## Abstracts of 2008 New Grant Award Recipients in Rank Order

**S356A080034 -- Chugach School District --** The Voyage to Excellence:
Early Childhood program seeks to serve 30 rural Alaska Villages and
communities, reaching 550 students per year, ages 3 to kindergarten. The
project seeks to increase the percentage of children scoring proficient
on preschool developmental indicators and measures of kindergarten
readiness by increasing the capacity of parents, family members, staff
and the communities involved. Project activities include Parents as
Teachers training, developmental screenings, home visits, Individual
Family Learning Plan creation to promote cognitive, social and emotional
development, as well as on-going outreach and information from the
Parent Resource Centers. (Year 1: \$759,803; Year 2: \$748,888; Year 3:
\$704,657)

**S356A080020 -- Adult Learning Programs of Alaska** -- The Rural
Education for Adult Learners (REAL) project seeks to develop curricula
and educational programming to assist Alaska Natives in completing basic
education requirements and providing transition services leading to
additional employment and educational opportunities. The project seeks
to serve 145 adults in remote locations through in-person assessments,
the use of remote learning technology and direct instruction. After
successfully completing the program and passing required testing,
graduates of the General Educational Development (GED) program will
receive services to assist with new employment, higher education, and/or
additional learning opportunities, as best suited for each individual.
(Year 1: \$437,718; Year 2: \$438,181; Year 3: \$462,576)

**S356A080022 -- Bering Strait School District** -- In order to improve
student proficiency in reading and math Alaska Standards Based
Assessments, the Bering Strait School District will provide
paraprofessional assistant teachers with professional development
opportunities in order to gain increased knowledge and skills through
university courses and "intensives." Approximately 140 adults will
participate in programming aimed to assist paraprofessionals in
delivering better assistance to their students in their home villages,
as well as assisting those interested in pursuing a "fast track" to a
teaching certificate. (Year 1: \$550,421; Year 2: 553,803; Year 3:
\$557,194)

**S356A080043 -- University of Alaska Fairbanks -- Kuskokwim Campus --**
The University of Alaska Fairbanks' Kuskokwim Campus (KuC), Alaska
Native Language Center (ANLC) and School of Education (SOE), in
partnership with the Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP),
and the Southwestern Alaska Rural Education Attendance Areas (REAAs) of
Kuspuk, Lower Kuskokwim, and Lower Yukon are committed to improving the
Yup'ik knowledge base. Program partners will capstone earlier efforts by
focusing attention at the baccalaureate level and will recruit 15
candidates to pursue a B.A. in *Yupiit Nakmiin Qaneryaraat
Picaryaraat-luu* (Yup'ik Language and Culture)*.* Candidates will
include full-time and part-time students and draw largely from those
already enrolled in relevant Certificate (30-credits) and AAS
(60-credits) programs. Coursework from these programs is built into the
B.A. (120-credits) so that the time it takes to complete the degree is
greatly reduced. Further, program partners will work closely with SOE in
order to facilitate candidate entry into a 5th-year teacher
certification program upon completion of the degree. (Year 1: \$219,967;
Year 2: \$371,545; Year 3: \$389,602)

**S356A080004 -- Ageya Wilderness Education, Inc. --** Ageya Wilderness
Education (AWE), working in partnership with Tanana Chiefs Conference
(TCC), proposes to offer a new and unique project, "AWE Camp," to
provide science and math enrichment opportunities to 9th grade Alaska
Native youth. Participation in AWE Camp will improve Native students'
knowledge of math, reading, writing and science, as well as increase
confidence, motivation, and communication skills.  Gains will be
reflected in higher standardized test scores, improved school
attendance, increased outcomes related to leadership and self-esteem and
student progression on to grades 10 reducing high school drop-out. Two
24-day AWE Camps and follow--up mentoring activities will take place
each year serving for thirty-two ninth grade Alaska Native youth each
year for a total of 192 students participating in the program overall.
(Year 1: \$511,233; Year 2: \$515,357; Year 3: \$520,761)

