About C3:

Creating Cultural Competence for Rural Early Career Teachers (C3 Project) supports teachers who are in their first or second year of teaching and who are new to Alaska, particularly settling into positions in rural partner school districts of Lower Kuskokwim and Northwest Arctic Borough.

The C3 Project will provide a cross-cultural immersion experience within the rural settings of the districts, bringing together youth and elders and other culture bearers to assist in bridging the cultural transition for New Alaskan Teachers from large urban settings into small rural communities in the Northwest Arctic and Yukon-Kuskokwim Regions.

As participant teachers settle into their communities, they are matched with master teachers for a two-year mentorship through the Alaska Statewide Mentor project. Working with this network of support, the C3 Project will increase teacher retention and, thereby, assist to increase student achievement rates in those partner districts.

Read more: http://www.adn.com/2011/12/03/2201105/group-aims-to-reverse-rural-teacher.html#storylink=misearch#ixzz1gkMx3ACE

“Teaching Alaskan: Becoming Community & Becoming Culture”

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (Updated 1/3/12)

Alaska Humanities Forum

C3 Project

Rose Urban Rural Exchange

161 E. First Avenue, Door 15

Anchorage, AK 99501

(907) 272-5341

www.akhf.org

The Alaska Humanities Forum is the state’s Humanities Council and is governed by a board of directors. Founded in 1972, the Forum is a private, non-profit organization based in Anchorage, Alaska, whose mission is, “to use the wisdom and methods of the humanities to enrich the civic, intellectual and cultural life of all Alaskans.” The Humanities Forum is funded through federal, state, and private funds. The Humanities Forum is seeking a consultant or consultants to assist in evaluating the Rose Urban Rural Exchange.

Program Overview
The Creating Cultural Competence in Rural Early Career Teachers Using the Educator Cross-Cultural Immersion Model (C3 Project), a program funded through the U.S. Department of Education, was established to assist with improving teacher retention rates with two partner districts for rural teacher who are new to Alaska and new to the profession through a cross-cultural immersion program and a two-year new-teacher mentor component.

Evaluation Design
A comprehensive evaluation study will track outputs, outcomes, and impacts of the C3 Project on students and educators. The evaluation will track formative/process and summative outcomes related to the cross-cultural immersion experience of two cohorts of Early Career Teachers new to rural Alaska before and during their two-year mentorship for Early Career Teachers facilitated by Alaska State Mentor Project (ASMP). As noted, the mission of this project is to enrich new teachers‘ cultural awareness through direct immersion in Alaska Native culture. The immersion will include a cultural orientation and a week-long stay at a rural Alaska Native Culture camp, followed by the assignment and support of an ASMP mentor who will follow them for the next two years of their work in their assigned rural schools/communities. The goals related to these activities are 1) increase teacher retention, and 2) increase student achievement. Immediate outcome measures will include participant teachers‘ increased knowledge of cross-cultural competencies and the development of culturally responsive teaching strategies in participants, and new teacher preparedness. The expected longer-term results are increased student achievement and better retention rates among new teachers.

Goals and Objectives

The C3 Project will achieve the following goals and objectives.

Goal 1: To increase teacher retention in partner districts by better preparing new to Alaska, new to the profession Early Career Teacher participants for teaching in rural Alaska.

Obj. 1.a. Build Early Career Teacher participants‘ cross-cultural competency through a series of pre-employment and early career experiences.

Performance Measure: 1.a.1. 100% of the Early Career Teacher (ECT) participants will

demonstrate their cultural proficiency of Alaska Native cultures from the beginning to the end of

their cross-cultural immersion experience.

Perf. Meas. 1.a.2. 100% of each cohort will pass a 3.0 grad level multicultural education course. 11

Perf. Meas. 1.a.3. The cohort of ECTs who participate in a cultural immersion experience first will express higher satisfaction with their first year of teaching than do other ECTs in AK.

Perf. Meas. 1.a.4. At the end of the project, the cohort of ECTs will have a higher retention rate than the state average of new teachers.

Perf. Meas. Obj. 1.b. Build new teachers‘ skill and pedagogy for teaching in rural Alaska.

Perf. Meas. 1.b.1. 95% of teacher participants in this project will complete the two-year Alaska State Mentoring Program.

Goal 2: To increase student achievement in persistently low-achieving schools in five partner school districts in rural Alaska over the three year project period.

Obj. 2a. Improve retention of new to Alaska teachers.

Perf. Meas. 2.a.1. The retention rate for new teachers who participate in the C3 project will be 85% or higher each year.

Obj. 2b. Improve year to year AYP scores for Language Arts and Math in the schools where participant teachers are assigned.

Perf.Meas. 2.b.1 Language Arts and Math AYP scores will increase each year from the baseline of FY10 in the schools where project participant teachers work.

In addition to the project goals and objectives, the C3 Project will also report on the GPRA measures 1.1 and 1.3 on student retention and achievement in the Annual Performance Report.

