FY 2015 Grant Awards

Kake City School District (S356A150037) Kake City School District (KCSD) located in the rural, remote Alaska community proposes the Aspiring for College and Career Readiness (ACCR) program, a comprehensive, collaboratively designed effort that will enhance existing services and create new educational, cultural, and career-focused opportunities for Kake students and their families to improve student academic outcomes, and college and career-readiness. The project will serve 109 students each year and will include a variety of programs, such as Capturing Kids Hearts, Tlingit Language Courses, Tlingit Culture Week, and Off-Site College and Career Readiness. Among these programs will be a variety of activities which include faculty training, language courses, cultural demonstrations, substance abuse prevention presentations, and college bound opportunities. Partners: Organized Village of Kake and Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium

Big Brother Big Sisters of Alaska (S356A150040) The Big Brother and Big Sisters of Alaska proposes the Success through Education and Cultural Connections (SECC) program, which will partner with five school districts (Anchorage, Juneau Borough, Fairbanks North Star Borough, North Slope Borough, and Hoonah City), and numerous Alaska Native organizations and tribal entities to provide targeted mentoring. This mentoring is designed to provide academic and social-emotional support to Alaska Native youth at high risk for academic failure based on standard assessment scores. Fifty (50) Alaska Native youth in the five target school districts will be mentored during year one of the project, 60 during year two, and 75 during year three. Partners: Fairbanks Native Association, Tana Chiefs Conference, Central Council of Tlingit and Ha’d Indian Tribes, Hoonah City Schools, North Slope School District, and Native Village of Barrow Inupiat Tribal Government

Sealaska Heritage Institute (S356A150049) Opening the Box Héide shgaxtootáan yá yaakusgé daakeit – Middle School Culture Based Math Project reflects a supportive partnership between the regional non-profit Sealaska Heritage Institute and Juneau School District. This project is a specially designed math class for students needing assistance, as well as provides integrated math/culture resource development. It offers an intensive academy for 6 – 8th grade students focused on basketry, weaving, canoe making and traditional fishing practices, all legendary cultural attributes of Northwest Coast people. In addition, the project provides professional development to deepen teacher/administrator understanding of math, place-based cultural knowledge, and instructional strategies to engage Native students. Using the expertise and cultural knowledge of SHI staff, elders and cultural specialists, the project promises authentic, relevant additions to commercial math curriculum and instruction. Partners: Juneau School District

Hoonah City Schools (S356A150050) Hoonah City Schools (HCS), a rural, remote Alaska community of just 722 people, proposes to launch the Cultural Approach to Learning (CAL), a comprehensive, collaboratively designed effort that will enhance existing services and create new educational, cultural, and career-focused opportunities for HCS students and their families. This project will improve student academic outcomes in core subjects, early learning and Pre-K educational outcomes, and four-year high school graduation rates, while also focusing on educating students about the Tlinigit language and culture. These are opportunities that are not available to students in their remote, isolated community. CAL will serve 136 students each year and will include the following activities: culturally-focused, standards-aligned, Pre-K educational models, place-based learning infused with Tlingit language and culture and core academic learning. Partners: Hoonah Indian Association, Tlingit Advisory Council, Hoonah Heritage Foundation and Southeast Regional Resource Center

University of Alaska Fairbanks (S356A150055) The Applied Linguistics Program and the School of Education (SOE) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, in partnership with the Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP), and the Lower Kuskokwim School District (LKSD) propose to implement the Interactive Technology Rural Training program. This project will improve literacy instruction in English and Yup’ik for English Language Learners and students in Immersion/Dual Language Programs, as well as support K-12 teacher-researchers in the completion of a graduate degree as they conduct Teacher Action Research Projects. This project will support a cohort of Yup’ik teachers working in Yup’ik medium schools, such as Immersion and Dual Language programs. In addition, by fostering culturally responsive education for all teachers in the program, Native Culture will become a part of each teacher’s classroom. As a result of this project, program partners will develop the first graduate program in the State of Alaska that is accredited by TESOL and CAEP and also the first ESL endorsement in the State. Grant partners will work to graduate 20 Masters Students from LKSD. Partners: Lower Kuskokwim School District and Association of Village Council Presidents

