By Laura Beard
Northern Light

A $600,000 grant was recently awarded to the University of Alaska Anchorage Center for Human Development by the U.S. Department of Education Alaska Native Education Programs for Project Success II.

A re-vamped and re-funded version of Project Success I, the program will aid Alaska Native students pursuing college degrees through distance learning in their childhood education or disability services studies.

Education in rural Alaska has been inadequate, said Roxy Lamar, director of Project Success II. Shortfalls are particularly evident in basic English and math skills, which are a necessary foundation for success in college.

“There are not enough qualified teachers to serve the needs of rural Alaska children,” Lamar said. “Employers end up recruiting people who don’t often stay long in these jobs…it’s an expensive process.”

Project Success II helps increase the qualifications of people who are more likely committed to staying in the community—the people who already live there, Lamar said.

Deanna Hardin, a graduate of the program, wrote a letter included in the grant proposal.

“I am an Alaskan Native and have lived in Alaska all my life. Without Project Success and the Distance Education Program I would never have earned my degree,” Hardin wrote. “Because of my degree I was able to acquire a position with Bristol Bay Area Health Corporation’s Infant Learning Program, where I am an Early Interventionist.”

There are currently about 30 students in the program.

“The goal is to serve at least 70 students over the life of the grant,” Lamar said.

Most of the students in the scholarship program are part-time students, balancing the needs of work and family with school. They tend to be very dedicated to serving the educational needs of the children in their communities, Lamar said.

Students in Project Success II are earning associate of applied science degrees in early childhood education or in disability service, with an emphasis in either educational support or speech-language support. At least two students are working on their baccalaureate degree in education, Lamar said.

These degree programs put the graduates in high demand for employment in school districts, Head Start and Infant Learning Programs.

The project builds on the original Project Success—a $1 million grant that also funded student travel and accommodations for annual activities in Anchorage, classes on different campuses, as well as regional face-to-face student study groups.

“These services required additional personnel,” Lamar said. “In Project Success II, we have eliminated or replaced those high-cost services.”

While there was research to support the value of face-to-face interactions among students, Lamar said these activities were not as valued by Project Success students over time.

“In the last study group held, there were 11 students who made a commitment to attend, received airline tickets and decided not to go at the last minute,” Lamar said.

About one-third of the funding goes directly to student expenses, covering a percentage of tuition and fees, Lamar said. It will also pay a stipend to students who attend a professional conference upon graduation.

A large portion—roughly 46 percent—goes to staff salary and benefits. The grant provides one full-time employee to manage the program, coordinate with the university and assist students. A student assistant is also provided with the grant, which pays portions of other staff salaries.

The Center for Human Development has a special interest in promoting education and training in disability issues, Lamar said.

The grant pays expenses for delivering 15 credits of courses in early childhood special needs, and helps support student services in these and other disability courses.

While the previous Project Success program was limited to Alaska Native applicants, Project Success II has an Alaska Native priority, Lamar said.

“(Project Success II) will recruit rural Alaska Native students and serve all Alaska Native applicants first,” Lamar said. “On a semester-to-semester basis, if funds remain, non-Native applicants serving the educational needs of Alaska Native children will be considered.”

The project will increase the number of rural residents who have more knowledge and skill working with children who have special needs, thereby increasing community capacity to serve the educational needs of children and families, Lamar said.

“(The project) gives employers more qualified local people to hire and reduces reliance on high-cost recruitment from outside the state,” Lamar said. “It gives individuals an accessible opportunity to increase their qualifications for employment, or to advance in their careers.”

‘There are not enough qualified teachers to serve the needs of rural Alaska children.’

Roxy Lamar, director of Project Success II.