Legislature(2007 - 2008)Anch LIO Conf Rm
10/09/2008 01:00 PM Senate HEALTH, EDUCATION & SOCIAL SERVICES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| P-16 Councils | |
| Dropout Prevention | |
| 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
SENATE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES STANDING COMMITTEE
SENATE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
HOUSE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES STANDING COMMITTEE
October 9, 2008
1:11 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
SENATE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES
Senator Bettye Davis, Chair
Senator Joe Thomas, Vice Chair - via teleconference
Senator Kim Elton
SENATE EDUCATION
Senator Charlie Huggins, Vice Chair
Senator Kim Elton
Senator Bettye Davis
Senator Fred Dyson - via teleconference
Senator Donald Olson
HOUSE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES
Representative Peggy Wilson
Representative Berta Gardner
Representative Wes Keller
Representative Anna Fairclough
Representative Sharon Cissna
MEMBERS ABSENT
SENATE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES
Senator John Cowdery
SENATE EDUCATION
Senator Gary Stevens, Chair
Senator Gary Wilken
HOUSE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES
Representative Bob Roses, Vice Chair
Representative Paul Seaton
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
Jennifer Dounay, Senior Researcher, Education Commission of the
States - Briefing on P-16 councils across the U.S. and dropout
prevention.
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record.
WITNESS REGISTER
JENNIFER DOUNAY, Senior Researcher
Education Commission of the States (ECS)
Denver, CO
POSITION STATEMENT: Briefed the committee on P-16 councils and
dropout prevention.
DON SHACKLEFORD
Avant-Garde Learning Foundation
Anchorage, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Described the Alignment Study that looks at
the apparent gap between high school graduation and college
entrance and high school graduation and the workforce.
LARRY LEDOUX, Commissioner
Department of Education and Early Development (DEED)
Juneau, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Spoke about the upcoming educational summit
and plans to improve education.
PAUL D KENDALL, representing himself
Anchorage, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented his concern about energy.
KAREN MARTINSON, Director
SE Alaska Career Center
Sitka, AK,
POSITION STATEMENT: Asked about the impact of career and
technical education as a dropout prevention strategy.
PAULA PAWLOWSKI, Legislative Chair
Alaska PTA
Anchorage, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented information on PTAs and parental
involvement.
ANDY ROGERS, CEO
PangoMedia Inc.
Legislative Affairs Committee
State Chamber of Commerce
POSITION STATEMENT: Expressed the business community's interest
in working with the state to produce graduates who are ready for
the workplace.
ACTION NARRATIVE
CHAIR BETTYE DAVIS called the joint meeting of the Senate
Health, Education and Social Services Standing Committee and the
Senate Special Committee on Education and the House Health,
Education and Social Services Standing Committee to order at
1:11:54 PM. Present at the call to order were Senators Donald
Olson, Kim Elton, Joe Thomas - via teleconference, and Bettye
Davis and Representatives Berta Gardner Peggy Wilson and Wes
Keller - via teleconference.
^P-16 Councils
CHAIR DAVIS advised those wishing to participate that the
teleconference number is 888-295-4546. She recognized that there
were Anchorage School Board members in the audience and
introduced Jennifer Dounay from Denver.
1:15:13 PM
JENNIFER DOUNAY, Education Commission of the States (ECS),
Denver, CO, explained that ECS is a 50-state nonpartisan
education organization established in 1965. Its primary
constituents are all levels of state policy makers: governors
and staff, legislators and staff, state board members,
superintendants and higher education leaders of all types.
She said she is using the term P-16 because the majority of
states that have a council use this term; it refers to preschool
or pre-kindergarten to school year 16, which is the fourth year
of an undergraduate degree. Other states have created P-20
councils, which is considered to be undergraduate plus the first
professional or doctoral degree.
MS. DOUNAY continued; as of 2008, 38 states have created a P-16
or P-20/K-20 council. It goes beyond just the establishment of a
council however; it includes data systems. Many places are
trying to align the K-12 and post-secondary data systems so they
can track what happens to students once they graduate from high
school. The councils are also talking about funding mechanisms.
Traditionally, K-12 and post-secondary both lobby the
legislature or other sources for the same pot of money and it
can create some friction between the systems. There is also talk
about ways of thinking about education; not separating
kindergarten or early learning from the rest of the system, not
thinking about school ending at grade 12, but an aligned system
from preschool through advanced education. She pointed out that
in many cases, parents, students and the general public has no
idea that there are three different systems operating in
isolation from one another; so getting that word out to the
public can help to generate support. Last, they are talking
about decision-making through the executive office, the
legislature, state boards and other policy-making bodies in the
state, so everyone is on the same page and can collaborate
rather than compete.
1:18:57 PM
MS. DOUNAY said there are two or three ways of looking at the
need for P-16. Parents do what they can for their children: get
them into a pre-kindergarten, get them into a good school and
encourage them to consider college; but in each of those
different sectors, despite doing all of the right things, their
children may not be ready for the next level. The preschool
program may be totally misaligned with what a child needs to
know when he or she enters kindergarten or first grade. A child
entering middle school may find a completely different agenda
and curriculum from what he or she had in the elementary grades.
A child entering high school may not have been taught what he or
th
she needs to learn to succeed in 9 grade and beyond; and the
high school graduation requirements are completely disassociated
from the courses and assessments that a child needs to be
successful in a college program. This leads to a lot of "passing
the buck." The employers are pointing fingers at the two or four
year colleges because people graduated without the skills they
need in business; the colleges are pointing fingers at the high
schools because their graduates have to go into remediation
before they are ready for the college programs; high schools are
pointing at the middle schools; the middle schools are pointing
behind them; and all of them are pointing at the parents for not
preparing their kids for school. P-16 programs are designed to
align all of the components so everyone is on the same page;
everyone understands what is expected in the system before and
after their component and children are ready to move up at each
step.
MS. DOUNAY said in June of 2008, ECS launched a 50-state
database on P-16 and P-20 councils, which was summarized in the
June 2008 issue of "Diplomas Count." This publication has "cliff
notes" for the ECS database starting on about page 17. They've
coded about 15 different data points into simple yes, no or
other short answers so it's quick and easy to go through. The
full database is available at ecs.org/p20. ECS has been tracking
P-16s since the late '90s and it provides a very comprehensive
picture of what's going on in the state. There is also a
commentary in "Diplomas Count," which she authored, and in it
she mentions three "A's" that are essential components of P-16:
actors, agenda and appropriation of resources. She said she
would try to walk through some of the indicators in the database
that align with those three A's and what best practice in state
policy appears to be at this time.