University of Alaska System (S356A150061) Future Educators of Alaska (FEA) plans to increase the number of Alaska Native educators statewide by building interest and skills in teaching as a career among rural middle and high school students, while providing support as students transition to college and pursue degrees in education. FEA will serve at least 85 students per year from three high-need rural school districts with a cumulative Alaska Native enrollment of 93%. FEA Districts include: Bering Strait School District, Northwest Arctic Borough School District, and Nome City School District. College support will occur at three University of Alaska (UA) campuses in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau. This project will add rigor and comprehensive college preparatory support services to the existing FEA program (est. 2003) and expand FEA clubs to 27 schools in the partner districts. The project goals are as follows: introduce students to careers in education through the formalized structure of FEA clubs and activities; prepare students for graduation and college entrance as education pre-majors through completion of rigorous coursework in high school, and prepare students to transition from high school to postsecondary education by graduation. Partners: University of Alaska K-12 Outreach Office, Maniilaq Association, Kawerak, Inc., Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education, Rural Alaska Honors Institute, University of Alaska Anchorage Native Students Services, University of Alaska Fairbanks Rural Students Services, University of Alaska Southeast Preparing Indigenous Teachers & Administrators for Alaska Schools

Lower Kuskokwim School District (S356A150067) Lower Kuskokwim School District (LKSD) is comprised of 27 isolated, rural schools with a student population that is 98% Alaska Native.The Lower Kuskokwim School District Student and Teacher Engagement Project (LK STEP) will engage in three years of scientifically based, comprehensive, high–quality professional development on best practices to improve student academic performance; address the education needs of the very high numbers of students who have had Adverse Childhood Experiences (trauma) in the classroom; and increase the graduation rate by boosting student engagement. This project will serve 4,285 Pre-K–12 students, 292 teachers, 110 classroom aides, and 60 associates. Partners: Association of Village Council Presidents, Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Cooperation, Education Northwest, Alaska Staff Development Network, Casey Foundation, and Canadian Self-Regulation Initiative

Alaska Humanities Forum (S356A150070) The Take Wing Alaska (TWA) project, in partnership with Calista Education and Culture, Inc., supports rural Alaska Native students with their transition into post-secondary education (PSE) through exploration of personal and cultural strengths and the enhancement of skills, knowledge, and habits of mind. We will work with 120 rural Alaska Native students in three cohorts over three years and in seven different locations across Alaska. The TWA students are recruited from the Ready Program, operated by the Lower Kuskokwim School District, where students attend a semester in their junior and senior high school years at Bethel Regional High School. In the Ready Program, the students concentrate on college-level reading and writing skills and enroll in high-level science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) courses not available in their home villages. The TWA students selected from the Ready Program will participate in three distinct immersions that are developed to complement and supplement Ready’s academic curricula. The immersions themselves are organized and delivered through experiential learning activities focused through the lens of Alaska Native values and a series of humanities-based exercises. Partners: Calista Education and Culture, Lower Kuskokwim School District, University of Alaska Anchorage, Alaska Job Corps and Alaska Pacific University

Annette Island School District (S356A150030) The Metlakatla Indian Community of Annette Island (only Federal Reserve in the State of Alaska) plans to implement the Tsimshian Education Achievement Model (TEAM) project to overcome the cultural and educational challenges facing our Alaska Native society. The purpose of the TEAM project is to reinvigorate the traditional language of the Tsimshian people, Sm’algyax, amongst the Annette Island community (serving 1,504 residents), increase Native Alaskan student achievement, and immerse children ages 0-3 and their families in bilingual early childhood education. The TEAM project partners are the Annette Island School District (AISD) and the federally-recognized Tsimshian tribe, the Metlakatla Indian Community (MIC). The goals for the project are as follows: to reinvigorate the native language beginning at birth; and establish a Language and Native Arts Education Center on Annette Island. Partners: Metlakatla Indian Community

