Legislature(2019 - 2020)CAPITOL 106
05/06/2019 08:30 AM Senate EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
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| Presentation: Alaska's University for Alaska's Schools - Teacher Preparation, Retention, and Recruitment Initiatives at the 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
May 6, 2019
8:30 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
Representative Harriet Drummond, Co-Chair
Representative Andi Story, Co-Chair
Representative Grier Hopkins
Representative Tiffany Zulkosky
Representative Josh Revak
Representative DeLena Johnson
SENATE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
Senator Gary Stevens, Chair
Senator Shelley Hughes, Vice Chair
Senator Mia Costello
MEMBERS ABSENT
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
Representative Chris Tuck
SENATE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
Senator Chris Birch
Senator Tom Begich
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION: ALASKA'S UNIVERSITY FOR ALASKA'S SCHOOLS - TEACHER
PREPARATION~ RETENTION~ AND RECRUITMENT INITIATIVES AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA.
HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
STEVE ATWATER, Ph.D., Executive Dean
Alaska College of Education
University of Alaska Southeast
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Delivered the presentation on Alaska's
University for Alaska's Schools - Teacher Preparation,
Retention, and Recruitment Initiatives at the University of
Alaska (as per AS 14.40.190(b))
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:30:26 AM
CHAIR GARY STEVENS called the joint meeting of the House and
Senate Education Standing Committees to order at 8:30 a.m.
Present at the call to order from the House Education Standing
Committee were Representatives Hopkins, Johnson, Story,
Zulkosky, Revak and Drummond. Present from the Senate Education
Standing Committee were Senator Hughes, Costello and Stevens.
^Presentation: Alaska's University for Alaska's Schools -
Teacher Preparation, Retention, and Recruitment Initiatives at
the University of Alaska.
Presentation: Alaska's University for Alaska's Schools - Teacher
Preparation, Retention, and Recruitment Initiatives at the
University of Alaska.
8:32:03 AM
DR. STEVE ATWATER, Executive Dean, Alaska College of Education,
University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau, Alaska, introduced the
topics of discussion relating to the presentation.
square4 The teaching preparation programs offered at the
University of Alaska (UA)
square4 The Alaska College of Education (AKCOE)
square4 The new recruitment efforts in place at the university
square4 The ongoing improvement of training teachers to teach
reading
square4 The impacts of the University of Anchorage discontinuing
its education program.
DR. ATWATER stated that the pathway to become a teacher in
Alaska is well established. The state is the licensing agency
for becoming a teacher. All pathways require an internship. He
noted one pathway called the post baccalaureate program is where
a student has already earned a bachelor's degree and goes
directly into the workforce before they complete the university
program. The state allows an initial license to be issued when
someone has a bachelor's degree as well as 5 years of experience
in the content area they will be teaching. This pathway helps
fill the vacancies across Alaska's school districts.
8:34:37 AM
CHAIR STEVENS asked how teachers from other states begin
teaching in Alaska.
DR. ATWATER responded that Alaska accepts teaching
certifications from other states. Out of state teachers must
apply and take two courses to qualify for a teaching certificate
in Alaska.
DR. ATWATER continued to explain that there are 19 different
teacher certification pathways available to students at all
three campuses. He reported that the average number of UA
students graduating with a teaching certificate is about 244.
The overall numbers are holding steady. He mentioned that he
would later discuss what was being implemented to improve this.
He pointed out that the number of prepared teachers did not
always equate to the number of teachers entering the workforce.
8:36:44 AM
CHAIR STEVENS asked how many students go through the
certification process but do not go into the workforce.
DR. ATWATER replied that the number varies, ranging as high as
30 percent to as low as 10 percent. He noted there were varying
reasons for a newly prepared teacher to not enter the workforce.
Students might wait a year or two before going to work or they
may choose to teach out of state.
