Remarks of Alaska Native researcher and educator Paul Ongtooguk are presented. Alaska Natives have successfully educated themselves for thousands of years. Along with the promise of preparing students for the future, schools have promoted the idea that Native cultures should be stripped from the minds of children in order to prepare them for a future that will not include Alaska Native cultures. Alaska Natives as a group are in the lowest levels of performance on the benchmark and high school qualifying exams. Teachers wonder why parental support for their children's education is so low, yet they don't inform parents about the educational structure or what their children will be learning, and they are uncomfortable when Native parents want to help. High incarceration and suicide rates of Alaska Native young men, high percentages of non-Natives working in Native corporations, declining numbers of Alaska Native teachers--these are all signs of a disconnect between the educational system and the needs of Alaska Natives. There are many potential allies for solving the problems of Alaska Native education, but Alaska Natives themselves are going to have to take the lead in making changes. The successes that have occurred with Native corporations and the Native health care system are proof that change is possible. (TD)