[Senate Hearing 110-883]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 110-883
IMPROVING HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATES AND POSTSECONDARY SUCCESS IN
ALASKA AND NATIONWIDE: WHAT CAN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DO?
=======================================================================
FIELD HEARING
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, EDUCATION,
LABOR, AND PENSIONS
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
ON
EXAMINING IMPROVING HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATES AND POSTSECONDARY
SUCCESS IN ALASKA AND NATIONWIDE FOCUSING ON WHAT CAN THE GOVERNMENT
DO?
__________
NOVEMBER 15, 2008 (ANCHORAGE, AK)
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/congress/
senate
----------
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Washington, DC 20402-0001
COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR, AND PENSIONS
EDWARD M. KENNEDY, Massachusetts, Chairman
CHRISTOPHER J. DODD, Connecticut MICHAEL B. ENZI, Wyoming,
TOM HARKIN, Iowa JUDD GREGG, New Hampshire
BARBARA A. MIKULSKI, Maryland LAMAR ALEXANDER, Tennessee
JEFF BINGAMAN, New Mexico RICHARD BURR, North Carolina
PATTY MURRAY, Washington JOHNNY ISAKSON, Georgia
JACK REED, Rhode Island LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON, New York ORRIN G. HATCH, Utah
BARACK OBAMA, Illinois PAT ROBERTS, Kansas
BERNARD SANDERS (I), Vermont WAYNE ALLARD, Colorado
SHERROD BROWN, Ohio TOM COBURN, Oklahoma
J. Michael Myers, Staff Director and Chief Counsel
Ilyse Schuman, Minority Staff Director and Chief Counsel
(ii)
C O N T E N T S
__________
STATEMENTS
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2008
Page
Murkowski, Hon. Lisa, a U.S. Senator from the State of Alaska,
opening statement.............................................. 1
Smink, Jay, Ed.D., Executive Director, National Dropout
Prevention Center, Clemson, SC,................................ 5
Prepared statement........................................... 9
LeDoux, Larry, Commissioner, Alaska Department of Education and
Early Development, Juneau, AK.................................. 14
Prepared statement........................................... 15
Hamilton, Mark, President, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK... 22
Prepared statement........................................... 23
Holloway, Shirley, President/CEO, Avant-Garde Learning
Foundation, Anchorage, AK...................................... 26
Prepared statement........................................... 28
Rose, Carl, Executive Director, Association of Alaska School
Boards, Juneau, AK............................................. 33
Prepared statement........................................... 37
Winkler, Elizabeth, Finance Assistant, Nine Star Education and
Employment Services, Anchorage, AK............................. 42
Prepared statement........................................... 44
Cashen, Greg, Executive Director, Alaska Workforce Investment
Board, Anchorage, AK........................................... 45
Prepared statement........................................... 47
Andrews, Michael, Director, Alaska Works Partnership, Inc.,
Anchorage, AK.................................................. 49
Prepared statement........................................... 51
Michels-Hansen, Tina, Elementary and Middle School Programs
Manager, Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Anchorage, AK.............. 53
Prepared statement........................................... 55
Morgan, Tom, State Director, Communities in Schools of Alaska,
Inc., Anchorage, AK............................................ 57
Prepared statement........................................... 59
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL
Statements, articles, publications, letters, etc.:
Albertson, LaMont, Executive Director, Yuut Elitnaurviat--
People's Learning Center, Bethel, AK....................... 80
Atwater, Steve, Ph.D., President, Alaska Association of
School Administrators, Juneau, AK.......................... 80
Barrans, Diane, Executive Director, Alaska Commission on
Post-Secondary Education, Anchorage, AK.................... 82
Bogart, Debbie, Executive Director, Anchorage's Promise,
Anchorage, AK.............................................. 83
Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC), Inc., Anchorage, AK........ 87
Grinage, Beverly Patkotak, President, Ilisagvik College,
Barrow, AK................................................. 93
Greene-Wilkinson, Denise, Board Member, National Association
of Secondary School Principals, Anchorage, AK.............. 95
Letters:
Alaska Pacific University (APU), Anchorage, AK........... 98
Best Beginnings, Anchorage, AK........................... 99
(iii)
IMPROVING HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION RATES AND POSTSECONDARY SUCCESS IN
ALASKA AND NATIONWIDE: WHAT CAN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DO?
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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2008
U.S. Senate,
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions,
Anchorage, AK.
The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:00 a.m. in the
School Board Meeting Room, Anchorage School District Education
Center, 5530 East Northern Lights Boulevard, Anchorage, AK,
Hon. Lisa Murkowski, presiding.
Present: Senator Murkowski.
Opening Statement of Senator Murkowski
Senator Murkowski. Good morning. I want to thank our panel
of witnesses who have joined us. I appreciate it a great deal.
I want to thank Carol Comeau. I know Carol is right over here.
Carol is our host this morning here at the Anchorage School
District. Superintendent Comeau, I want to thank you for your
leadership on so many issues. We appreciate the opportunity to
be here in the room and setting up the video conference for us
here today.
I want to introduce Karen McCarthy, on my staff. Many of
you may have known her when she was in Juneau, working as a
legislative aide on education issues. She's now in my office in
Washington, DC. I know that she has a great network, and I
think you're probably all on her e-mail list. If you are not,
you're probably one of a very few in this State, as far as
educators, so you need to get on Karen's list. I appreciate all
of Karen's work in helping us this morning.
The title of the hearing this morning is ``Improving High
School Graduation Rates and Postsecondary Success in Alaska and
Nationwide: What Can the Federal Government Do? '' This is an
ambitious hearing. Those of you who have looked at the agenda,
the list of speakers, I think you will agree that this is
ambitious. I think we also recognize that if we are going to
work effectively together to address a very, very complex
problem facing Alaska and the Nation, it needs to be ambitious,
it needs to be aggressive, and that's what we are doing here
this morning.
We had an opportunity, just a few moments ago, to have a
press conference with some of the members of the panel here and
talk just a little bit about the statistics. We know the
statistics. Those of you that are here in the room this
morning, whether it's to speak as witnesses or to listen, we
know the statistics that we are facing here. Those who have a
college degree clearly will earn more than those who have a
high school diploma. Those with a diploma earn far more than
high school dropouts. High school dropouts are more likely to
live in poverty, need public assistance, go to prison, get
divorced, be unhealthy, even die earlier than their peers that
are in school. We also know that Alaska needs more healthcare
workers, teachers, engineers, welders, electricians, a host of
other high-skill jobs. But, when we look at Alaska, Alaska is
really the Nation's poster-child, if you will, for not getting
9th graders the education that they need to get the good-paying
jobs in a 21st-century competitive and global economy.
I don't like to talk about statistics, when we're speaking
with children, because I think that that gets us away from the
focus of the human side. I think we need to appreciate our
statistics, just briefly.
In Alaska, only 6 percent--6 percent--will earn a
postsecondary credential within 10 years--those who start in
9th grade. This is a report from the Alaska Commission of
Postsecondary Education. In pretty simple terms, ``Of 100
Alaskan 9th-graders, only six will earn a college degree within
6 years.'' So, 38 of these 100 will drop out of high school, 34
will finish high school, but not enroll in college, and then,
of the 66 who enroll in college, 10 drop out of the first year
and never return, another 12 will remain in college, but not
complete a degree after 6 years. Only 6 will earn a degree
within 6 years. The bottom line is that 38 percent of today's
9th graders will have no high school diploma, and 56 percent of
them will have no college degree 6 years later. Now, think
about that, a hundred.
The statistic--and I mentioned this in the press conference
today--a report by the Education Trust states that the United
States is the only industrialized Nation in the world in which
today's young people are less likely to have completed high
school than their parents.
It takes you back to an appreciation of how huge this
problem is for us, not only here in the State of Alaska, where
our graduation rate is 65.57 percent, as opposed to the U.S.
average, which is 76 percent. But, put it in the bigger picture
of what this means for us as a nation in a competitive world.
If we don't have educated, skilled young people going into the
workplace, how can we possibly be competitive?
Back in Washington, DC, right now, we're really keyed in to
the economic issues that are facing our Nation and how we're
going to provide for a level of stability within our economy.
But, if we can't educate--if we can't make sure that we have
young people that are prepared for that workforce, for those
job opportunities, how can we be competitive in a global
marketplace?
There was a comment that was made in an article out of the
Wall Street Journal a couple of weeks ago, and it's a pretty
tough statement. But, they're talking about the economic impact
of what the graduation rate really means. A statement made by
the president and CEO of America's Promise, and the need to
depend on our workers to fuel our economy and our future
growth, the next generation of workers is not prepared for the
21st-century global economy. She calls the dropouts ``our next
class of nonperforming assets.'' This is what we're facing, and
this is what we're doing here this morning.
We know that there are so many different reasons why our
students drop out of school. It's not an event, as somebody has
said in their testimony, it's a process. It starts so very
early, in many cases. Toddlers, whose brains develop without
ever seeing a book. We've got 4th-graders who can't read, 8th-
graders who can't do basic math, 11th-graders who are so far
behind in school that they don't see the relevance of what
they're supposed to be doing and how education connects with
their everyday lives. Kids who dream of being carpenters, but
aren't getting the classes that they need or the
apprenticeships that they need. We've got students who dream of
being scientists, but they can't access advanced math or
science classes. Then, we know of so many stories where our
young people are dealing with emotional troubles, violence in
their communities and in their homes, pregnancy, alcoholism,
drugs, all these barriers to education.
Today what we're going to be doing is discussing what the
State and the Federal Government and the districts and labor
and the community and the school boards can do for our kids,
from birth all the way on up, to make sure that they've got
access to age-
appropriate books, mentors, rigorous curriculum, tutoring, the
early apprenticeship training, and the services to help youth
cope with the challenges.
I have asked 10 very distinguished folks to focus on how we
can move forward, how the Federal Government can help. I
appreciate the time that they have taken, on a Saturday
morning, to join us.
I would ask that, as I make the introductions of you all--
and I'm going to abbreviate them, but please know that in the
comments that are submitted for the records, your background
statements are magnificent--and I don't say that, tongue in
cheek; I appreciate what you bring to the discussion and to the
table here this morning.
We're joined this morning by Dr. Jay Smink. Dr. Smink is
joining us by video conference. He's been the executive
director of the National Dropout Prevention Center at Clemson
University since 1998. He's a professor of education at the
College of Health, Education, and Human Development, and he is
recognized as a national leader and authority on dropout
prevention. He's provided counsel to State education agencies
and local school districts, including some of our districts
here in Alaska, to develop and implement dropout prevention
programs. I appreciate the fact that he's taking time today to
be with us. He's attending the National Dropout Prevention
Network Conference, and so, the wonders of video conference
allow him to join us.
We are also joined by Mr. Larry LeDoux. Larry is the
commissioner of the Department of Education and Early
Development. He came on in July of this year, and, before that,
was superintendent out at Kodiak.
General Hamilton, Mark Hamilton, is the president of the
university. A pleasure to have him here this morning. He was
appointed the 12th president of the university back in 1998,
has an incredible background, not only in education, but in the
military, and I so appreciate his leadership on education
issues.
Dr. Shirley Holloway is testifying today as president and
CEO of the Avant-Garde Learning Foundation. She founded this in
2005 to help the communities and the schools prepare our youth
better for a successful future. She's been an educator since
1971, and she is a true leader in so many, many areas.
Carl Rose is with us this morning as the highly respected
executive director of the Association of Alaska School Boards.
I think most of your adult life has been spent on educating--or
advocating for education for our youth in our public schools,
and we so appreciate your leadership.
We're also joined by Elizabeth Winkler. She is a finance
assistant at Nine Star Education and Employment Services here
in Anchorage. This is a nonprofit that is dedicated to
developing Alaska's workforce through literacy training and job
readiness.
I want to acknowledge and especially thank Elizabeth for
agreeing to testify before the committee today and to give us
the benefit of her experience. Elizabeth is one of those whom
we're talking about today. She dropped out of high school
before the end of the 10th grade, got her GED at Nine Star, and
is now a working parent of, I understand, a 1-year-old
daughter. She was enrolled in classes at both UAA and the
University of Phoenix, and she is intending to re-enroll later
at UAA. I appreciate your willingness to provide some real good
background, and thank you for being here.
Greg Cashen is the executive director of the Alaska
Workforce Investment Board. He's testifying today on behalf of
the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Department
commissioner. We appreciate your leadership in so many
different areas, Greg, and what you can help us with on the
efforts related to job training.
Mr. Mike Andrews is the director of Alaska Works
Partnership. This is a nonprofit organization established by
Alaska's construction unions to increase the numbers of
Alaskans who are employed in the construction industry, working
with apprentice outreach, pipeline construction training, and
so many different areas as they relate to job training
programs, and we thank you for you being here today.
We also have Tina Michels-Hansen. Tina is the elementary
and middle school program manager for Cook Inlet Tribal
Council. This is the regional nonprofit council. Tina is the
mother of five children, and a military wife, and very focused
on the issues as they relate to our Alaska Natives and their
educational opportunities. We appreciate you being here, Tina.
Finally, at this end we have Tom Morgan, who serves as the
State director of Communities in Schools of Alaska, focusing on
brokering existing resources to help our young people stay in
school, graduate, and succeed in life. Tom has been doing a
great job with CIS, and I appreciate your leadership and
joining us here today.
I do want to note that we have received written testimony
from, not only the panel in front of us, but we have received
statements from Abbe Hensley, of Best Beginnings; Beverly
Grinage, president of Ilisagvik College, up north; Doug North,
president of Alaska Pacific University; Debbie Bogart, from
Anchorage's Promise; Steve Atwater, of the Alaska Association
of School Administrators; and Lamont Albertson, executive
director of The People's Learning Center.
I would invite those who would like to present testimony,
written testimony--the record will remain open until November
29.
I do wish that we had more time to hear, just, the
commentary from others, but this is the nature of the hearings
that we have in front of us.
I would ask each of you, as we proceed through the
testimony, if you can try to limit your comments to 5 minutes.
Your full written statement is included as part of the record,
but I think it would be helpful, for purposes of our
discussion, if we can keep to our time limits so that we can
have the opportunity for greater dialogue and questioning at
the end.
With that, I would like to start with Dr. Smink, and then
proceed, beginning with you, Commissioner LeDoux, and going
down the line.
I'm hopeful that everyone in the back is able to hear. If
you're not, please let us know, up front.
Again, with that, Dr. Smink, if you would like to lead off,
I appreciate you being with us, live and in color, and welcome.
STATEMENT OF JAY SMINK, ED.D., EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL
DROPOUT PREVENTION CENTER, CLEMSON, SC
Mr. Smink. Thank you, Senator Murkowski and honored guests.
We are really pleased to be with you. We are honored to be a
part of this field hearing on this critical issue of high
school graduation. It truly is critical.
Let me, probably, do something to start off that's not
normally a part of most testimonies. If you can hear and see
this, this is an antique school bell that was probably used by
a teacher in the Lower 48, of around 1920, 1930. The question
that I have, rhetorically, is, Do you think there was a dropout
issue at that time? Was it more serious then, or less serious,
than now? We can answer that, perhaps, later, as we have
questions. What I'm attempting to do is make the point that
there were dropouts then, there still are now, and it's more
serious now. That's the intent of your field hearing.
Thank you very much for having us be present and allowing
us to share some of the findings and experiences that we have
gained since 1986, when the National Dropout Prevention Center
was first initiated at Clemson University. I was the director,
from the beginning of the real programs, in 1988.
What we're going to be doing is sharing with you some of
our experiences, some of our observations that we've learned
from across the Nation, because we have the opportunity, not
only now, to work with Alaska, but, at any given time, we're in
approximately 15 to 16 different States with active research
and/or demonstration projects. It gives us a vast opportunity
to see what's happening across the Nation. I'm sure that's
probably one of the reasons why you invited us to be with you,
and we appreciate that.
One of the things that I like to start off with--not only
this testimony, but others--is the notion that most laypeople
feel that the dropout issue is one of local schools, and they
should be asked to solve it, when, in fact, we know, yes, it
is. It is the students that drop out mostly between the grade
levels of 8, 9, or 10, and it's usually around age 16, 17, or
18. What we really know is, that's an event, and the dropout
issue, as you said earlier, is not an event. It really is a
long process of disengagement in school. The evidence--the
research evidence clearly says it could, and does, start as
early as preschool and school readiness, all the way up to the
ultimate decision for a student to drop out of school, leave
school.
That's the point we want to start with. We feel
comfortable, working with a lot of State agencies and school
districts, that we have a perspective that perhaps may be a
little broader than some of your other expert witnesses today,
and hopefully this will fit in and confirm some of their
experiences that they share with you as a result of the Alaska
experience.