CHAIR DAVIS interrupted to ask whether Ms. Dounay wants the
committee to hold questions or if they can ask questions as she
goes through her presentation.
MS. DOUNAY invited questions during her presentation.
1:22:48 PM
SENATOR ELTON asked if the councils that have been established
are executive, legislative or a mix.
MS. DOUNAY answered they are a real mix; that will be covered in
the next slide.
1:23:28 PM
MS. DOUNAY proceeded to slide 6, "Who's lobbying for alignment?"
This slide sets out the different entities that have pushed for
the creation of a P-16 or P-20 council: in 11 states it was
through executive order; in 10 it was through legislation; in 14
states it was an entirely voluntary effort; and in 2 it was
through a state board resolution or state board rule. She said
those have really changed over time. For example, Georgia
created the first P-16 council in 1996 through an executive
order of then governor, Zell Miller. In 2002 a new governor
lobbied to create a totally different P-16 council with its own
members and agenda. After he left office, while the statute
stayed on the books, the council started to evolve away from
what was in statute and is now a purely voluntary effort
comprising agency heads of early learning, K-12, and post-
secondary. She said there has been a similar evolution in other
states, where there was a voluntary council and then legislation
was enacted that created a new agenda, new members and brought
the council under the purview of the governor's office.
CHAIR DAVIS announced that Senator Charlie Huggins and
Representative Sharon Cissna had joined the meeting.
MS. DOUNAY said this illustrates that these councils are by no
means static. The way they are created changes; the members
leading them change; they are constantly in a state of flux.
Slide 7, "Who's on Board?" lists the "actors." Legislators are
represented in many states. In virtually all states, chiefs and
SHEEOS (State Higher Education Executive Officers) such as
presidents of two and four year post-secondary institutions are
represented and in a number of states independent universities
or colleges also have a voice. A number of councils include a
representative of the governor's office, business and labor
leaders and others. In areas with a large Native American
population tribal representatives may also be included. Only 18
states have an early learning representative on the council.
Once a state creates a council it's just the beginning. She
referenced a draft of a policy brief in the members' packets on
"landmines" to P-16 councils. P-16 and P-20 councils face many
challenges. Some states may have too small a group and no policy
leaders to push follow-through; some have many members but so
few with authority to enact change that they have lost focus and
members aren't sure of their roles on the council; some have no
early-learning representation so the critical issues of early
learning just aren't on the agenda. In other states that don't
have legislative or gubernatorial representation, there may be
parallel tracks and duplication of efforts. She also stressed
the importance of including business leaders to identify for
lawmakers and others the needs that are not being met in the
business community and to speak to what the workforce needs are
in terms of high school completion and college readiness.
MS. DOUNAY stated that when a council does not have the right
actors in place it can cause confusion about what the council's
mission is and the roles of its members. If a council does not
meet frequently enough, it can lose momentum and urgency about
moving forward with items on the agenda; most meet at least
quarterly.
1:30:44 PM
SENATOR ELTON said he was trying to think of a rationale for a
P-16 rather than a P-20 council. He said it seems that the
challenge is how students are prepared to get the education they
need. If, for example, they are discussing how to prepare high
school students for college, why isn't it equally important to
discuss how to prepare college students for graduate school?
MS. DOUNAY said many of the P-20 councils don't actually go
beyond the first four years of college in the scope of their
agenda, which is why she uses the term "P-16" more often. A
small number of states are looking at economic and workforce
development as part of their P-20 council agenda and that is
where the advanced degrees come in. Of those states with P-20
councils, some are looking at advanced degrees for teachers,
administrators and other school staff.
CHAIR DAVIS said Alaska can decide whether it wants to create a
P-16 or a P-20 council. The current commissioner of education is
very interested and an education summit is planned for later in
the year to determine a direction. Alaska wants to put it in
statute.
1:33:35 PM
MS. DOUNAY acknowledged that most states that have created
councils in the last 5 years, have created P-20 councils;
however some people think they aren't doing well enough with P-
16 and question the move to P-20.
In terms of the work councils do, she said she would recommend
that they initially limit their agenda to five or fewer items.
As results come in the agenda can be expanded. She highlighted
Indiana, which has had a council in place for about 10 years. It
has a larger agenda but it started out smaller.
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON said Alaska has so many groups that want
so many different things to happen, it seems to her that if all
those groups could be involved in this one program, perhaps they
could accomplish more together.
MS. DOUNAY strongly agreed. She talked about the success of
Indiana's and Georgia's programs, where it's clear they are
doing things together that they couldn't be doing by themselves.
In Georgia, the post-secondary is involved with early learning
because they are developing programs to get highly trained staff
into those pre-kindergarten early learning programs; K-12 and
post-secondary are working together to reduce the need for
remediation; and teaching quality is a major part of their P-16
agenda. 16 states have set numerical goals with attainment dates
in mind. For example, the goal may be to increase the graduation
rate by 12 percent by a specific year, or for an additional "X"
number of students to enter two or four year institutions by a
specific year, or perhaps the goal is to double the number of
bachelor's degrees granted by a set date. Georgia has created a
balanced score card (slide 11) listing specific targets and has
assigned a staff person to be responsible for overseeing each of
those components.
Slide 12 presents "Appropriation of Resources," financial and
human. About half of the states [that have councils] have
legislative appropriations or some funding built into agency
budgets to support the work of the councils. A small number of
states receive private funds from foundations. Arizona requires
tribal groups to donate a certain percentage of their casino
winnings to charitable, non-profit, or civic organizations and
at least one contributes to the P-16 council to support some of
the work it is doing.
Nebraska has a three-tiered system of support:
· First tier - K-12 and postsecondary agencies and a non-
profit foundation to provide basic operating expenses.
· Second Tier - Smaller organizations such as state
superintendants provide a small part of the money.
· Third Tier - Civic and other organizations provide "in-
kind" support like meeting rooms, food for meetings, staff
as needed.
