Legislature(2011 - 2012)BARNES 124
01/25/2012 08:00 AM Senate EDUCATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation: Alaska Early Childhood Coordinating Council (aeccc) | |
| Presentation: State Intervention in Schools | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
JOINT MEETING
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
SENATE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
January 25, 2012
8:02 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
Representative Alan Dick, Chair
Representative Lance Pruitt, Vice Chair
Representative Eric Feige
Representative Paul Seaton
Representative Peggy Wilson
Representative Sharon Cissna
Representative Scott Kawasaki
SENATE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
Senator Kevin Meyer, Co-Chair
Senator Joe Thomas, Co-Chair
Senator Bettye Davis, Vice Chair
Senator Gary Stevens
MEMBERS ABSENT
SENATE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
Senator Hollis French
OTHER LEGISLATORS PRESENT
Representative Tammy Wilson
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION: ALASKA EARLY CHILDHOOD COORDINATING COUNCIL
- HEARD
PRESENTATION: STATE INTERVENTION IN SCHOOLS
- HEARD
HOUSE BILL NO. 256
"An Act repealing provisions relating to the power and duties of
the Department of Education and Early Development to intervene
in a school district to improve instructional practices."
- SCHEDULED BUT NOT HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
STEPHANIE BERGLUND, CEO
thread;
Representative
Alaska Early Childhood Coordinating Council (AECCC)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided the presentation on behalf of the
Alaska Early Childhood Coordinating Council (AECCC), and
responded to questions.
CYNDY CURRAN, Director
Division of Teaching and Learning Support
Department of Education and Early Development (EED)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Responded to questions, during the
presentation from the Alaska Early Childhood Coordinating
Council (AECCC).
PAUL SUGAR, Head Start/Parent Involvement
Teaching and Learning Support
Department of Education and Early Development (EED)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Responded to questions, during the
presentation of the Alaska Early Childhood Coordinating Council
(AECCC).
SHIRLEY PITTZ, Co-Chair
Health and Mental Health Committee
Alaska Early Childhood Coordinating Council (AECCC)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Responded to questions, during the
presentation of the Alaska Early Childhood Coordinating Council
(AECCC).
DEE FOSTER, Co-Chair
Health and Mental Health Committee
Alaska Early Childhood Coordinating Council (AECCC)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Responded to questions during the
presentation on State Intervention in Schools.
SHIRLEY PITTZ, Co-Chair
Health and Mental Health Committee
Alaska Early Childhood Coordinating Council (AECCC)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Responded to questions during the
presentation on State Intervention in Schools.
PAUL SUGAR, Head Start/Parent Involvement
Teaching and Learning Support
Department of Education and Early Development (EED)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Responded to questions during the
presentation on State Intervention in Schools.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:02:33 AM
CO-CHAIR KEVIN MEYER called the joint meeting of the House and
Senate Education Standing Committees to order at 8:02 a.m.
Present at the call to order were Representatives Dick, Feige,
Kawasaki, and Seaton, and present from the Senate Education
Standing Committee were Senators Meyer, Davis, Thomas, and
Stevens. Representatives Pruitt, P. Wilson, and Cissna arrived
while the meeting was in progress.
^Presentation: Alaska Early Childhood Coordinating Council
(AECCC)
Presentation: Alaska Early Childhood Coordinating Council
(AECCC)
8:03:16 AM
CO-CHAIR MEYER announced that the first order of business would
be a presentation from the Alaska Early Childhood Coordinating
Council (AECCC).
8:05:30 AM
STEPHANIE BERGLUND, CEO, thread; Representative, Alaska Early
Childhood Coordinating Council (AECCC), paraphrased from a
prepared statement, which read [original punctuation provided]:
As part of the Head Start Reauthorization Act of 2007,
states were required to establish State Advisory
Councils on Early Childhood Education and Care, which
have also come to be known as Early Childhood Advisory
Councils. The state Advisory Councils on Early
childhood Education and Care are required to: conduct
a periodic needs assessment; identify opportunities
for, and barriers to, collaboration and coordination
of early childhood programs and services; develop
recommendations for increasing the overall
participation of children in early childhood programs;
develop recommendations for a unified, statewide early
childhood data collection system; develop
recommendations for a statewide professional
development system; assess the capacity and
effectiveness of 2- and 4- year old public and private
institutions of higher education; and to make
recommendations for improvements to early learning
standards and develop high-quality comprehensive early
learning standards.
Our mission is to promote positive development,
improved health outcomes, and school readiness for
children prenatal through age eight by creating a
culturally responsive, comprehensive, and accessible
service delivery system that links service providers,
empowers families, and engages communities. The AECCC
[Alaska Early Childhood Coordinating] shall support
the creation of a unified, sustainable system of early
care, health, education, and family support for young
children and their families.
