Developing An Educational Model for a Competitive

Alaska

SWAMCMarch 6, 2014

Diane HirshbergCenter for Alaska Education Policy Research at ISER

University of Alaska Anchorage

Outline of Talk

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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?

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What is the situation in Alaska?

Alaska schools overall are not nationally competitive

Percent of Students Scoring Proficient or AboveNational Assessment of Educational Progress 2013

Alaska US

4th grade reading

28% 34%

8th grade reading 31% 35%

4th grade math 36% 42%

8th grade math 33% 34%

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

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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

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In parts of the SWAMC Region students are struggling

District Attendance Rate

Graduation Rate

Dropout Rate

2012-13 data (except where noted)

Aleutian Region (2011-12)

89.3%* 66.7% 9.1%

Aleutians East 89.7% 72.7% 3.9%

Bristol Bay 91.2% 82.4% 0%

Dillingham 90.1% 42.4% 7.5%

Kodiak Island 93.6% 83.5% 1.5%

Lake & Peninsula**

91.3% 71% 3.2%

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*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

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

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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?

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The question is…What the outcomes we want for our students and what do we need to do to achieve them?

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?

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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

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Do teachers have high expectations?

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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.

Answer

Response %

0%

16 6%

25%

98 37%

50%

53 20%

75%

76 29%

100%

19 7%

Are teachers using effective teaching practices?

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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

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Average Teacher Turnover 2007-2012

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Aleutian Region 45.3%Bristol Bay 33.3%Aleutians East 24.2%Lake & Peninsula 22.9%Dillingham 22.8%Kodiak 13.1%

Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with

each of the following statements?

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0

40

80

120

160

34 2439 42

20

88

58

88 94

63

121

149126 122

157

3344

23 1836

"Strongly Disagree" "Disagree" "Agree" "Strongly Agree"

How do we change school community relationship?

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Please rate how strongly you agree or disagree with

each of the following statements?

19

020406080

100120140160

20 10

4116

61

10

6445

6749

101

55

146 147134 142

94

134

55

82

42

77

28

85

"Strongly Disagree" "Disagree" "Agree" "Strongly Agree"

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

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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

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But could we be doing something really different?

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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?

One example: Reframing the basis for education

North Slope Borough School District Iñupiaq Learning Framework

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One Example: Rethinking secondary to post-secondary

linksNorthwest Arctic Borough School District

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One Example: Using charter school law to create a culturally

based schoolLower Kuskokwim School District

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What could your schools be doing differently?

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Next Question - How do we get all this done?

Resources are key - but… how schools and districts spend money makes a difference

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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

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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.

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Alaska’s school funding system doesn’t give any answers…

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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

Back to the earlier question…

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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?

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Thank you!

Diane Hirshbergdbhirshberg@alaska.edu907-786-5413