The selected evaluator will be expected to analyze data and provide written reports at the end of each program year, which provide recommendations on improvements for the program as well as baseline changes in the program participants.

This consultancy is a three year project, with a contract evaluation at the end of the first year to decide continuation for the three years. It should begin in January, 2012 and be completed no later than August 31, 2014.

How to submit a proposal:
Interested people should submit the following, no later than January 6, 2012 to: Alaska Humanities Forum, 161 E. First Avenue, Door 15, Anchorage, AK 99501.

Basis for Award of Contract: most competitive bid that provides the best value based upon deliverables.

Please include the following information in your bid:
1. A proposal describing your qualifications (or the qualifications of the team of consultants) and how the tasks described above would be carried out (including evaluative instruments).
2. A firm estimate of fees to be charged, and an estimate of expenses that would be incurred. Vendor bids may not exceed $115,000 for the entire three year project.
3. Resumes of all consultants who would be involved in the project.
4. Names, phone numbers and contact people at three nonprofit organizations who have been your clients during the last 18 months, whom we can all on as references.
5. Interviews with finalists will be held in January.

ANCSA @ 40

New television series on 360 North

Tuesdays at 8 p.m. beginning December 6, 2011

360 North begins broadcast of ANSCA @ 40, a seven-part television original television series to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the passing of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.  The programs will air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. starting on December 6.  Host and longtime Alaska reporter Nellie Moore talks to people involved in ANCSA and gets their stories and reactions four decades later.

Three women who played a major role in the creation of ANCSA, educator and corporate leader Marlene Johnson of Southeast Alaska, former state representative Brenda Itta of Barrow and author and historian Frances Degnan of Unalakleet participate in three episodes, ANCSA: Women Behind the Act. Former Senator Mike Gravel talks about Politics and the Pipeline.  Representative Don Young discusses native corporations in The Corporate Future.

ANCSA@40 episodes (all shows air at 8 p.m.)

December 6            Women Behind the Act Part 1
December 13           Women Behind the Act Part 2
December 20           Women Behind the Act Part 3
December 27           Politics and the Pipeline Part 1
January 3                Politics and the Pipeline Part 2
January 10               Politics and the Pipeline Part 3
January 17               The Corporate Future

KTOO’s statewide television public affairs channel 360 North is seen statewide on GCI Cable channel 15 (channel 18 in Juneau), and is broadcast over the air on KTOO-TV in Juneau (channel 3.2) and KAKM-TV in Anchorage (channel 7.3).  360 North is also available on Dish Network and DirecTV, and is streamed on the Internet at www.360north.org.

For more information contact Bill Legere at 907-586-1670 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

2011 GOVERNOR’S AWARDS FOR THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES RECIPIENTS ANNOUNCED

For immediate release: September 28, 2011
Contact: Dr. G. W. Kimura, President and CEO, (907) 272-5308.
It is with great pleasure that we announce the 10 outstanding individuals recently selected by Governor Parnell as the 2011 recipients of the Governor’s Awards for the Arts and Humanities.
The awards will be presented during a dinner event at the Captain Cook Hotel on Wednesday, October 19, 2011, and are sponsored by the Alaska State Council on the Arts, the Alaska Humanities Forum and the Office of the Governor.
With six awards going to outstanding contributions to the arts and one joint arts and humanities award, the three humanities award recipients demonstrate an unwavering commitment to the enrichment of the civic, intellectual and cultural lives of all Alaskans.
2011 RECIPIENTS OF THE GOVERNOR’S AWARDS FOR THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES

• Dr. Maryanne Allan, Fairbanks, Margaret Nick Cooke Award for Alaska Native Arts and Languages
• Dr. Ray Barnhardt, Fairbanks, Humanities Award
• Arthur William “Bill” Brody, Fairbanks, Individual Artist Award
• Jeff Brown, Juneau, Lifetime Achievement Award
• Carol Comeau, Anchorage, Arts and Humanities Award
• Tom Heywood, Haines, Arts Advocacy Award
• Dr. Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley, Fairbanks, Humanities Award
• Mike McCormick, Whistling Swan, Eagle River, Business Leadership Award,
• Mike Powers, Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, Fairbanks, Business Leadership Award
• Jim Rearden, Homer, Humanities Award

