Legislature(2011 - 2012)BARNES 124
03/09/2011 08:00 AM Senate EDUCATION
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| Adjourn |
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ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
JOINT MEETING
SENATE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
March 9, 2011
8:06 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
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
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
MEMBERS ABSENT
SENATE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
All members present
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
BEST BEGINNINGS PRESENTATION
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
BILL MILLET, President
Scope View Strategic Advantage
Charlotte, North Carolina
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave a presentation on the importance of
early childhood education from a business standpoint.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:06:44 AM
CO-CHAIR JOE THOMAS called the joint meeting of the Senate and
House Education Standing Committees to order at 8:06 a.m.
Present at the call to order were Senators Stevens, French,
Davis, Co-Chair Meyer and Co-Chair Thomas; Representatives
Kawasaki, Feige, Seaton, Pruitt, P. Wilson, and Chair Dick.
Representative Cissna arrived shortly thereafter.
^Best Beginnings Presentation
BEST BEGINNINGS PRESENTATION
8:07:33 AM
CO-CHAIR JOE THOMAS announced that the order of business is to
hear a presentation by Bill Millet on early childhood
development. He explained that Mr. Millet is the founder and
president of Scope View Strategic Advantage which has assisted
private, nonprofit, and public clients in the areas of economic,
organizational, and business development. He has worked with
dozens of partnerships for children in a number of states
throughout the nation, including Alaska.
8:09:04 AM
BILL MILLET, President, Scope View Strategic Advantage, said "I
am not here as a North Carolinian to tell Alaskans how to do
things in Alaska." He explained that he is here to lay out a
business case for quality early education. This case has not
advanced well on a national level because it is focused on a
single component of early education. The New Commission on the
Skills of the American Workforce published a report which begins
that the United States used to have the best educated and most
driven work force. This is no longer true. The report states
that quality early education is one of the best investments that
a nation can make. As a result of the United States' lack in
early education investments, the nation's place of superiority
on a global scale has diminished. Children are too important to
Alaska, the businesses in the state, the nation, and a global
economy to allow them to fail.
He explained that the problem with early education is that in
today's market it is difficult to sell quality early education
by representing it with a single message: "let's do this because
it's the right thing for kids." He noted that this is a critical
part of early education, but it is a "losing hand" when trying
to sell education in today's economic world. He said instead he
will talk about quality education in regards to workforce,
economic, and community development.
The competition is growing and Alaska's children today will be
competing on a global level. The 55,000 children that are under
the age of five in Alaska today need to be developing skills
that will allow them to succeed. He informed the committee that
many countries have more honor students than the US has
students.
He noted that while there are many bad teachers in the U.S.,
there are also a lot of great teachers and they should not be
the focal point of criticism for education in the US Rather, the
blame is one to be shared: by parents and by American society.
The problem lies with children before they start in school. If
this aspect is not fixed, then the education that is offered to
students will be one of "patch and fill."
8:18:34 AM
MR. MILLET recalled an earlier meeting of the House Education
Standing Committee regarding the Alaska Performance Scholarship
Fund, when an individual testified that what happens in the
early years drives what happens in the later years. The parent
component to early education is crucial. He explained that no
part of Best Beginnings is intended to impose government control
on anything. Rather it is to provide opportunities for parents
who want to become better informed on how to raise their kids
and strengthen the quality and affordability of childcare across
the states.
The United States Chamber of Commerce issued a report that
stated there are four pillars of workforce development. The
first pillar is early education and pre-kindergarten. If this
first piece is done correctly then the outcomes are more
successful and less costly to the state and to the nation. He
noted that this report was issued four months ago and is
available online.
He noted that Alaska is a very small part of the nation's
population. He mentioned Robin Li, founder of Baidu (the
"Chinese Google"), who has emphasized the importance of early
childhood education in order to be successful and compete in
today's global economy.
