Legislature(2011 - 2012)BARNES 124
02/08/2012 08:00 AM Senate EDUCATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Board of Regents - University of Alaska | |
| 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
February 8, 2012
8:04 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
SENATE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
Senator Kevin Meyer, Co-Chair
Senator Joe Thomas, Co-Chair
Senator Bettye Davis, Vice Chair
Senator Hollis French
Senator Gary Stevens
MEMBERS ABSENT
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
Representative Scott Kawasaki
SENATE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION: BOARD OF REGENTS - UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA
- HEARD
SUPERINTENDENT PRESENTATION: ALASKA GATEWAY SCHOOL DISTRICT
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
MICHAEL POWERS, Chair
Academic & Student Affairs Committee
Board of Regents
University of Alaska (UA)
Fairbanks, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided a presentation from the UA Board
of Regents.
RICHARD CAULFIELD, Provost and Executive Dean
Career Education,
University of Alaska Southeast (UAS)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Responded to questions, during the joint
education meeting presentation from the UA Board of Regents.
DIANE HIRSHBERG, Associate Professor of Education Policy
Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER)
Board of Regents
University of Alaska (UA)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Responded to questions, during the joint
education meeting presentation from the UA Board of Regents UA.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:04:10 AM
CO-CHAIR KEVIN MEYER called the joint meeting of the House and
Senate Education Standing Committees to order at 8:04 a.m.
Present at the call to order were Representatives Dick, Feige,
P. Wilson, Pruitt, and Seaton, and present from the Senate
Education Standing Committee were Senators Meyer, Davis, Thomas,
French, and Stevens. Representative Cissna arrived while the
meeting was in progress.
^Board of Regents - University of Alaska
Board of Regents - University of Alaska
8:04:56 AM
CO-CHAIR MEYER announced that the first order of business would
be a presentation from the Board of Regents.
8:06:28 AM
MICHAEL POWERS, Chair, Academic & Student Affairs Committee,
Board of Regents, University of Alaska (UA), began with a brief
personal biography, acknowledged the contributors who prepared
the report then provided the overview on behalf of the UA Board
of Regents, paraphrasing from a prepared statement, which read
as follows [original punctuation provided]:
Prepared in accordance with Senate Bill 241 of the
25th legislative Session. A Report to the legislature
on teacher preparation/retention/ and recruitment by
the Board of Regents of the University of Alaska.
Intent is to:
1. Provide a brief overview of the numbers of
teaching education graduates
2. Identify the shortage areas in the Alaskan
teaching workforce
3. Highlight each of U of A's MAU's [major academic
unit(s)] efforts to attract, train, and retain
qualified teachers
Here are some of the relevant numbers you will first
see in the report:
1. In the past 5 years, between 2006 and 2011, U of A
has graduated about 200 new teachers annually
2. On average, half of U of A graduates begin
teaching in AK the fall after graduation, rising to
60% within 3 years
3. U of A graduates made up 12% of new hire teachers
across the state in 2011
4. Number of principals prepared by U of A has
increased substantially with new UAS [University of
Alaska Southeast] educational program
5. Special Education remains a hard-to-fill challenge
area
a. Nevertheless, between 2006 and 2011, the U of A
more than doubled the annual number of special
education graduates, from 29 in 2006 to 68 in 2011
6. Math and certain positions are also hard to fill.
The numbers fluctuate, but - in general- the number of
newly hired math teachers has remained steady over the
past 7 years: 12-15 math teachers are hired annually.