Wyoming is the only state that has a sustainability subcommittee
whose goal is to identify and receive funds from three types of
entities: governmental, foundation and business.
1:41:17 PM
MS. DOUNAY said in terms of human resources, 21 councils have at
least a .5 full time employee (FTE) supporting the council.
Kentucky is talking about creating a council through legislation
so it can get appropriations for staff to get the work done.
North Carolina and Georgia have a two-tiered approach with a
small number of agency heads meeting quarterly or less often and
another cabinet that meets every six to eight weeks. In North
Carolina it is called the "kitchen cabinet" and each member is a
staff member for the higher education cabinet.
CHAIR DAVIS asked if Shirley Holloway is off-net, as she has
done a lot of work on P-16 councils.
DON SHACKLEFORD said he would speak later in place of Ms.
Holloway.
1:43:33 PM
CHAIR DAVIS talked about the statewide education summit
scheduled for November.
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER asked for the date in November.
CHAIR DAVIS said she'd get dates for her.
1:44:59 PM
SENATOR ELTON referred to the slide "Appropriation of Resources"
and wondered how private funds are handled. He asked if there
are issues if a major funding source isn't happy with the
council's decisions.
MS. DOUNAY answered yes. Because so many councils are relatively
new, it isn't clear yet whether the people providing the funds
are calling the shots; but some states are so strapped for
funds, it is a challenge to find staff to keep work moving
forward.
SENATOR ELTON asked how other councils handle staffing.
MS. DOUNAY replied it varies and pointed out that one data point
in the database addresses that under the minimum .5 FTE. She
said she can't remember how it breaks out; but they also have
yet to determine whether it makes a difference who provides
staff.
CHAIR DAVIS commented that's why it is so important that each
state decide how it wants to do this. She said she has heard
from many people who want the council and guidelines to be
established in statute. When she went to a meeting in Boston,
Alaska also sent one member from the state Chamber of Commerce
and one from the Anchorage Chamber. She stressed the importance
of alignment to ensure that children are prepared to move from
one educational level to the next and then into the workforce.
1:50:20 PM
CHAIR DAVIS invited the public to ask questions.
1:50:38 PM
SENATOR THOMAS, via teleconference from Fairbanks, asked why
states don't include this type of council or committee in their
existing department of education rather than setting up
something outside the department.
CHAIR DAVIS said she doesn't know if other states do it that
way; but they can discuss whether they want to do that in
Alaska. She looks forward to looking more closely at the way
Colorado's new P-16 council is doing and assured Senator Thomas
that there will be many examples available at the upcoming
summit.
1:51:50 PM
DON SHACKLEFORD, Avant-Garde Learning Foundation, Anchorage, AK,
said the foundation is conducting an "alignment study" through
the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the
University of Alaska, Anchorage (UAA). It is looking at the very
questions being discussed, particularly the apparent gap between
high school graduation and college entrance and high school
graduation and the workforce. It is not only an alignment study
but also a preparedness study. They are asking questions such
as: What requirements do kids have to meet to graduate from high
school? In what schools are kids being successful? Is there a
discrepancy between urban and rural graduation with regard to
student performance in schools? What are the colleges and
universities in Alaska looking at in terms of what people need
to know in writing, reading, mathematics and science; in other
words, what are the base-level courses that people are being
offered in college and how many of our kids are having to go
through those developmental classes, why and how can they
address it?
st
The preliminary report will be available by the 1 of November
and the final report will be completed before the conference in
mid-November.
1:55:04 PM
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON said she has found that the attitude of
the parents has a lot to do with it. Her district is mostly
rural; some areas are quite inaccessible and she is finding that
some parents in those inaccessible areas are less concerned
about kids' education than parents in other areas. She
questioned how to evaluate that.
MR. SHACKLEFORD admitted that it is difficult and complicated.
Educators have little control over parents and home life but a
great deal to say about what goes on in the schools; part of
that has to do with the relationships with parents and how well
educators develop those relationships in the community. He said
during the 30 years he has worked in education in this state, he
has seen several very good schools in rural Alaska that have a
lot of participation by parents because the schools have made
that outreach. He suggested that a P-16 council could look at
how to better address parent and community involvement.
1:57:56 PM
MS. DOUNAY added that ECS published a policy brief that looks at
different approaches states can use to support parental
involvement. In many cases parents feel that they need to be
involved in the earlier grades but fall away during the high
school years when research indicates that setting high
expectations and providing support are really essential.
1:58:42 PM
CHAIR DAVIS again invited people in the audience to comment.
1:59:04 PM
PAUL D KENDALL asked if he could testify.
CHAIR DAVIS said testimony would be taken starting at 4:00 PM.
She announced short at ease from 2:00:22 PM to 2:16:18 PM.
LARRY LEDOUX, Commissioner, Department of Education and Early
Development (DEED), Juneau, AK, expressed interest in these
topics; DEED has been working hard looking at the success of
Alaska's kids. A statistic that keeps coming to mind is that 40
out of 100 students drop out of Alaska schools. It's a
complicated issue, but inaction is not acceptable.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX said he gets calls every day from people
asking for help "putting out fires" and he doesn't like to
operate that way. But in order to be proactive, there must be a
plan yet there is no broad range education plan in this state
and never has been. He clarified that when he talks about
planning, he is not talking about planning that can be used to
hide behind, but planning that holds DEED accountable and allows
it to direct resources to a common goal; planning that will help
to prevent kids from walking away.
2:20:25 PM
As part of that, the state and the University of Alaska are
sponsoring an education summit to help the State of Alaska build
an education plan. The outcomes are to define a vision and a
mission for Alaska's children. They also intend to develop some
graduation outcomes that they believe are important. They
believe citizenship is important; working ethically and honestly
is important; using technology; an understanding of the arts;
mastery of a wide body of knowledge; the ability to understand
service and contributions to the community. Those things are
important but they aren't stated anywhere. The summit is going
to take a look at some of the broader statements about what it
want graduates to look like when they leave school. He
emphasized that right now in Alaska, a student can graduate with
a D- average and 23 credits and passing an exam in math, for
th
example, 80 percent of which is based on 8 grade standards.