Our purpose is to facilitate the integration and
alignment of all of those services, planning efforts,
resources, policy development, and funding as well as
establish connections between health, mental health,
education, and family support systems and public and
private partners. Historically, there have been many
groups working on behalf of young children, throughout
our state and this Council brings together
representatives of those groups to work together in
moving early childhood initiatives forward.
There have been many accomplishments of the Council to
date: met face-to-face four times; established
committees to carry out Council work between meetings;
identified Council priorities; worked to further early
childhood inventory project; and worked on an early
childhood resource directory.
As part of our tasks we have identified some
priorities that we would like to collectively work
toward and work together with the state to move
forward. There [are] seven priorities:
1. Expand early childhood services to 5,000 new
children and families through in home and out of home
services. Action steps identified are: describe what
already exists; determine the number of children on
the waiting lists of existing programs; survey
existing programs' capacity to expand; and create a
communication plan of how we could see that access
increase.
2. Identify methods to increase the pay in early
childhood settings, particularly for those with higher
degrees. Action steps related to this priority
include: gathering and promoting existing models;
identify roadblocks or inhibitions to using existing
resources on pay (such as fuel costs, some permitting
costs, etc.); and consider both pay for programs and
individual early educators.
3. Implement the QRIS (Quality Rating and Improvement
System) plan including an implementation time-line of
activities and funding. Action steps that have been
identified are to establish the AECCC as an advisory
entity for moving the QRIS forward, and create an
implementation timeline.
4. Increase awareness of the Alaska Early Learning
Guidelines (ELGs) by coordinating efforts (public and
private) to include the "universal" early care and
learning workforce (parents, extended family,
community). Action steps that have been identified
for this priority are: promote the creation of a
public awareness campaign; promote alignment between
the ELGs and the K-2 standards; and make the ELGs more
user friendly for parents.
5. Embed "Strengthening Families" protective factors
through systems across the board to include grant
proposals, policies, materials development, and
sustainability of long-term funding efforts. Action
steps around this goal include: establishing a process
for embedding the protective factors in statewide
systems, and promoting the protective factors in the
larger community.
6. Support and promote a local partnerships grant
process to invest in early childhood and family
support. Action steps include: raise awareness of
local partnerships and their role within communities;
expand the partnership network; advocate for a funding
mechanism with training, technical assistance, and
appropriate oversight; and identify the State's role
and responsibilities.
7. Seek to ensure every child will have full access
to well-child exams that follow the Alaska Periodicity
Schedule which is based on the recommendations of the
American Academy of Pediatrics. Action steps include:
raise awareness of the importance and availability of
well-child exams; reduce the barriers to accessibility
of well-child exams; and expand availability of early
health and developmental screenings at local health
fairs and in other community settings.
There have been five active committees working to
support the overall goals of the AECCC, and those
committees are: Program/Policy, a committee of the
whole determines final recommendations; Workforce
Development, is looking at the development of entry
level through PhD, professional development, including
issues around high quality services and compensation;
Family Support, looks at improving outreach and
increasing services available to Alaskan families with
young children beyond existing educational
opportunities; Early Care and Learning, focuses on
learning and development opportunities for young
children; and Health and Mental Health, looks at
issues surrounding general health, oral health, mental
health and behavioral health affecting young children
and their families.
The inventory project has been helpful in identifying
early care and learning services and mapping those
throughout the state. Program types that have been
identified in the Inventory include: Head Start/Early
Head Start; Licensed Child Care Centers, Homes, and
Group Homes; Military Child Care Centers and Homes;
Parents as Teachers; Infant Learning/Early
Intervention; and Pre-elementary programs including:
Pilot Pre-Elementary Programs (AP3), School District
Pre-elementary Programs, and Private Pre-elementary
Programs. The services were identified in the
inventory by: program type, the number and ages of
children served and, when available, capacity.
There have been three phases of the inventory to date:
Early Care and Learning Program Inventory (June 2011)
- 394 communities in 53 school districts across 9
program types; Regional Analysis (Fall/Winter 2011-
2012) - regional numbers and percentages of children
participating in programs by program type as compared
to statewide numbers; and Community Analysis
(Winter/Spring 2011-2012) - numbers and percentages of
children who participate in these programs by
community; distribution by program type of all
children participating in those programs; and the
threshold has been for communities of 2000 or more
comparing enrollment and distribution with the
aggregate and regional and state data.
8:16:43 AM
MS. BERGLUND provided an image of the resources directory,
available online. She said it is an interactive site that
allows parents and community members to access information about
the availability of programs and services in their areas.
