State mandates Alaska history studies

JOEL DAVIDSON/Frontiersman reporter

MAT-SU -- In an effort to assure that the legacy of Alaska's history is not lost by younger generations, the state Board of Education voted unanimously in favor of a regulation requiring that all high school graduates demonstrate their knowledge of state history before they graduate. The regulation won't take effect until January 2009, when this year's eighth-graders are high school seniors -- a delay that will give those students time to take the history classes and demonstrate knowledge of state standards.

The Tuesday vote took place after an impressive list of Alaskan leaders and historically significant figures testified before the board about the importance of requiring Alaskan students to take at least one-half of a credit in Alaska history or demonstrate that they can meet Alaska history performance standards.

The advocates included Gov. Frank Murkowski, former Gov. Walter Hickel, Alaska Native historian Nelson Angapak, University of Alaska President Mark Hamilton, former state representative and past board president Katie Hurley of Wasilla and many education leaders.

"I couldn't believe the overwhelming support for this," said board member Tim Scott. "The group that was there was a who's who of Alaska history. I've never seen that kind of broad-based support for anything."

Many in attendance said Hurley, now in her 80s, gave one of the most persuasive arguments of the day.

Hurley is one of the few living Alaskans who attended the state's constitutional convention. She also served as president of the Board of Education 30 years ago when a similar proposal to require statewide Alaska history classes was considered, and ultimately rejected, by the board she presided over.

In a telephone interview Thursday, Hurley said she didn't want the current school board to repeat the mistake she made in allowing districts the option not to teach Alaska history.

"Thirty years ago, we urged individual school districts to teach Alaska history but unfortunately, many did not," she said. "Today, I am amazed by the number of people who don't know the significance of their history."

The lack of historical knowledge was documented in the 2000 Urban Rural Unity Study, conducted by Commonwealth North, a nonpartisan group providing educational forums for Alaskan thinkers and activists to review issues and topics affecting the state.

The study found deep misunderstandings between rural and urban Alaskans, partially caused by a lack of common historical knowledge about their state. Based on these findings, Commonwealth North asked the Alaska Humanities Forum to develop a high school-level Alaska history curriculum that could be used by schools across the state.

"If you don't know history, you won't understand why things are the way they are," said Ira Perman, president of Alaska Humanities Forum. "We'll end up having generations of folks who don't understand each other."

With $1.2 million in federal aid, Perman said his group accepted the project to develop a quality curriculum. Along the way they garnered support from an prestigious cast of state officials, educators and historians.

A pilot curriculum was developed this past summer and teachers from around the state were trained in August about how to use the new curriculum. Currently, 25 schools across the state are testing the history courses in high school classes.

Perman said he hopes the Department of Education will draw from the work the humanities forum has already done, which includes extensive research by Alaskan authors and scholars.

While the state board unanimously supported the history requirement, a debate arose Tuesday just before the vote. The discussion hinged on whether individual school districts should be allowed to develop their own Alaska history courses as an alternative to fulfilling mandatory history standards developed by the state.

In the end the board agreed to allow individual districts the option to develop their own curricula and test their own students under guidelines set by local school boards. This decision, however, did not sit well with several board members.

Member Tim Scott believed there was a danger in allowing that option.

"I wanted stronger language," he said. "You won't know if people are meeting performance standards unless you have a statewide assessment. Most places will do what they should but I didn't want to leave any loopholes that someone might abuse."

According to Perman, roughly 40 of Alaska's 54 school districts currently offer some form of Alaska history at the high school level, but he said those courses are usually elective credits most students never even take.

The Mat-Su Borough School District is one of many districts across the state that has no Alaska history requirement for graduation.

Mat-Su School Board President Mike Chmielewski said he looks forward to addressing this issue.

"I feel very positive that our board will respond to the state's action," he said.

Chmielewski explained that it has been difficult getting a mandatory Alaska history course in the Valley because anytime one course is added, others usually have to be dropped or rearranged.

"When you have a single subject there can be good arguments for bringing it in, but in order to implement it, we need to have a good sense of all the other courses we are offering," Chmielewski said. "In the past, people didn't think Alaska history was important enough to be its own class."

Chmielewski said the action by the state board will force local school boards across the state to confront their approach to Alaska history.

"I don't see how a person can get out of school without an understanding of this place," he said. "You need to know where you came from to know where you are headed."

Contact Joel Davidson at joel.davidson@frontiersman.com.