That isn't enough; whatever standard is set, the kids will meet
it. Many kids walk away because the system doesn't meet their
needs, not because they are not able to learn. He pointed out
that kids now days are learning in real-time. When they want to
know something, they go learn it. They aren't interested in
sitting for 180 days to earn a credit and they aren't waiting
for us any longer. He wants a system that will build a vision in
every child.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX said another component of the summit is to
set specific goals and objectives from birth to work. Although
DEED doesn't have responsibility for children before they come
to school, he insisted that the state pays the price if they are
not interested. So while he was not saying the department is
going to be responsible for all of that, he is willing to work
collaboratively with other agencies.
2:23:00 PM
The summit is invitation only. DEED solicited the names of
leaders, movers and shakers in business, industry and services.
Each superintendent was asked to bring four people to the
summit: the superintendent, a school board member, a community
leader or politician and a teacher or principal; the University
of Alaska is inviting over 100 people. Also invited are 150
agency heads, people who are involved with young people in
Alaska. He emphasized that he hopes to bring together people
that normally don't want to be in the same room with one
another; he wants diverse opinions. Groups will be asked to tell
what success will look like; what it will look like if they
accomplish this goal and objective; who will be involved in
helping to achieve that; and what opportunities and challenges
will be faced on the way. The real work for the summit will take
place afterward to put workgroups together, groups of people to
break things down into actions and costs.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX said he believes a K-20 commission is
needed; there should never be silos. The department of education
or K-12 is intimately related to the university system. It needs
to work hand-in-hand with the universities that train the
teachers and with people involved in early education.
2:27:02 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER asked for the dates of the summit.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX said the summit will be held November 13-14
at the Dena'ina Center in Anchorage; invitations will go out
this week.
2:28:07 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER asked how many of the kids that do not
graduate have or have had an IEP. [Individual Education Plan - A
legal document created to ensure a child's teacher understands
his/her learning and/or physical limitations and follows steps
necessary for success. It falls under the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act or "IDEA."]
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX said he can tell her that by the time of the
summit.
2:28:40 PM
PAUL D KENDALL, representing himself, Anchorage, AK, asked if
the summit will be on camera so everyone can participate.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX responded that they are not planning to do
that now. They have talked about trying to broadcast it
statewide; they are doing a statewide survey prior to the summit
and inviting citizens all over the state to share [their views].
He asked Mr. Kendall if he is suggesting that they broadcast it
live.
MR KENDALL said his concern is that these "insider" meetings are
becoming an infrastructure versus society in multiple sectors.
He asserted there's an obligation to put the meetings on TV so
everyone can learn and come along together. He asked whether
there is an itinerary or an agenda so the public can see the
flow during the day.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX said a copy of the agenda will go out with
invitations. The flow of things has been a concern; the idea is
to provide maximum interaction among the participants so a lot
of the work will be done in small groups.
MR. KENDALL asked if there will be audience seating so the
public can view the proceedings.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX replied that he hadn't thought of it but it
sounds like a great idea. The second day, when the draft plan is
presented, would be an excellent time to invite the public to
see what is being presented. He said he would bring that to the
group; it makes a lot of sense.
MR. KENDALL questioned why the second day; he likes to see
things during formation. He also stated that he can't imagine
not making energy a part of the discussion; it's absolutely
essential and foundational. He wondered who is developing the
agenda and if it is available for the public to see or if it is
being done by a select few.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX commented that over 400 people randomly
invited can hardly be considered a select few; but the intention
is to collect information before and after the summit. He said
Mr. Kendall had some good comments as far as the audience and
presentation of the plan and pointed out that the group will
post information on the website today. Eight major topics have
been identified and he was not sure that energy would be a chief
topic of discussion.
2:32:58 PM
MR. KENDALL asked if they will have some of their stiffest
critics present so they can assess the content of the criticisms
CHAIR DAVIS said that Commissioner LeDoux will deal with that
later and announced that the committee will go on with the next
presentation.
^Dropout Prevention
2:34:02 PM
MS. DOUNAY relayed that drop out prevention and P-16 are very
much interrelated. Many P-16 councils are looking specifically
at dropout prevention as part of their agenda. It is huge issue;
approximately four out of ten kids nationwide and one out of
three high school students, are dropping out. That amounts to
1.2 million students per year that do not graduate. Males
students tend to drop out at a higher rate than females and that
is true across ethnic lines. There is a strong correlation
between dropping out and various negative consequences. Dropouts
are more likely to be unemployed and to live at or near the
federal poverty level; they are also more likely to become
incarcerated. This translates to reduced tax revenues at all
levels and a higher likelihood of reliance on public assistance
programs. The problem also extends to health and related issues.
The chart on slide 4 shows that there is a huge spike in
Medicaid coverage among those who have not finished high school.
There is also a clear link, not just in the U.S. but
internationally, between education and life expectancy; the more
years of school a person completes, the greater his or her life
expectancy. In addition, a study published in 2006 indicated
that one in four of all dropouts and one in three female
dropouts left school, at least in part, because they became
parents.
2:37:15 PM
MS. DOUNAY said that recent research has provided much more
insight into who is leaving school and what factors cause kids
to leave school. She referenced an ECS report from July or
August of 2007 that summarizes some of the research she will
present today. The report looked at students in Chicago and
defined "on-track in grade 9" as having completed at least five
course credits of English, math, science, social studies and one
th
other course for enough credits to move up to 10 grade; and
having earned no more than one "F" in English, math, science or
social studies. Another study tracked students in Philadelphia
from grade 6 through a year or two after they were supposed to
have graduated from high school. It found that if a student had
failed English or math; had attended school 80 percent or less
of the time; or had an out-of-school suspension, even as early
as six years before graduation, he or she was significantly more
likely to leave school before earning a diploma. If students
have behavior incidents such as low attendance or suspension in
addition to failing math or English, the likelihood spiked even
higher. A University of Michigan study looked at student/teacher
relationships and found that in schools where student and
teacher responses to survey questions indicate that when
students believe their teachers know who they are and care about
them, and teachers say they know and care about their students,
the dropout rate is significantly lower than it is in comparable
high schools where survey responses were not so positive.
Smaller schools are more likely to have those positive
relationships between students and teachers than larger schools.
It is also very important for parents to set high expectations
and clearly communicate those to high school age children. Last,
she said, the kind of math curriculum offered and student
achievement in math correlates closely with a student's
likelihood of graduating.