DR. ATWATER stated that most of Alaska's teachers were certified
out of state, making Alaska dependent upon these teachers. He
said around 42 percent of the teachers in Alaska were prepared
by UA and the goal is to see this number increase. He emphasized
that teachers prepared by UA remain teaching in Alaska longer
than those prepared out of state.
8:38:28 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY noted that many other programs aid students in
finding a job in the workforce upon graduating. Even though it
was not the university's role to place students in a job, she
asked why recent graduates were not placed in the many vacant
jobs within Alaska's school districts.
DR. ATWATER answered that through the program, Alaska Teacher
Placement, the university plays a significant role in placing
graduates into the workforce. When a student does their
internship, the relationships they forge with the principals and
school districts can often lead to immediate employment. He
noted an intern who completes their student teaching in one
district but wants a job in another district, has an easier time
in Alaska because school districts have stronger relationships
with each other, compared to other states.
8:40:52 AM
CHAIR STEVENS asked how interns were assigned to communities.
DR. ATWATER replied that he would discuss the distribution of
interns later in the presentation.
DR. ATWATER referenced a graph that shows the number of
unduplicated jobs compared to the number of UA teacher graduates
for 2013 to 2017. He explained that an unduplicated job is a
single position, whereas a duplicated job is two positions (such
as health and P.E.) being taught by one person. The chart shows
that in 2017 there were 500 people hired in unduplicated jobs
and the number of UA teacher graduates hired was about 240. He
said the key is to increase the number of UA graduates to meet
the number of unduplicated jobs.
DR. ATWATER mentioned that the state performs a vacancy rate
survey at the beginning of every year. The vacancy rate in
Alaska is the highest it has ever been and continues to be a
challenge across school districts. He noted that a recent study
shows a tension exists between the number of employed teachers
across the country and the number of newly prepared teachers.
The study found about 16 percent of teachers were leaving the
profession while only 10 percent were entering the profession.
He said this tension is felt greatly in Alaska because Alaska is
dependent upon teachers prepared out of state. Therefore,
Alaskan schools are struggling to fill the vacancies, especially
in rural Alaska.
DR. ATWATER pointed out that UA has responded to the vacancy
issue in four major ways.
square4 The creation of the Alaska College of Education a year
ago
square4 An emphasis on recruitment efforts due to a higher need
within the profession
square4 A focus on adequately preparing teachers to enter the
workforce
square4 Supporting teacher retention
DR. ATWATER said the Board of Regents voted in 2018 to create
the Alaska College of Education to act as a single point of
contact. This was done to enhance collaboration and coordination
between the separate units of Anchorage, Fairbanks, and
Southeast. The level of coordination was never what it could
have been when operating as three separate units. He mentioned
that the college produces a tighter alignment between the
university and the K-12 system because it creates a single
connection for the entire state. He stated that as the Executive
Dean, he would help build and strengthen the college's
relationship with all the K-12 school districts.
8:48:30 AM
DR. ATWATER noted that there are still three separate units
within the university. He mentioned that he has traditional
oversight of the University of Southeast in Juneau, but he also
oversees the coordination of the system level activity to assess
and make improvements.
8:49:12 AM
CHAIR STEVENS mentioned that he misunderstood the new
reorganization. He said he thought all the units would be under
the traditional oversight of Dr. Atwater. He asked why this
changed and if the university would move back to a more
traditional oversight system.
DR. ATWATER clarified that the Board of Regents intended for the
College of Education to move to a single system like the UAA
nursing program but once the decision was made, the board looked
at accreditation from the university's standpoint and found that
each university needs to have its own accreditation. The
accrediting body, the Northwest Commission of Colleges and
Universities (NWCCU), determined that the model presented would
be doable but would take years to put into place. NWCCU
recommended taking the time to reorganize or risk jeopardizing
accreditation by trying to place all education students at UAS.
He noted that Senator Stevens was correct because the intent of
the Board of Regents was to have a single unit, with all faculty
employed by that unit and all students graduating from that
unit. Dr. Atwater said he was unsure if the board still had
plans to move in that direction in the future. He noted the
discontinuation of the education program at UAA this year leaves
only the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) and the University
of Fairbanks (UAF). He said this was a complicated conversation
that he would not expand on.
