Alaska Cultural Standards Essay

Guide to Implementing AK Cultural Standards

Content standards are what students should know and be able to do in each grade level. Cultural standards are those standards that “orient the school community to its role in helping students become responsible, capable, and whole human beings.” (Pg. iv, Guide to Implementing the Alaska Cultural Standards for Educators). Educators can use these cultural standards to implement cultural responsible curriculum and lessons in the classroom. These standards can also be used to help foster local and cultural language. It can also provide cultural meaning to students from diverse backgrounds. I had the opportunity to use Math in Cultural Context curriculum in my education math classes. This was a Yupik project to integrate Yupik math into Alaska public schools. They used the Alaska state standards in order to form a strong basis for this curriculum. The biggest component of cultural standards is to ensure that every educator is fostering the cultural well-being of all students.

Cultural standards can also help educators to find those gaps in

They also provide rubrics that can be used to score cultural standards. The guide also provides the five standards that schools can use to ensure they are provided a culturally responsible teaching. The standard that stood out for me is that “Culturally-responsive educators participate in community events and activities in appropriate and supportive ways”. (Pg. 1, Guide to Implementing the Alaska Cultural Standards for Educator) I had to opportunity to volunteer at Effie Kokrine Charter School as a parent and as a fieldwork student. Teachers did a good job in participating in community events and activities in the Alaska Native community. It was great to see teachers interacting with students in such