7. Relative to Efforts to Attract - Train - and
Retain qualified teachers:
a. The U of A provides an umbrella of programs and
strategies through:
i. UAA [University of Alaska Anchorage] College of
Education
ii. UAF [University of Alaska Fairbanks] School of
Education
iii. UAS School of Education
iv. AK Teacher Placement System
v. Future Educators of AK program
vi. And the AK Statewide Mentor Project
b. In addition, U of A offers:
i. A variety of college-bridging programs to help
with transition to postsecondary education
ii. Programs are found on both main and branch
campuses
c. As a fairly new regent, I have been struck by the
level of cooperation across all three campuses, and
specifically point to:
i. Teacher Education Plan which the Deans and
Provosts at the three MAUs developed, laying out 4
common goals:
1. Recruit and retain more AK students in Education
2. Increase program access through multiple delivery
methods
3. Enhance Educator Preparation programs in Special
Ed and Math and Science
4. Conduct research to identify causes/solutions for
Ed challenges. I have been very impressed with shared
strategy planning sessions
8. Brief description of some challenging areas
a. Significant efforts have focused on attracting and
prepare AK Native and other diverse populations
Teacher turnover is often cited as a concern,
especially in rural areas
b. Consequently, many districts are forced to recruit
from out-of-state
c. These out-of-state recruits often struggle with
adjusting to their new environment and to address this
challenge:
i. Each MAU has specific outreach efforts
ii. Distance education technologies have been
instrumental
iii. The number of AK Native students has been fairly
steady 8.7% of new teacher graduates are Alaskan
Native, vs. 4.5% of all teachers currently in AK
schools
d. At UAA, the Department of Teaching and Learning is
supporting a cohort of paraprofessionals who want to
become elementary teachers
i. An advisory group made up of College of Education,
College of Arts & Science, Kenai Peninsula College and
educators in the village of Chevak are working to
provide coursework for 15 individuals pursuing AA
[Associate in Arts] and BA [Bachelor of Arts] degrees
ii. Department has established a "concierge" service
to help students navigate the system, same in
healthcare
iii. This program has been funded by a private donor
who wants to see rural expansion in teacher education
efforts
e. UAS has two US Dept of Ed [U.S. Department of
Education] teacher programs for AK Natives
i. PITAAS: Preparing Indigenous Teachers and
Administrators for AK Schools and a
ii. Village Teacher program focused on providing AK
Native teachers in obtaining advanced degrees.
Roughly 20 AK Native Teachers are beginning a Reading
Specialist Masters program this spring.
f. UAF has a variety of outreach efforts to attract,
prepare and retain teachers:
i. All certification and degree programs are offered
through distance education and Faculty continues to
develop additional online course offerings as well as
champion efforts to modernize its IT [information
technology] systems for enhanced connectivity
ii. School of Education maintains a staff advisor
dedicated to rural student needs
iii. On rural visits, faculties meet with school and
community officials to understand and construct
solutions to local needs
iv. School of Education collaborates with Rural
Student Services to assist with special requests
v. School of Education also offers a one-week rural
practicum for Fairbanks-based elementary & secondary
candidates
vi. School of Education recently internally funded a
$12K grant to study teacher retention factors in
Northern AK
vii. School of Education continues to house the AK
Native Teacher Preparation Program grant that provided
financial support to AK Natives in final 3 years of
their programs. Grant is a partnership between UAS
school of Education, AK Native Education Association,
Association of Interior Native Educators, and UAF
College of Rural and Community Development, again,
another clear signal of inter-campus and community
collaboration
8:16:26 AM
The 2012 report also speaks to 5 other Key Efforts to
Attract/Train and Retain [Educators]
1. AK Teacher Placement Service.
a. University established the service in 1978
b. It is a partnership between school districts
across the state and U of A
c. Serves as a statewide clearinghouse to match
interested teachers/principals with positions
throughout AK
d. Responds to thousands of inquiries annually
2. Future Educators of AK Program
a. Statewide collaborations of AK Native K-12
students interested in teaching
b. Partnership among U of A, K-12 school districts
and community organizations such as AK Native
Education Association
c. Funded by the US Dept of Ed since 2005
d. Works with 23 school districts across the state
e. 600 Students are currently enrolled
f. Recently all MAUs approved a 100-level course
transferable across all MAUs
3. AK Statewide Mentor Program
a. An individualized support program for 1st and 2nd
year teachers
b. Focus on the diverse academic and cultural
backgrounds of AK students
c. This Academic year, the program has 24 mentors,
working in 34 school districts
d. Project was recently award a $15M grant by US
Dept of Ed, matched by $1.5M in private donations
4. University of Alaska Outreach and College & Career
Bridging Program
a. Last year U of A conducted a career bridging
survey - 266 programs analyzed related to 1) program
description 2) program organization and location and
3) funding source
b. Findings:
i. 168 Outreach/Bridge programs use U of A general
funds
ii. 82 programs receive federal funding
iii. 68 programs receive state funding
iv. 34 programs receive private funding
v. 72 Programs designed to lead students to a degree
program
vi. 77 programs were considered partnerships,
including dual credit collaborations with school
districts
vii. There are 117 youth outreach programs - not
resulting in a credit but strong public information:
job fairs, college nights, on-campus education
sessions
viii. 24% of the programs focus on STEM (Science,
Technology, Engineering and Math) issues
ix. Roughly 43 programs specifically note the
integration of cultural and indigenous knowledge and
are funded by US Dept of Ed
x. Efforts are underway to better track and measure
the effectiveness of these programs. Core to the
mission of the university
5. A fifth area of general focus related to
attracting, training and retaining teachers relates to
Alternative Certification in AK
a. This is an area which allows teacher candidates
who already hold a BA, to be employed as a teacher
while earning their certificates.