2:40:15 PM
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON referenced Ms. Dounay's comment that
school size is a factor in student/teacher relationships and
asked if she could identify a break-point in the size of a
school.
MS. DOUNAY said that large schools of 1600-2500 students have
higher dropout rates than small to medium or very large (over
2500) schools. That the rate was lower in very large schools
surprised researchers. They believe it is because they were
focusing on dropouts in grades 11 and 12 and in those very large
schools, students were leaving in grades 9 or 10, even before
the study could catch them.
2:41:25 PM
She went on to slide 6, "What do dropouts say?" which presents
information from two surveys of recent dropouts. One is the 2006
nationwide study she mentioned earlier; the other was published
by the Michigan Education Association in May 2008. The findings
of both studies were similar. Among students age 16 to 25, the
most common reason given for leaving school was that the
students found school boring and could not see a relationship
between what they were supposed to learn in school and what they
thought they needed to know to get by in the world. The second
most common reason was that the teachers and other adults had
low expectations so the students did not feel inspired to expend
much effort. Two thirds of students said they would have put
forth more effort had more been expected. In the Michigan study
in particular, a number of dropouts said they had no job or
career direction. They didn't know what they wanted to do after
high school and they had no adult guidance; so they felt school
was pointless. One third of young adults in the 2006 study said
they were actually failing in school and felt it was impossible
to catch up, so they gave up. Over 50 percent of those in the
2006 study said their parents were not actively involved in
their schools. Many said they simply had too much freedom; they
knew they were allowed to leave school at age 16 and were just
waiting for their birthdays to do so. The total is more than 100
percent because students frequently gave more than one reason
for the decision to drop out.
2:43:54 PM
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON asked if it makes a difference the state
allows children to drop out at age 16, 17, or 18.
MS. DOUNAY said she didn't have that information on hand; she
hasn't seen a recent study on graduation rates and thinks that
is because states are changing the way they calculate
graduation. In some states the very definition of a graduate is
changing. Until a couple of years ago, Texas was allowed to
count GED completers as high school graduates, but a lot of
research suggests that completing a GED does not result in the
same outcomes in terms of post-secondary access and completion
or income. Also many states are replacing older data systems to
better determine whether kids actually drop out or just move
from one district to another. Some states have changed tracking
methodology; more states are moving toward a four year cohort
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system that looks at the number of kids entering 9 grade and
the number coming out four years later, which is a little
clearer. Nevada is calculating dropout rates in grades 6, 7 and
8 as well.
2:45:53 PM
MS. DOUNAY noted that slide 7, "Dropout Prevention: What States
Are Doing," is very "wordy." She said the approaches schools are
taking to address the dropout problem is varied; some are based
on research and some on anecdotal evidence. She said there is a
strong correlation between dropping out and being identified for
special education; some research also suggests that a certain
number of Career/Technical Education (CTE) courses may help keep
students who are not interested in a traditional academic
program in school. She said she does not have time to get into
that much today, but ECS does have a 50-state database on CTE
programs on its website. She noted that a small but growing
number of states are looking at not stopping adolescent literacy
programs at grade 3, but providing teachers with training to
build upon student literacy in grades 4 through 12 as well.
MS. DOUNAY said the first dropout prevention point is increased
rigor in the high school curriculum. That gets at the research
on the math curriculum discussed previously and what dropouts
said about teachers setting and students meeting low
expectations. ECS identified eight states where all students are
expected to complete a college/work ready curriculum, which
includes: four years of English, three years of social studies,
three years of math, and three years of a laboratory science.
That curriculum has been identified as best preparing students
to achieve a benchmark on the ACT assessment. It also aligns
with research from the U.S. Department of Education; students
who completed that curriculum were most likely to complete high
school and go on to complete a four-year degree within a
reasonable period of time. Of the eight states having a more
rigorous curriculum, only Texas has graduated a class with that
standard. She said she hasn't seen statistics on the number of
students that chose the lower-level curriculum, which was a
statewide option before the class of 2008. Nonetheless, the
results are encouraging. The example cited is San Jose,
California, a fairly large, diverse district with respect to
native student language, ethnicity and income. In 1999 the local
board determined that all students would be expected to complete
the curriculum that the state university systems accepted for
basic admissions. A number of critics said that students
couldn't be expected to complete that curriculum yet the
district saw that graduation rates increased. Other unexpected
results included: more Latino students completed advanced math
and laboratory science courses; state-level assessment scores
for the district rose more quickly than for the rest of the
state; more diverse students took AP courses and passed AP exams
with higher scores.
2:50:46 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA asked if Ms. Dounay could provide a link
to the higher standard curricula.
MS. DOUNAY directed Representative Cissna to the ECS home page;
navigate to the high school online database page, which has
links to "College-Ready Standards" and "Highlights of Local
Initiatives." The website also profiles what the San Jose school
district did to prepare teachers for the advanced requirements
and gives some results. Based on that success the Los Angeles
Unified School District decided that students in the class of
2012 would be required to complete the college-ready curriculum.
San Diego is beginning to talk about following in the footsteps
of San Jose and Los Angeles.
MS. DOUNAY said it isn't enough to say that students have to
take the courses. It's also essential to improve teacher
preparation and professional development, have early remediation
and communicate with parents about why the curriculum is
changing.
MS. DOUNAY said another piece is student accountability.
Research done in an early '90s Princeton study shows students
that were required to stay in high school until age 18 were more
likely to get a diploma. Now 27 states have policies to deny a
driver's license if the academic criteria is not met. Other
restrictions have also been imposed but data on the successes is
anecdotal.
2:55:45 PM
MS. DOUNAY next addressed graduation plans and career "majors."
Graduation plans refer to when a student sits down with a parent
and teacher or counselor at the beginning of grade 9 to
determine which classes to take to attain a particular goal
after high school. This helps to get students and parents
thinking about what will give meaning to the high school
experience. Just nine states currently have this requirement; 20
states and DC will have these counseling requirements for the
class of 2011. Providing greater academic focus gets students
thinking about so-called career majors. Currently three or four
states require, instead of eight electives, just four general
electives and three or four electives in a particular area of
interest. Those can change from year to year; the idea is to
stimulate interest in setting goals and taking courses in the
area of focus.
