Presentation Transcript

1. Developing An Educational Model for a Competitive Alaska

   SWAMC March 6, 2014 Diane Hirshberg Center for Alaska Education Policy Research at ISER University of Alaska Anchorage
2. Outline of Talk Context – student achievement in Alaska and SWAMC region What contributes to student success? What are some models for success and how do we get there?
3. What is the situation in Alaska?
4. Alaska schools overall are not nationally competitive
5. In 2013, the average 8th grade NAEP math score in Alaska (282) was: lower than those in 29 states/jurisdictions higher than those in 11 states/jurisdictions not significantly different from those in 11 states/jurisdictions In 2013, the average 8th grade NAEP reading score in Alaska (261) was: lower than those in 37 states/jurisdictions higher than those in 6 states/jurisdictions not significantly different from those in 8 states/jurisdictions
6. Alaska Native students are particularly low performing on NAEP assessments 44% of white students are proficient or advanced on NAEP 8th grade reading scores, while 12% of Alaska Native/American Indian students are 46% of white students are proficient or advanced on NAEP 8th grade math scores, while 16% of Alaska Native/American Indian students are
7. In parts of the SWAMC Region students are struggling *Aleutian Region attendance rate was higher in 2012-13, but graduation rate was unavailable (too few students) ** Lake & Pen graduation rates increased from 55% to 71% between 2012 & 2013
8. Many graduates are not prepared for college 77% of recent high school graduates who attend UA from three SWAMC districts (Kodiak, Lake & Pen, and Dillingham) took developmental coursework, compared to 52% of all recent Alaska high school graduates who attend UA
9. Students are not going on to post-secondary learning Alaska has the 2nd lowest college going rate in the U.S. Alaska and your region needs skilled workers in a number of areas - do students know this?
10. The question is… What the outcomes we want for our students and what do we need to do to achieve them?
11. What are some key factors in students succeeding Quality early learning so students enter school ready to learn Quality teachers High expectations Effective teaching practices …But what does this mean?
12. Effective teaching practices Effective pedagogy includes: High expectations/challenging activities Active learning – students co-producing knowledge with teachers Connecting learning to students’ contexts – home and community lives
13. Do teachers have high expectations? Choose the option below that most closely matches the percentage of students currently in your classes you expect will leave high school college or career ready.
14. Are teachers using effective teaching practices?
15. Hiring and RetainingExcellent Teachers High turnover needs to be stemmed Pay is a part of the equation, but… Working conditions more important Parent/community support Administrative support Sense that succeeding with students Induction, mentoring & professional development important
16. Average Teacher Turnover 2007-2012
17. Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?
18. How do we change school community relationship?
19. Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?
20. Too few of our teachers are home grown, from rural and/or Indigenous backgrounds Fewer than 5% teachers statewide are Alaska Native Only 172 Alaska Native teachers have graduated from special programs aimed at increasing the # of indigenous teachers in Alaska over the past 44 years
21. How do we grow more of our own teachers? Encourage youth in your communities to go to college Ask current teachers to mentor students Pay for your own graduates to get a teaching degree (e.g., LKSD)/take advantage of loan forgiveness (state Teacher Education Loan) Raise the status of teachers in your community – make it a desired profession
22. But could we be doing something really different? Models for schooling stuck in 20th century mode Traditional school year Traditional classrooms in our villages, and the alternative is traditional residential schools Curriculum from outside How do we truly think outside this box?
23. One example: Reframing the basis for education North Slope Borough School District Iñupiaq Learning Framework
24. One Example: Rethinking secondary to post-secondary links Northwest Arctic Borough School District
25. One Example: Using charter school law to create a culturally based school Lower Kuskokwim School District
26. What could your schools be doing differently?
27. Next Question - How do we get all this done?
28. Resources are key - but… how schools and districts spend money makes a difference
29. Select findings from a national study of school district spending (Boser, 2011) Many school districts could boost student achievement without increasing spending if they used their money more productively. The nation’s least-productive districts spend more on administration. High-spending school systems are often inefficient
30. Select Findings, Cont’d. Without clear controls on how additional school dollars are spent, more education spending will not automatically improve student outcomes Students from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to be enrolled in highly inefficient districts States and districts fail to evaluate the productivity of schools and districts.
31. Alaska’s school funding system doesn’t give any answers… School funding in Alaska is NOT based on any research based model… and therefore… We can’t tie student outcomes to inputs But… we do need a thoughtful allocation of resources to get where we want to go
32. Back to the earlier question… What could your schools be doing differently from what they are doing now? What could parents, community members, businesses in your region be doing differently in terms of the schools? What can you do to make that happen?
33. Diane Hirshberg dbhirshberg@alaska.edu 907-786-5413 Thank you!