b. As of this past summer, 6 educators had completed
this program, and 23 others were pursing their
certificates
c. UAF has graduated 51 educators using this
alternative certification process.
d. UAA operated a program from 2005 to 2010 and
graduated 21 secondary teachers.
Finally, I will touch on Recommendations for
Educational Policy Research
In summer of 2010, U of A Foundation awarded ISER
(Institute of Social and Economic Research) at U of A
funding to start the Center for AK Education Policy
Research (CAEPR)
CAEPR's mission is to conduct collaborative,
interdisciplinary research and analysis around issues
of:
Educational access
Equity and Excellence in the "AK Context," across
early childhood, primary, secondary, higher and adult
education.
In October this past year, CAEPR set the following
priorities for research in the coming year:
1. Identification of learning readiness models
2. Exploration of system change in education,
especially related to students at-risk.
3. Identification of models for preparing AK Native
teachers and administrators
4. Identification of educator retention models
5. Identification of indigenous language models that
lead to successful learning
8:21:12 AM
With that, I'd like to simply recap the objectives of
the University of Alaska for AK's Schools 2012 report,
conclude my remarks and ask if we can answer questions
you may have:
1. Relative to a brief overview of teaching education
graduates, specifically related to key number
a. U of A tends to graduate 200 Alaskan teachers per
year
b. Alaskan graduates make up 12% of new hires
2. Relative to shortage areas in the Alaskan teaching
workforce
a. Special Education is particularly hard to fill,
but Special Education hiring's have doubled in last 5
years
b. Math and Science difficult to fill, and like most
of Lower 48, will likely continue to be challenging
area.
3. Finally, some of the key programs that highlight U
of A's efforts to attract, train, and retain qualified
teachers include:
AK Teacher Placement Service: 33 year clearing house
effort which responds to thousands of inquiries
annually about teaching opportunities across AK
Future Educators of Alaska Program: 66 AK native
students participating in the program
The Alaska Statewide Mentor Program: Project recently
awarded a $1M grant of US Dept of Ed and an additional
$1.5M private donation to enhance and support teaching
profession in AK
University Outreach and College & Career Bridging
Programs: A 266-program-analysis with special focus
on: 1) college readiness, 2) school district
partnerships and 3) youth outreach and information
The Alternative Certification Programs for those
already holding a degree, and who would like to become
teachers, especially in rural AK
And finally, from a research perspective, a core
feature of the UA mission: U of A's efforts to
attract, train and retain qualified teachers will be
enhanced by acting on the 2010 U of A Foundation award
to establish the Center of Alaska Education Policy
Research
8:24:28 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON referred to the committee handout
titled "University of Alaska" dated February 8, 2012, the page
14 graph titled "Graduates of UA initial teacher preparation
programs by ethnicity, 2006-2011," and noted the downward
fluctuation of Native teacher graduates. Importance has been
placed on training Native teachers who may then return to the
Bush to teach, and asked what plans, or program adjustments, are
being considered to increase this number.
MR. POWERS responded that significant outreach efforts are
expended to attract and develop Native teachers. Strides have
been made through CAEPR (Center for AK Education Policy
Research), the Chevak initiative, and the alternative
certification option, which have made an appreciable difference.
8:27:02 AM
RICHARD CAULFIELD, Provost & Executive Dean, Career Education,
University of Alaska Southeast (UAS), said that the three
previously named programs are focused on recruitment and
retention of Alaska Native teachers. The privately funded
program in Chevak, operating through the University of Alaska
Anchorage (UAA) campus targets paraprofessionals, and, he
opined, these Natives are often the best individuals to have as
teachers in the Bush. The Future Educators of Alaska program is
also an exciting development, as it encourages high school
students to enter the teaching profession; with good response.