The Business Roundtable includes 120 big name companies that
represent 40 percent of the value on the New York stock
exchange. The Roundtable issued a report that advocates policies
that ensure vigorous economic growth. This report called for
state and federal governments to make high quality early
education a top priority for workforce development and a
stronger economy. The Roundtable embraced five principles which
include:
· Aligning the objectives of early education with K-12, so
that every stage builds on the previous stage.
· Recognizing the value of teachers.
· Recognizing the primacy of parents as their children's
first teachers.
· Embracing accountability for measurable results.
· Building local partnerships to finance, sustain, and
improve the system.
He said Best Beginnings is a combination of these five
principals and has been responsible in bringing this message to
Alaskans and Alaska's legislators.
The Committee for Economic Development also issued a report on
early education, titled The Value of High Quality Preschool
Investments as Economic Tools by Dr. James Heckman. This report
contrasted how wise it is to invest in early education and how
the payoff is frequently better than in state incentive grants.
8:26:58 AM
MR. MILLET emphasized that in order to have an Alaskan workforce
that is driven, motivated, and creative it is important to
remember where this begins. He explained that these qualities do
not begin in middle school or high school, but rather in the
first four years of life. It is during these first four years
that most connections are made in a child's brain. The
environment in which a child grows determines the way their
brain looks and their capabilities as an adult.
He noted Dr. James Heckman also stressed that "the earlier you
invest [in education] the higher the rate of return." He said
that this makes sense; in getting the first part right, all of
the other benefits fall into place. However, the US tends to
invest in the backside rather than the front side. He stressed
that the best investment is on the front side.
He said that the issues with education are not a teacher
problem. It is a culture problem. In regards to education
performance the US is 14th for reading proficiency, 17th for
science proficiency, and 25th for math proficiency out of 34
countries. However, the countries the US is trying to compete
with economically are at the very top.
The business community says that investments begin with early
education. The consequences of not making that investment are
substantial to the United States' place as a world power.
According to the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education,
in ten years only six percent of 9th graders in Alaska will have
a college degree and 38 percent of 9th graders will not have
their high school degree. He stressed that Alaska is blessed
with great natural resources; however, these have been
inherited. Ultimately, what matters is the responsibility Alaska
takes with its human resource.
He explained that it is not a question of American Society in
terms of high school dropout rates. One-third of the students in
American colleges today have to be enrolled in remedial
education. There is a defined societal cost estimated at $2.7
billion which is spent on these programs. He questioned what
would happen if this money was invested up-front instead. The
Education Commission of the States is made up of all 50 states
and includes both democrats and republicans. The commission
defines early education as the start of a trajectory that will
ultimately determine success both educationally and in the
corporate sector. He noted that it is important to recognize
that this issue is non-partisan.
8:37:20 AM
MR. MILLET said that comparing the nation's states to one
another is setting the bar low. He stressed that "we need to be
comparing against countries that are beating us." He referred
the committee to a report issued by The National Governor's
Association. He noted that when he was a child, the rest of the
world aspired to have an education in the US. Today, creativity
rates are declining in the states. He explained that No Child
Left Behind is forcing teachers into a very narrow curriculum
and does not allow for innovation. Other countries are
outperforming the United States when it comes to early childhood
brain development. He reminded the committee that the countries
that succeed going forward will be the ones that are best
prepared to generate ideas and solve creatively.
He introduced the word "obsoledge," which is a contraction of
obsolete and knowledge. He explained that there is implication
in teaching to the test because knowledge changes so quickly and
children need to be able to think and adapt to new knowledge.
He said he is enthusiastic about one of Best Beginnings'
programs, Imagination Library. For those communities that
participate in the program from birth to age 5, parents get one
book a month to read to their child. Alaska is facing many of
the same challenges as other states in the U.S. and every state
has fiscal problems. He said he is tired of hearing that the
education problem is a money problem. He pointed to President
Ronald Reagan's report [A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for
Educational Reform] produced during his first term in office. He
explained that since then distinguished groups of educators and
corporations have generated similar contests.