Screen icons can be selected, which enable the user to learn
more about an area or specific programs, as well as to make
contact for further information. A strategic report is being
compiled for reporting to the governor and legislature, which
will include: identifying opportunities for, and barriers to,
collaboration and coordination of early childhood programs and
services; provide recommendations for increasing the overall
participation of children in early childhood programs, a
unified, statewide early childhood data collection system, a
statewide professional development system, and developing and
improving high-quality comprehensive early learning standards;
and assess the capacity and effectiveness of public and private
institutions of higher education for preparing an early
childhood workforce. She finished by stating that the council
is using existing needs assessments, as well as the Early Care
and Learning Inventory, to produce the report that is due June
30, 2012.
8:19:00 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA asked what percentage of the council is
comprised of parents and grandparents.
MS. BERGLUND responded that several of the members are parents,
and some are grandparents.
8:21:11 AM
REPRESENTATIVE FEIGE referred to the seven priorities, and asked
if they represent the top seven items being worked on or the
seven main thrusts of the organization.
MS. BERGLUND explained that the seven points are purposefully
broad, and represent service delivery and system wide goals to
work toward.
REPRESENTATIVE FEIGE asked what will be cut from the priority
list, considering the inevitability of future funding cuts.
MS. BERGLUND replied that research demonstrates how investing in
early childhood education, provides a strong return by producing
a responsible member of society. She said she would consider a
means for continued, increased investment in early childhood,
rather than cutting services.
8:24:20 AM
SENATOR DAVIS asked for elaboration on the progress points being
reported. Also, she inquired what the state participation and
financial contributions have been to the progress being made.
CYNDY CURRAN, Director, Division of Teaching and Learning
Support, Department of Education and Early Development (EED),
answered that the state council members are responsible for
their own costs to attend the meetings, and perform. Funding
was available to contract out the inventory project, and
existing department technicians created the on-line accessible
format; on request of the governor. She explained that EED
funding has not been directly impacted.
SENATOR DAVIS inquired about the original funding source.
MS. CURRAN deferred.
8:26:44 AM
PAUL SUGAR, Head Start/Parent Involvement, Teaching and Learning
Support, Department of Education and Early Development (EED),
responded that the funding for the inventory projects was drawn
from the Head Start program, comprised of federal dollars and
some general funds from the state.
8:27:15 AM
SENATOR DAVIS asked about the progress of the rating system and
how close it is to being implemented.
MS. BERGLUND said a draft plan was initially developed and is
currently being revised by an active committee; an
implementation plan and timeline will be included in the
revision.
SENATOR DAVIS noted that expansion calls for an additional 500
youths, children, and families, and queried how many are
currently being served.
MS. BERGLUND responded that the intent of the recommendation was
to identify the current number and track the increases in
services. She said one of the action steps is to complete that
information.
8:28:50 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON referred to priority 4, which is to align
with k-12 standards, and asked whether the council is
considering early childhood education in a strictly academic
sense.
MS. BERGLUND conveyed that early learning guidelines exist for
child development from birth to age five, and then the K-12
standards are in place. The council focuses on child
development from birth to age eight, and aligning these
standards is what is being undertaken, in the academic as well
as social emotional realms.
8:30:18 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON cited the research indicating the need for
sufficient Vitamin D, in the northern climes. Vitamin D has
been identified as an integral supplement to ward off a variety
of health issues, including dental carries. He asked whether
preventive health issues, such as this, are being brought to the
fore.
8:31:18 AM
SHIRLEY PITTZ, Manager, Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems,
Prevention Programs, Office of Children's Services, Department
of Health & Social Services (DHSS), as division manager of a
department that is a co-facilitator of the council, responded
that the need for Vitamin D is not part of the core program.
However, the approach being taken is to cultivate medical home
access for families, which will provide consistent medical care.
She indicated that the health care provider would then be
responsible for promoting preventive medical measures.
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON pointed out that the legislature
unanimously adopted a joint resolution to support health models
for disease prevention. He stressed that the legislative
expectation would be to see the department take active measures
for implementation of applicable models. The intent of the
resolution is for disease prevention to be a state focus, and
not left as a hope that doctors might take up the cause. He
said his office would provide the council with detailed
information on early childhood preventative health topics.
8:33:33 AM
SENATOR STEVENS noted that the councils report will be available
in five months, including the information on a data collection
system. He said this is crucial information, and asked whether
the council is collecting new, or assembling existing data, and
what the data is expected to indicate. Further, he requested
that the information be made available as soon as possible.
MS. CURRAN replied that existing needs assessments are being
assembled for the report, which will provide information on what
is occurring system wide, throughout the state regarding early
childhood; it will paint a broad picture of the initiatives that
are going forward. Data results will be reported to the
governor at the end of the fiscal year, June 30, 2012.
8:35:18 AM
CO-CHAIR THOMAS requested that any ineffective programs be
reported, as well, to allow the legislature to improve
efficiency. Further, he asked that the details of the
priorities reported on today, versus a broad stroke report, be
provided.
