Standing Their Ground: The Integration of Community and School in Quinhagak, Alaska

Abstract

This article describes the efforts of Kuinerrarmiut Elitnaurviat, the K-12 school in Quinhagak, Alaska to implement school reform initiatives that support the merg­ ing of school and community values and priorities insignificant and multiple ways. Through the collaborative efforts of Yup'ik teachers, administrators, community members, and university faculty, changes in curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment practices in Quinhagak were documented during a two-year case study research project. Through the research process, it became evident that near­ ly all the significant changes in Kuinerrarmiut Elitnaurviat in recent years have been designed to integrate meaningfully what is valued in the life of the com­munity with the teaching and learning that occurs in school. The study confirms that despite nearly a century of political, economic, social, and educational efforts to change the language, customs, and subsistence lifestyle of the Yup'ik people, most Quinhagak citizens have chosen to "stand their ground" as they make a serious effort to integrate their beliefs into the fabric of the formal educational system.