The rest of the story on Alaska rural education during the pandemic

Since day one of this pandemic, educators across Alaska have voiced concern for vulnerable students at high risk of disengaging or slipping out of contact with teachers. Rural educators have actively pursued every option to prevent that from happening. Nowhere has this been more apparent than in rural communities like Bethel.

While remote learning has proven to be a saving grace for many students, and educators have united in herculean efforts to safely deliver instruction in every form imaginable, students around the world are still in the midst of a crisis. It is no secret that COVID-19 pandemic has affected all levels of the educational system and educators across the globe are grappling with the long-term impact on learning for their students. Bethel is not alone.

Reports show that students throughout the country have struggled with isolation, and it has no doubt taken a toll on families. And it is no secret that in every state the pandemic has exacerbated inequities in rural and low-income areas.

We know that rural Alaska has been hit the hardest, with its lack of infrastructure to support remote learning and high-risk Alaska Native population. In April of 2020, and in collaboration with the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation, the district determined that students would not be returning to classrooms in the Lower Kuskokwim School District. Superintendent Kimberly Hankins immediately began pursuing an intranet as a way of linking homes to the school network despite a lack of infrastructure for internet.

The intranet is buggy and has glitches, but it works. Educators have spent countless hours of professional development learning how to use Moodle (host content) and Ensemble (host video). LKSD worked directly with Zoom engineers to allow for Zoom connections through this system, and teachers have been and continue to be recording and hosting video and content on the intranet as well as using the Zoom feature to connect with students. In Bethel, all families who didn’t already have a modem were provided one by the district, and in villages, families were provided a router and antenna. The system isn’t perfect, but it’s an option. Really, it’s a giant Band-Aid on the larger equity issue of access to the internet. The transition has been complicated by the fact that schools must rely on families to install the needed hardware and software to make the intranet function. These are families who have been in isolation for months due to the pandemic.

Through it all, districts have continued efforts to reach each and every student. Teachers and some principals in the district have even gone to students’ homes, stood outside and Airdropped materials to student devices.

Since then, cases have not eased in the region, and today are the worst hit by COVID-19 in Alaska. The district continues to collaborate with the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp. to determine the safest plan of action for students. Educators are eager to reach their students. Districts have continued to provide paper packets, jump drives, lessons delivered through VHF radio, through windows of homes and direct phone calls. In regular weekly meetings educational leaders in rural districts have continued to collaborate on best practices in areas that internet can’t touch and in ever-changing circumstances.

Before last April, Lower Kuskokwim School District was making measurable progress with student achievement. It is in its fourth year of a federally funded program aimed at preparing rural students for graduation and college preparation. Reports released last month show that it has been working. The Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Program, (GEAR UP) just released a report on impact from the 2019-2020 academic school year for Lower Kuskokwim School District that reflects a 43% increase in Alaska Native students enrolling in Algebra by the ninth grade. Nearly all students (96%) in 27 district schools were served in the program with nearly half (42%) of students receiving tutoring/homework assistance services. These activities contributed to core course completion and student retention.

And just this Tuesday, Dr. Elizabeth Ohlsen of the Department of Health and Social Services cautioned principals in a weekly statewide meeting that while cases in Alaska are going down overall, communities in Western Alaska are still experiencing case rates that are 5-10 times higher than the rates on the road system. She noted the considerable pressure schools in the area are under as other areas begin to open up but warned that in some areas — Western Alaska in particular — cases are still rising, and hard choices must be made. Not all communities are ready to reopen safely.

In the Bethel Region alone to date, 3,332 COVID-19 positive cases have been identified, with 46 hospitalizations and 15 deaths. Two of those deaths were beloved LKSD employees.

With all of these factors in mind, our educators know that we are losing ground in student performance as long as the pandemic rages. And they are painfully aware that our high-risk Alaska Native communities, which are still recovering from the trauma of the last pandemic, have been hit hardest.

Educators need support, not condemnation. They have worked daily and around the clock for almost a year to support students’ learning, health and well-being. They have lost sleep, shed tears and want nothing more than to see their students face-to-face. Our state has enough families that struggle to survive without a pandemic happening. Our families are doing their best and don’t need to be shamed, nor do the educators who are fighting for all of our students need to be blamed, for the disparities of a global crisis.

Lisa S. Parady, J.D., Ed.D., serves as the executive director of the Alaska Council of School Administrators.

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