CO-CHAIR MEYER underscored the need to identify which programs
are the most effective.
^Presentation: State Intervention in Schools
Presentation: State Intervention in Schools
8:38:26 AM
CO-CHAIR MEYER announced that the final order of business would
be a presentation on State Intervention in Schools.
8:38:40 AM
CHAIR DICK stressed that many schools in Alaska need help to be
in compliance with the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Some
Alaskan schools are in intervention status, and, he reported,
that every district in the nation will be out of compliance by
2014. Citing the importance of high standards and the need for
rigor in the classroom, he opined that uniformly high
expectations can be difficult to attain, and a practical
approach is important. The intervention model currently being
used by Department of Education and Early Development (EED), he
opined, is punitive and needs to become cooperative. With that
in mind, he reported how work was undertaken during the
legislative interim to improve the situation, but without a
satisfactory outcome. Five districts have come under
intervention: Yukon Flats, Lower Yukon, Yukon/Koyukuk,
Northwest Arctic, and Yupiit; the Northwest Arctic and
Yukon/Koyukuk have since been released leaving three involved in
the process. He suggested that it would be impossible to
understand intervention without first understanding the
foundational elements of Alaska's educational system, and the
history of how it has evolved. Integral to the elements that
impact Alaska's intervention model are the history of the
development of Rural Education Attendance Areas (REAA's), the
introduction of NCLB, and the two prominent legal cases Moore,
et al. v. State of Alaska, 3AN-04-9756 CI, (2010), and Kasayulie
v. State of Alaska, 3AN-97-3782 CI, (1999). Indicating the
bullet points, contained in the committee packet handout and
slide presentation, he explained that in 1905 two educational
systems existed: territorial and federal. By 1951, a shift
from the federal, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), system to the
territorial system began, as a result of the Johnson-O'Malley
Act of 1934. The curriculum used in the BIA schools was the
standard used in the Lower 48, and imposed on the rural village
children of Alaska. A system for state operated schools (SOS)
was created in 1971, but only four were in rural settings. This
was also the year that Representative Dick arrived in the
village of Lime. As an example of how things were handled prior
to the REAA system, he described how Lime's first school was
established. Lime had 16 school children, and despite local
pleas, the children were flown each fall to McGrath, where they
were taken into houses and attended school. The system was
difficult on the families involved, having their children away
for an extended time, as well as on the students living away
from their village. Through continued efforts Lime received its
first teacher, a gentleman from California, who was not familiar
with the area or Native culture. An existing 20'X24' building
served as the school house, and doubled as the teacher's
residence. It was outfitted with wooden blocks for furniture
and minimal teaching supplies. Books were gleaned from Stony
River village, not supplied by the state, as there was little or
no infrastructure, or other support, afforded the effort. He
said that the village members considered this an unspoken
message that the school was expected to fail. With failure, the
state could then reinstitute the expedient system of relocating
students to McGrath for the school year; a consolidation of
teaching effort. However, the Lime teacher persevered through
the year, the community did not give-up, and response was
eventually received from the state in the form of a new one room
facility, at a budgeted cost of approximately $170,000.
Following completion of the building, some funds remained, and
the village made a request to have an additional room added, but
the advice was not taken up by the state officials. Instead the
funds were spent on upgraded roofing materials. Although the
village had no design influence regarding the construction, he
recalled that general gratitude for a new structure was evident.
The Lime school funding was authorized, during the transition
year of 1975 under the auspices of the Alaska Unorganized
Borough School District (AUBSD), which operated for one year and
served to usher in the REAA's. Two lawsuits were the impetus
for change. The initial lawsuit, Molly Hootch, et al.,
Plaintiffs, vs. Alaska State Operated School System, et al.,
Defendants (1972), was settled by decree under the follow-up
suit Anna Tobeluk, et al., Plaintiffs, vs. Marshall Lind, et
al., Defendants, (1976). The court required the state to act,
and, in 1976, 21 REAA's were developed. He pointed out that in
1985 the BIA discontinued funding schools in Alaska. This was
also the year that the Yupiit School District came into being
comprised of Akiak, Akiachak, and Tuluksak. The implementation
of the new system brought an element of excitement and
adjustment to the area, as well as positive and negative
changes. New teachers were brought in, new ideas were spawned
with emphasis on teaching students within a familiar frame of
reference, and, he reported, he authored a book at that time,
VILLAGE SCIENCE; an educational reference to assist teachers in
developing curriculum based on a frame of reference relevant to
a students' setting. However, due to the new independence and
autonomy, a level of accountability was lost, and, he opined,
some superintendents took advantage of the new found power;
effectively lording over the newly established school boards.
