need for special funds for encouraging AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PROVISIONS: There is a need for both school districts and universities' policy and contract language to state "Affirmative Action Provisions" which would encourage the ratio of Native professional hires comparable to Alaska's community populations, especially for Alaska Natives. [Attached is Kawerak, Inc.'s resolution calling for this "affirmative action provision" for our two school districts]. The State of Alaska, universities and colleges, Native organizations/corporations, school boards, advisory school boards, and various parent committees do see the need for more Native professionals, and they have produced high school graduates to go on to colleges/universities to become these "professionals", so that they can serve their community from whence they came. There is a need for a enforcement of the NOME ESKIMO COMMUNITY MAY 27, 1989, pg. 5 ALASKA NATIVE HEARING affirmative action requirements for "Native hires" as professionals, once they have fulfilled the State certification requirements and degree requirements to become "teachers/educators". These role models would give both Native and non-Native' students a new look at Native professionals, showing that they can attain the academic competency and self-esteem when they apply themselves to their studies. It should be noted that the largest employers in Rural Alaska are the school districts and rural education is a on-going multi-million dollar industry, and in most cases the major employer of a small village. In order to meet the need for Native professionals in education, some school districts have: However, 1. 2. 3. Enacted policy and given funds to meet the affirmative action requirements for their district for the training of Native teachers. (Lower Kuskowkwin School District-LKSD). Iditarod Area Schools is implementing a village school "teacher apprenticeship program" to increase their professional hire for their schools. Others are granting leave-time and study-time for their paraprofessionals/college students working in their schools so they can earn college course credits toward a "teaching certificate". To help speed the process up, they have set up a "career ladder" for their paraprofessionals to up-grade themselves to the professional level as a regular classroom teacher, based on college course completion. these school districts are the exception. |