One of the things that we like to promote is the notion
that policymakers, whether they be at the Federal or State
level, that they grasp the issue of, What are the root causes
of dropouts, and, more importantly, what are the program
interventions that have been proven to be most effective over
the years? That's our specialty. Yes, we do know the research,
but yes, more importantly, we know the interventions that have
had an impact over the last two decades. That's one of the
things that we want to share with you in our brief moment, but
it is also in our written testimony.
Now, one of the things, though, to set the stage, whenever
we're working with any particular group, is to note--and I'm
sure the other expert witnesses will make the point--that
graduation rates vary across all the States. They even vary
across all local districts. We're not prepared today, although
we could, but we're not prepared today to share that particular
set of statistics with you; they're well known.
What we do want to do is point out where some of these
variations are more prominent. And one of the three areas that
I'm sure you're aware of, but we'd like to emphasize the point
that the data is particularly severe with groups--if you
disaggregate the data, with groups in the area of race and
ethnicity, particularly in the area of African-American
students or Hispanic students, or, in your case, Alaska
Natives, or, in the Lower 48, the American Indians. These
particular segments of our school populations are very serious.
In the area of students with disabilities, also is an area
that is generally not looked at seriously. There's a large
number of students with disabilities who are also dropping out
of our schools. The other area that is very evident in the
research is--regardless of segments of population, it's the
area of the impact that poverty has on this particular issue.
It cannot be ignored, and we try to make that point.
One of the things that we like to share with you as a
result of our Center being in Alaska for the last 2 years is,
we have had a prominent number of--six of our senior people in
Alaska working with local schools for a total of approximately
90 days, so we have a fair amount of activities that we've
looked at and we understand about the Alaska situation. True in
Alaska and true elsewhere are some certain factors that are
very prominent. It's that the local socioeconomic condition
obviously contributes to it. Cultural differences contribute to
kids dropping out of school. School readiness is critical. Poor
reading skills are very critical. So is the lack of serious
dropout prevention planning, whether it be at the State or
local level; a lesser degree of looking at career development
and workforce readiness, and the notion of accountability.
Now, No Child Left Behind is forcing that issue of making
us look at accountability a little bit more. We welcome that.
We also welcome what the Secretary recently released, about 2
weeks ago, on a permanent or a more likeable definition for
``school dropouts,'' and particularly with the rates that will
be comparable across all States.
One of the things that we want to end with is the notion of
providing some suggestions to you and your committee. The
emphasis points that we would like to make is to continue to
build accountability with data-driven decisions, both at the
State level, but also at the local level, and also, obviously,
at the Federal level, with the legislation that's there.
The other notion that we would like to bring to your
attention is that State Departments of Education, regardless of
their intent, need a lot of technical assistance, so that they
can, in turn, provide a lot of technical assistance to local
school districts. We offer for your consideration a culmination
of almost two decades of research where we have taken a look
at, What are the intervention strategies that appear to be the
most effective? Since 1990 when we first published our list of
the most effective strategies, to, in 2001 and in 2004, we
published two publications that take those 15 strategies that
have the most impact, whether it be at elementary, middle, or
high school, or even at the recovery stage. We invite you to
take a look at that in more depth, because we think that's our
focus. Not just looking at the data, but looking at, What are
the intervention strategies?
And, particularly, we'd like to call your attention--in
Alaska, one of our 15 strategies, for example, is professional
development. You have one of the leading forces in your State,
the Alaska Staff Development Network, that is doing that,
statewide. We wanted to acknowledge that, that is one of your
homegrown programs that is providing significant staff
development for teachers, counselors, administrators, and also
community leaders who are providing services to youth.
The other notion that we would like to leave with you and
your committee as you study these testimonies more in-depth is
to ask you to avoid the fix-it-fast mentality. Too many times,
our legislators, whether they be at the Federal level or at the
State level, tend to want to develop a piece of legislation to
fix it fast. It'll be a single issue, it'll be a single funding
period, for maybe up to 3 years, and it'll focus on one
particular group. What we really advise and suggest that you
consider as you put activities together, and new legislation,
is that you look at several issues, particularly the issue of
equity in access for all students, but particularly in your
case, the Native Alaskans. Now, this is particularly critical
there, but also across the Nation it's critical.
One of the things that we find when we talk to students who
have dropped out is, they've never developed a relationship
with anyone. Some of the embedded programs that we have seen as
we analyze those in those 15 strategies, we continue to see the
need for a home-school liaison. We continue to see the notion
for graduation coaches. A lot of States--the one we're in right
now, Atlanta, has been a leader--I mean, the State of Georgia.
We're in Atlanta right now, in Georgia. They have been a
leader in developing graduation coaches. Other States are
following the same. We think it's important to have career
counseling. We also think it's important to have advisory
groups. We also think it's important for schools to be full-
service centers, not just academic centers. All of these build
relationships between adults or peers, but with the students
who are in need of it most.
In summary, as I conclude the statements, the dropout
issue, as many research reports--and I'm sure you have read
them, including the Wall Street Journal you referred to--is at
a crisis stage. We need to act, and we need to act now. The
good news, however, is that we do know a lot about the issue,
not only in statistics, but, more importantly, in the
intervention strategies. We feel, as a group--not only our
center, but as a group across the Nation--we feel, very
strongly, that we do know the successful strategies and the
successful interventions that will help our school-based, as
well as community-based, programs. That's important. We urge
you, at the Federal level and State level, to understand that
also, that there are answers available and they are there.
One of the reasons why perhaps they are not used is because
they are put in force in an abbreviated way, perhaps in a 3-,
maybe even a less than 3-year focus, and so, we would urge you,
in any research area or any demonstration area, that you begin
to think from a long-term commitment, but also, more
importantly, that you think about sustaining them, not
particularly from the Federal level or the State level, but,
more importantly, from the local level. They must promise a
sustained application of those interventions beyond the seed-
money funding. That's really important.
I'm encouraged about what I've seen, the last two decades,
about how State Departments of Education and local education
agencies have grasped this whole notion of accountability, and
the importance. However, there are still very many school
districts across the Nation, and mostly in rural settings--and
obviously Alaska fits into that particular category--that may
not have the resources, may not have the leadership to grasp
the notion of accountability; more importantly, to grasp the
notion of, What should we do, from an intervention standpoint?
I would urge you, at the Federal level or your other
colleagues there in the State--who are the State level--to
develop legislation that provides opportunities, first, for
research at the Federal level--I think the Federal level can do
research best on this issue--but at the State level, they need
to be able to promote interventions that work and provide
professional development activities to the local districts.
That would probably be our ultimate summary statement and
recommendation, not only to the Federal level, but to the local
level.
And the last comment would be that the notion of
sustainability across all levels is particularly critical,
particularly from the notion of sustainability for school and
community leaders. This is not a school issue, which most
laypeople think; it is really a school and community issue,
because when youngsters drop out of school, they drop out into
the community also and get into trouble, and then you have
ripple effects in law enforcement, etc, etc.
The notion of collaborative projects between the school and
the community cannot be overemphasized. I would close with
making that point, to look at interventions that work and look
at the sustainability and look at the notion of collaboration,
because it is not just a school issue, it is a school and
community issue.
Thank you very much for the opportunity.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Smink follows:]
Prepared Statement of Jay Smink, Ed.D.
Thank you Senator Lisa Murkowski and honored guests at the field
hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee,
for the opportunity to address the dropout issue and offer suggestions
based on more than two decades of focused dropout prevention activities
across this great Nation. I am Jay Smink, Executive Director of the
National Dropout Prevention Center/Network (NDPC/N) at Clemson
University, Clemson, SC, and I am honored to participate in this field
hearing.
understanding the dropout issue nationally
Most laypeople and many policymakers have the impression that the
school dropout issue is first the school's problem to solve and next
that the problem is primarily focused in our high schools. True, most
students do leave school between the 8th and 10th grades. However, a
recent research report from NDPC/N indicates that dropping out of
school is not really that isolated life-changing event occurring at age
17 or in the 9th grade (Hammond, Linton, Smink, & Drew, 2007). Research
has shown that dropping out of school is often the result of a long
process of disengagement that may begin before a child enters school.
In fact, dropping out is often described as a process, not an event,
with factors building and compounding over time. These factors have
been clearly defined and are evident in four different research domains
including the student, family, school, and community. Respectively,
several examples of student factors are poor attendance and low
achievement levels in reading. Contributing factors from the family are
high mobility patterns or children not living with both natural
parents. School factors include grade retention policies or large class
sizes with high-risk students. And community factors include the
collective community involvement and support provided to the schools.
Also, how the community values the need for the high school diploma as
the starting point for a better quality of life is extremely important.
In fact, both of these community factors contribute to the competitive
business environment for the community.
Policymakers have a huge responsibility to thoroughly understand
all the root causes and multiple facets of the dropout issue before
they begin to consider legislation and regulations for local schools.
They must also know about the range of potential interventions
available to school and community leaders. However, it is most
important to understand several basic principles as they design
legislation with the expectation that favorable change will happen in
schools and graduation rates will increase.
Any proposed legislation should stress that State and local program
planners begin all dropout prevention efforts based on the use of
reliable and accurate data. Decisions need to have a sound research
base with the flexibility at the local level to accommodate unique
situations and build new school improvement plans on existing
strengths. Accountability and evaluation structures along with equity
issues must be part of all legislation.
Increased graduation rates are expected from any new legislation
but so are other accomplishments such as increased attendance and
academic achievement levels, improved behavior patterns, and increased
civic involvement by every student. These accomplishments should be
rewarded, but any proposed legislation must provide for those school
districts with lesser accomplishments to be given additional assistance
and every opportunity to succeed before any dramatic change is
instituted.
examining the data
Graduation rates vary widely across States, from a 60 percent rate
in South Carolina to an 88 percent rate in Nebraska (USDOE, NCES
Statistics, 2008). However, much of the variation has been attributed
to the differing interpretations of what constitutes a ``dropout.''
Thus, it has been difficult to make accurate comparisons that allow for
meaningful interpretation and analysis. As a result of broad public
consensus that there is a need for a uniform definition and formula to
calculate high school graduation rates, Secretary of Education Margaret
Spellings released a proviso as recently as October 28, 2008, that
provides new rules for States regarding graduation rates. The new
regulations require that all States will use the same formula to
calculate how many students graduate from high school on time and how
many drop out. The final regulations define the ``4-year adjusted
cohort graduation rate'' as the number of students who graduate in 4
years with a regular high school diploma divided by the number of
students who entered high school 4 years earlier, adjusted for
transfers, students who emigrate and deceased students? (Spellings,
2008).
Regardless of the variations in actual numbers, the data relating
to school dropout and high school graduation are sobering, particularly
among minority students. The most recent statistics reported by the
U.S. Department of Education estimate that over a half million students
drop out of school each year, which is enough to fill 12,207 school
buses (USDOE, 2008). These data have remained relatively flat for the
past 30 years, even as spending on education has increased
significantly (Heckman & LaFontaine, 2007). As noted above, graduation
rates for students of color, students with disabilities, and those who
live in poverty are significantly higher than for white students who
live in middle to high family income homes. These characteristics are
more specifically described below.
Race/Ethnicity
Past data have shown a strong association between race/ethnicity
and the likelihood of dropping out of school. In particular, cohort
studies of national longitudinal data for American high school
students, such as the High School and Beyond study and the National
Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, both sponsored by NCES, show that
Blacks and Hispanics were at greater risk of dropping out than Whites.
Furthermore, American Indian and Alaska Native students have a dropout
rate twice the national average--the highest dropout rate of any U.S.
ethnic or racial group.
Students With Disabilities
The most recent special education dropout data indicate that the
highest special education dropout rate reported for the 2006-07 school
year was 33.6 percent (NDPC-SD, 2008). However, it is important to note
that the definition of ``dropout'' and the data sources currently used
by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) differs from the
definition used by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
Common Core of Data (CCD), significantly compromising the capacity to
make accurate comparisons of special education and general education
dropout numbers. This exacerbates efforts to chart the necessary and
highly important progress of students with disabilities in relation to
their peers without disabilities (Thurlow, Sinclair, & Johnson, 2002).
Even so, available data reveal that dropout rates vary substantially
among the various categories of disability. For instance, the dropout
rate for students identified with an emotional disturbance is
approximately 51.4 percent, while the rate for those with hearing or
orthopedic impairments is approximately 15 percent (NDPC-SD, 2008).
Impact of Poverty
High school students living in low-income families are six times as
likely as their peers from high-income families to drop out of high
school. About 10.7 percent of students from low-income families (bottom
quintile) dropped out of high school; by comparison, 5.4 percent of
middle-income students dropped out, as did 1.7 percent of students from
high-income families (USDOE, 2004). In the absence of additional
measures, family income serves as a good indicator for other social and
economic factors that are likely to be related to a student's decision
to stay in school or to drop out. Clearly, dropout and graduation rate
data described above indicate that dropout is a national issue that has
serious implications for our national security, our economic
development, and general quality of life for all Americans.
problems associated with alaska's high school dropout rate
Through a research-based Program Assessment and Review (PAR)
process, the National Dropout Prevention Center has become intimately
involved with the discovery of Alaskan dropout etiology in the major
cities of Fairbanks, Anchorage, and Juneau, as well as smaller cities
such as Sitka and Ketchikan, focusing specifically on the issue of
dropout among Alaskan Natives. Additionally, the NDPC/N is working in
several other small, rural villages to address dropout among the Eskimo
and Native Alaskan population through a recently federally funded
project termed: Rural Alaska Mentoring Project (RAMP) that involves the
training and use of peer-to-peer mentors via a Web-based mentoring
program, as well as face-to-face adult mentoring to specifically
address dropout. As a result of the extensive work throughout the
State, the NDPC/N has data to suggest the following issues are highly
associated with dropout in Alaska, particularly among Eskimos and
Alaskan Natives.
Factors associated with low socioeconomic conditions.
These factors include drug and alcohol abuse; lack of support at home,
manifested through low expectations built on a history of poor academic
engagement and performance by parents and grandparents; a highly
transient population; poor health conditions; high unemployment; high
incidences of incarceration; and single-parent homes. In the Alaska
Staff Development Network's (ASDN) statewide needs assessment, Alaska's
53 school districts identified dropout prevention as one of the top
priorities.
Factors associated with cultural differences. Educators
and community members may exhibit attitudes and behaviors that include
subtle and inadvertent insensitivity towards those with different
cultural backgrounds and experiences. In addition, significant inequity
exists in terms of equal access to resources, quality of instruction,
and building infrastructure.
Factors associated with school readiness. The lack of
State funding for a mandated early childhood/kindergarten program has
resulted in incidences of 30-40 percent of students starting school
with limited understanding of numeracy and literacy. Furthermore, the
statewide school system as a whole has demonstrated a limited capacity
to adequately address the needs of students who are behind their peers.
This is particularly evident at the secondary level, where limited
opportunities for credit recovery are in place for students who get
behind in credits. Individual and focus group interviews with students
have provided data to suggest this is a leading contributor to the
dropout problem, particularly for Native Alaskan students.
Factors associated with poor reading skills. There is a
lack of a systemic reading initiative in any of the school districts
observed to date, particularly at the secondary level. Secondary
teachers report that low reading levels of students are at the heart of
poor academic performance, low self-esteem, and ultimate dropout.
Factors associated with dropout prevention planning. There
is not a coordinated and systemic dropout prevention plan in place by
the State that incorporates a high level of accountability and progress
monitoring. This is a major hurdle for the State, due to the site-based
management infrastructure in place and the challenges of a wide range
of geographic, demographic, and cultural issues that are unique to the
State of Alaska.
Factors associated with career development and workforce
readiness. Alaska has an inadequate Career and Technical Education
(CTE) model in place that is poorly funded and not emphasized as a
legitimate dropout prevention strategy. Career development
opportunities at the secondary level are predominantly career
exploration, at best, with limited State funding to support up-to-date
technology and resources.
Factors associated with accountability. The collection,
analysis, and use of data for decisionmaking are problematic across the
State. There is not a statewide data system in place that requires
similar hardware and software applications, and mandates a specific set
of data elements for input. The results are statewide systems of data
warehouses that are not integrated and limits the capacity of the
Department of Education personnel to collect, analyze, and compare
adequately.
suggested solutions
Policy and program suggestions are offered by NDPC/N to many
different groups throughout the year. Our approach in response to these
requests is usually very prescriptive depending on the needs of the
State, school district, or community group. However, the suggested
solutions offered below reflect a much broader portrait appropriate for
policymakers at different levels including several suggestions for
program planners.
1. Build Accountability and Data-Driven Decision-Making Capacity
At the Federal Level
Continue to define and refine data sets to be collected
and a uniform definition of dropout, graduation, etc.
Assist State Education Agencies (SEAs) to help them manage
a more robust accountability system, which, in turn, should assist the
Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to stay focused on accountability at
the local level.