Initially, the school boards did not have a clear understanding
of function. He said it took about 12 years for the school
boards to become effective as the developers of policy and
procedures, establish mission statements, and to set goals. The
school boards maintain stability within the community,
throughout the upheaval of administrative changes. By 1988 it
was apparent that the school boards could be helped through
training, and with that training they were able to act
appropriately and responsibly. He interjected that 1988 was
also the year that Carl Rose became a figure in Alaskan
education. In 1991, Governor Walter Hickel directed then
Commissioner of Education, Jerry Covey, to develop a plan for
improvement of state schools, and to include content standards.
From slide five, he paraphrased from the language which read
[original punctuation provided]:
During the early years of REAA's, we discovered that
school districts need accountability. During more
recent years, we have also discovered that total
authority cannot be given to DEED. The Department
also needs accountability.
8:49:45 AM
CHAIR DICK summarized the situation, paraphrasing from slide 6,
language which read [original punctuation provided]:
DEED strategies are not working in Yupiit and other
intervention districts.
Test scores have gone down in Yupiit in the past three
years.
The frustration level on the ground is high.
DEED personnel have brought division between the local
administration and teachers.
Teacher turnover is high, so professional development
brings only short term benefit.
Simple requests for cooperation have been ignored.
Judge Gleason in the Moore Case: Called for a trustee
to oversee the workings of the district [and]
insisted, over fifty times, on cooperation and
collaboration.
DEED installed a trustee that has not been able to
work with the district, yet DEED continues to ignore
requests for collaboration and cooperation by the
district.
8:52:05 AM
CHAIR DICK continued paraphrasing, from slide 7, to present the
history of school board relationships [original punctuation
provided]:
Originally, the Alaska State Legislature was the
school board for the REAAs.
In 1975 the Alaska Legislature delegated that
authority to an elected school board of each REAA
district, providing local control and oversight for
local schools.
Each REAA school has an advisory school board that
makes recommendations to the REAA Board.
The State of Alaska has a Board of Education to whom
the Department of Education answers.
8:52:54 AM
CHAIR DICK provided a slide to indicate where the nine State of
Alaska Board of Education members live. The members are
intelligent, concerned, dedicated, and hardworking individuals;
however, he pointed out, not a single member resides in any of
the three intervention districts. He opined that this equates
to a lack of firsthand knowledge and understanding of the
situation.
8:54:10 AM
CHAIR DICK said the inception of NCLB required states to develop
a timeline, establishing how each district would reach
proficiency standards by the year 2014. State education
departments were required to create a method and means to chart
annual yearly progress (AYP) within a district. He stressed,
"The point is, the state got to choose the pathway by which
compliance with proficiency would occur." All the states were
allowed to choose what tests would be administered, define
proficient, and graph the progress achieved. Alaska's students
are administered proficiency tests in grades 3-8, and again in
high school.
8:55:26 AM
CHAIR DICK opined that, although NCLB has positive and negative
aspects, the most important message it carries is "if what [it
is] you're doing isn't working, do something different." He
provided a timeline and description of what occurs when AYP, to
meet NCLB, standards are not met in a district, and included
some observations on the process: Year 1, a notification is
received [by the district] from the department; Year 2, students
are allowed to select and transfer to another school to better
meet individual needs - not a realistic option in Alaska, due to
the rural locale of many schools; Year 3, students can request
that the district provide free tutoring - districts nationwide
have indicated a tutoring request rate of less than 15 percent;
Year 4, corrective action is taken and changes to staff or
curriculum may be required - representing ascending levels of
severity to fix the situation; Year 5, restructuring will occur
and the district must choose from five options, which are: 1)
convert the facility to a charter school, 2) replace the
principal and staff, 3) turn the school over to private
management, 4) turn the school over to the state, or 5) other
restructuring. The Alaskan districts under intervention have
chosen option 5. He reasserted that by the year 2014, no
district in the nation will be in compliance with NCLB, as every
district will have at least one student whose academic
challenges will cause the failure. He said:
There is a real and deep fear in Alaska, even among
some of the best school districts that, as 2014
approaches, the department will use its authority to
intervene and to interfere with the local school
budget.
CHAIR DICK reported that a superintendent, with one of the
highest performing schools, in Alaska, has requested petitioning
for exemption from NCLB to avoid the consequences of state
intervention. Other superintendents have expressed a similar
concern, he said.
8:58:20 AM
CHAIR DICK summarized the previously mentioned lawsuits,
Kasayulie and Moore. Through Kasayulie the court established
that the state's method of funding capital projects for
education violates the education clause and the equal protection
clause of the Alaska State Constitution and Title VI of the
Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964. Kasayulie is about buildings.