**S356A080038 -- University of Alaska Southeast --** The University of
Alaska Southeast (UAS) Preparing Indigenous Teachers for Alaska's
Schools (PITAAS) program proposes to build on the successes and
challenges of the last seven years to further recruit, retain and
support secondary and university students interested in teaching. The
current goals of PITAAS are to identify and provide academic support and
pre-college advising for up to 50 Alaska Native high school students
interested in a teaching career; expand the program at UAS by providing
culturally relevant academic and financial support for up to 50 Alaska
Native students enrolled at Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan campuses; and
increase community, regional and statewide visibility, impact, and
sustainability of the program. New elements of the high school phase
include affiliation with the FTA club network, early placement testing,
dual enrollment in math and English courses and onsite academic
advising. Expansion to the community college campuses in Ketchikan and
Sitka means that non-traditional, Alaska Native students, in particular,
will be able to take college courses at home -- an oft-expressed
regional need. Other changes, based on experience and data, include
creating a cohort interdisciplinary First Year Experience for those
entering UAS, a tighter focus on recruiting MAT/Med Native students
statewide, comprehensive research on why students leave and, for the
first time, the promise of ten graduates each year. (Year 1: \$289,758;
Year 2: \$695,006; Year 3: \$727,149)

**S356A080032 -- Kodiak Island Borough School District** -- The Alaska
Native Success Within Education and Retention (ANSWER) project seeks to
establish a comprehensive support framework to reduce educational
barriers, increase academic rigor, foster vision-setting and integrate
culture in the Native students' learning experience. It is expected that
these efforts will result in fewer students who drop out and more
students with higher academic performance and who graduate prepared. The
project plans on serving approximately 528 Native Alaskan students and
their families through a variety of activities that include implementing
cultural curriculum that responds to the community and its needs, family
and students mentorship, school district staff training in cultural
orientation and alternative delivery techniques, and student
vision-building seminars. (Year 1: \$683,963; Year 2: \$694,717; Year 3:
\$690,048)

**S356A080015- Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Inc. (RurAL CAP)
--** The RurAL CAP PAT seeks to increase parenting skills and parent
involvement in children's education through bi-weekly home visits
lasting approximately one hour each. Individual programs choose the
model that works best for the families they serve. Substantial training
and ongoing professional development activities are planned for newly
recruited home visitors, administrators and trainers. Approximately 300
families and 344 children will be directly served directly by the
program. (Year 1: \$1,012,866; Year 2: \$1,058,702; Year 3: \$1,142,290)

**S356A080006 -- Kuspuk School District --** Kuspuk School District in
partnership with the Kuskowim Educational Foundation seeks to improve
outcomes for the 420 students in this district who typically live in
communities with high poverty and disappointing educational outcomes.
Services to be provided include student participation in career fairs
and career academies, participation in the Chugach School District's
Anchorage House program to learn employability and life skills;
after-school and summer tutoring using a research-based software
program; addition of advanced placement courses; development of cultural
materials and activities to celebrate the culture of the students; and
professional development for teachers. (Year 1: \$563,257; Year 2:
\$565,943; Year 3: \$567,386)

**S356A080052 -- University of Alaska Anchorage --** The Recruitment and
Retention of Alaska Natives into Nursing (RRANN), operating within the
University of Alaska Anchorage School of Nursing, seeks to recruit
Alaska Natives to a nursing career and provide services to facilitate
their successful movement through an education program to prepare them
for licensure as a Registered Nurse. Alaska Natives are substantially
underrepresented in the state's RN workforce. This project enables a
strong recruitment effort to be mounted among prospective Alaska Native
nursing students, both in high schools and in urban and rural
communities. Additionally, the project facilitates retention of Alaska
Natives who enter college to pursue a nursing credential through
activities that create a sense of community among students who are
distant from their normal support systems, and by providing academic
supports that will promote retention, progression, and graduation.
Partnerships with regional Native health facilities and organizations
provide project staff with access to potential students, development of
joint recruitment and retention efforts, and role models with whom
current and future participants can interact. The project will serve a
minimum of 90 students each year. (Year 1: \$431,173; Year 2: \$586,473;
Year 3: \$604,278)