8:51:21 AM
SENATOR HUGHES asked if he was having conversations with the
Board of Regents regarding going to one accreditation model over
the next few years and if he supported it.
DR. ATWATER stated that he was unsure of what the Board of
Regents had planned. He offered his belief that greater
collaboration of the system would be beneficial. However, he
would defer the question to President Johnson.
SENATOR HUGHES asked Chair Stevens if it was possible to hear
from the president of university on this subject, especially
since there has been loss of accreditation at UAA.
8:52:52 AM
CHAIR STEVENS answered that Dr. Atwater was hired under the
assumption that he would provide the traditional oversight for
the entire system. However, current circumstances seem to have
made things less organized. He stated that the university would
be contacted to hold a future discussion concerning the
university's accreditation model.
8:53:14 AM
DR. ATWATER explained the main roles of the Alaska College of
Education:
square4 Provides traditional teacher preparation programs
square4 Coordinates the budget of the three separate units
square4 Preforms the statewide function of managing and analyzing
the education data
square4 Leads in the recruitment process
DR. ATWATER stated that the Department of Education and Early
Development (DEED) was now using the college as the single point
of contact. He said he was engaged with K-12 on a new level to
help maintain and build a stronger relationship. He mentioned
that the system may not look the way the board intended, but
changes have been made to create a more efficient system
regarding external relationships.
DR. ATWATER expanded on the teacher recruitment and placement
issues, noting that the national program called Educators Rising
is in half of the school districts in Alaska. The university
established a four-course career pathway that was designed to
steer high school students towards the teaching profession. He
noted Educators Rising is funded by the university.
8:55:44 AM
CHAIR STEVENS mentioned that Senator Hoffman put $850,000 in the
budget for Educators Rising. He asked Dr. Atwater to expand on
how the organization works, how many schools were involved, and
how the money would be used.
8:56:15 AM
DR. ATWATER answered that the money would be used to create
curriculum for middle schools to establish a 6-12 pathway, not
just a 9-12 pathway. It would also be used to support districts
in offering career technical events that bring students together
to compete with one another on a variety of issues. He said some
students go on to compete at the national level. Currently, 26
school districts participate in Educators Rising across Alaska.
He stated that his hope was for this program to nurture students
to want to enter the teaching profession.
8:58:04 AM
CHAIR STEVENS asked if Future Teachers of America was a similar
organization to Educators Rising.
DR. ATWATER replied that a program called Future Educators of
Alaska existed for years but had poor returns in creating new
teachers. It was primarily an after-school activity that lacked
depth. He noted that Educators Rising was structured so the
students make the decision to take the career pathway courses in
teaching. The difference is that students and teachers are more
invested in the program, he said.
8:59:30 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS asked how long Educators Rising had been
in existence and if any data supported its effectiveness. He
asked how many of the students in the program go into the UA
School of Education.
DR. ATWATER replied that Educators Rising was implemented just
two years ago, so the data is not significant enough to draw a
complete conclusion. The program is being monitored closely. He
said he hoped that within a few years, a substantial number of
student teachers would be former students who completed
Educators Rising courses.
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS asked how the College of Education
coordinates with the K-12 outreach office regarding Educators
Rising.
DR. ATWATER responded that there has been frequent contact and
collaboration between the K-12 outreach office and the
university. He noted that the money that comes from the
university to support the Educators Rising program comes with
his blessing.
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS asked if the K-12 outreach office was
under the College of Education or if it was a statewide
function.
DR. ATWATER replied that the K-12 outreach office belongs to the
University of Alaska Fairbanks. The employees there are employed
by UAF, but they perform a state-level function.
9:01:53 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY asked if the Educators Rising curriculum was a
dual credit class or an elective offered as cohesive courses
building upon one another.