He interjected concern for the current school building in
Huslia, which is in desperate need of repair, and avowed that he
would not permit his own child to enter the building. Under
Moore the state was found in violation of the education clause,
failing to identify the schools that are not providing children
a meaningful opportunity and failing to demonstrate a concerted
effort to remedy the situation. Citizens for the Educational
Advancement of Alaska's Children (CEAAC), was the group that
brought this case to light. He emphasized that Moore is about
instruction.
9:00:37 AM
CHAIR DICK referred to slide 12, to highlight the defendant and
plaintiff platforms of the Moore case. He related [original
punctuation provided]:
[The] State said, 'You wanted and got local control,
with the REAA's. Now you want us to fix your
problem?' 'We have spent a tremendous amount of
money, approximately $1 million, on this case, and
that money could have gone to instruction.'
CEAAC said, 'Every child, both urban and rural has a
right to a quality education in preparation for higher
education or a meaningful career of choice. The State
has a role in insuring that teachers are prepared, and
districts receive the support they need to provide
that education.' 'If you had worked with us in the
beginning, we would not have needed a court case.'
CHAIR DICK emphasized that the educational atmosphere has been
highly toxic with emotion and contention; particularly regarding
Moore. Educational issues have gone to court that should have
been settled in-house, and which have caused an undercurrent for
subsequent arguments, he suggested.
9:01:47 AM
CHAIR DICK reported that concern exists regarding the 2010
disbursement of $7 million, appropriated by the legislature for
education. He stated his understanding that, despite three
districts undergoing intervention, over $4 million was reported
to have been returned to the public school fund. Finally, he
said focus has been brought regarding the appointment of a
trustee, Darrel Sanborn, to the Yupiit district. Highly
regarded as an exceptional, experienced educator, Mr. Sanborn
has been identified in the district as the icon of departmental
authority, earns $193,000 annually, and is present in the area
for 10-14 days a month. Chair Dick referred to the Alaska State
System of Support (SSOS) operating manual, available in the
committee packet, and suggested that EED has not followed its
own procedures for intervention, particularly in the Yupiit
district. He reported that, having reviewed the manual, he
posed a number of questions to the department and correspondence
ensued, but did not bring about a satisfactory outcome.
Positive support strategies need to be offered to districts in
need. The SSOS sets forth six domains, which are: curriculum,
assessment, instruction, professional development, leadership,
and a supportive learning environment. These are important
areas to be focused on by the overseers of education, he said.
However, the department does not appear to be following the
manual, and to illustrate the fact he identified ten elements
for EED to consider, which are: 1) alignment of curriculum to
standards, 2) accurate assessment, 3) educational and financial
plans, 4) expertise through coaches, 5) good instructional
techniques, 6) supportive learning environment, 7) parent
involvement, 8) good professional development, 9) visionary
leadership, and 10) instructional strategies that are aligned to
curriculum and address the needs of diverse learners. He
stressed that these points have been identified in order to
generate dialogue, and said:
I'm hoping ... I will be able to demonstrate ... how I
believe the department has not followed its own manual
for the best interest of intervention districts. ...
I'm going to make positive suggestions for action in
intervention districts that must include collaboration
and cooperation. ... I'd love to point out what's
wrong and how to fix it; aligning our mission,
methodology and metric in all of Alaska's schools.
CHAIR DICK praised the dedicated teachers and superintendents,
for the efforts that are being made to bring education to
children in Alaska. He opined that the answer to an effective
education is simplicity. He paraphrased from the final slide,
which read [original punctuation provided]:
Just as tone of voice is important in interpersonal
communication, the "Spirit" in which intervention is
carried out is critical in dealing with school
districts that need help.
9:06:42 AM
CO-CHAIR MEYER indicated that the presentations today will
provide good background for the House and Senate education
committees, as these issues are a focus for the session.
9:07:58 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA harkened to the rich history that the
culture of the Alaska Native holds, how it has spanned centuries
and continues to this day. The Native populations have educated
themselves to endure life in one of the harshest environments on
earth. She underscored that this represents a priceless human
resource to learn from, and draw upon, and reminded the
committee that Alaska does not only offer an abundance of
natural resources.
CHAIR DICK agreed, and said it is important to respect the frame
of reference of the people who are receiving the education. It
is expected that research stands behind an educational approach,
however, when he inquired about research regarding the education
of Alaska's indigenous people, he discovered that apparently
none exists. For 40 years, he maintained, these Alaskans have
been expressing a need, and by addressing that need, and
delivering a relevant education, he opined that there will not
be a need for intervention.
9:10:57 AM
CO-CHAIR MEYER returned the gavel to Chair Dick.
The committee took an at-ease from 9:10 a.m. to 9:12 a.m.
9:12:54 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON referred to slide 14, indicated the
highlighted points, and asked if there was a reason for the
color coding.
