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Photo by John Wagner

Photo by John Wagner

FAIRBANKS — Interior educators and state officials wrapped up an intense two-day summit at the Chief David Salmon Tribal Hall on Thursday as they finished putting the spotlight on a wide range of issues affecting the Interior’s education system.

Orville Huntington, chairman of the Interior Athabascan Tribal College Board of Trustees and chairman of the Tanana Chiefs Conference Education Council, organized the summit and encouraged Interior residents concerned about local education to attend.

Representatives from the Fairbanks, Nenana, Yukon-Koyukuk, Iditarod Area and Gateway school districts attended the summit, along with various principals, superintendents and students from across the Interior.

Discussion topics ranged from rural heating and electrical costs to dealing with an increase in the migration of rural students. Speakers from the Iditarod Area School District said The No Child Left Behind Act has created a “test craze” environment in which teachers often find themselves omitting cultural projects and focusing more on testing.

Concerns about teacher shortages, a lack of qualified educators and the need for mental health support in the schools also were addressed.

“The issue of low graduation rates are common for all of us in the Interior,” Huntington said. “I hope we can continue to work closer with the state so people can share their concerns about our schools,” he said.

Tanana Chiefs Conference President Jerry Isaac said he hoped the summit would revive a spirit of cooperation between various educational interest groups in order to solve the many challenges that face Interior schools.

“In this day in age, with limited funding and the status of our economy, we need to find cooperative means and creative ways to deliver quality education to our young ones,” he said. “It’s important we design a public education system where students are given more individualized attention with adequate support systems to back everyone involved in the process.”

Larry LeDoux, commissioner of Alaska’s Department of Education and Early Development, addressed low student enrollment at Interior schools, and how schools can work with the state to deal with high energy costs.

He said summits like this are just the beginning to fixing the education system.

“People have to understand that teaching children about their culture is not what curriculum should be about,” LeDoux said. “We need to be doing the opposite — integrating academic standards into children’s individual cultures.”

LeDoux also addressed one of the representatives’ biggest concerns — the high dropout rate among high school students.

According to LeDoux, when children understand their own culture, it gives meaning to their academics and helps keep them involved.

“I believe the graduation rate will increase when we do a lot of things right starting at the early childhood education level and all the way up to the university,” he said. “The rate is not the problem — it’s all the other things going on.”

While LeDoux said the summit was a good start, he said there is no quick fix for the problems facing Interior schools.

“There is no holy grail,” he said. “But education will improve as we talk, as we review, as we act and as we adjust.”

LeDoux emphasized the need for students to feel a part of the schools they attend and to have their basic needs met before rigorous academic training can begin.

“In addition, students need to graduate with a dream or vision in mind and the skills necessary to meet that dream,” he said. “Our goal is to make sure every child is successful from kindergarten through college, and the meaningful dialogue we’re having today is critical to their success.”

More information on the Interior Education Summit is available at www.tananachiefs.org.