Develop a stronger support structure at the SEA level vs.
LEA level, in order to provide for a knowledge base of predictive data
and program interventions that is consistent and equitably applied.
At the State Level
Develop a statewide data management system that is
mandated to be compatible at each LEA or school site.
Make use of the Dropout Early Warning System (DEWS)
currently being piloted in three school districts in the State by the
NDPC/N.
Examine the data and impact of State policies designed to
reduce dropout. Some policies may actually be inadvertently pushing
students out.
At the Local Level
Use longitudinal, student-level data to get an accurate
read of graduation and dropout rates.
Use data to identify incoming students with histories of
academic problems, truancy, behavioral problems, and retentions.
Review student-level data to identify students at risk of
dropping out before key academic transitions.
Monitor students' sense of engagement and belonging in
school.
Collect and document accurate information on student
withdrawals.
2. Develop a Statewide, Systemic Dropout Prevention Plan
Consider the National Dropout Prevention Center's 15
Effective Strategies for Dropout Prevention as a foundation for the
development of a dropout prevention plan. For example, the Mississippi
Department of Education developed a planning framework using the 15
strategies and requires every local school district to assess current
programs and develop new interventions in each of the strategies. Also,
the Arizona Department of Education is using the 15 strategies as a
framework to list the successful dropout prevention programs currently
operating in local districts.
Utilize the components of the Dropout Prevention Practice
Guide recently released by the Institute of Education Sciences in any
statewide dropout prevention plan.
Provide incentives for the accomplishment of benchmarks,
as well as technical assistance and resource support for low-performing
LEAs and schools.
The Alaska Staff Development Network (ASDN) has partnered
with NDPC/N and the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Tribes of
Alaska in a 3-year USDOE Alaska Native Education grant project designed
to increase the high school graduation rate of Alaska Native students
in Juneau, Ketchikan, and Sitka. The impact of this project should be
examined closely for strategies that prove to be effective, with
consideration being given for wider statewide implantation.
3. Avoid ``Fix It Fast'' Thinking and Funding at the State and Federal
Levels
Realize that the school dropout issue cannot be ``fixed''
with the passing of a single piece of legislation, or with a single
project or program, or within a fixed time frame of usually 1 to 3
years.
Consider a ``multiple-pathway'' approach to high school
graduation that has the required components of rigor and relevancy, yet
incorporates ``value-added assessment'' policies and practices--for
instance, a wider variety of alternative schools and programs such as
virtual learning opportunities, work-based programs, career academies,
and early/middle college programs.
Provide funding for research and demonstration projects
that are 5-7 years in length vs. 1-3, in order to allow for full
program implementation and more accurate assessment of outcomes. It
often takes a year or more to get necessary components of a grant in
place before interventions are actually implemented at the local level.
Strengthen staff development opportunities and resources,
particularly for remote areas of the State. The Alaska Staff
Development Network headquartered in Juneau is a great resource already
in place, and is considered by the NDPC/N to be one of the most
effective state-level staff development programs in the Nation. Its
impact is especially felt in the many remote areas of Alaska, where
travel in and out for staff development purposes is problematic and
economically challenging. The ASDN has served over 2,500 educators
through its Web-based system, and just within the past year, 235
Alaskan educators from 73 schools participated in eight 2-hour webinars
sponsored by ASDN. ASDN also conducted statewide Dropout Prevention
Symposia in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, and Kenai.
4. More Vigorously Address the Issue of Equity and Access for Native
Alaskans
The issue of dropout among Native Alaskans is admittedly
complicated and fraught with historical precedence and highly charged
emotions. As such, the solutions must be wide-ranging, creative, and
respectful of differing cultural values and expectations. The sense of
``hopelessness'' that is pervasive throughout the Native community is a
result of real and perceived historic policies and practices, as well
as the long-term impact of poverty. It appears that the Native
community is looking for a stronger voice at the State and Federal
levels to address the problems associated with school success.
The need for consistent and active relationships is
particularly relevant to dropout among all student populations, and
especially for the Native Alaskan student. Therefore, the following
suggestions are worthy of endorsement and support as vital components
in any Federal or State legislation.
Assign a home-school liaison at every school.
Assign Graduation Coaches for all secondary schools.
It should be noted that Fairbanks Northstar Borough School
District is funding a program to put Dropout Prevention
Specialists in all schools K-12.
Implement a Career Counselor program that is based on
the new model of CTE that shifts the focus from requiring
students to choose either an academic pathway or a CTE pathway.
A CTE pathway is one in which students combine CTE course
taking with academic course taking within a CTE program of
study.
Develop a strong ``Advisory'' program at all schools
that incorporates the involvement of parents and local support
agencies.
Consider establishing ``full service centers'' at
local schools that essentially creates a ``one-stop'' center
for all Federal, State, and local services. An exemplary model
is a local initiative in Dayton, OH, entitled FAST FORWARD.
summary
The dropout issue in America is at a crisis stage and requires the
immediate attention of policymakers at all levels of government, not
only to propose Federal or State legislation to address the issue, but
to foster an environment for all facets of our society to realize just
how serious the underperformance of our students--our future leaders--
is related to the economic competitiveness of the Nation. The good news
is that the research-based information about effective strategies and
program interventions available to policymakers and practitioners is
sound and offers a great deal of promise and hope for State and local
leaders to forge ahead with comprehensive plans to increase graduation
rates. Also, all proposed Federal legislation must preserve the value
of State leadership in the education systems yet provide for the
creativity of local districts to develop sound and comprehensive
dropout prevention programs that reflect the uniqueness of their
students and communities served by the schools.
Thus, all legislation must reflect a full range of strategies and
programs addressing the issues ranging from school readiness of our
children to the needs of our struggling students who elected to leave
school before graduation and yet are willing to return for another
opportunity to earn a diploma. Perhaps more than any other suggestion
to end this testimony is that we must end the ``fix it, fund it, and
forget it'' mentality and realize that the dropout issue is a long
developmental process for most students. Yet, the dropout crisis can be
corrected with a sustained effort at all governmental levels and with
the total commitments from all school and community leaders working
collaboratively.
References
Hammond, C., Linton, D., Smink, J., & Drew, S. (2007). Dropout Risk
Factors and Exemplary Programs: A Technical Report. National
Dropout Prevention Center. D. Linton: Communities In Schools, Inc.
May 2007. http://www.dropoutprevention
.org/ndpcdefault.htm.
Heckman, J., & LaFontaine, P. (2007). The American High School
Graduation Rate: Trends and Levels. NBER Working Papers 13670,
National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. Available from ftp://
repec.iza.org/RePEc/Discussionpaper/dp3216.pdf
NDPC-SD. (2008). AN Analysis of State Performance Plan Data for
Indicator 2 (Dropout). A report prepared for the U.S. Department of
Education Office of Special Education Programs by the National
Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities.
Spellings, M. (October 2008). U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret
Spellings Announces Final Regulations to Strengthen No Child Left
Behind. Available from http://www.ed.gov.
Thurlow, M., Sinclair, M. F., & Johnson, D. R. (2002). Students With
Disabilities Who Drop Out of School--Implications for Policy and
Practice. Issue Brief, 1(2). Minneapolis, MN: University of
Minnesota, Institute on Community Integration. Retrieved from
www.ncset.org/publications/viewdesc.asp?id=425.
USDOE. (November 2004). Dropout Rates in the United States: 2001.
National Center for Educational Statistics, U.S. Department of
Education Institute of Education Sciences NCES 2005-046.
USDOE. (September 2008). Dropout and Completion Rates in the United
States: 2006. National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). NCES
2008053. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/
pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2008053.
Senator Murkowski. Thank you, Dr. Smink. Appreciate your
leadership on this issue and the time that you've given us this
morning.
With that, Commissioner LeDoux, I want to congratulate you
on the summit that you had convened, these past 2 days. I
understand there was good discussion and good outcomes, and
we're pleased to be the Federal follow-on to that very
successful summit.
Your comments this morning? Welcome.
STATEMENT OF LARRY LeDOUX, COMMISSIONER, ALASKA
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT,
JUNEAU, AK
Mr. LeDoux. Thank you, Senator Murkowski and honored
guests.
Governor Palin made it very clear to me when I----
Senator Murkowski. Can you push your microphone, just, your
direction? There you go.
Mr. LeDoux [continuing]. Thank you.
Governor Palin made it very clear to me when I accepted
this position that one of my chief responsibilities was to
ensure that every child in Alaska would find success. The
solutions to low graduation rates will come from the students
themselves, their parents, the schools, and their communities.
The answers will also come from looking at students' early
childhoods and their entire school career. Students leave
school as teenagers, but every educator will tell you they
become disengaged from school much earlier in their lives.
The greatest danger is believing that success is easy or
can be solved by simple solutions that address one need. Kids
fail to graduate based on a number of reasons, and the road to
failure--and success--starts very early, usually before they
enter school.
In some cases, students leave school because they must earn
money and take care of themselves or their siblings, or they
become pregnant, or parents themselves, or they live with
families that move a lot and their education has been
fractured, or they have mental health problems, behavior
problems, or learning disabilities that have not been fully
addressed by their schools or their families.
Some leave because the pace of learning in schools has not
changed and the requirements of a modern society require that
students graduate with rigor and flexibility and have many,
many options.
In an attempt to craft a broad initiative to increase the
success of students and accountability for the use of
resources, over 450 Alaskan leaders, parents, students,
business and industry leaders, early childhood professionals,
legislators, university professors, and executives from support
agencies in our communities came together to build an Alaska
education plan. It's the start of a beginning. It will continue
through revision, refinement, and, most importantly,
implementation.
During 2 days of the summit, we defined 40 goals, with many
actions on each goal, and we will be working, the next few
months, to develop action plans to implement so that we can
make change as early as possible.
While there is much work to be done, some insights of this
plan and our discussions can be shared today. I will go through
them quickly. As you've heard before, graduation is an outcome
of doing many things right. It's not just one thing, it's many.
The reasons kids drop out, as you've heard, are not simple, and
they're complex, and they must be responded to in a complex
manner.
There must be a coherent system of education support from
birth to work. Early childhood programs, K-12 programs, public
and private education or postsecondary programs, and workforce
development must be a part of the solution.
Early learning is critical. If kids do not enter school
with the proper oral fluency and some of the social and
behavioral skills to learn, they fall behind. We know that
there's a direct correlation between a child's reading ability
and their graduation from high school.
Students must have the opportunity to explore their
talents. Students must have access to quality educators.
Students must be fully prepared to engage in postsecondary
training and college and vocational careers.
Alaska will need to help implement a comprehensive early--
these are some of the conclusions, since I have 1 minute.
Senator Murkowski. We'll let you continue. We're not going
to cut you off.
Mr. LeDoux. OK, thank you.
Attention to the importance of family and culture must be a
foundation to any plan. Many of our students are failing
because our instructional programs and our goals and objectives
are not delivered in a manner that is consistent with our
indigenous way of learning and thinking. We need to change
that.
Education technology must be integrated into the
educational framework--not technology into education, but
education into technology. Kids are learning in real time, and
we're still teaching in seat time.
School finances and support must be stabilized to
facilitate effective management and educational programming.
Students must feel socially and physically safe so that they
can develop the confidence necessary to take risks in learning.
Alaska's schools must develop effective partnerships to
train students and provide the basis for increased learning
opportunities.
How can the Federal Government help us? We're going to need
help developing a comprehensive early-learning environment for
our kids. Alaska has unique geographical challenges. It's going
to be expensive, it's going to be difficult, and we're going to
need support to do that, but it's critical to the success of
kids, that we implement an early education program.
We're going to need funds to help restructure high schools.
Basic needs will always trump innovation. Administrators,
superintendents and principals have great ideas, and they know
what to do, but they need support to provide innovative
programs.
The Alaska Native Equity Act has provided funds for Alaska
Native organizations and schools to tremendously increase the
success of students in Alaska. Those kinds of funds need to be
available to all schools so that the innovative programs can be
delivered. Right now, there's not enough money to implement
those plans. Flexibility in NCLB regulations--NCLB helped us
not leave children behind, but we need a flexible program that
will meet the needs of our State. Currently, it does not.
Finally, we need a career and technical education program
in Alaska. The Federal Government used to be the leader in
providing funds and support to develop career and technical
education in Alaska and around the country. For the last 20
years, they have not increased support in Carl Perkins, and it
has become so complicated that many of our districts refuse to
accept the money because the regulations are so extreme that
they can't implement the program.
Finally, again, I would say we congratulate you for all of
your support, for postsecondary education, the support that you
do give. We believe that, as our plan is implemented, we will
meet the needs of all of our students and increase graduation.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. LeDoux follows:]
Prepared Statement of Larry LeDoux
Alaska graduates approximately two-thirds of its high school
students. We graduate about half of our Alaska Native students, and
about 40 percent of our students who experience disabilities.
Those statistics do not mean that one-third of our students have
dropped out. Among the non-graduates in any given year are students who
will remain in school and eventually receive a diploma, or who have
left high school for home school and must be counted as non-graduates,
or who have completed their credits but have not passed all three
portions of Alaska's exit exam. Furthermore, a small percentage of our
students, about 1 percent, take an alternate assessment and are not on
track for a diploma.
Scholars can quibble about the best method to calculate graduation
rates, but this is what it boils down to: Every year, several thousand
Alaska students walk away from high school without a diploma.
America is a place for second chances. If we want to encourage
students to attain their diploma, we should not stigmatize them with
the label ``dropout.'' There are many reasons students leave school
without a diploma--in some cases, we might make the same decision if we
were in their shoes--and our goal should be to assist these youths, not
to judge them.
In fact, some non-graduates will earn a GED certificate and go on
to acquire a vocational certificate or a college degree. Other youths
return to school and give it a second try. Whatever techniques we use
to increase the graduation rate will be based on respecting students as
individuals and as valued members of our society.
Of course, many students who leave high school without a diploma do
not attain further credentials. They are less likely to use their
talents to the fullest, less likely to hold well-paying jobs, and more
likely to need social services, more likely to be jailed, and more
likely to have children who do not graduate from high school. The lost
opportunities for themselves and our society are tremendous. This is
particularly true in an economy in which adults have to be prepared to
hold many jobs in their lifetime or to compete for jobs that can be
filled globally.
Alaska's low graduation rate is a very serious problem.
We live in communities in which well-paying jobs, from nurses to
police officers, go begging while talented young people are unemployed
or underemployed because they did not attain their diploma. Where does
this disconnect come from? Why aren't more of our students well-
prepared for employment, postsecondary training or college during their
free public education?
The solutions to low graduation rates will come from the students
themselves, their parents, the schools, and the broader society. The
answers also will come from looking at students' early childhoods and
their entire school career. Students leave school as teenagers, but
every educator will tell you they become disengaged from school much
earlier in their lives.
Broadly stated, we believe that more students will graduate:
1. If their parents are involved in their education and provide a
nurturing home life; children who have a strong connection to family
values, customs and beliefs develop the confidence to ``reach for the
stars'' and the talent to grab a star.
2. If very young students are well-prepared to succeed at school;
3. If high school courses interest students because they are
relevant to their current lives, the needs of a world-competitive
workforce, and their future plans;
4. And if schools are geared toward removing any barriers that hold
back students.
More precisely, schools have seen greater success graduating
students when they:
Increase academic rigor and expectations, and hold
students accountable;
Focus on bringing every child to proficiency in reading by
the end of third grade;
Identify and remediate academic or behavioral problems
early in elementary school;
Improve academic rigor, learning experiences, and
counseling in the middle grades;
Offer significant counseling time, graduation plans/
coaches, and career majors in high school so that students' time in
high school is seen by them as useful to them;
Provide a broad-based leadership activity and athletic
program that teaches risk-taking, teamwork, dedication, and other work-
related skills;
Offer sufficient remediation and credit-recovery options
in high school so there is always another chance to do better;
Let some students enroll in college courses or ``early
college high schools'' so advanced students aren't bored;
Pay more attention to high school freshmen so they don't
fall behind in their credits;
Understand how to address the needs of students with
disabilities, and develop and implement viable transition plans that
facilitates skill development;
Make parents the partners in their children's education;
Assess students in ways that show teachers, parents and
students their skill levels;
Are located in communities with widespread pre-school
programs.
Additionally, in Alaska, schools will graduate more students when
they offer courses that are relevant to all cultures.
Let me discuss the issues in greater detail.
We do not have 21st century schools. We still define learning by
the amount of time students spend in class, and we do not take into
account the ways that youths learn in real time. Our schools must use
technology to redefine how students learn and problem-solve.
The successful schools in the 21st century will be defined by a new
set of ``three R's'': the relationships they establish between
educators, students, parents and communities; the relevance of school
to students' lives and eventual careers; and academic rigor.