DR. ATWATER responded Educators Rising was not a dual credit
class; however, there was interest in making it dual credit. He
offered his belief that the most important dual credit classes a
student can take are GERs in math and English. He noted that the
Educator Rising courses can be taken out of sequence, but they
are designed to be taken in sequence.
CO-CHAIR STORY asked if Educators Rising was a two-year program.
DR. ATWATER responded yes; each course lasts a semester.
9:03:26 AM
DR. ATWATER continued to discuss how the university works with
school districts to help paraprofessionals become teachers. He
said paraprofessionals are in the schools so they understand the
community and can be one of the most constant pieces within a
school district. UAF and UAS work with paraprofessionals to help
them earn their teaching certificates. He described it as a slow
process. UAF has just two to three paraprofessionals graduate as
a certified teacher each year because they are only able to take
one or two courses per semester. He noted it was beneficial to
have local communities invest in local people who will go
directly into the workforce.
9:04:31 AM
CHAIR STEVENS commented that the problem for many
paraprofessionals is the time commitment to become a teacher. He
asked how the process could be expedited for paraprofessionals.
DR. ATWATER replied that lower Kuskokwim's model was the way to
do it. Their model recognizes paraprofessionals who are far
enough along in acquiring their teaching credentials and pays
them a full salary during their internship. However, this would
be a difficult model to emulate in all districts due to funding,
he said.
9:05:49 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY commented that she met with a
paraprofessional educator in lower Kuskokwim who was currently
moving through the certification process. She said she agrees
that the process does not produce a high volume of teachers, but
it is absolutely a worthwhile investment. These
paraprofessionals are highly invested, knowledgeable and
compassionate and they are an inspiration to see.
9:06:55 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY said she imagines that long-standing
paraprofessionals have developed expertise in behavior
management, which is an important skill to be an effective
teacher. She said she wonders if the university has considered a
competency test for academic knowledge and behavior management,
so students who display a certain level of knowledge can move
through the program faster.
DR. ATWATER responded that there is a constant push to use prior
knowledge or proficiency, so students don't need to take a
course if they are already qualified. The university allows up
to 25 percent of a degree to be earned this way. He said he was
unaware if this was being done within the education classes, but
there is no reason it couldn't be done that way if a student
were to petition.
9:08:20 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND asked how paraprofessionals in the Lower
Kuskokwim School District take college courses without leaving
their home communities.
DR. ATWATER responded that most paraprofessionals take distance
courses. Every May UAF brings a group of students to Bethel to
complete one or two courses in an intensive two-week period.
Also, some travel to the Fairbanks campus to attend classes in
the summertime.
9:09:06 AM
CHAIR STEVENS mentioned that it would be beneficial to hear from
the Lower Kuskokwim School District next year regarding their
progress in helping paraprofessionals become certified teachers.
He said this could help lawmakers understand how to emulate this
model in other districts.
DR. ATWATER responded that the university is seeking
paraprofessionals because they are local people, taking local
jobs which aids in teacher retention.
DR. ATWATER stated that his last point related to recruitment is
the statewide issue of raising the social esteem of the teaching
profession. He highlighted that the social esteem of a teacher
in Finland is much higher than in Alaska. The university is
calling on everyone to help make the teaching profession more
attractive socially, so more young people are drawn to it, he
said.
9:10:26 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY pointed out that this was the beginning of
national teacher appreciation week. She offered her belief that
teachers are unsung heroes. As policy makers, it is important to
ensure education is adequately funded, she said.
9:11:28 AM
DR. ATWATER explained that Alaska-prepared teachers are more
likely to stay in the state and teach longer than someone from
an outside university. A key piece emphasized to new Alaska-
prepared teachers is the implementation of local/place-based
curricula. He noted that place-based education resonates with
students on a level a textbook cannot. He gave an example of how
to teach density to students in a local context. He said UA
works alongside K-12 to ensure teachers are prepared to work in
the K-12 environment. The internship experience is better
preparing teachers due to improvements in supervision and
evaluating interns. He also noted that Alaska-prepared teachers
are learning how to work in multi-grade classrooms.