Craig City School District (S356A150068) The SOAR program is an innovative educational program that will serve a consortium of four school districts; Craig City Schools, Klawock City Schools, and one regional non-profit tribal organization in Southeast Alaska; the Craig Tribal Association. The SOAR program is a four-pronged approach implementing a “whole child” education model. The components of the SOAR program include continuing to screen and tutor Alaska Natives with reading and math difficulties, as well as those that fit the dyslexic profile, using our current programs and methodologies. SOAR will be implementing the use of the Developmental Language Process to teach vocabulary in the content areas and during one-to-one tutoring sessions, which addresses the secondary consequences of dyslexia and other learning differences. The program will be engaging students in social and emotional learning practices to increase positive life outcomes. Lastly, assigning a counselor or mentor to each student who will act as an advocate for that student and assist them in developing career plans, learning study skills, and ways of accessing content that are in sync with Native pathways to education. This project will serve 197 Alaska Native students. Partners: Klawock School District and Craig Tribal Association

Ketchikan Indian Corporation (S356A150046) Ketchikan Indian Community will offer targeted services through the Tribal Scholars Program (TSP) for up to 28 Alaska Native high school students. The focus of Tribal Scholars is to provide a strong “community-centric” learning environment in which student/teacher time is controlled by learning and not specified time periods within the normal educational day. Transition planning from high school is a key component, providing students clear pathways into either post-secondary education or employment directly after graduation. The project goals are: increase the preservation and knowledge of culture for Southeast Alaska Native students; and coordinate a detailed, comprehensive post-graduate transition plan for all TSP students. Partners: Ketchikan Indian Community, Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District and University of Alaska Southeaster-Ketchikan Campus

Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Inc. (S356A150024) Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Inc. (CITC) will implement Transitions, an elementary and middle school program that complements CITC’s existing high school program to provide seamless culturally-based Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) skill-enhancing education for 360 Alaska Native children in grades 5-8 in two Anchorage schools with high rates of Alaska Native enrollment. Transitions employs multi-grade elementary (5th – 6th grade) and middle school (7th – 8th grade) classes using project-based curricula, CITC’s Fab Lab, and drawing on Alaska Native cultures that are amenable to strong STEM instruction. Advocates (1 elementary school, 1 middle school) will assist students and their families as they transition between elementary, middle and high school, ensuring students and families are aware of and connected to services and programs are providing a regular check-in with students to facilitate their successful transitions throughout the year. Partners: Alaska Community Foundation, Alaska Elders, Alaska Heritage Center, Anchorage Public Library, Anchorage School Board, Anchorage School District, Best Beginnings, Bristol Bay Native Cooperation, Cook Inlet Native Head Start, CITC-Johnson O’Malley Native Education Committee, Cook Inlet Tribal Council, First Alaskan Institute, Individual Community Members, Southcentral Foundation RAISE Program, The CIRI Foundation, University of Alaska Anchorage Center for Community Engagement & Learning, University of Alaska Anchorage Center for Alaska Education Policy Research and United Way of Anchorage

Chugachmiut (S356A150066) Becoming Aware is a multifaceted project to revitalize traditional knowledge and the language of the Sugpiat people of Southcentral Alaska, Sugt’stun. Its components are designed to provide for both school and community-based activities. The first component is to teach youth of all grade levels and young parents about the traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of their ancestors using traditional tools, inter-active digital experiences, and field experiences lead by tribal Elders and professional scientists. The second component is to develop or improve student fluency in Sugt’stun, by providing training to semi-fluent adults to increase their own fluency and support them in gaining an endorsement to teach the language. The overall goal and vision of this project is to provide the Chugach Native people maximum input into heritage education programs produced for use in the region’s schools and communities. Partners: Sugpiat Elders Council, Nathan Lojewski- MS Forestry, Chugach Regional Resources Commission, Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research reserve, Pratt Museum and Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium

Anchorage School District (S356A150025) Project Ki’L (“boy”, Dena’ina Athabascan) is a three-year project designed to meet the unique educational needs of Alaska Native boys. The project is an expansion of the Anchorage School District (ASD) Title VII Indian Education program’s previous ANEP projects which, since 2008, have resulted in significant gains for ASD’s Alaska Native boys–even though they are among the lowest achieving and highest risk groups. Project Ki’L empowers Alaska Native boys for success in school through the project’s strong emphasis on cultural responsiveness, social-emotional learning (SEL), and effective teaching strategies. This next phase of Project Ki’L extends project services to middle school boys and builds in academic focus, while preserving and furthering the Native cultural elements and effective student engagement strategies upon which every activity is based. For teachers and school staff, the project provides professional development designed by experts in Native culture and languages, SEL, and gender-based teaching strategies, to meet the unique needs and learning styles of Native boys. Project Ki’L will serve 450 Alaska Native boys per year in grades K-8 from four ASD elementary schools, ASD’s Alaska Native Cultural Charter School, and Begich Middle School, and 50 pre-K boys per year from Cook Inlet Native Head Start. The project also will serve about 125 teachers per year along with principals and support staff from project schools. Partners: Alaska Native Heritage Center, Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program, Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Cook Inlet Native Head Start and Tebughna Foundation

Northwest Arctic Borough School District (S356A150056) Preserving and Strengthening Alaska Native Language and Culture (PSAN) project aims to assist in the development and implementation of plans, methods, and strategies to improve the education of Alaska Natives by carrying out activities that preserve and strengthen Alaska Native culture and language. The goals for this project are to help to preserve Native culture and language of the Northwest Arctic Borough School District (NWABSD) through the archival of video materials of native elders, activities, and stories, to develop a NWABSD Alaska Native studies Framework, curriculum and lessons for grades K-12, and to provide professional development for Inupiat teachers, in conjunction with the materials and NWABSD Alaska Native Studies Curriculum framework. Partners: Maniilaq Association, NANA Regional Corporation, Northwest Arctic Borough, Inupiaq Language Commissioners, Northwest Arctic Borough Assembly

WorldWide IDEA (S356A150029) Promoting the Readiness of Our Students for Post-graduation Empowerment and Resiliency (PROSPER) project is a consortium between the Klawock Cooperative Association (Native Organization – nonprofit), Hydaburg Tribal Cooperative (Native Organization — nonprofit), the nonprofit Project GRAD Kenai Peninsula (PGKP), and five (5) school districts (Klawock City (KCSD), Chatham (CSD), Southeast Island (SISD), Hydaburg City (HCSD), and Kenai Peninsula Borough (through PGKP) school). WorldWide IDEA strives to bring an innovative program to 135 Alaskan Native students in grades 8-12 each year of the project. The project’s goals are to increase the percentage of Alaska Native students in school, served by the program, who meet or exceed proficiency standards for reading, mathematics, and science on the State assessments and increase the Alaska Native percentage of students in school who graduate from high school with a diploma in four years. The PROSPER project will motivate and engage some of Alaska’s most at-risk students toward higher achievement and graduation by building student resiliency through the development of Adult connectors. Partners: Klawock Cooperative Association, Hydaburg Tribal Cooperative Association, Project GRAD Kenai Peninsula, Klawock City School District, Chatham School District, Southeast Island School District, Hydaburg School District and Kenai Peninsula Borough School District

Sealaska Heritage Institute (S356A150048) Sealaska Heritage Institute, an Alaska Native regional non-profit organization, plans to implement the Thru the Cultural Lens: A Cultural Connectedness Project for Educators project. The project will provide cultural awareness and knowledge training to public school teachers and administrators in Southeast Alaska. The long-term priority of the project is to create a culturally competent cohort of educators, administrators, and para-professionals who can strengthen the connections between Native students and the schools they attend. Approximately 375 individuals will be directly served by this project, including 60 teachers and administrators, 300 conference attendees, and 15 Peer Mentors. Partners: University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau Campus and Juneau School District

