Alaska's Cultural Standards for Students, explained for parents
Alongside the content standards for each subject, Alaska has Cultural Standards for Students, part of the Alaska Standards for Culturally-Responsive Schools adopted by the State Board of Education. They describe students who are grounded in the heritage of their own community and able to learn about the wider world from that foundation. They were written with Alaska Native educators and apply to every student, whatever their background. They are guidance for schools and communities, not a separate subject, and they are not graded.
A. Grounded in their community's heritage
Knowing the history, traditions and values of their own family and community.
- Family history. Knowing their own family story and where they come from.
- Traditions. Learning and passing on the community's traditions through oral and written history.
- Language. Understanding the role of the local heritage language in who they are.
Ideas for home
- Tell your child stories about grandparents and relatives, and draw a family tree together.
- Share a family tradition, recipe or seasonal activity and explain why it matters to you.
- Learn a few words of your family's or your community's heritage language together.
B. Building on local knowledge
Using what they learn from their own community as a foundation for success in school and life.
- Learning from other cultures. Gaining insight from other cultures while staying true to their own.
- Local knowledge. Using their own community's skills and ways of knowing to learn about the larger world.
- Thinking ahead. Making choices with long-term consequences in mind.
Ideas for home
- When your child learns something new at school, ask how it connects to something they already know from home.
- Talk through a decision together and ask what might happen next week, next year and for the next generation.
- Read or watch stories from cultures different from your own and talk about what you share.
C. Taking part in many cultural settings
Feeling at home and contributing in their own community and in other settings.
- Community life. Taking part in local activities, including subsistence where it fits the family.
- Contributing. Helping their family and their community make good decisions.
- Many settings. Getting along well in different cultural settings, from a village to a city.
Ideas for home
- Join a community event together: a potluck, a cleanup, a festival or a fishing day.
- Give your child a real job that helps the household, and thank them for it.
- Talk about how to be a good guest when visiting a new place or family.
D. Learning in traditional ways
Learning by watching, doing and listening to Elders and other knowledge holders.
- Learning from Elders. Spending time with Elders and treating them with respect as teachers.
- Hands-on learning. Learning by watching and doing, as at a culture camp or out on the land.
- Gathering stories. Collecting local history and thinking about what it means.
Ideas for home
- Visit an Elder or older relative and let your child ask them about life when they were young.
- Learn a practical skill together by doing it: cooking, mending, fishing, berry picking or building.
- Help your child think honestly about what they're good at and what they want to get better at.
E. Seeing how everything is connected
Understanding the land, how cultures change, and their own place in the world.
- The local land. Knowing the ecology and geography of the region they live in.
- Cultures and change. Understanding how and why cultures change, and what happens when they meet.
- Their place. Knowing who they are and their place in the world.
Ideas for home
- Notice the seasons together: when the river breaks up, when the berries ripen, when the birds return.
- Talk about how your town or family has changed over time, and why.
- Ask your child what makes your community special and what they would want to keep the same.
Common questions
No. They are guidance for schools and communities about what culturally knowledgeable students can do. Teachers weave them into lessons, projects and culture camps, but they are not a subject on the report card.
No. They were developed with Alaska Native educators and draw on Alaska Native ways of knowing, but they are meant for every student in every community. Each child is grounded in their own family's and community's heritage.
They are part of the Alaska Standards for Culturally-Responsive Schools, adopted by the Alaska State Board of Education in 1998. The Alaska Native Knowledge Network at the University of Alaska Fairbanks publishes them, along with standards for educators, schools and communities.
No. Gradelings practices subject skills in math, English language arts, science and social studies. These understandings grow through family, community, Elders and the land, so we suggest home activities rather than scores.
Ask your child's teacher or school how the class connects learning to the local community, and whether Elders or culture camps are part of the year. Your district may also have its own local cultural standards.
Next: understand the Alaska report card levels or browse all Alaska parent guides. Gradelings practices subject skills; these understandings grow through family, community, Elders and the land, not worksheets.
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