2:57:09 PM
CHAIR DAVIS asked Ms. Dounay not to spend so much time on each
of the dropout prevention items on the list. (slide 7)
2:57:41 PM
MS. DOUNAY mentioned counseling for dropout prevention and noted
what some other states are doing to put more counselors in high
schools. Touching on remediation, she said ECS launched a
database in 2007 looking at what classes the district is
required to offer if students don't meet a certain threshold.
Various other indicators are also used. When students fall
behind, they need those supports yet they're often not provided
or not evaluated if they are provided. Early college high
schools is an approach where a five-year program begins in grade
9; at the end of five years the student receives an associate
degree, technical certification, or enough college credits for
junior year standing. Only six states have statewide policies
for this. Other states that have local partnerships are governed
either by dual enrollment or charter school rules. They do have
a significant positive impact on students, particularly given
that the programs are geared to underserved students.
2:58:58 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER asked for a definition of an underserved
student.
MS. DOUNAY replied it varies by district, but primarily it
includes students who aren't necessarily on a college path when
they start high school.
She relayed that in October or November model policy components
for early college high schools will come out. It will draw from
current legislation in North Carolina and other states that have
model programs.
Small learning communities, breaking up a large high school into
smaller communities, is done primarily at the local level but
some states are getting into that. For example, in Nevada a
separate learning community must be provided for grade 9 in high
schools with more than 1,200 students. Florida encourages
districts to develop schools within schools for large high
schools.
Alternative pathways to a diploma is the next point. It looks at
ways to provide flexibility to disengaged high school students
so they can get the credits they need to earn a regular high
school diploma. She noted that the strategies in the policy
brief, "Beyond the GED," would apply equally to students who
aren't doing well in a traditional high school.
Middle grade efforts to prevent dropouts includes research from
Philadelphia on grade 6 indicators. Some states are just
starting to look at the middle grades and what has to happen
there for students to stay in school and on track in preparation
for high school.
Parental involvement was mentioned earlier. She noted that the
policy brief sets out the various areas of policy including:
developing a formal policy; reaching out on academic
expectations; accommodating parents' needs; building staff
capacity; building parent capacity; developing benchmarks and
evaluating impacts.
Ninth grade initiatives for preventing dropouts is demonstrated
by Nevada requirement for separate learning communities for
schools with over 1200 students. Each learning community must
have: at least one licensed administrator that is solely
dedicated to the community; guidance counselors that are
assigned just to that learning community; and one adult mentor
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for each 9 grader. Any need for remediation counseling is to be
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identified as early as possible, not at the end of 9 grade or
later. Louisiana and Rhode Island have early intervention for
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students at risk of failing 9 grade math.
3:02:48 PM
CHAIR DAVIS asked if the committee could get supporting
documentation.
MS. DOUNAY said she would provide the state legislation.
The final state policy approach for dropout prevention is dual
enrollment. In Oregon there is a statutory priority for school
districts to inform dropouts that the "Expanded Options" program
is available. Any student who has dropped out may reenter the
system to participate in that program. Also, the state annually
must report the number of dropouts that participated in expanded
options and earned a high school diploma. In Rhode Island school
districts with a dropout rate higher than 15 percent must
provide an expanded option. Indiana provides a program called
"Fast Track to College." Students who are age 17 and have
permission from their high school or dropouts who are 19 or
older may finish their high school diploma at a community
college or four year school. High school credits and secondary
credits can be earned concurrently. She noted that a recognized
disadvantage is that those who are older than 19 and do not have
a high school diploma are not eligible for federal financial aid
for tuition and fees. Indiana officials hope to address that and
Oregon already does provide a subsidy. She noted that the Oregon
program is mentioned in the "Beyond the GED" policy brief. It
also looks at dropout recovery including increasing the upper
statutory age; flexibility in accelerating learning and
demonstrating competency; flexible credit recovery options;
flexibility in course scheduling and course loads; clear
connections workforce; and communicating options to the public.
3:04:50 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER asked for further explanation of the
expanded options that Oregon requires.
MS. DOUNAY explained that it's a program for students in grades
11 and 12 to take courses on a college campus and earn both high
school and post-secondary credits.
CHAIR DAVIS asked if the public had questions for Ms. Dounay
related to dropouts.
3:06:36 PM
KAREN MARTINSON, Director, Southeast Alaska Career Center,
Sitka, AK, asked for information about the impact of career and
technical education as a dropout prevention strategy.
MS. DOUNAY mentioned a study that looked at students who
completed between 1 and 12 credits in a career/technical
education (CTE) program. That study found that at-risk students
who completed 6 credits were more likely to graduate than at-
risk peers. But once the at-risk students completed more CTE
courses than academic courses, the dropout rate increased. She
offered to provide a copy of the study.
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA asked Ms. Dounay to provide that
information to legislators as well.
3:08:33 PM
MR. KENDALL asked Ms. Dounay if she had any information about
the parents of dropouts such as their age, how long they've been
married, number children in the family, and socio-economic
background.
MS. DOUNAY replied she hasn't looked at that, but she has seen
research that suggests that children from single-parent homes
are more likely to drop out than those from two-parent homes.
MR. KENDALL asked if she finds that sort of parental information
relevant when looking at students. He continued: "Not only
parental and point of birth and the society within which they
grow, but some of the teachers who are being brought in. … Is
there teacher data as to where those teachers come from -
predisposition for a sexual orientation or diversity of
background?" He said he'd like to see that information if it's
available.
MS. DOUNAY asked if he is looking for a correlation between
students who dropout and the teachers they have.
MR. KENDALL replied he's already seen the data that's been
presented here. He's curious to look at the families of
dropouts. "My concern is about the child and the parental
raising. Not only that but whoever influenced the child, and
that most direct influence is the teacher after the parents. I
would think you would be looking at assessing the teachers'
inclinations from many different perspectives."
MS. DOUNAY responded that a few states are developing data
systems for the purpose of tracking which students have which
teachers. At this point there aren't enough years of data to
make any sort of finding.
MR. KENDALL asked if families of dropouts are also being tracked
with respect to drugs, violence, or social services.
MS. DOUNAY replied ECS hasn't tracked that and she isn't
familiar with other organizations that have done that research.
CHAIR DAVIS announced that Representative Fairclough joined the
meeting.
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH apologized for being late; her office
had been following the meeting and Senator Dyson was on line as
well.