Galena City School District (S356A150035) Project TEAM is a joint project of the Galena City School District and its partners: Tanana Chiefs Conference, Alaska Vocational and Technical Education Center (AVTEC), Doyon Universal Services, Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), Donlin Gold, Alaska Air Carriers Association and Gelvin Professional Training. The goal for Project TEAM is to increase the math and CTE skills of Alaska Native students attending the Sidney Huntington School and Galena Interior Learning Academy (GILA), so that they will be prepared for post-secondary education and careers. Project TEAM will serve nearly 250 students per year between students enrolled in GILA and Sidney Huntington School, 13 teachers, two counselors, and two school principals. Project TEAM is designed to help reduce the math achievement gap between Alaska Native and other students, increase the graduation rate of Alaska Native students, and increase Alaska Native students’ post-secondary training enrollment and employment options. Partners: Tanana Chiefs Conference, Doyon Universal Services, Alaska Vocational and Technical Education Center, University of Alaska Community and Technical College, Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, Donlin Gold, Alaska Air Carriers Association and Gelvin Professional Training, Health Industry Specialist, Student Services

Pribilof Islands Aleut Community of St. Paul Island (S356A150038) Unangam Tunuu Speaking-Listening-Teaching (SLT) project’s goal is to carry out activities that preserve and strengthen Unangam Tunuu (UT), an Alaska Native language, by increasing the language proficiency levels of speakers of UT on St. Paul Island by the end of the project. The project has two components. The first component is to develop and implement a language program incorporating multiple languages learning/ teaching methodologies/ tools/ technologies and “teaching off” in the St. Paul School to facilitate improving UT language proficiency. The second component is to develop and implement a career exploration program to increase the number of Alaska Native students in St. Paul Island, AK prepared for meaningful employment in educational settings, with a special focus on teachers of UT as a second language. The program will be serving 78 preschool-12th grade students, 40 Summer Language Intensive participants and 150 or more other community members. Partners: Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association, Pribilof School District

Sealaska Heritage Institute (S356A150064) The Knowing Your Place: The Final Phase of Constructing the Sealaska Heritage Experience project is designed to improve the educational outcomes for Juneau’s Alaska Native K-12 students. To achieve this vision, SHI will develop: (1) four interactive, multimedia, and permanent educational technology exhibits for the Center, and (2) curricula based on these exhibits. A prior grant from the Alaska Native Education Program in 2012 helped fund the construction of the greater facility. As a result of this project, SHI will partner with the Juneau School District to provide long-awaited place-based educational programming at the Center for the district’s 4,800 students, of which 25% are Alaska Native. The contents of the exhibits and the curricula will also be shared with the region’s 16 public school districts, providing these resources to another 11,300 students. Partners: Juneau School District and University of Alaska Juneau Campus

Excel Alaska, Inc. (S356A150042) The EXCEL Bridging Program will provide participants with supplemental academic instruction and educational experiences designed to assist transitions from high school to employment and/or post–‐secondary education. The program will result in increased proficiency on standardized assessments in reading, math, and science; increased four–‐year graduation rates; and increased college and career readiness. The EXCEL Alaska Bridging Program is proposed by a consortium of 14 partners. The Kuskokwim Corporation and Kuskokwim Education Foundation are Alaska Native organization partners; Donlin Gold LLC, Brice Companies, and STG Companies are industry and business partners; the University of Alaska Anchorage’s Community & Technical College, Kenai Peninsula College, Alaska Vocational & Technical Education Center (AVTEC), Alaska Mining & Petroleum Training Service, and Alaska Construction Academies are educational institution partners; the Kuspuk School District, Lower Kuskokwim School District, Lower Yukon School District, St. Mary’s School District, And Yupiit School District are public school district partners. The EXCEL Bridging Program will serve students in five school districts within the Yukon‐Kuskokwim Region. Potential student participants will be drawn from 52 schools, including, 425 students grades 7th – 12th (approximately 32% of the student population in consortium school districts). The goals of the program include establishing a comprehensive program that systematically takes a student from career exploration to being a work-ready graduate, improving the academic achievement of AN students in the YKSD, and requiring all 7th-9th grade students be introduced to career awareness activities that will prepare them to make informed decisions about their programs of study. Partners: Kuskokwim Corporation, Kuskokwim Education Foundation, Kuspuk School District, Lower Kuskokwim School District, Lower Yukon School District, St. Mary’s School District, Yupiit School District, Alaska Construction Academies, University of Alaska Anchorage Community and Technical College, Kenai Peninsula College, Alaska Institute of Technology Vocational Technical Center, Mining & Petroleum Training Services, Brice Companies, STG Companies, and Donlin Gold