The ramification of the United States' loss in global
competitiveness over the last ten years is significant. He said
"that's the message that needs to resonate through the hallways
in Washington and Juneau and boardrooms across Alaska and across
the nation."
He explained that while the US does have great postsecondary
schools, 61 percent of students on American campuses receiving
PhDs in sciences and math were foreign nationals. In the past
these individuals have stayed in the US to work after completing
their degree. However, increasingly these individuals are
leaving and becoming part of the economic competition. He said,
from an economic standpoint, the US has no American child to
waste. He gave the analogy of an "educational pipeline" where 38
percent of the children "leak out" before high school
graduation. He said "that's a disaster; equally important, but
unrecognized."
He showed the committee a photo of 80 percent of the Intel
Science Talent Search Winners in the United States. All of the
individuals were first or second generation Americans. He asked
the committee: "where are the rest of us?"
He stressed the importance of parents who are committed to their
child's education and recognize the opportunities that America
gives.
He used the analogy of baseball to explain that a country with
"minor league talent" will not succeed on a "major league
level." He reiterated that this begins with early childhood
education.
8:48:08 AM
On a final point, Mr. Millet said the Mission Readiness
Organization, led by senior retired military leaders, issued a
report that stated: "72 percent of 17- to 24-year-olds do not
meet the basic minimum standards required for military service."
He said that this organization positions quality early education
as a necessary investment to provide not only economic security,
but national security.
He assured the committee that if the best care is not delivered
to young children the United States will not remain competitive
and this care begins during early education.
8:50:11 AM
CO-CHAIR THOMAS said some of the legislators had the opportunity
to visit a Senate committee on outreach and steering in
Washington D.C. The topic that day was education, in which 16
different organizations were represented. He said that almost
all of these organizations pointed towards the importance of
early education. He noted that change is always difficult.
Recently the Senate Education Standing Committee passed a bill
out that would lower the mandatory minimum school age to six and
raise the age to 18. He said he appreciated Mr. Millet's
approach on money for early education that they cannot afford
not to make that investment.
8:52:08 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON said she hoped that Mr. Millet would
have a chance to speak with the House and Senate Finance
Committees. She noted that education in the US has moved away
from teaching personal responsibility. She asked how this fits
in.
MR. MILLET replied that this fits into the parental support
portion of early childhood education. He said that too many
parents think that this is the teacher's job, and it's not. He
reiterated that this is a cultural issue that needs to be
addressed, unfortunately not just at a young level but at an
adult level.
CHAIR DICK said that basketball is great competition within the
villages of Alaska. He said that the competitive spirit is alive
here and it provokes for very healthy competition. He said he
believes that the state has some of the most innovative people
on the planet. He thanked him for his presentation.
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA agreed with Chair Dick. She said the
challenge in Alaska is different. There are parts of the state
that do not have an economic foundation or history that the rest
of the nation does. She explained that there are pieces of
success in the state that few other places have. The challenges
that the nation and the world will face are playing out faster
in the Alaska. The state has the potential of sustainability on
another level which gives people choices that the rest of the
world does not have. She said a presentation is needed that
shows what Alaska can do that will put Alaska's children on the
right page and give them the incentive to succeed.
8:57:38 AM
SENATOR STEVENS asked Mr. Millet what two or three books he
would include for a reading list for Alaska's state legislators.
MR. MILLET replied first is Investing in Kids, whose author is
the director of the Upjohn Institute for Workforce Development.
This book documents, in measurable terms, the payoff from
educational investments. Second, is a book titled The Sandbox
Investment by David Kirp. He explained that there are several
other books that discuss the competitive nature of the US versus
other countries. He added that he will compile a complete
reading list for the committees.
CO-CHAIR THOMAS said that he does not believe there is much
doubt in the education committees' minds of the importance of
early education.
9:01:17 AM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Co-Chair Thomas adjourned the meeting at 9:01 a.m.
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