Dual credit classes are being offered in some high schools,
which allow students to achieve required high school course
work, while earning credits towards a college degree. Thus,
diligent efforts are being made on the various UA campus sites.
8:29:11 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON requested elaboration on the program
offered in Chevak.
MR. POWERS deferred.
DIANE HIRSHBERG, Associate Professor of Education Policy,
Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER), Board of
Regents, University of Alaska (UA), responded that the program
has just passed the one year mark, it has 15 participants of
mixed ethnicity, and as yet no one has completed the program.
The program is being used as a model and expectations are that
it will be expanded to other districts. She offered to provide
further information to the committee.
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON suggested that it would be good to have
a report included in the summary, in future presentations.
MR. CAUFIELD interjected that other programs are also reaching
out to Native educator prospects, which include: renewal of the
PITAAS (Preparing Indigenous Teachers & Administrators for
Alaska Schools) grant; and the Village Educator program, a new
grant with 20 teachers enrolled who expect to receive a reading
certification.
8:31:39 AM
SENATOR THOMAS reviewed the number of teacher graduates [page 4
graph], and the distribution of the new teachers. The summary
indicates that roughly half take a position right away, and he
asked for an accounting of the placement statistics.
MS. HIRSHBERG said tracking graduates is a collaborative effort
and follow-up is beginning to occur. One contributing factor is
whether the new teacher chooses to remain in a city hub rather
than a rural community. The need is for rural teachers, and if
the choice is made to remain in an urban setting, a new graduate
will find placement difficult. A glut of specialty teachers may
occur in a particular subject area, while a need goes unmet in a
related field; biology versus physics/chemistry. Finally, with
a tight job market in the Lower 48, fewer turnovers occur in
Alaska, and a new graduate may not find a position. Research is
being undertaken to delve into tracking the graduates and gather
data regarding the outcome of the teacher program participants.
SENATOR THOMAS maintained that the numbers are discouraging and
suggested that a counseling aspect could prove worthwhile to
help teacher candidates understand the criteria and parameters
of the teaching training choices.
8:35:47 AM
CHAIR DICK recalled that hiring Native teachers has been an
ongoing issue for decades. He recounted a personal experience
and said that teaching in the Bush can be a non-gratifying
experience. Perhaps, he suggested, meaningful comments could be
solicited from Native teachers who were trained and are leaving
the profession, including his daughter who has taught for 12
years and is now ending her career. A major difficulty is the
time spent by teachers on classroom management and motivation,
perhaps 80 percent, and only 20 percent of the time on actual
instruction. Referring to a pamphlet available to the
committee, titled "Alaska Standards for Culturally Responsible
Schools," published by the Alaska Native Knowledge Network,
University of Alaska Fairbanks, adopted by the Assembly of
Alaska Native Educators, February 3, 1998, reprinted in 2010, he
pointed out that the booklet has existed for fourteen years, and
may contain many answers being asked today. The Alaska State
Seal does not carry a single, token representation of the Native
people, and he opined that there is a price paid when Native
concerns are not incorporated into the educational system. He
then highlighted the following Alaska State Standard for
education, which read:
Comparing contrasting cultural events, ideas,
settings, and influences, in one story of text across
other similar story of text in other cultures.
Example, Puritanism, immigration, and Harlem
renaissance.
CHAIR DICK said that although the premise of the aforementioned
standard sounds good, the example lacks reference to the Alaskan
Native people. He then referred to another standard, which
read:
Determining the meaning of words in context including
connotation and denotation; use of precise or
technical vocabulary content specific vocabulary, like
symbiosis, suffrage, and apartheid, or multiple
meanings. Example: The James Joyce character Stephen
Daedalus is a character and a reference to a Greek
mythological figure.
CHAIR DICK named a number of Native Alaskan mythological
characters and suggested that using them as example characters
rather than using Greek examples would be helpful for engagement
with Native students. He challenged the regent to take such a
tack, and alter the SEE SPOT RUN [DICK AND JANE series]
education of 2012.
MR. POWERS said the report contains seven comments, and about
half relate to sensitivity to Native education, but the points
are well taken.
CO-CHAIR MEYER commented on Representative Dick's experience and
knowledge of education in rural Alaska, and urged the regents to
seek him out as a resource.
8:42:19 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA indicated the need to see the indigenous
people as a resource and primary wealth of the state. She asked
how the research that is being collected about rural Alaska is
being applied to the curricula, particularly in science and
mathematics.
