Alaska News

North Slope schools add Native perspective to curriculum

Inspired by the film production "ASRC History," the North Slope Borough School District joined ASRC in an effort to compile a high school social studies and language arts unit titled, "ASRC-tkut Quliaqtuaŋat." This instructional unit was adopted by the NSBSD Board of Education at their meeting on May 5, said a press release from the borough school district. "We support life-long learning and are very pleased to help prepare this curriculum for North Slope students," said Rex Rock, Sr., President and CEO of Arctic Slope Regional Corporation. "It's vital for the next generation to understand where we come from both culturally and in the business world."

There are four "big ideas" within the high school unit: how the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act was a legal and political experiment for settling indigenous land clams in the United States; how Western and indigenous constructs about resources, land and labor are sometimes in conflict; how Iñupiaq life and culture have changed as a result of colonial relationships with global governments and economies; and how individuals and groups can bring about changes in political and economic systems through coordinated efforts. Read more at The Arctic Sounder.

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