SHI TO SPONSOR FOURTH CULTURAL EDUCATION CONFERENCE

Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) will sponsor its fourth education conference for teachers and administrators in Southeast Alaska in an effort to promote culturally responsive pedagogy in schools.

For the second time, the three-day event will be held virtually because of the COVID-19 virus.

The goal of the conference, which is offered through SHI’s groundbreaking Thru the Cultural Lens program, is to provide participants with a deep understanding of culturally-responsive education and equip them to transform their classrooms, pedagogy, and curriculum to fully support all students’ success’especially those who have been historically underserved, disenfranchised and marginalized by colonized systems.

The conference is the culmination of 50 hours of cultural training given to educators during the year by SHI, said conference organizer and educator David Sheakley-Early.

“When the classes and conference are combined, that helps give teachers and administrators the confidence to incorporate place-based curriculum and resources centered around Native Alaskan culture and heritage languages into schools,” said Sheakley-Early, noting teachers who have not taken the training are also welcome to attend the event.

The three-day event, Our Cultural Landscape: Culturally Responsive Education Conference, is open to educators from across Southeast Alaska and to students enrolled in the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) Preparing Indigenous Teachers and Administrators for Alaska Schools (PITAAS) program and UAS’s Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program.

The conference is scheduled Aug. 5-7 in Juneau. A pre-conference scheduled Aug. 2-4 will provide additional opportunities for educators to explore and participate in extended topics. SHI will post a registration form and call for presenters for breakout sessions soon.

Sealaska Heritage Institute is a private nonprofit founded in 1980 to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska. Its goal is to promote cultural diversity and cross-cultural understanding through public services and events. SHI also conducts social scientific and public policy research that promotes Alaska Native arts, cultures, history and education statewide. The institute is governed by a Board of Trustees and guided by a Council of Traditional Scholars, a Native Artist Committee and a Southeast Regional Language Committee.

CONTACT: Amy Fletcher, SHI Media and Publications Director, 907.586.9116, amy.fletcher@sealaska.com