Photo courtesy of CITC
ARISE partners already know that the 8,550 Alaska Native children and youth in the Anchorage School District are excellent! Like all students, they have a lot to offer and want to be afforded opportunities in life. They are vital to, and strengthened by, Alaska Native cultures, and their families. Many face challenges. It’s up to us, as the adults in this community, to create an environment where young people can succeed.
Today students do their homework, help with siblings, hold down jobs and try to have healthy social lives. Tomorrow, with our support, they will be great Alaska Native parents, artists, scientists, teachers, and culture-bearers.
ARISE has selected outcomes that are measurable, important aspects of young peoples’ education and development, and our choices are based on data that is readily available. At the same time, we acknowledge there are a lot of things happening in the lives of children and youth for which there is no data currently available, and that are not measured by these outcomes.
By looking at the existing data around student experiences we, as the Anchorage community, will unpack and explore the factors that support or undermine Alaska Native students’ success. Our goal is to develop new solutions and research and policy agendas to address what we learn.
Photo courtesy of CITC