In the Chugach School District, the Sky's the Limit | Philanthropy in Ed. Reform

Whittier, Alaska—As the clock ticks toward six, parents throng the Whittier Community School cafeteria, bearing steaming casseroles and plates heaped with chocolate chip cookies. On the way in, they're accosted by Principal Doug Penn, waving a digital camera and asking them to "make a silly face" for a hallway display. The mayor grimaces, a mom pretends she's a chimpanzee, another parent hams it up.

It's back-to-school night at Whittier, one of three schools in Alaska's acclaimed Chugach School District. A National Showcase School citation, bestowed by the U.S. Department of Education in 2000, shines from the trophy case, next to a copy of the district's 2001 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, and Doug Penn's recognition as a Milken Family Foundation National Educator.

Whittier is clearly not your average school. It's not just the fact that enrollment hovers at under three dozen students or that the most familiar route to class is through an underground tunnel that provides protection from 80 inches of snow and connects to the 15-story condominium tower that houses most of the town's 200 residents. It's not that the town, perched at the top of Portage Canal on Prince William Sound, is only accessible through a one-lane tunnel that drills two and a half miles through a mountain—with the direction of traffic being switched every half-hour. What sets this place apart is the radical educational model that Chugach School District has pioneered.

You won't find grade levels or even letter grades here. All students—from preschoolers to age 21—have specially tailored lesson plans that take them through a series of levels in 10 standard areas. Some areas, such as reading, math, science, and writing, can be found in almost any school curriculum. But other areas focus on personal and social skills, career development, and cultural awareness.

Penn, whose Hawaiian shirt seems slightly out of place in a town 75 miles and several glaciers away from Anchorage, reflects on the eight-year process that's led to the district's reinvention of itself. "The blueprint for change has to come from the community, the teachers, the students," he remarks. "The atmosphere of our school is what really strikes people: It's driven by student ownership. I can't keep them out of the school. They see it as an extension of their place, rather than a place they have to come to learn."

Michael Grande, a personable 18-year-old, is one of the students who thrive in the Chugach system. Originally from Mill Valley, California, he came to Whittier seven years ago, leaving a school with 30 students per class for one with just 30 in the entire student body. "I think standards-based education is better because you can really focus in on where you need help," he says. "You can't skate through (the levels), you have to prove you did it, and you can't just copy the work, because you can't copy an experience."

"The sky's the limit," says Michael about his school experience, and in his case it's both figuratively and literally true. He's set his sights on becoming a pilot, and the district has actively nurtured that goal. For a required job shadow assignment, Michael hooked up with a private aviation firm, which gave him a front seat and a pilot's headset. When it came time for the next level in his career education, Chugach helped place Michael at a private flight school in Phoenix, Arizona, and paid $3,000 for half of the tuition. At the conclusion of the two-month course, the young aviator walked away with his private pilot's license and plans to pursue an instrument rating before heading to college.

Preparing students for life after school—be it college, a trade, or a subsistence lifestyle in a bush village—is a major thrust of the Chugach system. "What we really do well is dive into how you prepare kids for the 21st century and what skills they will need, regardless of their socioeconomic status and their economic background," says Superintendent Richard DeLorenzo. He notes that what the district did for Michael Grande, it's willing to do for any kid. "We'll find the money if it's going to change his life and (help him) be successful with where he wants to go. I mean, that's what school should be about."

The Chugach philosophy has not only attracted national attention, prestigious awards, and millions in grant money, but also pilgrims seeking an educational Holy Grail. On this day in late September, a group from Southwest Alaska's Lake and Peninsula School District flew in to observe and quiz staff. The "Lake and Pen" district moved to a standards-based system two years ago and Jim LeClair, administrator of instruction and assessment, says he brings new staff to see how Whittier's more experienced teachers are doing differentiated instruction in multigrade, multilevel classrooms.

"We adopted the model and we believe in what they're doing," says LeClair, adding that Lake and Pen has only been able to phase in some aspects of the Chugach program. "It's very powerful stuff, but there are unbelievable challenges, like continuous staff development," he observes. "Because it's so 'outside the box' it's hard to get traditional teachers to switch, but they're doing it, and it's made them think more about their instruction."

LeClair—whose district comprises 14 remote Native schools spread over an area the size of Tennessee—is thankful that Chugach is so open and willing to share its expertise. "We're babes and they're grown up, but we're all still learning."

Penn, who was just named principal of all three Chugach schools, agrees that it's an evolutionary process and one that challenges districts to feel comfortable doing something really different. "I firmly believe this could work for larger school systems," he concludes. "Getting into it requires a steep learning curve, so it takes people with a lot of patience and commitment and a lot of creative thinking. Even though we've done it for eight years, we're still refining our process, and we're not afraid to meet the challenges ahead."