Yukon-Koyukuk School District (S356A150069) Yukon Koyukuk School District (YKSD)—Virtual Careers Project (VCP). Through the VCP, the YKSD will develop and implement two virtual smaller learning communities to provide comprehensive programs in two career pathways: Health Sciences and Education. After completing Individual Career Portfolios and exploring different career fields in 7th-9th grade, interested sophomores will apply for and enroll in the School of Health Sciences or the School of Education. Students who are accepted will complete a series of dual-credit courses that will allow them to earn high school and college credit through the University of Alaska while completing valuable work experiences in a variety of setting, earning industry recognized certificates and credentials, and receiving individualized counseling services from the project’s Career Counselor. The VCP will serve approximately 390 students and will improve student achievement, because the content learned will be explicitly tied to the students’ goals. Partners: University of Alaska Community Training College, University of Alaska Fairbanks-Interior Aleutians Campus, University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Education, University of Alaska Southeast-School of Education, Galena City Schools, Kuspuk School District, Interior Area Health Education Center, Alatna Tribal Council, Allakaket Tribal Council, Huslia Tribal Council, Hughes Tribal council, Manley Tribal Council, Nulato Tribal Council, Ruby Tribal Council, Koyukuk Tribal Council and Doyon Foundation

Southeast Regional Resource Center (S356A150006) Alaska Cultural Standards of Educators: PASSAGES for Academic Success proposes innovative and comprehensive strategies to help ensure integration of culturally responsive instruction into remote and multi-ethnic classrooms across the state. The heart of the project is the Invitational Priority—which is the preservation of Alaska Native cultures and languages. Eight remote districts across Alaska will participate in PASSAGES, though these districts include 410 teachers, 45 administrators and 5,100 students. Of the students 1,554 are Alaska Native and mixed race. Partners: Sealaka Heritage Institute, Hoonah City School District, Klawock City School District, Kake City School District, Kodiak Island Borough School District, Skagway School District, Craig City School District, Wrangell School District, Sitka School District, Organized Village of Kake, Sitka School District, Klawock Native Education Committee, Native Village of Afagnak, Hoonah Indian Association, RGI Corporation, Modern Teacher and Teaching Channel

Project GRAD Kenai Peninsula (S356A150043) Project GRAD Kenai Peninsula (PGKP), working in close partnership with the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District (KPBSD), Nanwalek IRA Council, Native Village of Port Graham, Native Village of Tyonek and Ninilchik Traditional Council propose the FLAME Program. The program is designed to increase the percentage of Alaska Native students who meet or exceed proficiency standards and increase the number of students graduating from high school and successfully attend post-secondary programs. FLAME will utilize established community based partnerships to address the unique needs of 300 Alaska Native (AN) students and their instructors in four of Alaska’s rural, predominantly AN Kenai Peninsula schools. A specific subset of FLAME services (AN youth leadership and cultural awareness programs) will be provided to an additional 380 AN students (representing 113 different tribal affiliations) from predominantly non-Native schools around the district. The mission of Project GRAD is to ensure a quality public education for all children in economically disadvantaged communities. Project GRAD’s proven expertise as a cost-effective, research based comprehensive school reform model uniquely situates it to positively impact student achievements in the target schools. The three cornerstones of this innovative initiative build on the work of the previous ANEP funded Project ACCESS and include: Raising student achievement across core content, empowering resilient youth to confidently plan their life goals beyond high school, impacting youth capable of meeting their goals along their postsecondary life path. Partners: Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, Kenai Peninsula College, Nanwalek IRA Council, Native Village of Port Graham, Village of Tyonek, and Ninilchik Traditional Council