9:14:15 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY mentioned how critical the improved relationship
is between K-12 and the university to help drive improvement
efforts. She asked if teachers were trained in the assessment
tools districts use and if the university was familiarizing its
students with curricula used most throughout the state.
DR. ATWATER replied it would be a difficult task for the
university to expose and train teachers in specific programs
because they vary significantly across the state. The university
prepares students to use programs and then they are exposed to
specific programs during their internship. He continued to say
that the university provides courses to prepare teachers to use
MAP assessments in their classrooms. (Measures of Academic
Progress for student growth in math and reading) He said K-12
tends to have an unfair expectation that new teachers should
know exactly what a specific school district teaches. This is
difficult when there is such a large variation in curricula in
districts across the state.
CO-CHAIR STORY asked if the development of a closer relationship
between K-12 and the university was helping to ensure teachers
are better equipped to teach the widespread curricula across
Alaska.
DR. ATWATER responded that teachers are being trained to
understand and apply the larger concepts. He said a certain
reading program needs to be sufficiently broad or it would be
wrong for the university to embrace it.
DR. ATWATER discussed the accreditation process the university
is required to go through. He explained that the new process
bases accreditation on quality assurance that is comprehensive
across the entire Education unit. He emphasized that the
university has been in a constant state of improvement driven by
quality assurance systems. An example was the recognition that
graduates were struggling to teach students who do not speak
English as their first language. In response, UA faculty has
started to consider whether to make English Language Learner
(ELL) courses a part of the education program or to offer them
separately. He said that this level of full unit coordination
has been positive in facilitating improvement.
9:20:15 AM
DR. ATWATER stated that the university offers a Rural Practicum
which gives students who are doing their internships in urban
districts the opportunity to teach/work for two weeks in rural
Alaska.
DR. ATWATER explained that improvement was monitored by the
university through regular feedback from K-12. He said
principals receive surveys to assess a new teacher. The Council
for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) asked the
university to perform the difficult task of determining the
impact new teachers have on their student's ability to learn.
DR. ATWATER discussed the issue of retention and the number of
nontenured teachers within Alaska school districts. He said that
tenure is earned on the first day of a teacher's fourth year
working in a school district. The data shows that teacher
turnover is high, so recruitment is an ongoing issue.
9:24:13 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY asked how the different teacher
preparation programs correlate to the teacher retention rate in
Alaska.
DR. ATWATER said he didn't know but he suspects that teachers in
the post baccalaureate program would most likely have a higher
retention rate because they are probably more invested in the
career process.
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY said that if/when the university
performs an analysis of the rates by program, she would love to
see the data.
9:25:45 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND asked if an untenured teacher moves to another
district would they have to start the tenure process all over
again.
DR. ATWATER answered that is correct. He explained that if a
tenured teacher transfers to a new district, then tenure would
resume after one year of teaching in the new district.
9:26:33 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS commented that teacher retention and
tenure are not connected to a teacher's performance. The
decision to tenure is made for many different reasons. He
offered his belief that it has been a problem to have a
performance-based evaluation of new teachers because sometimes
it can take three years to become a skilled educator. He added
that tenure does not prevent a teacher from being terminated.
After tenure has been achieved, then an evaluation on the
quality of the teacher's instruction should be based on
performance, he said. He opined that providing more mentoring
programs for new teachers during their first three years of
teaching would offer them more stability.
9:28:31 AM
DR. ATWATER commented that supporting teachers in the field is a
K-12 function; it is not a university function. However, the
university does offer support through the Alaska Statewide
Mentoring Project. He said the university currently works with
158 new teachers in 21 school districts. The university
recognizes the importance of having consistent well-trained
teachers for students. He noted that high turnover rates
negatively impact student achievement.
DR. ATWATER discussed that students in the education program are
taught to teach reading but not a specific reading program.