We must look at more than K-12 education. Alaska needs a pre-
kindergarten-to-grade-20 commission to determine the learning needs of
children from their early years into careers. Very young children who
are not orally fluent have a hard time reading well by third grade, and
they often never catch up. We need an educational path with seamless
transitions between pre-school, K-12, and postsecondary training and
college, all the way into careers. The success at the end of the system
is determined at the beginning.
When students grow up, they will need to be flexible in their
careers and in life. But our schools are not flexible. To treat all
students the same is to treat them inequitably. Twenty-first century
schools must meet the needs of students or we will continue to lose
them. Schools must wrap themselves around the needs of an individual
child instead of expecting the children to wrap themselves around a
single school.
Commendably, No Child Left Behind has spurred higher achievement in
reading, writing and math and a greater concern for all students. Many
of our own suggestions above are based on the notion that students who
are doing well academically are more likely to graduate. But in itself
NCLB and improved academics are not the solution to the graduation
crisis. NCLB is one facet of the diamond of success. First of all,
principals will tell you that some students who leave without diplomas
are proficient students. Many have passed Alaska's exit exam.
Academic competence alone does not guarantee that students will
stay through 12th grade. Some early leavers are bored, unstimulated
intellectually by a system not perceived as relevant to their needs. We
need to get them through high school quicker and into college or
occupational training sooner in their lives. One promising option is
early college high school, which offers students a 5-year program that
results in a high school diploma and an associate's degree. Another
valuable option for combating student disengagement, and one that has
receded in recent years under budget pressures, is career and technical
training, ranging from wood and auto shops and cooking courses to
computer and health sciences courses. Career and technical programs
that prepare students for jobs are critical.
Unfortunately, Federal regulations for Carl Perkins vocational
funds have become so burdensome and the grants so small that small
Alaska school districts no longer apply for the grants. The grants
literally cost more to administer than the dollar value of the grant.
We are now seeing middle-sized school districts refraining from
applying for vocational grants. We recommend more Federal funds for
career and technical education with fewer strings attached.
As schools concentrate on the NCLB-assessed subjects, there is less
time for the arts, sciences, social studies and vocations. Schools must
better understand how to embed reading, writing and math into a much
richer curriculum based on the arts, sciences, social studies and
vocations. More students will remain in school when we meet their
individual needs. Such a school offers a broad range of activities,
rigorous academic and vocational programs, and flexible learning
options. Furthermore, students will be better able to succeed in jobs
and college if they have learned more than what we assess for. They
must be capable of creative, ethical and critical thinking, as well.
Students have deeper needs than solving an algebra problem or writing a
grammatically correct sentence.
To further address students' individual needs, we must encourage
the creation of alternate approaches, programs and schools for students
who are at risk of not graduating. These students may be homeless, or
be parents themselves and in need of jobs, or be far behind in credits.
Precisely because these schools serve students who have not been
successful, they generally do not have high graduation rates. Yet it is
commendable that the students continue to plug away and that their
district continues to serve them. Every student who graduates from
these programs makes them worthwhile regardless of the programs'
overall graduation rate. Even students who gain one or two more
semesters but do not graduate are better off than if they did not
return to school at all. NCLB expects all schools to meet the same
targets for graduation rates or face specified mandatory consequences.
These consequences may throw alternative schools into turmoil and not
be in the best interest of the students. Alternative schools may need
to be held accountable differently than regular schools.
The curriculum in Alaska's schools should be rigorous and reflect
the learning styles, value and meaning of Alaska's indigenous peoples.
Native languages and cultures must be honored and included in the
curriculum. The curriculum must be delivered in the context of a
child's learning. Shared bottom-up decisionmaking must be nurtured so
that school and community values reflect each other.
Surveys of American Indians and Alaska Natives who left school
early reveal the same concerns that many students have, but the
cultural dissonance between the schools and the Native community may
heighten these issues. Students spoke of not feeling that the teachers
cared about them; not getting enough academic help; lack of parental
encouragement; not seeing school as important for what they want to do
in life; and not seeing school as important to their cultural identity.
Schools need to find more ways for all parents to be meaningfully
engaged in their children's education. When parents join with other
community members and the school to determine behavioral expectations
and learning goals, they become partners in the children's education.
In Native villages, where the schools experience significant staff
turnover, it is especially important to have community ownership of the
schools.
Some students leave school because they do not feel safe there.
They may be harassed or subject to violence or the presence of illegal
drugs. Students who feel a sense of belonging at school are more likely
to graduate. It is the duty of schools to make every student safe and
welcome. Unfortunately, violence exists apart from school, as well.
Some students are distracted at school and perform poorly because they
experience violence at home or in the community. Schools, families and
communities have a role to play in a thorough effort to reduce fear and
violence. It may be desirable to encourage the creation of regional
boarding schools for some students who are homeless or who face
violence at home.
Some students start school already behind and never catch up.
Children who participate in good-quality early-childhood programs have
an edge over their peers in kindergarten and beyond. Alaska needs the
widespread availability of early care and learning and of family
support and parental education.
In some cases students leave school because they must earn money
and take care of themselves or their siblings; or they are pregnant or
parents themselves; or they live with families that move a lot and
their education has been fractured; or they have mental health
problems, behavior problems or learning disabilities that have not been
adequately treated, if at all. Schools will need to identify those
issues as a matter of course and partner with social service agencies
to alleviate them.
The new NCLB regulations regarding graduation rates will not be
helpful, although we hasten to point out that we do not argue against
the urgency of the issue. Nor do we excuse the achievement gap that
reveals itself in varying graduation rates among subgroups of students.
One hundred percent graduation is our highest priority.
We are concerned that the regulations may judge some or all schools
by a strict 4-year graduation rate, which is likely to trim a few
points off our graduation rates. States would need Federal approval to
use other than a 4-year rate for accountability. We believe it is fair
to give schools credit for all of their graduates regardless of how
long it takes students to reach the goal. Education is not a race.
The regulations will judge schools by the graduation rate for each
subgroup of students, given a minimum number of students in the
subgroup. Very few schools can meet even a 50 percent graduation rate
for students with disabilities, for example. We do not believe the
current graduation rates for all of our subgroups are good enough. But
setting artificially high targets will not improve the graduation
rates. Within a few years of the disaggregation provisions taking
effect, nearly all sizable schools will be in restructuring status for
the graduation rate alone. But the restructuring mandates of NCLB might
not be the best remedy. Interventions should be thoughtful and based on
specific data.
We have sketched out above the sorts of solutions that will help.
They are not easy or swift solutions. In summary, schools in the 21st
century must be refashioned to serve the needs of their students, not
only academic or career needs, but emotional and social needs.
technical information
What follows is information about Alaska's graduation and dropout
rates. Here are definitions necessary for understanding the data.
A dropout is a student who was enrolled in the district sometime
during the school year and whose enrollment terminated. Dropouts do not
include graduates, transfers to public or private schools, or transfers
to state-approved or district-
approved education programs (such as home-school correspondence
programs). Students with absences due to suspension, illness or medical
conditions are not reported as dropouts. Students who leave school to
be home-schooled and are not affiliated with a district program are
counted as dropouts. Students who leave a district and enroll in a new
district but do not ask for a transcript from their original district
are counted as dropouts.
The dropout rate is an annual rate. It does not refer to a cohort
of students. The dropout rate is computed by dividing the number of
dropouts in the current school year by the number of students in grades
7 through 12 on October 1 of the current school year. Note that the
denominator includes all of the 7th-graders and 8th-graders, although
few middle-school students drop out and become part of the numerator.
The dropout rate for only grades 9 through 12, therefore, will be
higher than the rate reported for grades 7 through 12. School year is
defined as the 12-month period beginning on July 1 and ending June 30.
From school year 2002-2003 to the current school year, Alaska used
the same definition of the graduation rate. The numerator is the number
of graduates receiving a regular diploma before June 30, regardless of
how many years the student was enrolled. In other words, it is not a
strict 4-year rate. It credits schools for all of their graduates.
The denominator is the number of graduates, plus the number of
dropouts in grade 9, 3 years before, plus the number of unduplicated
dropouts in grade 10, 2 years before, plus the number of unduplicated
dropouts in grade 11, 1 year before, plus the number of unduplicated
dropouts in grade 12 in the current year, plus the number of grade 12
students who are continuing in high school after the current year.
Students who complete the credit requirements of the State and
their district but who do not pass all three portions of the State exit
exam are counted as if they were dropouts. Each year, approximately 250
to 350 students are in that position. Some of them will eventually pass
the exit exam and receive a regular diploma.
The graduation data includes the phrase ``LEP students.'' It refers
to students with limited English proficiency.
Preliminary Graduation Rate by Subgroup
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2008 2008 2008 2008 2008 2008
High Grade 12 Grade 12 Grade 11 Grade 10 2008 Graduation
2007-2008 School Continuing Grade 9 Rate [In
Graduates Students Dropouts Dropouts Dropouts Dropouts percent]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AK Native/Amer. Indian............... 1,508 464 351 281 278 284 47.6
Asian/Pacific Islander............... 568 111 63 59 29 37 65.5
Black................................ 257 86 43 50 32 27 51.9
Hispanic............................. 386 68 60 35 20 27 64.8
Mixed Ethnicity...................... 362 107 49 46 17 281 42.0
White................................ 4,715 713 397 354 334 5 72.3
Students w/Disabilities.............. 532 391 125 114 104 59 40.2
Students w/o Disabilities............ 7,264 1158 838 711 604 602 65.0
LEP Students......................... 612 276 136 125 98 97 45.5
Economically Disadvantaged........... 1823 650 318 284 241 138 52.8
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2007-2008 Enrollment Totals by Grade* Dropout Rate by Dropout Rate as a
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ethnicity Percentage of Total
---------------------- Dropouts
---------------------------
Race/Ethnic Group 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total 7- 7-12 [In Dropouts Dropouts Dropouts 7-
12 percent] Count 7- 7-12 [In Dropouts 12 [In
12 percent] Count 7-12 percent]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AK Native/Amer. Indian................................ 2,226 2,312 2,768 2,530 2,320 2,213 14,369 23.2 1,228 8.5 1,228 37.4
Asian/Pacific Islander................................ 712 705 727 747 768 764 4,423 7.2 213 4.8 213 6.5
Black................................................. 364 348 400 373 419 390 2,294 3.7 162 7.1 162 4.9
Hispanic.............................................. 541 526 591 562 510 536 3,266 5.3 179 5.5 179 5.5
Mixed Ethnicity....................................... 550 501 531 507 491 494 3,074 5.0 188 6.1 188 5.7
White................................................. 5,428 5,561 5,703 5,920 6,092 5,693 34,397 55.6 1,313 3.8 1,313 40.0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Statewide Totals.................................... 9,821 9,953 10,720 10,639 10,600 10,090 61,823 3,283 5.3 3,283
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Senator Murkowski. Thank you, Commissioner. I appreciate
your comments.
We will next go to the president of the University of
Alaska, Mr. Mark Hamilton.
Thank you, Mark.
STATEMENT OF MARK HAMILTON, PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA,
FAIRBANKS, AK
Mr. Hamilton. Thank you, Senator Murkowski.
I've tried to chop out everything that's already been said,
so I'll flip through and see if I can add something good.
First of all, let me just say this. Thank you so much for
not sitting in Washington, DC, because, even as brilliant as
you are, the chances of your deciding precisely what has to be
done all by yourself is not possible. You know that, and that's
why you're here, and I'm grateful that you've come to listen to
us.
Let me start with some good news. There's great news here
in Alaska about lots of programs. This year, the University of
Alaska attracted 63 percent of college-bound students. That's
up from 44 percent, about 8 years ago. That's almost a 50-
percent increase. We're still dead last. Now, statistics that
show where you are, are important. Statistics that show where
you're going are important. I just shared that with you. It
means we've got to try harder, we've got to work harder to get
those youngsters there.
Of course, when you're attracting high school graduates,
you understand the pool that you're dealing with. At that stage
of the game, it seems to me, and to the Board of Regents, for
whom I work, that you'd better get involved in the pool, you'd
better get involved very, very deeply and quickly, in doing
everything you can to affect the continuum of education, which
means that, as a university president, I've got to believe,
sincerely believe, that if a 3rd-grader can't read or a 6th-
grader can't do math, it's my problem. It's my problem as an
Alaskan, it's my problem as the university president.
When I look at the high school graduation rates, you can't
feel any tremendous pride, but I look, as well, at college
graduation rates, and find we're not 8th from the bottom, we're
absolutely last in baccalaureate graduates in 6 years. I'll be
honest with you, when I hear that statistic, I want to be
defensive and say,
``Wait a minute. Come on, we're an open-admission
institution, we allow anyone to come in. We are also
the community college in Alaska, so a huge percentage
of my young students have no intention of getting a
baccalaureate degree in 4 years, 6 years, 10 years, or
12 years.''
OK. And after I get defensive, I say, ``The only thing that
matters is the product.'' To have that work-ready product, to
have that baccalaureate product, to have that certificate, to
have that 2-year associate-degree product to go and work in the
Alaskan workforce. While, frankly, being last doesn't concern
me, not doing as much as we can for this State bothers me a
great deal, and we will continue our efforts and diminish our
defensiveness about something.
Our very first testifier today did mention something I
thought was terribly important. He talked about the need to do
something quick, not necessarily for a short period of time.
There was a story I told at the summit that I do dearly love,
and I'm going to share it with you.
Louis XIV, when he was designing the Garden of Versailles,
looked out at the reflection pool, and said, ``I want this pool
to be lined with 50-foot maples.'' And the gardener said, ``My
Liege, that'll take 150 years.'' He said, ``Oh, in that case,
plant them today.''
[Laughter.]
I encourage you to plant this today.
It's strikingly obvious to all of us that the difficulties
here begin very, very early. And in that regard, it seems to me
the university's got to be involved very, very early.
This is not a relay race, where K hands off to middle
school, hands off to high school, hands off--it's more like a
dogsled race. We have different leaders and different wheel-
dogs, but, at every stage of the journey, all of us have to be
pulling in the same direction.
There are some things that can be done. Money isn't the
answer to everything, but it helps in a number of areas.
Financial aid, in the reauthorization of the Higher
Education Opportunity Act, we need to get that moving and have
that available for Alaskans. Increases to Pell Grant. Maybe a
more user-friendly FAFSA application. And very, very important,
we have three other specific--very specified, thorough programs
that need attention: Alaska Native Education Equity Act, the
Alaska Native Serving Institution Program, and Future Teachers
of America.
Let me just give you another piece of--I said, outside at
the press conference, that we're not helpless, we just need
help. There has been, in the last 10 years, a 108-percent
increase of Alaskan Natives receiving baccalaureates at the
University of Alaska. I'm very proud of that, until I realize
how much more there is to do.
Let me close with a statement I find myself making in
venues large and small, within the university and outside of
it. Like so many Alaskans, I was not born here, but I will die
here. I'm committed to this university, the State of Alaska,
the people of Alaska, to make the education landscape better
than when I got here. I do this for all of Alaska's children,
including my own.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Hamilton follows:]
Prepared Statement of Mark Hamilton
Senator Murkowski, guests, and distinguished leaders, thank you for
your time and for the opportunity to testify before you today. As
president of the University of Alaska, I am deeply concerned with the
success of students at all educational levels--K-12 and postsecondary.
In many ways the educational success of our students is a bell-weather
for how well prepared the State of Alaska will be able to meet the
economic challenges of the future.
My purpose before you today is three-fold--one, to help define the
problems associated with Alaska's high school and/or postsecondary
drop-out rate; two, to suggest solutions; and three, to describe how
the Federal Government can help.
defining the problems
First, some good news: the University of Alaska now attracts 63
percent of our State's college-bound high school graduates. This was
unheard of a dozen years ago, when only 44 percent chose to stay inside
Alaska for vocational and career training, community college or a
university education. Back then, the majority of our college-bound high
school graduates opted for schools ``Outside.'' That meant Alaska lost
out on keeping its own talent while Alaska businesses had to import
workers, driving up costs.
The increase to 63 percent indicates we are moving in the right
direction, however the important part of that metric is described by
the words high school graduates. Realize that there is a cohort of
students out there whom, for innumerable reasons, are not completing
their secondary education. It is that cohort that we turn our
collective attention to through this hearing and our future efforts.
Let me be clear: we are not simply looking to produce more high school
graduates to look better statistically, we should be producing more
high school graduates because in doing so we set in motion a cascade of
positive events that would go something like this:
Graduating from high school leads to;
Attendance in a postsecondary program in the State which
leads to;
Working in the State;
This in turn helps the State meet its future workforce and
economic challenges.
This is a future we must commit to.
But let's not deceive ourselves. The challenge before us is great.
Nationally, we rank eighth from the bottom for high school graduation.
