Alaska Focus on Safety

Unintentional injuries cause 66% of all child fatalities in Alaska.

Unintentional injuries cause 82% of all child hospitalizations in Alaska.

Alaska Focus on Safety

Alaska Focus on Safety is a school curriculum targeting the major sources of childhood injury and death that occur within our state:

  1. ATV / Snow Machine Safety
  2. Cold Water/Ice/Hypothermia Prevention
  3. Falls Icy/Wet
  4. Dynamics of Fire
  5. Firearms/Hunter Safety
  6. Pedestrian Safety
  7. Poison Prevention.

Rather than viewing such hazards as the inevitable risks of growing up, this curriculum approaches them as situations that can be dealt with through education. It gives children an opportunity to learn about injury prevention, to apply that knowledge in practice, and to develop the attitude and motivation to make the right choices in risky situations.

Background

In 2003, a partnership comprised of Denali Safety Council, National Fire Protection Association, Alaska Injury Prevention Center, Alaska Pacific University, Alaska State Troopers, Safe Kids, and the Fairbanks Police, Fire Department, Hospital, and Northstar Borough School District implemented Risk Watch, the urban injury prevention curriculum, in 327 classrooms in the Fairbanks area. A total of 8,175 children from kindergarten through eighth grade participated, including many special needs students. Tests given before and after the training showed the group achieved an overall gain in knowledge of nearly 12%.

Risk Watch was also implemented in the Mat-Su Borough School District (19 schools, 300 classrooms), in Anchorage Christian Schools (25 classrooms), and the 21st Century Anchorage School District (14 schools) for a total of 18,950 students who also achieved substantial knowledge gains. One hundred thirty-two teachers earned college credit for their involvement with this project.

In 2004 work turned to development of a rural Alaska curriculum to go beyond Anchorage and Fairbanks. Alaska Injury Prevention Center developed material on ATVs and snow machines, on water safety addressing fishing boats, hypothermia, and cold-water drowning, and material on fire safety, falls, firearms, poisoning, and pedestrian safety to fit rural situations.

Development

Alaska Focus on Safety was developed for youth in rural Alaska. It was designed by an experienced educator, Sue Lyons, with 30 years teaching experience in Alaska and expertise in curriculum development. Ms. Lyons developed the curriculum to meet the Alaska State Standards and Alaska Grade Level Expectations. This allows teachers to integrate the curriculum into thematic units for the classroom while meeting state standards for education and the requirements of No Child Left Behind. This curriculum can be used to meet standards as opposed to creating an “add-on” that requires teachers to fit extra lessons into the teaching day.

Our curriculum places emphasis on developing critical and creative thinking skills. It meets the Alaska State Standards for teaching gifted students that require students to reflect on, analyze, and evaluate a variety of oral, written, and visual information. It teaches children that responsible actions create safe and healthy environments. This gives teachers options that can be adapted to gifted students as well as those with special needs.

Safety materials provided by national programs do not adequately address living conditions that exist in remote Alaska. This curriculum addresses those real-life issues in a way that can be easily put into practice by those who live them.

Presentation

Alaska Native culture is predominant in much of rural and remote Alaska. This curriculum offers Native and Non-Native students multiple learning styles that meet diverse needs in the classroom. Delivery emphasizes a traditional Alaska Native oral learning style, visual arts, and developed cooperative skills. It incorporates a learning record evaluation that includes interviews, observation, and a portfolio developed by the student, in addition to the typical evaluation tests. Parent letters include adults and elders in the process and provide a way to track behavioral change for students and families.

A safety storybook accompanies the curriculum to increase participation and provide relevance within the Alaska Native community. It contains stories written by Alaska Natives that are appropriate to the environment and culture in rural and remote Alaska. A compact disk is included with each story narrated by an elder. Safety posters designed by an Alaskan artist also accompany the curriculum for classroom use. Community members are encouraged to be guest speakers in the schools.

Teachers may earn university credit for implementation of Alaska Focus on Safety while on site. This allows teachers to meet No Child Left Behind standards of a ‘highly qualified’ teacher.

Implementation

Alaska Focus on Safety is currently being piloted through a grant provided by FEMA in the Northwest Arctic Borough School District (Kotzebue Region) and the Southeast Island School District (Ketchikan Region).  One hundred sixty-five educators have been trained to deliver the lessons and provide feedback for the final product.  The final changes are estimated to be complete by June of 2006. 

To date, Alaska Focus on Safety field tests indicate wide approval and acceptance.  Student test scores range from 15%-55% gained safety knowledge.  Teachers in rural Alaska are already seeing changed behavior.  Julie Vasques a teacher from Hollis, Alaska, wrote, "....It is a very necessary addition to Alaska's classrooms.  I would definitely recommend this program to others....."

(Obtain further information from Ron Perkins, 907-929-3939)