University of Alaska System (S356A150059) Raising Educational Achievement through Cultural Heritage Up (REACH Up) proposed by a consortium of the Bering Strait School District, Bering Straits Foundation and the University of Alaska Office of K-12 Outreach. REACH Up proposes to serve secondary students and teachers in the Bering Strait School District (BBSD), where 98% of student population is Alaska Native and the academic achievement and graduation rates are amongst the lowest in Alaska. The goal is to increase student success in target schools. Outcomes of implementing REACH Up include: the development of a culturally-relevant climate change curriculum/resources which is available to all Alaska schools on-line, the training of grades 7-12 science teachers in the use of REACH Up materials, which infuse culture and inquiry and problem-based learning into science instruction, and students’ academic success increases and more students graduate on time. All 15 BSSD schools will receive services, which includes 655 secondary students and 79 secondary teachers. Partners: University of Alaska Office of K-12 Outreach, Bering Straits Foundation, Geophysical Institute, Alaska Native Knowledge Network and Bering Strait School District

Alaska Gateway School District (S356A150063) Alaska Gateway School District will meet the needs of Alaska Native pre-K – 3rd grade children and their families, who reside in the high poverty region of the eastern interior of Alaska, by addressing a chronic lack of literacy, math and social-emotional readiness for school. The Gateway READY! Project will be a way to help narrow the achievement gap of students before they enter kindergarten in a way that is proactive and positive. In the Gateway READY! Project, 40 pre-kindergarten students will be served directly, along with 124 student in 1st through 3rd grade, by providing essential training that supports parents and caregivers in their role as their child’s first and most influential teacher. The project will provide professional development to 23 certified and classified instructional staff across the district that teach in grades K-3, and will train an estimated 300 family members to become adept at using the tools and activities of the Gateway READY! project. Partners: Tetlin Village, Tanana Chiefs Conference and Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Inc.

Inuit Circumpolar Council–‐Alaska (S356A150062) The ICC–AK’s project will implement and address the six areas identified in its Alaskan Inuit Education Improvement Strategy (2015): indigenization of education frameworks, education policy influence, culture-based curriculum, Inuit language education, educational leadership capacity, and traditional parenting skills. Districts served by this project and under western education methods show 2014 graduation rates are below average. Student achievement scores on standardized tests are significantly below mainstream culture students. The ICC–‐AK project will implement an action plan for self- determination in education and will increase student achievement on standardized tests by 5% annually at 50% of the schools over years two and three; and which will lead to increased graduation rates. The goal of the implementation plan is to empower the Inuit community – leadership, citizens and parents alike – to take a collective ownership and recognize their responsibility to educate their youth. Partners: North Slope Borough School District, Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope, Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, Northwest Arctic Borough, Maniilaq Corporation and the Association of Village Council Presidents

Calista Education and Culture, Inc. (S356A150047) The word “Yuuyaraq” describes the Yu’pik cultural “way of being”, which is a set of well-defined cultural values, rules and roles to live by to experience a full and fruitful life without doing harm to oneself, others and nature. The Yuuyaraq Project will create five middle and high school Personal Life Skills and Health classes from a Yuuyaraq perspective develop associated materials, including Elder narratives, for inclusion in student lessons, and pilot and implement the courses in the Lower Kuskokwim School District. The Yuuyaraq Project courses will be the first in Alaska (that we know of) that come exclusively from the culture for regular use in the schools. All 27 LKSD schools will receive services which include 1,744 secondary students, 25 teachers, two District Office staff (LKSD Curriculum Writer and Education Cultural Specialist). Partners: Lower Kuskokwim School District