Less than a third of those graduates continue to postsecondary
education, here or elsewhere. It is from that small pool, that the
University of Alaska draws the 63 percent.
This must change. Alaska is not in danger of falling behind. We are
behind and the distance we must make-up grows each day, month and year
that we fail to act.
As we look to the future, I can tell you the university is fully
committed to increasing the retention of not only our own university
students but to helping our colleagues in K12 find success in retaining
their students as well. The commitment to work with K-12 on this, and
other, issues is reinforced by the strong leadership of our Regents,
three of whom have their teaching credential and a strong foundation in
the K-12 system.
K12 is not alone in their struggle to produce graduates. Alaska
finds itself in the unenviable position of last place when it comes to
producing baccalaureate graduates in 6 years. The next closest State,
Nevada, is 16 percentage points above Alaska. No doubt we have our work
cut out for us.
solutions
Where to begin? Perhaps the question is not where but rather when
to begin? To that I say, early, as early as possible.
In Alaska and across the country we need to promote a culture that
values learning--that continuous learning is a quality of life issue
and not simply a means to an end. When we look at the students who are
deficient in the skills necessary to succeed in K-12 it is strikingly
obvious that the challenge began at an early age for many of them. The
answer is not to delay their learning and put up additional humiliating
hurdles in their academic memory, but to engage them at an earlier and
earlier age when they are developmentally absorbing the educational
tenets they can rely on and will need for future success. Reaching
Alaska's youth early with productive enrichment opportunities will help
these students enter education and be successful from grade school
through high school graduation and consequently will help them to be
successful in their postsecondary careers as well.
Let me continue on this theme of culture. Our statistics indicate
Alaska does not have a culture that fully values education. We don't
even have a culture that values a high school diploma at the same level
that other States enjoy.
Perhaps this is because our past provided plentiful jobs in
construction, oil, fishing, mining, timber and other blue-collar
sectors. Those jobs are still out there, but many of them are changing.
Technology used across all sectors requires more training, not less.
A recent report for the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary
Education (ACPE) offers five recommendations:
Create a statewide college-going culture;
Establish kindergarten through college partnerships;
Establish peer mentoring programs;
Build up financial aid awareness and opportunity; and
Focus attention on college access by creating a governor's
K-16 council.
The university supports the recommendations of ACPE. The
university, in partnership with ACPE, starts its outreach efforts in
second grade, with a colorful book called ``I Know I Can.'' In sixth
grade, we send a fun poster to every child, noting what they have to do
to be successful after high school. In ninth grade, we reinforce that
message with a colorful brochure, packed with tips and advice. We've
pumped up financial aid informational campaigns. We offer bridging
programs, to rural youth especially. And we're now offering high
schools e-transcripts, so their graduates can submit transcripts to the
university campus of their choice online.
Partnerships such as this are critical if we are to substantially
change the college going culture in the State. There are great people
at the State and within our UA system whose job involves partnerships
with K-12, and the other State agencies such as DOL, Health, and EED.
These partnerships have gone far beyond MOA's and a hand-shake and
include:
Work on affordability (with the Alaska Commissions on
Postsecondary Education);
The Alaska Mentor Project;
K12 Outreach (Alaska Teacher Placement, Future Teachers of
Alaska, Preparing Indigenous Teachers and Administrations for Alaska
Schools--called PITAAS); and
Alaska Workforce programs.
We will continue to work and collaborate with all stakeholders who
have a vested interest in helping students find success in their
educational pathways.
Together we must do a better job of adequately preparing our young
people for college and work. We must encourage more of them to not only
finish high school, but do very well in high school. They must reach
beyond the ``exit exam,'' which is a floor, not a ceiling. At the
university, we must do more to support our students who come to us,
with better academic and financial aid counseling. To this let me add
comments that my colleague Doug North, President at Alaska Pacific
University sent me recently for his recommendations for improving High
School Graduation and Post-Secondary success. Dr. North believes we
must:
Reduce class sizes;
De-emphasize testing except as a diagnostic;
Emphasize stand-and-deliver forms of education;
Increase project-based and other creative teaching
strategies to engage and enhances student curiosity and learning;
Reverse the ethic, especially among males, that it is not
cool to be smart or achieve academically;
Increase both challenge and support of students; and
Measure school success in part by how many students want
to, and love to, go to their schools.
I agree with his points and would only add that his recommendation
regarding reaching males is poignant and one that we all should be
concerned with as the number of males that seek postsecondary education
continues to decline in Alaska. Perhaps the tattered argument, ``not
everybody's college material'' is partly to blame. I suggest let's get
rid of that term. The term ``college'' means far more than 4-year
degrees, especially in Alaska. A good portion of what the University of
Alaska provides is vocational and career education, typical of a
community college. These include 1- and 2-year programs, plus
certificates that can be earned within months.
We must make success in K12 and postsecondary a top priority for
our State. The Nation's Secretary of Labor has predicted two-thirds of
all new jobs in the next 10 years will require some level of training
and education beyond high school, or considerable on-the-job training.
Talk to employers. They're hard-pressed to find qualified people to
hire from within our State.
Finally, the university is so committed to our partnership and
support of K12 we have made K12 Outreach our top budget priority for
fiscal year 2010. Last year we requested funding from the State for
some of these things we believe would positively impact student
success, but didn't get it. That's hard to understand, when you know
Alaska's rather alarming statistics. We're trying again this year.
How the Federal Government Can Help
Just as I am convinced that earlier is key to reaching Alaska's
youth, I am equally convinced that unfunded mandates are not effective.
Unfunded mandates often force good people and even better programs to
cease, as institutions reorganize around the mandate. What is needed is
both sound policy and adequate funding.
Senator Murkowski, I would like you and the Senate committee to
look at establishing a program and funding stream through the No Child
Left Behind Act--to encourage and assist postsecondary institutions
across the country, to do what we are embarking on at the University of
Alaska: reaching out and into the K-12 environment. The Federal
Government can set the stage and promote the mindset that the issues
with K-12, should be owned by every tier in the educational system.
States with significant challenges in rural areas, low college
attendance rates and low graduation rates could be targeted under such
a Federal effort to ensure resources are steered toward those States
that most need them. Activities such as partnerships with State
Departments of Education, school districts, summer bridging programs,
middle college programs, career awareness, special education teacher
training and early testing, assessment and placement. The goal of such
efforts would be to introduce more K12 students to postsecondary
education and the value of a higher education. Such Federal support, if
conducted on a national scale, could have tremendous benefits on both
the retention of K12 students and the success of postsecondary students
in States needing the most help.
No discussion on what impacts the success of postsecondary students
can go very far without mention of financial aid, specifically, needs-
based financial aid. The reauthorization of the Higher Education
Opportunity Act holds much promise for students in Alaska and across
the Nation. Increases to the PELL grant and a more user-friendly FAFSA
application process should help a student's ability to afford an
education. However, in Alaska, efforts at a State needs-based aid
program have not been widely supported. The exception is ACPE's Alaska
Advantage Grant--which is for the most part self-funded. Any effort our
congressional delegation can apply toward helping the State develop and
fund a needs-based aid program--or enhance and more adequately fund the
ACPE Alaska Advantage Grant program--would help postsecondary students
succeed.
I would be remiss not to mention three other Federal programs that
need continued funding in the future. Those are the Alaska Native
Education Equity Act, the Alaska Native Serving Institution programs
and Future Teachers of America.
In closing, money alone will not ensure success. It will take
commitment and action by concerned educators, parents, business and
civic organizations. Perhaps most importantly our elected leaders must
provide policy and funding that will enable success in all levels of
education in this great State.
Let me close with a statement I find myself making in venues large
and small, within UA and outside of it: I was not born here--but I will
die here. I am committed to this university, the State of Alaska and
the people of Alaska to make the education landscape better than when I
arrived here. I do this for all Alaska's children including my own.
Senator Murkowski. Thank you, President Hamilton. I
appreciate you pointing out that we do have some successes,
but, even with those successes, we're starting down so low, so
far, that it requires us to even work harder. But, we don't
forget to celebrate those successes that we have, so I
appreciate your comments.
Dr. Shirley Holloway, thank you.
STATEMENT OF SHIRLEY J. HOLLOWAY, PRESIDENT/CEO, AVANT-GARDE
LEARNING FOUNDATION, ANCHORAGE, AK
Ms. Holloway. Thank you, Senator Murkowski.
Really, it's a privilege to be here today. I'm going to
keep this very brief, because you do have my written comments.
I told these gentlemen to my right that I would just say
``Ditto.'' I'm saying ``ditto'' to the fact that it's
absolutely essential that we have an early learning system that
supports families and parents long before the children come to
our schoolhouses.
I'm so glad that Abbe Hensley submitted her written
testimony. The efforts that she is leading in this State are
critical to our future success. It starts there.
I hope that the Federal Government could be a partner in
helping us to learn how to go about that in the best practices,
because we're talking about how we support children early on,
before they ever come to school, and families early on, so that
they're prepared and eager and ready to learn when they come to
that first kindergarten class. Hopefully we can have a
preschool program in this State, like other States have, that
really help prepare youngsters to be ready for school, and
schools get ready for them. I want to emphasize that so much.
The other thing, we have been supporting some research with
ISER, and we have that ready. We called it ``Connecting a
Disjointed System: A First Look at Aligning Education in
Alaska.'' It's our first effort at looking at those transitions
from home to school, from early K-3 to the intermediate level,
and then from the intermediate level to middle school, and
middle school to high school, and high school to work or
postsecondary. The data is sketchy, but it's a first start.
It's online at the ISER Web site. People can add data that they
have.
I have to tell you that one of the gems you have is that
lady sitting next to you. She sends us research. She helps in
so many ways. And I just want to say to Karen how much I
appreciate her and what a jewel she is to all of us here in
Alaska.
Finally, I'd like us to take a look at what other States
are doing, in terms of putting the system together. I'm not
sure that a P-20 or a P-16 task-force commission is the answer.
Other States have been doing it and looking at it, and I think
that it's time for us to do that.
We have to get out of the silos. That was the strength of
the education conference, is that people were talking to other
people. I heard one of the superintendents say that it was so
refreshing to sit and talk to a medical person about some
community issues, and get some new perspective. I'm thinking
about, across many, many disciplines, coming together and
looking at the whole system, from preschool, or birth, through
whatever.
Just to give you an idea, when we looked at this, the areas
of mutual interest were really fun:
Early learning and K-12: expanding access to early learning
for all children; creating linkages between early learning and
K-12; improving school readiness; promoting meaningful
assessments; building relationships between families and
schools.
The early learning postsecondary areas of mutual interest:
enhancing preparation and professional development of early
learning professionals; researching and disseminating
strategies for developmentally appropriate learning; creating
finance models for systems with universal access.
K-12/postsecondary areas of mutual interest: upgrading
teacher preparation; professional development; aligning high
school exit, college entrance, and course-placement exams;
phasing out remedial education for recent high school
graduates; improving college readiness and college success;
recalibrating grades 11 through 14--the need for a different
perspective on education for students late in their high school
careers is being recognized; why not provide a variety of
learning options, such as internships or apprenticeship
programs or early enrollment in college, technical training and
certificate programs; sharing academic performance data.
Some of the States are doing some very exciting things. A
good example is, in California, CSU has an early assessment
program of juniors in high school, including 11th-grade testing
prep opportunities for those kids who want to go on to college.
Oregon has a P-20 finance model. The Oregon Business
Council examined the State's P-20 budgets as if they were one
document, and found areas of disparity in funding and areas
where funding could be better coordinated to support students.
In Indiana, Indiana's 21st Century Scholars Program targets
low-income 8th-grade students who--they sign a pledge to earn a
C average or higher throughout high school.
These are just some ideas. I think it's time that we sit
down, across those silos, across those systems, and that we
align it so young people can see a pathway, can find out how
they can get from where they are to where they want to be.
I guess I would close with the idea that--I've given you
several ideas in my written statement--but, we all need to work
in conjunction with one another. The old reality of Alaska
public education needs to make way for the new realities of the
21st century. Clear communications and better articulation
between educational partners, a clear set of high expectations
for all, along with the necessary tools to help students reach
those expectations, is what is required now.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Holloway follows:]
Prepared Statement of Shirley J. Holloway
The Avant-Garde Learning Foundation is a nonprofit 501(C)(3)
organization founded in January 2005 by Dr. Shirley J. Holloway. The
foundation is dedicated to improving teaching and learning in Alaska,
with a particular emphasis on rural Alaska. Avant-Garde is currently
working in schools and communities in 11 Alaska districts including
Aleutians East, Anchorage, Bristol Bay, Galena, Kenai, Kodiak, Lake and
Peninsula, Lower Kuskokwim, Nome, North Slope and Northwest Arctic. The
foundation, through Federal funding for the 2008-2009 school year is
providing online learning tools through Skills Alaska that address
diagnostic and remedial issues for students from elementary to high
school. The foundation also provides an online student repatriation
program for high school students to a small number of students through
a program called Advanced Academics. In addition, Avant-Garde is
working with five school districts to improve student performance in
science and math through a relationship with the National Science
Resource Center and the National Geographic's Jason Project. This
particular professional development effort is funded by Shell Oil, as
are several other Avant-Garde projects.
From January to May of this year, Avant-Garde gathered 30 Alaskan
educators and community leaders in a design team process that created a
performance-based teacher education program primarily for Alaskan
Natives living in rural Alaska. The design team was funded by Shell and
in October Avant-Garde received funding for the first cohort of
prospective teachers in the program. That cohort will begin its
coursework in January 2009.
Perhaps most pertinent to this committee's work is an Alignment
Study commissioned by Avant-Garde and conducted by the Institute of
Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Alaska
Anchorage. The purpose of the Alignment Study was to investigate how
well integrated the expectations are between the K-12 education system
and the postsecondary education system in Alaska. As an initial study,
the current document raises many pertinent questions about how well
connected the two systems are regarding course work, pedagogy,
curricula and assessments. Perhaps the larger question is one of
expectations, both of what is asked of high school students, as well as
those asked of entering college freshmen.
The Alignment Study points to several important areas that beg to
be addressed, some of which need to be examined closely in order to
better understand the scope of the problem. Overall, there appears to
be a lack of alignment between home and early childhood education,
between elementary and middle school, between middle school and high
school and between high school and postsecondary. The study does
suggest that the greatest alignment gap exists between high school and
post-
secondary education. Sixty percent of Alaska's recent high school
graduates take developmental classes in college. Seventy-six percent of
recent Alaska Native high school graduates take developmental classes.
These are courses designed for remediation in mathematics and English
language skills, which leaves open the question as to why high school
graduates are not already proficient in these areas. Why do so many of
our graduates come unprepared for entry-level college coursework? What
are the academic expectations of postsecondary institutions?
Outside the purview of the Alignment Study lie the troubling number
of high school dropouts and the relatively low graduation rate for
Alaska's high school seniors. Even more troubling is the high number of
Alaska Native dropouts and low percentage of high school graduates. For
instance, the 2006 graduation rate for Alaska Natives from the
Anchorage School District was 42.72 percent. The graduation rate slid
to 31.63 percent in 2008. Thousands of Alaska's students do not
complete their high school education or they do so through the GED,
which is administered by the Alaska Department of Labor and for which
good numbers are not readily available. Statewide for the 2007 school
year, 3,434 students were officially listed as dropouts.
The Alignment Study speaks to the efficacy of quality pre-school
education. Research in the past few years has indicated that the most
crucial time in life in terms of brain development and readiness to
learn occurs in early childhood. Quality early childhood learning
opportunities both at home and in a more formalized school setting have
been shown to result in higher rates of high school graduation; higher
rates of enrollment in postsecondary institutions; lower rates of grade
retention; fewer special education placements; fewer number of
dropouts, arrests, teenage pregnancies and welfare recipients; and
higher employment rates as teens and young adults. Alaska is 1 of only
12 States that currently is not funding early childhood learning
programs for students before they enter kindergarten. Early childhood
education in Alaska is defined as Head Start, private schools, and
child care environments.
Overall, the alignment question in Alaska needs to be directly
addressed. The need for quality early childhood education with programs
geared to the specific needs of those children is great. Well-trained
and qualified early childhood teachers working in rich learning
environments with world-class materials is a must. Studies clearly show
that preparedness for entry into school is a key to later academic and
career success. Student preparedness for postsecondary education is
also critical. The data indicate an urgent need for better high school
education with an emphasis on those skills necessary for college and
career success. The Alaskan K-12 system and our postsecondary
institutions must work together to create greater opportunities for our
high school graduates. Too many of our young people are either dropping
out of school or arriving at their next destination ill-prepared for
the challenges they face. This is an academic emergency that will not
solve itself. It will require a true investment in dollars, political
will and intensification of effort on the part of parents, students,
educators and policymakers.
