This research is a case study which looks at a school district in rural Alaska that serves a predominantly Alaska Native population. The research addresses the question of how the district is navigating the implementation of federal and state educational policy and simultaneously adapting initiatives to the local reality and addressing the needs and wishes of Native village communities.
To understand the policy implementation process in this specific context, the researcher coded and analyzed all documents provided to the school district's board of education for their meetings from the 2004 through 2009. This data contained both explicit and implicit information about the challenges and relationships that make up a framework within which district administrators, board members, and community members work. In addition, it informed how this framework influences the policy implementation process within the district.
Though specific to the context of rural Alaska and education for Alaska Natives, this research explores the local-national dichotomy at play in policy implementation, especially concerning schooling in Native communities. By giving attention to the role of the school board in this process, it is providing insights into an area that is under researched.