CHAIR DICK responded that his intent was to elaborate further on
the highlighted points, had time allowed.
9:14:07 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA reported that on a recent tour of the
Northway School, it was pointed out to her that annual
gatherings of Native teachers, which at one time occurred, are
no longer funded. Gatherings to support, promote, and cultivate
Native teachers is important, she opined. Additionally, along
the Yukon, some of the principals are local, bringing an
understanding of the area that might otherwise be lost. She
stressed the importance of hiring indigenous educators, to fully
serve the rural communities.
9:17:51 AM
CHAIR DICK offered his view that cultural standards of
education, adopted by EED, are primarily treated in an
ornamental, and perhaps optional, manner rather than being
mandatory and incorporated into the daily life of the student.
Further, the rural content coaches are often unable to relate
content to the culture on an integral level and, thus, provide
every student with the relevant education which they deserve.
He reported how brain research now indicates that when a child
receives a fragmented education, and is not able to connect the
fragment to a relevant frame of reference, it becomes an
obstruction to learning. He opined that boulders are being
placed in the road for some Alaskan students, and it happens in
both urban and rural schools. However, instruction can be
brought with relevancy in every subject while maintaining high
educational standards.
9:20:30 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON interjected how it has been said that
education is broken throughout our nation. A problem is
apparent when students arrive at university and are required to
take remedial classes; representing a waste of time and money.
She urged the need for educational reform, and implored the
committee to expect, and be prepared to resist, the pushback
which will arise inherent to the changes that must occur.
9:22:17 AM
CHAIR DICK said that the department is asking the districts to
align the local curriculum with the educational standards, and
rightfully so. However, the standards must first be aligned
with reality, or a relevant education cannot be manifest. If a
student harbors the continuous question of, "what do I need this
for," educational disconnect will continue. The Board of
Education is currently taking testimony on the educational
standards, however, he said, the problem resides in how the
standards were initially derived. He stressed the need to have
the standards vetted by people who are connected to the cultural
realities existing for the students.
9:23:43 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON provided a personal anecdote of having
taken the cultural orientation classes that were offered at one
time. The instruction was focused on how to accept the
different culture that a new teacher entering Alaska must
embrace, rather than direction on how to teach or work with the
culture. She stressed the need for a relevant education that
relates to whatever location a student inhabits; throughout the
grade levels.
9:25:04 AM
CHAIR DICK provided an anecdote to underscore how a fatalistic
aspect entered the Native culture when the great plague of 1919-
1920 swept the state; effectively diminishing the ability to
establish foresight and maintain hope throughout the Native
communities. In order for Native people to succeed, students
must be taught to develop and carry a personal vision for the
future. The best sources for this teaching are the elders of
the communities. When a teacher understands the facets of the
culture, such as this example, he opined, shifts will occur and
significant change will manifest.
9:29:53 AM
The committee took an at-ease from 9:29 a.m. to 9:31 a.m.
9:31:23 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON referred to the inventory project,
mentioned in the overview, and asked if and how the programs are
being compared; by effectiveness and output, or simply a listing
of the different programs occurring across the state.
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA asked whether the council is considering
the cultural issues mentioned by Representative Wilson, and
Chair Dick; is there a way to address this in an early
childhood, or home, setting.
9:33:02 AM
DEE FOSTER, Co-chair, Health and Mental Health Committee, Alaska
Early Childhood Coordinating Council, as a director of a mental
health center that serves children and families, reported that
childhood trauma is tremendous in Alaska. The center serves
approximately 500 severely emotionally disturbed children each
year, and about 75 percent of those are under the age of 12;
many are 5 and under. She said the premise of the council is
that a child is not ready to learn until they are emotionally
stable enough to attend and focus. It is understood that the
family must be involved along with the professionals that
support the child.
9:34:35 AM
SHIRLEY PITTZ, Co-chair, Health and Mental Health Committee,
Alaska Early Childhood Coordinating Council, added that one of
the important aspects of the early childhood programs, such as
Parents as Teacher, Head Start, and Imagination Library, is how
the facilitators work closely with the families to help children
get a good start. She indicated that not all parents choose to
participate in the programs offered.
9:35:26 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON asked whether teachers receive
direction specific to childhood trauma. She provided an example
of how a child who has experienced trauma, based on having a
parent who routinely arrives home and opens the door in a
drunken rage, would find it unsettling, unsafe, and perhaps
display an inability to focus, if seated near the classroom
door. A teacher would need to be aware how to effectively
support a child who has been traumatized.
MS. FOSTER indicated that a network of educational support
exists, as well as a well-funded program, which addresses these
issues and is directed to care providers/teachers to provide an
understanding of how to identify behavior patterns and work with
traumatized children. Further, she underscored how critical
early childhood mental health is to healthy development, and
that it is a specialized field in which a work force is still in
a formative state.
