Our Beginnings | Our Educational Philosophy | Our Mission | Report Card to the Public

Created by homeschoolers for homeschoolers!

We are pleased that you want to learn more about “the IDEA family” this year and we look forward to the possibility of serving your family! Our desire is to support dedicated parents who have opted to educate their children at home. We see our role as your partner; providing encouragement, support, and guidance when needed. We are pleased to have the opportunity to draw alongside you as you undertake the incredibly valuable task of teaching your children at home.

Our Beginnings

The Galena City School District, a small village on the Yukon River, is known throughout the state for innovation in education. The district includes two other schools in addition to IDEA. The Galena City School educates local children and includes both an elementary school and a high school. Galena Interior Learning Academy is a boarding school that combines the best in educational methods with a focused effort to teach the students practical vocational skills.

In June 1997, the Galena City School District began an innovative homeschool support program. At the time, there were several state-wide correspondence programs that sent a set curriculum to enrolled families and graded all of the student’s work through the mail. Galena was the first to recognize national statistics showing the excellent academic experience that most homeschoolers were experiencing and the first to honor the individuality of homeschool approaches. IDEA was founded on the then-unique principle of honoring the parent’s ability to provide an excellent one-on-one tutoring experience, using individualized curriculum materials and educational methods. Much to the surprise of most educators in the state, we enrolled 1157 students that first year, and we tripled enrollment the following year. As a result of IDEA’s unprecedented popularity, there are now many similar programs in Alaska. However, IDEA was the first and we strive to continue to be the best!

Our Educational Philosophy

We believe that you know your child better than anyone else does, and we can support you best by bringing to you educational tools and tips, a wide variety of high-quality materials, advice and guidance, helpful workshops, and encouragement!

We believe that academic materials and an educational style that is truly individualized for each child provides the finest education. We do our best to allow for the most flexibility and individuality possible within a public school system.

We believe that we can learn from each other. We learn from our experiences with homeschoolers that excellence in education is dynamic and can take many forms. You learn from us what the “outside expectations” are for schoolchildren, and how you can best meet them. We hope that every interaction between IDEA and each homeschooling parent is one in which each comes away richer.

We believe that you are capable of providing a solid education, and that you will ask for input when needed. We are here to provide support and recommendations and to encourage you at all times. We are your cheerleaders!

Our Mission

IDEA Mission Statement:

The mission of the IDEA program is to provide resources and support to parents who have elected to educate their children at home; to achieve a partnership with families that honors the efforts and dedication of home-schooling parents.

IDEA Belief Statements:

1. Committed parents who have a keen understanding of their children's learning styles and needs are capable of selecting appropriate curricular materials to meet each student's individual educational needs.
2. A free-flowing exchange of knowledge and ideas among a community of learners is necessary to achieve quality instruction.
3. The best instruction is based upon the individual needs of each student.
4. A priority is to promote academic and civic excellence, meeting and exceeding the standards established by the State and the responsibilities needed for life in contemporary society.

Galena City School District Mission Statement:

Every student will be afforded the opportunity to be successful on the exit exam. In accordance with state education policy, the purpose of education is to help ensure that all students will succeed in their education and work, shape worthwhile and satisfying lives for themselves, exemplify the best values of society, and be effective in improving the character and quality of the world about them.

Report Card to the Public:

Report Card to the Public - This is a report that each school district prepares each summer, summarizing the previous school year.  It is a multi-page pdf document, so you need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it and it will take several minutes to download. It will go faster if you right-click and choose "Save Target As..." to save on your computer, then open after it has finished downloading.