The Federal Government's role in taking steps toward addressing
these needs should be one of providing financial and technical
assistance to districts and schools in Alaska specifically toward
creating quality pre-school learning environments and in helping
districts and postsecondary institutions work more seamlessly together
on issues of common interest concerning student achievement. Without
Federal assistance and support, the State of Alaska will continue to
struggle in its efforts to create and maintain an educational system
second to none. Only through a concerted and purposeful partnership
between all entities involved will these urgent issues be answered and
the needs of our children be met.
What follows is the first six pages of the Alignment Study
conducted by ISER on behalf of the Avant-Garde Learning Foundation that
speak to the issues already mentioned in greater detail.
``By alignment we mean integrating the expectations of one
education system into the other and connecting course work, pedagogy,
curricula, and assessments.'' (Venezia, Finney, Callan, Ch 3, Common
Ground in Minding the Gap; Hoffman, Vargas, Venezia, Miller eds 2007)
Too many Alaskan students leave formal education unprepared for
their next steps. Too many drop out of high school; too few high school
graduates go on to postsecondary education, and too few of those who
enter postsecondary education graduate in a timely manner. Among young
people who choose to enter the work world directly from high school (or
after dropping out) employers report that many lack the reading,
writing and math skills necessary, even at entry level, in many of
today's careers.
Alaska is not alone in these problems, and many States have begun
to address these issues by looking at how students progress through the
entire education system, from pre-school through college, graduate
study, or career training. Ideally, the system should be aligned--as a
child or young person completes each step, they are adequately prepared
for the next. In practice, this is often not the case, as parents and
students may receive inconsistent (or no) information on what knowledge
and skills are needed to be ready for the next step, and to what extent
the student has that knowledge and skills.
This memo reviews the efforts and experiences of other States'
alignment efforts and provides a first look at how these issues play
out in Alaska. Our initial questions centered on Alaska high school
students' readiness for college or work. We added a look at early
childhood education and school readiness in response to the literature
on the value of investment in early childhood education. Although
alignment issues can and do arise within educational institutions--for
example, whether middle schools prepare students to succeed in high
school, or whether university general education requirements provide
adequate grounding for major coursework--the challenges are greater
between institutions. Early Childhood, K-12 and higher education
institutions may have no systematic communication links, and may face
incentives that at best ignore and at worst impede efforts to align
course work, pedagogy, curricula, and assessments. Information in this
memo focuses on two points where students cross into a new educational
system: entry into school from home or pre-school, and the transition
from high school to college or work.
research and other states' experience
States across the United States have begun examining how they can
align education from preschool through postsecondary. Their goals are
to help young children begin school prepared to learn, increase high
school graduation rates, smooth the transition between high school and
higher education, reduce the number of students entering college who
need remedial coursework, and increase the number of students
graduating from college in a timely manner. States are also concerned
with addressing U.S. economic needs as an increasing number of jobs in
our global economy require skills and training beyond high school.
Finally, States are concerned with the impacts on democracy of a
citizenry that is not leaving high school prepared for the workforce or
for higher education. This section reviews the relevant research and
discusses these State efforts.
early childhood education and school readiness
The High/Scope Perry Preschool Study through Age 27 documents the
costs and benefits of providing comprehensive quality early childhood
education. Parks (2000) and the High Scope Educational Research
Foundation (2008) summarize the findings, showing academic and social
benefits of early childhood education that extend well beyond childhood
into adulthood. Van de Water, G. & Rainwater, T. (n.d.) detail the
economics:
``The High/Scope Perry Preschool studies show a return on
investment of $7.16 per $1 invested (longitudinal follow up
over a two-and-one-half decade shows a return of $88,433 on a
preschool investment of $12,356).''
In 1996 Fulton found that students who participate in ECE have: (1)
higher rates of high school graduation; (2) higher rates of enrollment
in postsecondary institutions; (3) lower rates of grade retention; (4)
fewer special education placements; (5) fewer numbers of dropouts,
arrests, teenage pregnancies and welfare recipients; and (6) higher
employment rates as teens and young adults.
Shonkoff and Phillips (2000) also demonstrate the importance of
entering school ready to learn in order for students to experience
academic success later. These authors include findings from
neurobiological, behavioral, and social sciences to show the importance
of young children's early life experiences, beginning in the womb
through entering kindergarten, in influencing their future academic and
social outcomes.
These authors state:
``It is the strong conviction of this committee that the
Nation has not capitalized sufficiently on the knowledge that
has been gained from nearly half a century of considerable
public investment in research on children from birth to age
5.''
The authors conclude that ``what is left to discuss is not whether
early childhood experiences influence children's futures but what to do
about this fact.'' They make several recommendations to support early
childhood development and later success in life:
Funding research on par with current funding devoted to
math and language arts on helping young children develop curiosity,
perseverance, cooperation, empathy, and other critical cognitive and
social skills;
Fund early childhood initiatives that demonstrate promise
in both raising academic achievement and in reducing the inequalities
with which children begin kindergarten;
Investing in mental health needs of young children;
Creating more varied policy approaches for giving parents
choice about and access to early childhood care options, including
staying at home to raise their children;
Spend significant resources, on par with those spent to
prevent crime, stop smoking, and reduce teenage pregnancy to address
``detrimental environmental effects including toxins and violence in
the home,'' among others;
Increase teacher qualification and compensation with early
childhood funding; and
Comprehensively re-address Nation's policies regarding
childcare and income support with specific goal of improving early
childhood conditions.
Thompson, Tullis, Franke, and Halfon, (2005) authored a document
based on UCLA's work with the First Five Ventura County Strategic
Planning, Funding, and Evaluation that is an evidence-based guide
linking related early childhood strategies with successful school
readiness outcomes. The document includes a comprehensive literature
review. Strategies recommended include supporting parents in areas of
mental health, breastfeeding, and parenting skills; and supporting
children inside and outside the early childhood classroom.
Burkham and Lee (2005) analyzed data from the U.S. Department of
Education's Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Cohort
(ECLS-K). Their analysis examined young children's school readiness
upon entering kindergarten. Their findings included a clear difference
in kindergarten entry test scores SES: ``Before even entering
kindergarten, the average cognitive scores of children in the highest
SES group are 60 percent above the scores of the lowest SES group'' and
that lower-SES children ``begin school at kindergarten in
systematically lower-quality elementary schools than their more
advantaged counterparts.'' They also found that race and ethnicity are
linked to SES status. Burkham and Lee also concluded that, while the
impacts of race and SES on cognitive skills are larger, that family
structure and educational expectations are associated with SES, race/
ethnicity, and with test scores of young children. These authors also
include in their report methods for reducing the inequality with which
children start kindergarten, such as making center-based preschool
programs before kindergarten available and reducing inequality of
school resources.
Echoing recommendations of other researchers, the Education
Commission of the States ``(2008) recommends policies that focus on
creating healthy environments (biological and societal) for brain
development. These include focusing on improving environments for
abused and neglected children and providing early intervention for
children with developmental delays.''
high school education and college and career readiness
According to research, 90 percent of high school students today
report wanting to attend college. But many of these students either are
not graduating from high school or are graduating unprepared to begin
college level coursework after being admitted into a postsecondary
institution. Many students graduate from high school without a clear
understanding of college academic readiness standards. Many States'
high school exit exams end at 10th grade level work and do not reflect
academic standards for college level placement courses, sending
students a confusing message about college readiness.
Callan, Finney, Kirst, Usdan, and Venezia (2006) report,
``The more difficult challenge for students is becoming
prepared academically for college coursework. Once students
enter college, about half of them learn that they are not
prepared for college-level courses. Forty percent of students
at 4-year institutions and 63 percent at 2-year colleges take
remedial education. Additionally, high school students face an
incredibly complex system of placement tests and college
admissions requirements. These authors report data from
Measuring Up 2004, the State-by-State report card on higher
education, showing that when students do reach college, a
significant problem is completing a degree in a timely
manner.''
alignment as a necessary component of addressing challenges
As States begin to address the problems above, their efforts must
be comprehensive and must include collaboration between P-16/20
entities. As Callan, Finey, Kirst, Usdan, and Venezia (2006) state,
``Reforms that focus either on K-12 schools or on colleges
and universities are likely to perpetuate some of the key
barriers to improving educational achievement for students.''
These authors reviewed P-16/20 policies of four States and made the
following recommendations for States considering alignment:
create a statewide student data system;
create accountability in the P-16/20 education system;
align coursework and assessments between high schools and
postsecondary institutions;
create statewide finance systems for an aligned education
system.
According to Van de Water and Rainwater (n.d.), among the major
goals of a
P-16 system are:
Expanding access to early learning for children ages 3 to
5, and improving their readiness for kindergarten.
Smoothing student transitions from one level of learning
to the next.
Closing the achievement gap between white and minority
student.
Upgrading teacher education and professional development.
Strengthening relationships between families and schools.
Creating a wider range of learning experiences and
opportunities for students in the final 2 years of high school.
Improving college readiness and college success.
Instead of separate committees addressing Pre-K, K-12, and HE
issues, P-16/20 work creates opportunity for State legislatures to
streamline policymaking and funding decisions for P-16/20. State K-12
and HE Boards of Education as well as political and business leaders
have opportunity to work collaboratively. States are finding it crucial
that governors and other high level officials either initiate or fully
support the State's P-16/20 efforts.
Venezia (2006) cautions that,
``Convening a commission and holding cross-system discussions
may be helpful, but these steps alone will not create
meaningful K-16 reform. To be lasting and effective, the
deliberations must be anchored in policy and finance reform and
must reflect each State's culture and history.''
P-16/20 researchers also point out the importance of these councils
having specific tasks to keep them focused and moving forward and so
they don't get mired in discussion without action.
Building a P-16 System Recommendations from Van de Water, G. and
Rainwater, T. (n.d.):
May begin with point of entry issue to focus and to avoid
overwhelming (i.e. teacher prep).
Or work on legislation to address multiple issues at all
three levels simultaneously.
Need team of governor, legislators, community members,
business leaders.
Find areas of mutual interest across all levels (see next
section).
Work to build seamless system of all three levels into
one, building on these mutual areas of interest.
What States are doing: (synthesis from articles on ECS Web site and
on States' Web sites; see accompanying Excel spreadsheet for detailed
state-by-state foci, goals, successes, and ``how it works'' )
P-16 or P-20 councils composed of State officials,
business reps examining these issues.
Research to analyze issues.
Legal statements (mission statements, etc.) language
revision around student learning and standards.
Student data gathering and tracking P-16/20 Teacher prep
and cert programs evaluations and redesigns, including K-12 standards
in curriculum.
Pay incentives for mentoring Pay incentives for National
Board Certification.
Focusing on Early Childhood for K-12 school readiness.
Aligning HS grad requirements with higher education
admission requirements, with a focus on preparing students for entry
into college-level coursework, NOT remedial coursework.
Streamlining college admissions exams and requirements.
Specific State Examples (see Excel spreadsheet for more information
and more examples).
California.--CSU Early Assessment Program in CA for
juniors in HS: includes 11th grade testing, prep opportunities for HS
juniors, and PD for teachers; community colleges not on board so
statewide impact will be limited because many HS students enroll in
community colleges.
Oregon.--Oregon's P-20 Finance Model: The Oregon Business
Council examined the State's P-20 budgets as if they were one document
and found areas of disparity in funding and areas where funding could
be better coordinated to support students. (For more info see Appendix
in Callan, P., Finney, J., Kirst, M., Usdan, M. & Venezia, A. (2006).
Claiming common ground: State policymaking for improving college
readiness and success. National Center for Public Policy and Higher
Education. San Jose, CA.)
Indiana.--Indiana's 21st Century Scholars Program targets
low-income 8th grade students. Students who sign a pledge to earn a C
average or higher throughout high school, to remain drug and alcohol
free, and to enroll in an Indiana postsecondary institution within 2
years of graduating high school will receive up to 100 percent of
tuition costs for college.
Georgia.--Georgia's HOPE Scholarship Program promises paid
college tuition to Georgia public postsecondary institutions to any
student who maintains a B average or better throughout high school.
Several States (see Excel for specific info).--These
States are creating small (typically not more than 400 students) early
college high schools that provide academic guidance and paid tuition to
high school students to complete their first 2 years of college
coursework while still in high school and earning their high school
diploma.
conclusions and recommendations
In order to address these issues, we make the following
recommendations and believe the Federal Government needs to be a
partner in helping make them possible:
1. Establish a voluntary system of early childhood education
opportunities in Alaska. Too many of our children arrive at school
unprepared to meet the challenges they face. The research is clear that
quality early childhood education makes a distinguishable difference in
future academic achievement, especially for those young people who come
from economically disadvantaged homes.
2. The Federal Government, working in conjunction with researchers,
educators, parents and policymakers, should establish national
standards for mathematics and language arts. Currently, each State
establishes its own standards, devises its own assessments, and
establishes its own ``cut'' scores for examinations, and they are
inevitably at variance from State to State. A comprehensive set of
standards would make it possible for mobile students to face the same
expectations no matter where they are, and the crazy-quilt nature of
state-by-state standards, which causes much needless confusion, would
be replaced by comprehensible and uniform national standards.
3. Extend standards into the first 2 years of postsecondary
education. The need for greater alignment between P-12 and
postsecondary could be addressed in part by a continuation of
established standards in mathematics, language arts and science into
college and university settings for the first 2 years.
4. Create a P-20 task force or council that will ensure a seamless
educational system that will support student achievement from early
childhood through graduate school as well as early childhood through
entering the workforce. The council must be structured and based on the
cautions that we have leaned from other States that have initiated this
journey, as stated by Venezia,
``Convening a commission and holding cross system discussions
may be helpful, but these steps alone will not create
meaningful K-16 reform. To be lasting and effective, the
deliberations must be anchored in policy and finance reform and
must reflect each States' culture and history.''
One of the key elements made possible by such an alignment is a
commitment to a new way to conduct teacher education. What is called
for is a partnership between schools and higher education that will
forge a stronger commitment to shared responsibility for curriculum,
meeting standards and teacher preparation.
Senator Murkowski. Thank you, Shirley. I appreciate your
comments and your leadership within Avant-Garde and so many
other areas.
Next, we will turn to Mr. Carl Rose, Executive Director of
the Alaska Association of School Boards.
Welcome.
STATEMENT OF CARL ROSE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ASSOCIATION OF
ALASKA SCHOOL BOARDS, JUNEAU, AK
Mr. Rose. Thank you, Senator, and welcome home.
I have sent in written testimony, and it appears that much
of what we are going to share today is going to overlap, so I'm
trying to keep my comments to just a few observations. I think
I'm in agreement with much of what's being said.
I think we can acknowledge that the dropout is not the root
of the problem, it's simply a result of the process, as Dr.
Smink had mentioned earlier.
In Alaska, we need look no further than the 3rd-grade
benchmark to identify young people who are testing at or beyond
grade level to determine their ability to cope with an
increasing complex curriculum. Those students who test below
grade level are at risk, simply because they are not prepared
to deal with an acceleration of curriculum. To put it another
way, students at grade level will have the benefit of enjoying
an educational system. Those who test below grade level will
experience a remedial system, one that too often devalues their
unique qualities and gifts, and replaces them with labels,
negative reinforcement, and disapproval.
One hears, with some frequency from our professionals in
our schools, and they have stated, many times, ``You can
identify kids coming to kindergarten who will not make it in
school.'' I don't believe this, entirely; however, if there's a
shred of truth to it, why would a teacher or a system not
intervene with needed supports and assistance at the point of
identification? Why would a system wait until the 3rd-grade
benchmark to verify what we knew was possible as many as 3
years earlier? Why would we, as Alaskan leaders and community
members, not take action earlier to ensure that children enter
school ready to learn?
Sadly, by the time young people drop out of school, many
have endured years of struggle, disappointment, and
disengagement.
When we move to the solutions, I think we mentioned
earlier--Dr. Smink mentioned earlier, the need for
collaboration, and, during our comments at the press
availability--this is a shared responsibility. I think that we
need to share the responsibility for successful development of
our communities' young people. This is a community issue.
I'm heartened to see an increased focus across growing
numbers of disciplines on a strength-based approach to positive
youth development. I appreciate the fact that you asked us to
comment specifically on the Alaska Initiative for Community
Engagement. Much of what we do, and much of what we find, is
that we have quite a bit of influence during the time that we
have kids in school. We can also have--when I say ``we,'' I
mean our communities and our citizens--a tremendous influence
on the environment in which our kids come from and go home to.
It's really simple, in the fact that, for many of us, it had
never occurred, of the small things that we can do in a young
person's life that has a positive--a reinforcing effect on how
young people feel about themselves and the challenges that they
face.
We put together a book, ``Helping Kids Succeed.'' You've
seen this book. For many of us in Alaska, these books are in
schools, doctors' offices, public clinics, parenting classes,
in homes, airport waiting rooms, and businesses. They're all
over the place. They simply point out what Alaskans have said
they want for their kids, and how they might be engaged to make
that a reality.