Graduates are prepared to identify and assess a student's
reading ability or learning disability. He noted that courses
have been expanded to include the element of dyslexia to ensure
teachers are equipped to recognize, respond, and restructure
their instruction accordingly.
9:31:08 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND commented that in taskforce meetings she
learned that Alaska tends to hire new teachers from eight
education schools in the country. However, only two of those
schools teach their graduates the science of reading the way
Alaska schools do to handle dyslexia and other reading
disabilities. She stated she was happy to hear that Alaska
teachers are learning the science of reading, not a specific
curriculum.
9:32:14 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY asked how the University of Alaska would describe
the science of reading.
DR. ATWATER responded that the required Foundation of Literacy
courses teach graduates the five components of the science of
reading. He noted that it is essential that new teachers are
prepared to instruct reading in a variety of ways because
children do not learn reading skills or progress in literacy in
the same way. He said it is important to note that when a new
teacher enters a specific school district, they are taught how
to teach and implement the specific reading program in that
district.
DR. ATWATER followed up on Representative Drummond's comment. He
said the taskforce brought the university together as a unit to
analyze how reading is being taught. He offered his belief that
the outcome has been positive.
DR. ATWATER turned to the increasingly prevalent issue of
preparing teachers to work with students who have experienced
trauma. He said teachers on the External Advisory Committee
report that three to four students in a classroom are exhibiting
symptoms of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) as opposed to
one or two in the past. He said this is the new reality and it
leads to the question of whether there is a need for more
behavioral health support systems in schools. He opined that
merging pathways of the College of Health and the College of
Education at UA could help meet the needs of many students.
DR. ATWATER concluded that on April 8, 2019 the Board of Regents
decided to discontinue the seven education licensure programs at
UAA. On September 1, UAF and UAS assumed responsibility for
those programs. He said this was a complicated transition and
the university has been making sure students have opportunities
to cross the system, as they did before. He said there would be
an education presence on the UAA campus to offer services to
students during the reorganization.
9:38:56 AM
CHAIR STEVENS asked if the UAA faculty would work for UAF or
UAS, and he questioned how the students would be impacted.
DR. ATWATER replied that UAF and UAS would employ Anchorage-
based faculty offering face-to-face, online, and hybrid courses.
The goal is to replicate the experience students have now in
Anchorage but with faculty who are employed by the other two
universities. He said it would be comparable to the nursing
program. Students would go through UAA but earn a degree through
UAF or UAS.
CHAIR STEVENS inquired if the quality of the faculty led to the
loss of accreditation in Anchorage or if it was based on other
issues.
DR. ATWATER answered that the loss of accreditation was
primarily due to the lack of a quality assurance system. The
Anchorage unit was evaluated and rated on the overall system,
not the quality of the faculty.
CHAIR STEVENS commented that this all came at a time when the
legislature was considering the substantial decreases in the
governor's budget. He said the accreditation process is
expensive, but it seems problematic for the largest campus to
not have accreditation. He asked if the Board of Regents plans
to reaccredit UAA again in the future.
DR. ATWATER offered his belief that reaccreditation is not the
current goal but rather to establish the other two units'
programs in place. He said he was not prepared to comment
further.
9:41:47 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND said it was her understanding that the
Anchorage unit was the only one that offered early childhood
training. She asked if that training was still in place at UAA
and if it was offered through the UAF and UAS systems.
DR. ATWATER answered that the Bachelor of Arts in Early
Childhood will no longer exist after September 1, 2019. To
secure a license to teach in early childhood, a minor in Early
Childhood and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education
is required. This pathway exists through the Department of
Education where a license to teach Early Childhood is issued. He
mentioned that the university may consider reestablishing the
Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood, but not next year. He noted
that there was still a clear pathway through UAF for students to
obtain the Early Childhood endorsement on top of a teaching
license.
9:43:26 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY referred to the appendix on pages 15-17, relating
to the different programs. She asked if the charts have been
updated since changes were made at UAA.
DR. ATWATER responded that the charts have not been updated so
the current information regarding the changes made to the system
is lacking.