MR. POWERS maintained that attention on tapping local community
knowledge is occurring and said that follow-up will be reported
in 2013. For a response to the science and mathematics
question, he deferred.
MS. HIRSHBERG said efforts are on-going, and funding is one of
the problems. Two websites, Alaskool and the Alaska Native
Knowledge Network, provide comprehensive information for
traditional knowledge and how it is integrated with western
knowledge. Unfortunately neither has funding at this time, but
a few volunteers are still active. Reformatting original
material to allow it to be used with today's devices cannot be
done without financial support; thus, much of the Native
language material is not accessible. Some Native not for profit
organizations have been helpful, in this regard. She listed a
number of current projects and said "things are percolating."
Given the current resources there is not enough in the budget to
fund the faculty necessary to carry out this work.
8:48:36 AM
SENATOR DAVIS commented on the importance of the regent report,
and said that it is not necessary to wait for a full year to
address the legislature again; time will be made for other
meetings. The six year graduation rate needs to be addressed,
as well as course transferability, which are both important
points to consider. The students, who visit the capitol during
session, comment on aspects that are important, such as having
to spend 10-12 hours in remedial courses; it isn't getting any
better. Finally, she asked for information regarding a K-20
program.
MR. CAUFIELD said the level of cooperation and collaboration is
exceptional within the three primary units of the UA systems.
Credit transferability is important, although not yet problem
free. Eliminating this issue is a goal, and streamlining is in
the works, he said.
8:53:15 AM
REPRESENTATIVE FEIGE agreed with the previous statement
regarding the hiring statistics of the graduates. He stressed
the need to track the graduates and provide more useful
information. He suggested more attention be given to where
hiring needs exist in order to steer students into those areas.
MS. HIRSHBERG indicated that data exists on teachers who have
graduated and entered the teaching realm. Information on those
who do not begin teaching in Alaskan schools, is an area that
requires further attention. Further, students may be solid in
their intent to teach in an urban area, and it would be
difficult for these graduates to find a position. The teacher
openings are not necessarily available in the desired locales or
subjects.
MR. CAUFIELD indicated that certain districts look to the UA
system for graduates for new hires, Fairbanks indicates 48
percent, for Juneau it's 40 percent. The interest may have to
do with the relationship that has formed between the university
and the districts, which can be further cultivated to increase
percentages across the state.
8:59:45 AM
SENATOR FRENCH referred to the committee handout and the chart
on page 13, regarding the percentage of teachers working in
Alaskan districts. Fairbanks borough leads the state with 48
percent of new hires being local products. He asked what would
lead Fairbanks to have such a high retention rate. Further, he
asked whether this has had a beneficial effect or not; are the
students receiving a quality education with these teachers.
MR. POWERS suggested that local hires are easier to retain.
MS. HIRSHBERG agreed that outside teachers may bring different
perspectives; however, to stem the turnover rate in rural
Alaska, being from the area is vital. In some villages, unless
you are Native, you may not be able to purchase a home or
property; making it difficult for an outsider to remain for
long. The learning curve for the cultural differences is an
obstacle for many new teachers, if they are not from the area.
Students must have an educational opportunity that prepares them
to choose between an economic and subsistence lifestyle. A
number of years have passed since there has been a systematic
assessment of the difference comparing the effectiveness of
local teacher graduates and outside hires. At one time, an
independent source was used to observe and assess the teachers
comparatively, and the UAA graduates scored highly, being well
versed in the standards for the state. However, she said a
diversity of teachers, bringing a variety of perspectives can be
helpful to students.
SENATOR FRENCH suggested that means be devised to attach a
dollar value to an Alaskan trained teacher, as it may prove
helpful.
9:05:35 AM
CO-CHAIR MEYER adjourned the joint meeting of the House and
Senate Education Standing Committees.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committees, the joint
meeting of the House and Senate Education Standing Committees
was adjourned at 9:06 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| UA Board of Regents Report 2012.pdf |
SEDC 2/8/2012 8:00:00 AM |
UA Board of Regents Annual Report |
| Regents Board Members.pdf |
SEDC 2/8/2012 8:00:00 AM |
UA Board of Regents Members |
| Regents Student Members.pdf |
SEDC 2/8/2012 8:00:00 AM |
UA Board of Regents Student Members |