From that book came the Initiative for Community
Engagement. Community engagement is an intentional act or
actions by groups and individuals, working together to create a
healthy environment for supporting the growth and development
of young people.
This initiative has had a profound impact in many of our
communities. The intent was not just to engage communities; the
intent was to improve student achievement and engagement.
What we've done at the association is, we've put together
some efforts. One was the ``QS2,'' Quality School, Quality
Students. Through this effort, what we tried to do was create
an initiative that would go into a community, we'd talk about
what the aspirations were in that community for their young
people, and take advantage of the resources that they had
available to take a look at issues of governance and leadership
in aligning curriculum, to State standards, as well as
identifying resources. But, we found out real quick that doing
that in isolation in the school needed another component, so we
included the Initiative for Community Engagement with this
effort to address student achievement.
It wasn't really a surprise; we thought that's what would
happen. We find that, in our schools and in our communities,
when they're working together and they understand the impact
that they can have, students' academic improvement shows up. We
have the facts.
We are engaged right now with a survey that we use for
School Climate and Connectedness. It's a survey that we put out
in a number of schools across the State. It simply helps gauge
how people feel about their schools. We're asking staff and
we're asking students, ``Just exactly how do you feel about
your schools? Do you feel like you're connected? Do you feel
like people care about you, personally? Do you feel safe? ''
What happens is, as a result of this survey, we find out,
firsthand from students and staff in schools, how people feel
about the school. By having this kind of data, we can see the
kind of things that we can do very easily to improve that
connectedness and climate. The data is coming back and showing
us that there's a decrease in conduct problems, there's a
decrease in emotional distress, there's improvement in
attitude, improvement in social and emotional skills,
improvement in school and classroom behavior. This is good
news. These are the things that we do for ourselves, simply by
being aware of our environment.
As we move to Federal support and you ask what the Federal
Government can do, these initiatives, like this Initiative for
Community Engagement, we need to help people understand the
tremendous influence they could have at the community level,
and to be more collaborative in our approach. Schools appear to
be--and it's been our experience--they're not very welcoming
places for the general public, and specifically for parents.
The reasons why are, many parents have had bad experiences in
schools. We can intentionally change that. I think we are.
As we get to the Federal Government, I don't think that the
Federal Government can do some of these things, but I think it
can support the efforts of the people who can. The three
recommendations I'd have with you is to continue the long-term
funding for the Alaska Native Education Equity Program included
in No Child Left Behind. I think that this is a critical
component, because, in many of our school districts that we
work with, the lion's share of the population are Native, and
the improvements that we're showing show that the Native
populations in these school districts are achieving at a higher
rate than the general populace that are not engaged in these
programs. We've had that information, and we've made those
things available to you every year. The 2007 report is out.
The next issue would be to target intervention and support
toward children most at risk of starting school behind. As I
shared with you earlier, many of our young people who are
coming to school, for an assortment of reasons, are not
prepared to take advantage of this system that we've built. We
have a wonderful system of education, K-12 through university.
A tremendous investment has been made, and I think that an
assumption has been made that, ``We will build this system and
they will come.'' Unfortunately, many of our people, at very
young ages and throughout the stages of their advancement
through our school system, are not getting the benefit of what
we had intended. So often our intentions and our behavior
sometimes result in outcomes that were unintended.
I think we need to focus on some of those things, and I
think we need to focus early and often. If we can help, before
kids come to school, with those people who are at risk; if we
can reinforce, with early intervention, early, when issues are
identified, with some support; if we can provide encouragement,
both at home and in school, for kids to understand--I believe,
if kids understood the statistics of what lay ahead of them if
they partake, or if they do not--if they had that kind of
information, I think it would affect their decisions.
Last, I think you want to hold steadfast to the idea put
forward by No Child Left Behind. I know it's difficult, but I
don't believe that No Child Left Behind was put in place to
sanction our schools; it was put in place because many of those
subgroups--you're looking right into the eyes of our dropout
problem. When you take a look at the issues of ethnicity,
English-language proficiency, disability, and socioeconomics,
the kids who fall in those categories are part of the problem,
and they don't see a future for themselves.
Before I go into my conclusion, I would ask that you give
me a little bit of leeway. This is not something that comes
easy for me, but I will share this with you. I was born and
raised in Hawaii. I'm half Hawaiian, a quarter Chinese. The
area that I grew up, in Kihei, was where migrant workers were,
in the Filipino camps and the Chinese camps, in the sugar
industry. The language we spoke there was pidgin English. It's
a conglomeration of English, Hawaiian, Chinese, and Filipino.
English proficiency was nonexistent for the people I grew up
with.
I am dyslexic. I have learned to decode, down through the
years. I do have a disability. It was identified very early.
I was a stutterer. There was a teacher who came to our
schools and--an itinerant teacher, every Wednesday, and I was
sent there in the afternoon.
I came from a socially/economic-challenged family.
I was in all four subgroups.
I will share with you that I was a blue-chip athlete, and I
was identified early; and therefore, they gave me the support I
needed, and I was able to finish, not only elementary--I was
sent away to Honolulu for my secondary schooling. I went
through the service, went back and attended the University of
Washington and got my degree and moved to Alaska.
My point is not me. My point is that if there was support
for one person, like me, who was a member of all four
subgroups, we can do this for all of them. We ought to be.
That's the point.
You know, I don't single myself out to tell my story. This
is the story of the subgroups. That's why No Child Left Behind
is here, and we cannot retreat from those kids who need us
most.
With that, I think I'll close my testimony by simply saying
we have partners across the State who are engaged in community
engagement. This is long-term stuff. Some of the communities we
go into, we have to start a very basic level of capacity-
building. Once they find out that it can have an impact on
their kids and their futures, they're willing to go all-in to
help.
We have many, many success stories, and my intention here
today was to share with you that there's great hope in Alaska.
Thank you, President Hamilton, for bringing that up. But, I
remind you that hope is not a strategy. We have to do some
things, with all intent of making improvements. I think this is
not our problem, as schools; it's our problem, as citizens of
the State of Alaska.
I want to thank you for this opportunity to share my
thoughts. Thank you.
[Applause.]
[The prepared statement of Mr. Rose follows:]
Prepared Statement of Carl Rose
Thank you, Senator Murkowski, for holding this field hearing and
for this opportunity to provide written testimony to the Senate Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. I appreciate your bringing us
together to focus on what we can and must do not only to reduce the
number of dropouts, but to ensure that ALL our young people graduate
with the skills, knowledge, and opportunity to succeed in the 21st
century. There is nothing more important to Alaska's, and the Nation's,
long-term success. I especially welcome your invitation to discuss
AASB's Initiative for Community Engagement.
the problem
We have all seen the statistics about dropout rates and the
staggering costs to society when we fail, not only in dollars, but in
human terms. A new study by The Education Trust indicates that today's
high school students are less likely than their parents to graduate
from high school.\1\ The United States is the only industrialized
Nation where that is the case.
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\1\ The Education Trust, Counting on Graduation, 2008. http://
www2.edtrust.org/NR/rdonlyres/6CA84103-BB12-4754-8675-17B18A8582AC/0/
CountingonGraduation1008.pdf.
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Nationally, high school dropouts:
comprise 75 percent of State prison inmates \2\
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\2\ Education Commission of the States, ``The Progress of Education
Reform 2007,'' July 2007, p. 2 quote from Alliance for Excellent
Education, 2006.
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comprise an overwhelming proportion of Medicaid recipients
and a substantial proportion of welfare recipients \3\
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\3\ Ibid., p. 2 quote from Center for Benefit-Cost Studies,
Teachers College, Columbia University, 2007.
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are disproportionately minority, poor, come from
fatherless homes, and have disabilities \4\
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\4\ Alaska Dept. of Education and Early Development, ``High School
Dropouts: The Silent Epidemic,'' Dropout Prevention State Guidance Team
Meeting, April 18, 2008.
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made significantly less in wages in 2002 than in the early
1970s (in constant 2002 dollars): males $35,087 (1971) and $23,903
(2002); females $19,888 (1972) and $17,114 (2002) \5\
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\5\ Nelson, A. Closing the Gap: Keeping Students in School,
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Infobrief,
Summer 2006.
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commit more crimes than graduates (one economist estimated
increasing graduation rates by only 1 percent would produce 100,000
fewer crimes per year, with an associated cost savings to society of
$1.4 billion per year) \6\
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\6\ Moretti, E. ``Does education reduce participation in criminal
activities? '' Paper presented at symposium on the social costs of an
inadequate education, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York,
NY, Sept. 2005 (See http://devweb.tc.columbia.edu/manager/symposium/
Files/74_Moretti_Symp.pdf).
In Alaska, in the 2006-2007 school year \7\:
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\7\ Alaska Dept. of Education and Early Development, ``High School
Dropouts: The Silent Epidemic,'' Dropout Prevention State Guidance Team
Meeting, April 18, 2008, Alaska Dropout Numbers and Related Statistics.
3,434 (5.5 percent) 7-12th grade students dropped out;
1,299 (38 percent) were Alaska Native (25 percent of
Alaska's school population is Alaska Native);
1,274 (37 percent) were classified as ``economically
disadvantaged'';
1,850 (54 percent) were male; and
the graduation rate was 63 percent (70 percent
nationally).
But those are abstract numbers. In human terms, these are the young
people who live in our homes, in our neighborhoods, in our communities;
they are going to be parents of the next generation of Alaskans. Each
child who doesn't reach his or her full potential is a tremendous loss
to our State.
What these dropout statistics reflect is that too many young people
cannot envision a successful future for themselves when they consider
their past experience in school and home environments; they can't see
the immediate and future path to success. They fail to see viable
options for themselves and get very little encouragement and support to
pursue and complete their high school diploma.
I think we can all acknowledge that dropping out is not the root
problem. It is simply the end result of a process over time of students
disengaging from school and often, but not always, failing academically
and floundering socially and emotionally.
In Alaska, we need look no further than the third grade benchmark
to identify the young people who are testing at or beyond grade level
to determine their ability to cope with an increasingly complex
curriculum. Those students who test below grade level are at risk
simply because they are not prepared for an accelerating curriculum.
Put another way, students at grade level in the third grade will have
the benefit of our educational system. Those who test below grade level
will experience a remedial system, one that too often devalues their
unique qualities and gifts, and replaces them with labels, negative
reinforcement and disapproval.
To address the dropout rates, we need to address school readiness
and healthy development for the children who are most at risk:
Before entering kindergarten, the average cognitive scores
of pre-school age children in the highest socioeconomic group are 60
percent above average scores of children in the lowest socioeconomic
group.
At age 4 years, children who live below the poverty line
are 18 months below what is normal for their age group; by age 10 that
gap is still present. For children living in the poorest families, the
gap is even larger.
By the time children from middle-income families with
well-educated parents are in third grade, they know about 12,000 words.
Third grade children from low-income families with undereducated
parents who don't talk to them very much have vocabularies of around
4,000 words, one-third as many words as their middle-
income peers.\8\
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\8\ Quoted from other sources in: Klein, L. and Knitzer, J.
``Promoting Effective Early Learning: What Every Policymaker and
Educator Should Know,'' National Center for Children in Poverty,
Columbia University, January, 2007. (www.nccp.org/publications/
pub_695.html).
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Thirty-two percent of young children are affected by one
risk factor (e.g., low income, low maternal education, or single-parent
status), and 16 percent are in families with two or more socio-
demographic risks.\9\
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\9\ Raver, C. and Knitzer, J. ``Ready to Enter: What Research Tells
Policymakers About Strategies to Promote Social and Emotional School
Readiness Among Three- and Four-Year-Old Children,'' National Center
for Children in Poverty, Columbia University, July 2002.
One hears with some frequency that professionals in our schools
have stated: ``You can identify the kids entering kindergarten who will
not make it in school.'' I do not believe this entirely, however, if
there is a shred of truth to it, why would that teacher and the system
not intervene with needed supports and assistance at the point of
identification? Why would a system wait until the third grade benchmark
to verify what we knew was a possibility as many as 3 years earlier?
Why would we, as Alaskan leaders and community members, not take action
earlier to ensure that all children enter school ready to learn?
Sadly, by the time young people drop out of school, many have
endured years of struggle, disappointment, and disengagement.
the solutions
The solutions mostly lie way upstream from the final step of
leaving school. And they must involve all of us--students, families,
educators, schools, school boards, businesses, community organizations,
health and social service providers, public policymakers, and everyone
of us--each of us has both an individual role and a professional role
to play. WE need to take a shared responsibility for the successful
development of our community's young people . . . there is no THEY to
whom we can point as being responsible. It has to be WE, and it has to
involve changing how our institutions work together, how our
communities support young people, and how each of us behaves in our
daily lives as community members, parents, and role models.
It will take institutional and individual action to change the
environment for our young people into one where they are and feel
supported, where they feel valued and respected, where some young
children don't start school behind their peers.
I think we know what the solutions are. We know they need to
include the continuum from early childhood to post-graduate; families,
schools and communities; education, health, social services and
workforce development.
Each of us whom you have invited here today has a responsibility
for a particular part of this continuum, and if we align our efforts,
we will all see greater impact on the success of our young people.
I believe we need to focus our efforts all along this continuum--
not just on preventing problems, but more on providing the skills,
knowledge, supports and opportunities that our kids need to succeed. As
Karen Pitman of the Forum for Youth Investment says: ``Problem-free is
not fully prepared, and fully prepared is not fully engaged.''
Our goal must be fully engaged and fully prepared youth who can
thrive in our fluid 21st century environment. Our goal should be broad
and holistic; it goes beyond passing benchmark tests, or avoiding risk
behaviors. It must be the healthy development of each and every young
person so they have the academic and workforce skills, and the healthy
life skills needed to succeed and thrive. And this means we must have
high expectations for all our young people, and we must enlist entire
communities in support of them.
I am heartened to see an increased focus across a growing number of
disciplines on a strength-based approach to positive youth development.
It is what lies at the foundation of AASB's Initiative for Community
Engagement, or Alaska ICE.
engaging our communities
I know you have seen this little book, Helping Kids Succeed--
Alaskan Style, and you will find it all over Alaska . . . in schools,
in doctors' offices and public health clinics, in parenting classes, in
homes, in airport waiting rooms, in businesses. It was literally
created in 1998 ``by and for Alaskans'' through a series of community
visits, where everyday Alaskans described what they wanted for their
kids, and they very eloquently described what kids need from adults in
order to succeed. These can be called ``assets'' or protective factors,
resiliency, traditional Native values . . . they have many names but
the principles are the same. How are assets built in children and
youth? Through positive relationships with caring adults. What kids
need is the time, attention, respect, encouragement, support, and high
expectations of the adults around them in their families, their
schools, and their communities.
Born out of this little book was a far-reaching initiative that set
out to change the environment for Alaska's young people, and to enlist
all Alaskans in building healthy communities that provide what kids
need to succeed. Alaska ICE is a statewide initiative of AASB that
encourages and supports youth success through a statewide network of
partners and local community initiatives. Federal support of this
initiative through the Alaska Native Education Program in No Child Left
Behind has enabled us to work with school districts, communities,
organizations, and individuals throughout the State to promote the
shared responsibility that each and every one of us has to help kids
succeed.
Community engagement is the intentional action of groups and
individuals working together to create healthy environments that
support the growth and education of children and youth.
Our Alaska ICE initiative has many strands and facets; I will
provide you with a copy of our 2007 Progress Report that reflects how
those many partnerships and collaborations create a web of support for
Alaska's young people. Community engagement will look a little
different in every community as people and organizations tailor it to
their priorities and goals.
A few snapshots from Alaska ICE's community partners, made possible
because of our funding support through NCLB's Alaska Native Education
Program, show how the simple principles of asset-building, healthy and
supportive youth-adult relationships, and intentional community
engagement can flourish in every community.
Parenting classes in Yup'ik and English in Lower Kuskokwim
School District, through a partnership with the tribe.
Community-school art projects that build supportive youth-
adult and school-community partnerships in Yukon Flats villages.
Weekly asset messages developed by youth and adults and
delivered in English and Russian by teens over the community radio
station in Delta, and youth-adult community choir and theatre
productions.
Student-produced TV shows addressing substance abuse
issues in Unalaska, and targeted efforts to improve school and
community climate.
Schools that are more welcoming to parents and community
members in the Pribilofs, and collaborative school, tribe and community
efforts to build culturally responsive social and emotional learning
skills and positive peer climate among students.