3:12:47 PM
CHAIR DAVIS said that if she received an updated list she would
recognize other legislators.
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA observed that an issue in Alaska is that a
large percentage of the population moves seasonally for work,
taking their families with them. She asked Ms. Dounay if she has
seen any correlation between an itinerant population and the
dropout rate and how different groups have addressed that.
MS. DOUNAY replied she has seen some research on the number of
times a child changes schools during the K-12 years; after
changing schools a certain number of times it is less likely
that a student will complete high school. She has not looked at
the migrant issue but she could do some research in that area.
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH said that issue was very important
when she served on an elementary school PTA and on the Anchorage
th
Assembly. Although the focus here is on 9 grade, she wonders if
there is research on attendance at lower levels. When she served
on the assembly she learned that school nurses could identify as
stndrd
early as 1, 2 or 3 grade which students would be bullies in
th
9 grade and which were most likely to drop out, based on their
inability to handle current class-load assignments. She asked if
research is available that supports intervention long before a
child reaches high school.
MS. DOUNAY referred to the "purple handout" that has grade 6
indicators. A 2001 ECS study synthesized that information for
policy makers; it can be found at: www.ecs.org/rs.
3:17:05 PM
CHAIR DAVIS asked if there were other questions.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX said he was a high school principal for 10
years and an elementary school principal for 10 years, so some
of his comments come from that background. He found that if he
wanted to find out what was going on in a child's life, he
needed only ask what that child was going to do this summer or
next year. An at-risk child will always say "I don't know." The
most telling characteristic of an at-risk teenager is that they
have no vision; they don't know where they are going and have no
th
stressed that a child will pay any price to belong and feel
connected. Many kids who leave school do not feel connected. He
also pointed out that with technology, children are learning in
real time. When looking at education from a broad perspective,
there is no reason for a student to sit in a classroom if
there's a way to demonstrate that the student already had
attained the needed knowledge. Mastering the information is the
goal, not seat-time in the classroom. Also many schools in
Alaska need larger playgrounds so kids can explore their talents
and interests; it's part of learning.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX continued that when he graduated from
school, everyone had a part-time job that taught important life
skills. That is no longer true, particularly in rural Alaska. In
the last 10 years there's been a flight of kids from rural
Alaska. When many of the rural schools were built they were
large enough to have vocational programs. That is no longer the
case; currently there are 100 schools with 25 or fewer students
and those schools can't afford to offer enough choices to allow
kids to explore their interests. For that reason many parents
choose to put their children in a larger high school but in the
larger schools, those children have no connection, they become
invisible and disappear. The bottom line is that all the things
Ms. Dounay said make sense and Alaska is already doing a lot of
the things she recommends. DEED is exploring "middle colleges"
where students can get their associates degree at the same time
they get their high school diploma. These are programs that
attract kids. Again he said that many of the kids who are
walking away from school do have skills, they simply are not
connected. "They don't have the vision; they don't have the
ability to make connections with the society that's changing."
3:23:18 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA agreed that Alaska has a mobile population
due to seasonal jobs. She recalled that in early 2000 there was
training available for rural teachers on how to use the Internet
effectively to keep kids at the same level as the rest of the
state. Also, distance delivery is used successfully at the
college level. She asked if there is a way to use something like
the Internet to keep kids engaged even though they may move from
place to place.
3:25:23 PM
MS. DOUNAY replied that is being done. Alabama and Louisiana use
virtual high schools to target students' individual achievement
levels.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX said DEED is looking at some virtual high
school models, including partnerships with other schools. For
example a teacher in Karuk who has one student can access a
virtual schedule to partner with other teachers and many
students. Moving toward a standards-based system rather than a
credit system, students won't have to sit through an entire
course to pick up one piece of information they missed. "We're
moving in that direction with credit recovery, virtual
schedules, and very very flexible ways for kids to earn credit,"
he said.
CHAIR DAVIS announced a break from 3:27:44 PM to3:40:22 PM.
3:40:46 PM
PAULA PAWLOWSKI, Legislative Chair, Alaska PTA, Anchorage, AK,
said she was born in Alaska to a military family; between the
ages of 1 and 12 she attended 11 schools so she missed a lot and
her SAT scores were awful. If someone isn't tracking what
subjects students are taking and when, students can get lost.
Her family has hosted exchange students from Costa Rica, Japan
and Switzerland; her eldest son was an exchange student in
Sweden; and her youngest spent time in China, Taiwan and is now
at Stanford.
MS. PAWLOWSKI said it's phenomenal that everyone is pointing
fingers at parents. Many parents don't realize how much
influence they have as teachers; but they do know their child
best and for better or worse are their child's first educator.
In 1995 the Alaska State Board of Education endorsed the
standards for parent involvement developed by Dr. Joyce L.
Epstein of Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Epstein worked with the
national PTA to continue to develop those standards. The Alaska
State Board of Education also endorsed the printed book of the
national standards; so the State of Alaska has had two
opportunities to define parental involvement. Those standards
have quality indicators and measurement tools in place but so
far the DEED has not utilized them to look at what parental
involvement can do for students and partnerships. The Fairbanks
Borough has done an excellent job of using the standards
indicated in "No Child Left Behind" to define a parental
involvement policy; but the rest of the state is way behind on
that.
The state PTA is an organized entity and a great way to educate
parents. Currently there are about 9000 members and 158 PTA
groups across the state. According to Johns Hopkins, parents of
students at the secondary level want information about jobs and
career paths; but Anchorage has only two PTA groups at the high
school level so the state PTA doesn't have a vehicle to get
information out to parents.
MS. PAWLOWSKI said the state PTA request for funding for a
parent involvement project made it through the House and the
Senate but was vetoed by the governor. There were a couple of
particularly important things in that project: to spread PTAs to
more rural areas, and to develop a teacher preparation/parent
involvement class at the university level.
MS. PAWLOWSKI said last year the national PTA had a contract
with Ann Henderson to realign all of its information and
resources on the national parent standards. Ms. Pawlowski
advised that she is now working with Bridge Builders of
Anchorage, looking at parents of minority students who have a
very hard time navigating the school system. At this point, she
said, the children are acting as communicators between school
and family and it isn't working out well. She said that before
the November summit she will contact all of the state PTA
presidents for information on how this is working for parents in
the various states.