9:38:26 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA agreed that it is important to have mental
health educated professionals available; however, personal
experience is also an important aspect for understanding. She
asked if there is an effort to bring people from the mental
health department into the educational realm.
MS. FOSTER responded that mental health providers are invited
into the schools, and have collaborated in the Anchorage,
schools for about 11 years.
9:40:35 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON queried if there are concerted efforts to
involve technology systems, in relation to childhood mental
health. Given the myriad of technical devices now available,
applications could be provided, and offered in a culturally
relevant manner; including applications for parents.
MS. FOSTER answered that telemedicine now includes mental
health, and is an area that could be expanded in order to serve
more people.
MS. PITTZ explained that one method being used, the Early
Childhood Mental Health Learning Network, provides a monthly
format for otherwise isolated workers to connect with like
professionals, via teleconference, as well as annual
conferences. The Early Childhood Mental Health Institute is
being held in Anchorage, April 11-13, 2012, she said, and
invited committee members to attend.
9:43:41 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON underscored the governor's and legislative
expectation that information is effectively utilized, in a pro-
active manner by the council, to eliminate problems before they
occur.
MS. PITTZ explained that the council is addressing the gamut
from early intervention to prevention. Two programs are
specific to this nature: The Early Childhood Consultation
Project, in which professionals enter ongoing programs to
observe early childhood programs and offer assistance on
creating a nurturing environment as well as commenting on
behaviors displayed; and TACSEI (Technical Assistance Center on
Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children), which trains
early childhood professionals how to develop a nurturing safe
environment and how to recognize behavioral patterns that
indicate a child is at risk and how to intervene appropriately.
These are both small programs that could be expanded, she said.
9:45:40 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON asked if the university incorporates
these aspects into the teacher training programs.
MS. PITTZ responded that the council focuses on early childhood
educators, but the university has embedded the social and
emotional domain into the educational preparation courses.
9:46:57 AM
PAUL SUGAR, Head Start/Parent Involvement, Teaching and Learning
Support, Department of Education and Early Development (EED),
EED, in response to Representative Seaton's earlier question,
said the inventory project is a multi-phase, multi-dimensional,
effort. The project identifies the available programs, and
utilizes the latest census information. It is not intended as a
project that is focused on outcome specific data on children.
The department has worked closely, for some years, with the Head
Start programs. He reported that this year the Head Start
program has agreed to utilize a common tool to assess the four
year olds. It is a nationally developed assessment that can be
applied from birth through kindergarten. The assessment tool
has 38 objectives which cover the 74 specific goals within the
Alaskan early learning guidelines, and meets all the federally
stipulated Head Start requirements; providing full alignment.
Additionally, two thirds of the state pre-K pilot program uses
this tool.
9:49:21 AM
REPRESENTATIVE FEIGE inquired how the inventory information, and
the forthcoming council report, will be disseminated to the
public and decision makers; outside of the legislature.
MR. SUGAR answered that will be via the mapping project, also
referred to as the Early Childhood Resource Directory. A public
promotional event will be developed, and public interaction,
through the website is expected to ensue; unmapped can be added,
services no longer available can be deleted. Additionally,
health related services will be integrated into the same site,
through cooperation with the Department of Health and Social
Services (DHSS).
9:50:53 AM
REPRESENTATIVE FEIGE noted that keeping this type of site up-
dated may be a challenge, given the dynamics of the child care
profession, and he asked what approach will be used to keep the
information current.
MR. SUGAR said it is expected that interaction will occur via
the website where communities can provide information to ensure
accuracy. Currently the data is being maintained through an
existing site manager, at EED.
9:51:49 AM
REPRESENTATIVE FEIGE inquired about early child care licensing
requirements, and suggested that the licensing department would
be a source to assist in maintaining current information.
9:52:43 AM
MR. SUGAR said that child care licensing sources have provided
information for the data base, as have the early intervention
program, some of the military child care programs, and efforts
are being made to connect with tribal child care programs.
9:53:29 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON remarked that reports are being issued
regarding how the benefit of attending a pre-school, and
receiving early socialization skill opportunities, manifests in
a higher probability for employment as an adult. He asked
whether the data will include this type of information, or allow
tracking that will provide data on that type of extended basis.
He said it would be important to understand the employability
that results from early childhood programs.
MR. SUGAR indicated that different types of data are being
collected and, as programs continue, the use of a unique
identifier number, assigned to each participant should allow
further tracking and reporting.
9:56:05 AM
CHAIR DICK announced the upcoming committee meeting.
9:56:41 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Education Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 9:56 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| ED Committees Presentation January 2012.pptx |
SEDC 1/25/2012 8:00:00 AM |
Alaska Early Childhood Education Council |