HUMANITIES AWARD RECIPIENT BIOS

Dr. Ray Barnhardt
A professor of cross-cultural studies Dr. Ray Barnhardt is also co-director (and co-founder) of the Alaska Native Knowledge network at the University of Fairbanks. The network serves as an invaluable resource in compiling and exchanging information related to Alaska Native knowledge systems and ways of knowing and serves as a model venue for highlighting the importance of indigenous knowledge throughout the world. His published collaborations with Dr. Oscar Kawagley on indigenous cultures and education have transformed the way these subjects are viewed. Barnhardt is the recipient of distinguished service awards from the Alaska Federation of Natives and the Alaska Association of Secondary School Principals.
Carol Comeau
Anchorage School District (ASD) Superintendent Carol Comeau is the recipient of a joint award from the Alaska Humanities Forum and the Alaska State Council on the Arts honoring her nearly 50 years of service to education and the humanities. Comeau began her career at ASD in 1974 as a noon duty attendant and teacher’s aide. Twenty-six years of experience later she was named superintendent, a post she has held for the past 11 years. During Comeau’s tenure she’s worked tirelessly to incorporate and improve vital programs such as the district’s Culturally Responsive Education Plan, recognizing the importance of incorporating Alaska’s diversity into education.
Deeply rooted in her community, Comeau’s been involved in numerous boards and committees working toward bettering the community including the Best Beginnings initiative, the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, the United Way, the Boys and Girls Club, the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, coaching Little League, and the revitalization of Mountain View. Both in her professional life and her active participation in her community, Comeau has been a champion for academic achievement and cultural education.
Dr. Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley
A pioneer in the field of Native knowledge, scholar and educator Dr. Oscar Kawagley spent his lifetime raising awareness of the values of Alaska Native languages and cultures. His unique perspective and ability to work across cultures has left a legacy that will have a positive impact for years to come. Kawagley, who passed away in April of 2011, worked in close consort with fellow Governor’s Award recipient Dr. Ray Barnhardt in the field of indigenous language and culture and the two were recipients of the University of Alaska, Anchorage’s William Demmert Leadership Award in 2011 for their groundbreaking work.
Jim Rearden
Journalist and scientist Jim Rearden has been chronicling the history of Alaska and lives of its residents throughout a prolific career spanning six decades. His first magazine articles were penned in the 1950s when he was a professor of wildlife management at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. After a 10-year career as an area biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Rearden spent 20 years as outdoors editor for Alaska Magazine, Alaska field editor for Outdoor Life magazine, and wrote literally hundreds of Alaska-centric feature articles that appeared in more than 40 magazines around the world. Rearden served on the Alaska Board of Fish and Game for seven years in the 1970s, and was appointed by President Gerald Ford to the National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere. The author of more than two dozen published books, Rearden was named Historian of the Year in 1999 by the Alaska Historical Society, and awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Fairbanks in 2005.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

The Alaska Humanities Forum Seeks New Board Member Applications.

The Alaska Humanities Forum (AKHF) is seeking candidates to serve on the AKHF Board of Directors. With the exception of six members appointed by the Governor of Alaska, the twenty-person volunteer board is self-perpetuating and fills vacancies through an open nominations process.

Each year six director-positions are vacated in the fall. New members are elected in September and begin their three-year term in January. Directors serve for a term of three years renewable for another three years.

Directors are selected for knowledge of or involvement in the humanities.

In electing individuals to serve, AKHF strives for the broadest representation and for balance between the academic and public spheres.

From the academic sector, the board elects teachers, scholars, and educational executives.

Public nominees represent a wide variety of professional backgrounds.

The AHF board sets policy, evaluates grant proposals, participates in fundraising activities when necessary, and promotes the activities of AKHF.

Each director is expected to make an annual financial contribution to support AKHF's operations and programs.

The AKHF board meets 5-6 times per year. Three of the meetings are in person and two or three are via teleconference. Directors serve without compensation but are reimbursed for travel expenses. Before submitting the application, the nominator should have an expression of the nominee's interest in serving.

Board of Directors Nomination Form

Alaska Humanities Forum Blog

Check out the latest on DOOR 15, the Alaska Humanities Forum blog. Sister School Exchange Guides Travel to Nuiqsut Rose Urban Rural Sister School Exchange guide Veldee Hall reports from the field

Click here for more information.

We've moved!

Alaska Humanities Forum has moved its offices to the newly refurbished and LEED certified Alaska Railroad Freight Shed. This building is on the Alaska Historic Registry, and its office space was designed just for us! Stay tuned for information on the opening reception. Our new address is below:

Alaska Humanities Forum
161 East 1st Avenue, Door 15
Anchorage, AK 99501

2011 General Grant Awards Announced!

Alaska at 50

Alaska became a state in 1959. Alaska at 50 commemorates that anniversary with essays from some of today's most noteworthy and recognizable writers and researchers. Each of the over twenty contributors brings a strong voice to the history of Alaska and a glimpse into the possibilities for the next fifty years. Written in highly accessible prose, this book has three overarching sections: art, culture, and humanities; law, economy, and politics; and environment, people, and place. It should be read by every Alaskan and anyone interested in the forty-ninth state. Each contributor had the freedom to be as creative and bold as his or her topic and expertise allowed, resulting in a masterful overview of Alaska statehood and a vision for the next fifty years.

To order: http://www.amazon.com/Alaska-50-Present-Future-Statehood/dp/1602230617