**S356A080036 -- Anchorage School District** **--** Project Ki'l of the
Anchorage school district seeks to meet the unique educational needs of
Alaska Native boys in the Southcentral Foundation's Native Head Start
and 12 Title I elementary schools with high Alaska Native enrollments.
The project will build a path to success for native boys starting with
Pre-K to 3^rd^ graders, who typically are among the lowest performers in
the district, even lower than their female counterparts. The program
will provide a graphic, long-term vision map for each student, provide
training for parents and teachers regarding the cultural communication
divide and the critical transition from preschool to kindergarten and
between grade levels, a series of family nights, use the districts
Culturally Responsive Education Continuum, as well as offer teachers and
principals graduate credits for studying the role of male traditions,
rites of passage and strategies for assisting Alaska Native boys in
grasping reading, writing and mathematics. (Year 1: \$435,805; Year 2:
\$328,534; Year 3: \$348,851)

**S356A080018 -- Northwest Arctic Borough School District --** Northwest
Arctic Borough School District's (NWABSD) will implement "Step Up to
Learning: Early Childhood Education for 4-year-olds *(SUTL)*." The
purpose of the project will center upon the development and
implementation of plans, methods, and strategies to improve the
education of Alaska Natives, provide related professional development
activities for educators while focusing on early childhood education to
increase the percentage of Alaska Native children demonstrating school
readiness. Each of the eleven NWABSD sites will have 4-year-old early
childhood education classrooms. The *SUTL* will hold classes 5 days per
week for 2.5 hours per day. Professional development opportunities will
support the *SULT* educators. Parent involvement activities will
encourage parent growth and practice in early childhood concepts. (Year
1: \$619,350; Year 2: \$583,309; Year 3: \$598,601)

**S356A080048 -- University of Alaska Fairbanks CRCD --** The Continuing
Our Growth project will provide training and support for Head Start
programs throughout Alaska. The program will use distance learning to
assist a cadre of 10 staff in the use of Early Childhood Environment, as
well as provide mentoring services to the students while serving in
their home rural Head Start locations. At least 20 classroom teaching
staff will receive scholarships to complete their AAS and BA degrees
within the area of Early Childhood Education and Development by the end
of the grant. (Year 1: \$94,520; Year 2: \$280,215; Year 3: \$291,714)

**S356A080056 -- Craig Elementary and Middle School** -- The STRIVE
project is a remedial reading program targeting Alaska Native students
diagnosed with dyslexia. The program seeks to increase the reading
ability of its students; improve the overall education experience of the
Alaska Native dyslexics, leading to enhanced self-esteem; increase
community awareness of dyslexia, and work with adult clients to assist
them in meeting personal literacy goals. The project partners include 4
school districts (Craig City, Klawock City, Hydaburg and Annette Island)
and the Craig Community Association Tribal Council that will work
together to serve 569 students and adults through an array of
activities. Professional development opportunities for staff, dyslexia
screenings, reading assessments and remediation activities, culturally
based education and tutoring are program components. (Year 1: \$644,182;
Year 2: \$836,913; Year 3: \$836,913)

**S356A080014 -- Fairbanks Native Association --** Fairbanks Native
Association's (FNA) Parents as Teachers (PAT) program objectives are to
educate parents and caregivers about early childhood development,
improve parenting practices, prevent child abuse and neglect, improve
cognitive development and school readiness of Alaska Native children and
provide early detection of developmental delays and health issues. These
objectives and their positive outcomes are achieved through the
following activities: home visits to teach about child brain and motor
development and child rearing expectations; group meetings for parents
to learn together and for children to socialize; developmental
screenings to gather information about the child's health; referrals to
community agencies for family-support and additional resources;
programming to support family literacy; culturally-appropriate parent
education for Native Alaskan families and immigrant families; and staff
training and parent education practices for the community. FNA's PAT
program will serve a minimum of 225 Native families over a 3-year
period, with children birth to age 6, as well as expectant families.
(Year 1: \$287,993; Year 2: \$502,594; Year 3: \$502,594)