DR. ATWATER thanked the committee for inviting him to speak. He
mentioned, on behalf of the Regents, that the university has two
workforce priorities, one in the area of health and the other in
teacher education. He noted that even though there were budget
challenges, the university would continue to support teacher
education as a top priority. The goal is to decrease teacher
turnover rates and raise the social esteem of the teaching
profession.
9:45:52 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY mentioned that there was an excellent report from
the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) that has
suggestions for teacher retention outside of salaries and
benefits. She referenced page 24 that shows the total number of
interns is 197 and that 20 were placed in the spring. She asked
if those interns were ready to enter the workforce.
DR. ATWATER replied yes; they were students that graduated
yesterday.
CO-CHAIR STORY asked how many of those graduates were looking
for jobs.
DR. ATWATER responded that those students are eligible to
receive a license to teach, but whether they pursue a job varies
based on the individual.
CO-CHAIR STORY asked if the university, through the Alaska
Teacher Placement Program, was helping place students in the
empty teaching positions across the state.
DR. ATWATER answered absolutely; the university supports
students in finding a job which does help fill vacant positions.
Alaska Teacher Placement is a service for K-12, allowing
districts to post their vacancies and teachers to post their
resumes.
CO-CHAIR STORY asked if Alaska Teacher Placement was doing
surveys on why students are not going into the workforce after
graduation. She offered her belief that this would be good
information to have.
DR. ATWATER answered that doing the surveys is the university's
function. He stated that there are complicated and varying
reasons why students choose not to go into the workforce right
away. Nevertheless, the university does everything it can to
help new teachers obtain their first job.
9:48:52 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS mentioned that before the budget was
released this year, President Johnson mentioned the need for a
$1.3 million increase to recruit nurses and teachers. He asked
how the increase in funding would have been used for programs at
the College of Education and how it would have aided in teacher
retention.
DR. ATWATER replied that he was unaware of the specificity of
funding, but he knew some of the funding would have gone to
Educators Rising, to recruit teachers in rural Alaska, and to
help Native Alaskans become teachers in their local communities.
He noted that the funding also would have gone to expand program
activity overall.
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS commented that the narrative was that the
Alaska College of Education works with the Alaska Native
Regional Corporations and nonprofits. He asked for an
explanation of the relationship the college has with those
corporations.
DR. ATWATER responded that all the Alaska Native corporations
have a scholarship or education support component. Even though
it was unclear if the corporations would dedicate more
scholarship funds to support teachers, the university hopes the
corporations recognize the value and importance of the teaching
profession in their area and supports these scholarships.
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS asked if his efforts had been successful.
DR. ATWATER answered that he has received good feedback, but he
has not heard the outcome.
9:52:01 AM
SENATOR HUGHES mentioned that the Board of Regents adopted a
goal that by 2025, 90 percent of the teachers in Alaska would be
UA graduates. She asked if he was primarily in charge of that
and if the goal has been adjusted due to the changes made at
UAA.
DR. ATWATER replied that the goal is a stretch due to current
circumstances and the fact that employing teachers is not a
university function. The university's goal is to prepare
teachers. He noted that a more accurate metric would be the
number of teachers the university prepared. He said the 90
percent goal still exists and there is a lot of work to do to
achieve it by 2025.
9:53:29 AM
CHAIR STEVENS commented that the committee would like to hear
from the Board of Regents and the President of the University
this interim to discuss the issues concerning the direction of
the Alaska College of Education and the accreditation process of
the University of Anchorage.
9:54:21 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND noted the House Education Standing Committee
would meet on Wednesday, May 8, 2019 at 8:00 a.m.
9:54:45 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committees, Chair
Stevens adjourned the joint meeting of the Senate and House
Education Standing Committees at 9:55 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| SEDC_UnivAK_BiAnnual Report_TeacherPrep_06May2019.pdf |
SEDC 5/6/2019 8:30:00 AM |
University of Alaska BiAnnual Report on Teacher Training |