On May 17, 1954, Justices of the Supreme Court unanimously agreed that segregated schools were not equal. The landmark decision opened the doors to integrated educational institutions across the country, whereby whites and minorities would be educated under the same roof.

Fifty years later, an effort is underway in Fairbanks to create a Native charter school, a development which at least appears to cut against the grain of the highest court's decision that eliminated separation of races based on the color of one's skin.

The charter school effort is the result of a committee of local representatives from several education and Native organizations. Doreen Deaton, the committee's co-chairwoman,  said supporters want to give Native students a better chance to succeed. "The initiative is in response to high rates of Native dropouts and allegations of racism among students in

Fairbanks' schools." Deaton said these concerns came to light at Native education summits sponsored by the First Alaskans Institute.

Alaska's current school curriculum fails to interest Native students because it is outdated and has little relevancy in Alaska Native culture, said fellow committee member, Bob McGuire, who is a director with the Association of Interior Native Educators. He points to his own son, who graduates this month from Lathrop, as an example. He was taught "chemistry, British literature and other subjects that have nothing to do with Native issues," said McGuire. "If you want your child to be imbedded with Native culture you have to do it outside of school. We find that unacceptable."

According to charter school advocates, numerous studies and statistics show Alaska Native students lag behind Caucasian and other minorities in academic performance and attendance. Sharon McConnell Gillis, executive director for the Doyon Foundation, was quoted citing such statistics in a News-Miner story last week. "Of about 190 Native freshman who started high school in 2000," said Gillis, "Fewer than 80 (42 percent) of those entered 12th grade four years later."

However, Nick Stayrook, program evaluator with the Fairbanks Borough School

District says Gillis "overstates the failure rate of Native students and does not take into account other factors."

The claim that less than half of Native freshman in 2000 became seniors this year is "misrepresenting," said Stayrook, "Because Native students who start their freshman year in the district are not necessarily the same Native students who will graduate this year." Stayrook said he has no way of tracking whether Native students who leave the district end up quitting school or go on to graduate elsewhere.

However, a larger problem lies within Gillis' calculations. "The district does not count students based on years of attendance in high school," said Stayrook, "We classify students based on their accumulated credits."

First year freshman average about 1200 students district-wide (for all races); however, Stayrook said the district typically reports over 1600 9th graders, "Because many of them did not acquire enough credits to be sophomores." Stayrook said the total number of 12th graders this year is 875, which is about average, "so someone could claim that only 54 percent of all district freshmen from four years ago are seniors this year, but that would be very inaccurate," said Stayrook.

The actual dropout rate for Native students averages 15 percent annually, compared to 12 percent for African Americans, and lower percentages for other minorities and Caucasians, according to Stayrook.

Regardless of the statistics, Stayrook said, "the district is not opposed to a new charter school to address native student needs. If they can improve things then great."

The new charter school would be prohibited from discriminating to keep other races out. This eased initial doubts by state senator Gary Wilkins, who said, "The first thing that struck me was someone's race being used in title of the school; ethnic designations concerns me."

"On the positive side," the senator added, "I have no problem with charter schools, as long as they emphasize core subjects." Wilkens also assumes that regardless of the curriculum, students will be expected to pass the exit exams.

"We must seek to produce students who can compete on the world stage," said Wilkins, "I just hope the effort is to take students regardless of race and move them to another level."

Deaton shares that goal. "The effort is to help Natives students who feel lost in the larger public schools," she said, "and give them an opportunity to become more aware of self-identity and other cultures throughout Alaska."

If all goes according to the committee's plan, the charter school will open in the fall of 2005.