MS. POWLOWSKI said that if a child has a good family situation
and a poor teaching experience, the child will be OK; if the
child has a poor family experience and great teachers, that
child will be fine; but if a child has both a poor family
experience and a poor teaching experience, the child will be
disconnected. Ms. Pawlowski spoke of the influence the teachers
at West High had on her children and that the smaller learning
community there had a positive influence.
MS. PAWLOWSKI said there is some great research about getting
fathers engaged and involving non-custodial parents. When non-
custodial parents or single fathers are engaged in their child's
educational life, statistics show the same good results as when
both parents are at home. It is parents' intent and the
engagement that makes a difference. The question is how to make
sure all parents get involved. The PTA isn't fond of the "body
count" for how many parents attend parent/teacher conferences or
sporting events because more and more often both parents have to
work and some families feel that teachers are the experts and
it's up to them. But both are teachers in their own right and
the learning at home piece is vital. It's just that parents need
to be empowered and encouraged to take part. In conclusion she
said there is a history in Alaska of being a Johns Hopkins
partnership school to use standards to engage parents, but very
few districts have developed policy to encourage parental
involvement. Getting districts to use those standards has been
and continues to be the goal of the Alaska PTA. Those six
standards cover business, home and at school.
3:57:04 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER asked if the number of schools that have
PTAs has changed.
MS. PAWLOWSKI said yes and it's driven by the number of people
who have time to volunteer. Some years there are as few as 100
PTAs in the state and sometimes as many as 180. Parents come
together when there is a critical issue.
3:58:46 PM
ANDY ROGERS, CEO, PangoMedia Inc. and Legislative Affairs
Committee, State Chamber of Commerce, said his interest is in
seeing students complete a course of study so they can enter the
workforce as employable young professionals. It is difficult to
find jobs for young people, but it's difficult for industry to
grow when students come into the workforce without the necessary
resume to be successfully placed in profitable positions. It is
a disservice to students to let them go through an educational
process and enter the workforce only to find that they don't
have what is needed to obtain employment in their field. It is
also unfair to the employers. He asked that there be an emphasis
in the educational process on internships in the actual
workforce; so when students leave school to embark on their
professional careers, they have some demonstrable skills and
experience. He suggested that educational institutions be
encouraged to connect more directly with industry and
representatives of the business world and make more effort to
include pragmatic work experience in their students' education.
Last, Mr. Rogers asked that members of the business community be
further included in discussions like this one when trying to
craft the best possible educational system. He is discouraged
that the best and brightest young people in Alaska are leaving
the state to complete their educations and forming their first
business ties elsewhere because they don't come back. If they do
finish school in Alaska, they are unable to find work so they
relocate.
4:04:56 PM
CHAIR DAVIS thanked Mr. Rogers for his comments and assured him
that business must be involved in the educational process.
4:05:48 PM
PAUL D. KENDELL said he is concerned that the school system is
flawed. He admitted that when he listens to testimony by people
who have a passion for something it puts him back in his place.
He opined that those people who have a passion for something
have a greater standing than people like himself who look at the
issue from the outside. He said they've gone way beyond their
mission; they now have groups looking at groups and this isn't
complicated, they need to get back to the home and the parents.
He said he does not believe it is the school's job to deal with
employment but to teach children how to learn and how to get
along with other children. The child who excels should be
rewarded and the child that can't be handled should be sent home
and let society take care of him. That's the way it is, he said.
MR. KENDELL continued that he wants to set that aside for a
moment; he came to the meeting to "ambush" legislators with
another mission, to turn their efforts toward energy. From his
perspective, everything in Alaska should be directed toward
energy; everything is interconnected through the distribution of
energy and disruption in the distribution of energy has robbed
people of their sense of security.
He believes that the legislature should reward students for good
grades by giving them each an electric vehicle, which would
reduce air pollution, provide business to auto makers and teach
students about electrons and hydrogen. Buying 100,000 electric
vehicles would change the state and every living creature in it
overnight.
4:12:19 PM
MR. KENDELL went on to say that it appears to him that the world
is headed toward a new, energy-related society. Energy and
"business as usual" will never be viewed as it was in the past.
The whole world is looking at energy and everything so it's
important to redirect the children of Alaska toward an energy
mentality. Schools have the opportunity to morph Alaska in 2-6
years, gain world recognition and put Alaska's children in a
very special place.
4:16:13 PM
He pointed to big oil and the fact that it is getting into
everything. He said it has to fail and when it collapses, it
isn't the money that's the problem, it is quality of life.
Somehow that quality of life has been lost. He maintained that
worry about money is really tied to people who don't want to
work. But energy is behind it all and you can't buy energy if
there isn't a stable society. He warned that the legislature is
headed for a direct conflict with the money, but it's really
about the energy.
MR. KENDELL offered his belief that young children are beginning
to see the unraveling and the only way to bring that back home
is to concentrate on energy. A dwelling that has electricity and
water can be held together. Alaska should have 100 hydroelectric
projects and wind turbine projects and new electric vehicles.
CHAIR DAVIS interrupted and asked Mr. Kendall to wrap up. She
asked him to provide a copy of his plan and reminded him that,
as she told him earlier, if he doesn't have any support for that
plan, it cannot go anywhere. She stressed that she wants to read
what he has given her, but does not see how it connects with
what they are trying to do.
MR. KENDALL asked if he could clarify his position. He is very
disappointed with the school infrastructure; he thinks it's
failing and flailing and everyone is waiting for it to collapse
when the money runs out. He didn't want to come and complain
about that, and thought if he could tie in energy, perhaps they
could get past the differences that no one was going to give
ground on. He hoped to show legislators that the problems they
see of females who no longer want to be patriarchal; the boys
and girls who can't be boys and girls; and all the ideologies
they are seeing now days are not possible without individual
freedoms and you can't have the individual freedoms without
energy. He was hoping the legislature could transcend the
differences of diversity and race and holidays and gender to see
a way to get around it.
4:24:09 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH said Mr. Kendall questioned
legislators' ability to notify the public so she wanted to
announce that the Alaska Renewable Energy Task Force would meet
at the Anchorage LIO on October 21, 2008 from 10:00 AM to noon.
She emphasized that public notice is always provided, but it is
simply not possible to provide personal invitations to everyone.
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Chair Davis adjourned the meeting at 4:26:01 PM.
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