ANSWER Grant Targets Native Students

Casey Kelly/KMXT

A new grant received by the Kodiak Island Borough School District will enhance learning opportunities for Alaska Native students.

It’s called the Alaska Native Success Within Education and Retention, or ANSWER grant. Superintendent Stewart McDonald says it will be used to improve the district’s distance learning technologies as well as integrate more Alaska Native culture into classrooms.

(Native Grant 1 :14s “…put that to use widely.”)

The three-year grant is worth 683-thousand, 963 dollars. Its goal is to reduce the dropout rate for Alaska Natives and increase student performance.

McDonald says it was a community effort to apply for the grant. School board member Melissa Borton was involved in the process and says she envisions it helping students throughout the district.

(Native Grant 2 :13s “…our kids here in Kodiak do.”)

The ANSWER grant comes from the U-S Department of Education, and was accepted by the school board at its regular meeting last night (Monday).

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