As part of our overall efforts to effectively engage adults in
positively supporting young people in Alaska's communities, we also put
significant focus on improving the school environment by helping
schools apply these same principles. Today I want to focus in on
creating school environments where all children can succeed.
student achievement and engagement
Over the last 5 years, AASB has aligned our school improvement
initiative (Quality Schools/Quality Students, or QS2) and our community
engagement initiative (Alaska ICE). Begun as separate initiatives, it
became apparent that to make the greatest impact on academic
achievement, we needed to target both efforts towards assisting school
districts and communities in improving supports for youth in both
environments.
Through QS2, we assist school districts in improving their
leadership and governance capacity, aligning their curricula with State
standards, and targeting resources effectively towards identified
priorities. Through Alaska ICE, we engage individuals, families,
schools, organizations, businesses, faith communities, and young people
themselves in building sustainable community networks to support,
encourage, and provide meaningful opportunities to our young people
that will prepare them to thrive in the 21st century.
When young people feel connected to school and have support from
family, teachers, and other caring adults, academic achievement
improves and risk behaviors decrease.\10\ When students have strong
social-emotional learning skills,\11\ they do better in school and
life. There is a growing body of national research to support this, and
we now have data to show this in Alaska. AASB has developed a student
and staff survey to gauge student and staff perceptions of climate and
connectedness, and an increasing number of schools are participating,
including 242 schools in 33 districts in 2008, comprising over 30,000
students and almost 5,000 staff.
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\10\ This national research cuts across various disciplines,
including education, psychology, public health, behavioral health,
juvenile justice, neuroscience, etc. (Blum, The Case for School
Connectedness, Educational Leadership, April 2005; Freudenberg &
Ruglis, Reframing School Dropout as a Public Health Issue, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, Oct. 2007; Wilkenfeld, Moore and
Lippman, Neighborhood Support and Children's Connectedness, Child
Trends Fact Sheet, Feb. 2008.&
\11\ Wand, Haertel, and Walberg found that social and emotional
factors were among the most influential factors on student learning,
based on evidence from 561 educational researchers and 91 meta-analyses
(1997).
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Districts that have worked with AASB on community engagement and
school improvement have shown:
greater academic achievement as measured by Standards
Based Assessment (SBA) proficiency gains than the statewide average;
even greater proficiency gains by Native students in those
districts, and greater gains than Native students statewide;
persistent improvements in student ratings for school
climate and student connectedness over the last 3 years across all
aspects of climate and connectedness; and
improved overall staff ratings of school climate across
most subscales.
Other key findings of AASB's School Climate and Connectedness
Survey include:
Key factors of school climate and connectedness are
related to student performance on Alaska's SBAs: high expectations,
school safety, parent and community involvement, and social-emotional
learning were found to have significant positive relationships with
scores on reading, writing and mathematics.
Staff ratings for school climate were consistently and
strongly related to student performance in reading, writing and
mathematics' SBAs.
There have been significant negative relationships between
student risk behaviors and school climate and connectedness ratings
each year: the more students reported that there was a positive climate
at their school and that they felt connected to school, the lower the
number of incidents of delinquent behavior and drug and alcohol use
they reported seeing among peers at school or school events.
Students who reported that they had someone available
outside of school to help them with homework and students who had an
adult who knew what they did with their free time gave consistently
higher ratings for connectedness to school and more favorable ratings
of their school climate than did students without outside support and
supervision.
As more districts participate in the survey and use the results to
improve school climate and increase student connectedness, we are
seeing growing interest in the area of social and emotional learning,
and how schools, after-school programs, and families can work together
to promote social and emotional development. A 2008 meta-analysis of
over 700 studies of family, school and community interventions found a
broad range of benefits for students \12\:
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\12\ Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning
Research Brief: Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and Student
Benefits: Implications for the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Core
Elements, 2008.
9 percent decrease in conduct problems (e.g., classroom
misbehavior, aggression);
10 percent decrease in emotional distress (e.g., anxiety,
depression);
9 percent improvement in attitudes about self, others, and
school;
23 percent improvement in social and emotional skills;
9 percent improvement in school and classroom behavior;
and
11 percent improvement in achievement test scores.
A growing number of Alaska school districts are focusing on
improving students' social and emotional learning as an effective way
to improve student success. The Anchorage School District is viewed as
being at the leading edge of this national effort, and AASB is
assisting a number of other Alaska districts.
federal support
It is clear that lowering high school dropout rates is necessary,
and that it will only be accomplished if we align our various efforts
to support children and families more effectively. We need to actively
enlist families, schools and our communities to ensure that some
children don't start out behind, and that if they do, we have effective
ways to very quickly close that early gap so they can all get the
benefit of our education system. We need to ensure our schools offer
engaging, rigorous, and relevant curricula, provide safe, caring
environments where students feel connected, have high expectations for
all students, and provide the appropriate supports that will enable
students to meet those expectations. We need to make sure that our
communities provide a positive environment where young people feel
valued and have meaningful opportunities for involvement.
Through initiatives like Alaska ICE we need to help people
understand the important role we each can play in our homes, in our
neighborhoods, in our schools, in our businesses, in our communities.
We need to encourage adults to feel and then act on a shared
responsibility for creating the kind of supportive environment that
young people need. Every one of us has opportunities in our daily lives
to interact with young people, and what both common sense and research
tell us is that the cumulative impact of those small interactions is
profound. We can each decide to be intentional in those interactions,
and use them to engage positively with kids, to be interested in them
and what they think, and to give them opportunities to be a valuable
part of our communities.
The Federal Government can't do these things. But there are many
ways that it can support the people who can do these things:
Continue long-term funding for the Alaska Native Education
Equity Program in NCLB. AASB's Alaska Initiative for Community
Engagement is an example of how Federal funding can be used effectively
to spark the initiative and capacity in each of our communities to
actively work together to better support young people. The Alaska
Native Education Equity funding targets Alaska Native student
achievement, dropout reduction, and school readiness. There is
improvement, but significant disparities persist.
Target early intervention and support towards the children
most at risk of starting school behind. This should include
intentional, sustained strategies (statewide, district-wide, and
community-wide) that start at an early age, include families, and
continue into preschool and early elementary school. When we do that in
an intentional and coordinated way, we will vastly simplify the other
steps we can and should take to improve schools to meet the needs of
older students.
Hold steadfastly to the ideal put forward in NCLB that all
children should get the best education we can give them. As we go
forward with improvements in NCLB, we should retain accountability for
all the subgroups that we know are lagging behind. If we focus our
attention on supporting these children, and preparing all children for
school, we will address the root causes of the dropout problem.
conclusion
AASB is working with partners across Alaska to change the
environment in which children and youth live. Engaging individuals,
organizations and communities is long-term work and sometimes requires
starting at a basic level of capacity-building. The great thing is that
when people understand how their personal, everyday actions, however
small, can positively impact a young person, they are very willing to
do it over the long term. And those small actions, repeated across the
State, will help build healthy communities and in turn healthy young
people.
We know a lot about what we need to do. We need to gather the
collective will and commitment to do it before another generation of
our children drift off to underachieving lives.
Senator Murkowski, thank you for your time. I know I am preaching
to the choir here. I want to thank you for your strong and sustained
support for Alaska's children, for education, and for our community
engagement initiative. I invite you to call on me and the Association
of Alaska School Boards to assist in this effort in whatever way would
be helpful.
For more information about the Association of Alaska School Boards'
Initiative for Community Engagement (Alaska ICE), visit:
www.alaskaice.org.
Senator Murkowski. Well, I thank you. I thank you for your
thoughts and for your personal story. I think you're absolutely
right; if we can provide for a person, as you have identified,
in all of these categories, where--you know, the odds were
against you, and--look at where you are today, serving us. We
appreciate it.
Next, we'll hear from Elizabeth Winkler, who is also here
today to share her personal story.
Elizabeth, we thank you for being here with us this
morning.
STATEMENT OF ELIZABETH WINKLER, FINANCE ASSISTANT, NINE STAR
EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT SERVICES,
ANCHORAGE, AK
Ms. Winkler. Thank you, Senator Murkowski, for allowing me
to have the opportunity to speak on behalf of those that are in
similar situations as myself.
I see many high school dropouts walk through Nine Star's
door. They're trying to do what I've done: complete their high
school education and attempt to move on to bigger and better
things. What I mean by that is, they want to get a better-
paying job and/or further their education.
There are many barriers that youth have to endure while
they're finishing school. One major barrier is peer pressure.
Youth are easily distracted by their peers. Youth are also
going through puberty, which causes a lot of confusion; and
then, youth have a lot of built-up emotions because of their
confusion. Youth make bad choices because of these pressures
and distractions. These barriers ultimately affect youths'
education.
I know, because I've experienced this. As soon as I got
into middle school, I started to experience peer pressure. My
friends were way more important than my education. I also had a
lot of built-up anger because of the way my life was going. I
let this anger out through the bad choices that I made.
I made it to high school on time and had an even more
difficult time. I truly didn't care about the world around me,
and I allowed the barriers in my life to affect me to a point
where I couldn't focus on my education. I gave up. Six days
before 10th grade ended, I decided to drop out of school. I
told my mom exactly what was going on, and she supported my
decision.
The 2 years that followed, I got into a correspondence
school that I did fairly well in. The school got shut down, due
to funding reasons, so I had to find another correspondence
school. I did. It was an online school, but that didn't work
for me, either. I told my mother that I wanted to get my GED
and move on to college. Once again, she supported my decision.
I just wanted to finish my high school education so that I can
move on to college and make something of myself.
In 2005, I finished all of my GED tests within a month and
a half, and received my diploma that December. For me, it was
one of the greatest achievements in my life. Now it was time to
move on to college.
Excuse me, this is a bit emotional for me.
I started taking classes at the University of Anchorage in
2006, and finished my first semester of my freshman year. I
started classes in my second semester, and, within a month's
time, withdrew from my classes because of life situations that
took an emotional toll on me. My nephew passed away, January 3,
2007, and, after his death, I was depressed. On March 14, 2007,
I found out that I was pregnant. I stayed out of school because
I didn't want to go through any more hardships. I was also put
on financial suspension.
In January 2008, I started going to an online school, the
University of Phoenix. I was doing extremely well with my
classes; however, in May 2008, I found out I was pregnant again
and started doing poorly in classes. Eventually, I got dropped
from one of the classes and failed two others. After the
classes ended, I received my grades, and the school told me
that I could not attend the college again until I dealt with my
financial suspension.
I paid UAA the money that was due to them, and I am in the
process of paying University of Phoenix. I'm also working on
getting back into UAA.
It's my goal to stay in college and work on my degrees that
I want to obtain so that I can better my and my family's
situation.
The barriers that I will have while I'm going to school
include finding childcare for the time that I'm in school and
being able to keep focused so that I can do really well in my
classes.
I want to become successful in life, and that means having
a college education and being able to offer the world more than
what the next person can, and that's knowledge and wisdom that
I hold because of my personal life experiences and college
education.
I'm not a perfect person and accept the fact that some of
my strengths need to be developed further. I'm a very detailed
and organized person; for the most part, I'm always on time. I
am patient and willing to wait for someone, if needed. I'm an
understanding person, always willing to provide words of
encouragement. If I do not understand something, then I will
inquire about what's at hand. I'm a good communicator. I'm also
down-to-earth. I'm known for my integrity.
I'm also a stubborn, hard-headed, and persistent person.
That means that I learn life the hard way. No matter how
difficult these life experiences have been, I have the strength
to always walk forward in life and take the experience as a
hard lesson learned. An experience that is understood can
empower one to change, and, in return, that experience will
provide wisdom and knowledge. Such an experience was my
extended effort to earn my GED diploma. Such an experience was
my initial work in finance as a trainee. Some things seemed
clear to me from the start, some things I had to repeat many
times in order for me to understand some of the reasons of the
how and why of the way these things were done. Such an
opportunity--such an experience was assuming site management
responsibilities from my company. Such a thing was my
occasional supervision of other company staff. My greatest
lessons have come in caring for my child, whose importance to
me is beyond measure.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Winkler follows:]
Prepared Statement of Elizabeth Winkler
I see many high school dropouts walk through Nine Star's door.
They're trying to do what I've done--complete their high school
education and attempt to move on to bigger and better things. What I
mean by that is they want to get a better paying job and/or further
their education.
There are many barriers that youth have to endure while they're
finishing school. One major barrier is peer pressure. Youth are easily
distracted by their peers. Youth are also going through puberty which
causes a lot of confusion and then youth have a lot of built-up
emotions, because of their confusion. Youth make bad choices because of
these pressures and distractions. These barriers ultimately affect
youth's education.
I know, because I've experienced this. As soon as I got into middle
school, I started to experience peer pressure. My friends were way more
important than my education. I also had a lot of built-up anger;
because of the way my life was going. I let this anger out through the
bad choices that I made.
I made it to high school on time and had an even more difficult
time. I truly didn't care about the world around me and I allowed the
barriers in my life to affect me to a point where I couldn't focus on
my education. I gave up. Six days before tenth grade ended I decided to
drop out of school. Most of my teachers felt it was necessary for me to
sit in the principal's office for the entire class period because of
how disruptive I was. I told my mom exactly what was going on and she
supported my decision.
The 2 years that followed, I got into a correspondence school that
I did fairly well in. The school got shut down due to funding reasons,
so I had to find another correspondence school. I did. It was an online
school, but that didn't work for me either. I told my mother that I
wanted to get my GED and move on to college. Once again, she supported
my decision. I just wanted to finish my high school education so that I
could move on to college and make something of myself. In 2005, I
finished all of my GED tests within a month and a half and received my
diploma that December. For me, it was one of the greatest achievements
in my life. Now it was time to move on to college.
I started taking classes at the University of Anchorage in
September 2006, and finished my first semester of my freshman year. I
started classes in my second semester, and within a month's time
withdrew from classes, because of life situations that took an
emotional toll on me. My nephew passed away January 3, 2007 and after
his death I was depressed. On March 14, 2007 I found out that I was
pregnant. I stayed out of school, because I didn't want to go through
ANY more hardships. I was also put on financial suspension.
In January 2008 I started going to an online school, the University
of Phoenix. I was doing extremely well with my classes, however, in May
2008 I found out I was pregnant again and started doing poorly in
classes. Eventually I got dropped from one of the classes and failed
two others. After the classes ended and I received my grades and the
school told me that I could not attend the college again until I dealt
with my financial suspension.
I paid UAA the money that was due to them, and in the process of
paying University of Phoenix. I'm also working on getting back into
UAA. It's my goal to stay in college and work on my degrees that I want
to obtain so that I can better mine and my family's situation.
The barriers that I will have while I'm going to school include
finding childcare for the time that I am in school, and being able to
keep focused so that I can do really well in my classes. I want to
become successful in life and that means having a college education and
being able to offer the world more than what the next person can and
that's knowledge and wisdom that I hold because of my personal life
experiences and college education.
Senator Murkowski. Thank you, Elizabeth. Your story--your
certain determination, I think, will serve as a role model for
others. As you raise your child, I think that she will look to
you for the determination--you call it ``stubbornness.'' It's
whatever causes you to move forward positively----
Ms. Winkler. Right.
Senator Murkowski [continuing]. And you're clearly doing
that. So, we----
Ms. Winkler. Thank you.
Senator Murkowski [continuing]. Thank you for that. Thank
you for your testimony.
Next, we'll go to Mr. Greg Cashen, who is the executive
director of Alaska Workforce Investment Board.
STATEMENT OF GREG CASHEN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ALASKA WORKFORCE
INVESTMENT BOARD, ANCHORAGE, AK
Mr. Cashen. Thank you, Senator Murkowski, for inviting the
Department of Labor and Workforce Development to testify before
this committee.
The programs we are adopting to engage high school students
and young adults are best illustrated in the experiences of a
student named Zach.
Instead of dropping out of his Juneau-Douglas High School,
Zach found a metals class, where he learned to weld.
He took another shop class, then another. With the guidance
of the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development,
Zach discovered school through apprenticeship. After
graduating, last May, Zach is on his way to becoming a
certified plumber and pipe fitter.
One of the reasons the United States emerged as the
economic superpower of the 20th century was a quality
workforce. As a State and as a Nation, we have veered off that
course. But, the tide is turning, and we can succeed by working
together, building strong partnerships with industry, labor,
and education.
Our efforts are focused on replacing an aging workforce and
providing skilled workers to build a gas line and other
significant economic development projects on the horizon.
Apprenticeship as a pathway to a career or higher education
is one of the most effective methods of delivering a trained
workforce. If we embrace this model of partnership with
business and industry, we will improve Alaska hire and give
hope to our most valuable asset: our youth.
We have 25 newly trained apprenticeship specialists in the
Department of Labor, located statewide in the job centers
throughout the State, who are reaching out to high-demand
industries in Alaska that are well-suited to apprenticeship,
ranging from healthcare to mining, transportation to forestry,
and manufacturing to oil and gas industries.
The Youth First Initiative prepares youth and young workers
up to age 24 to be job-ready. Youth First's statewide career
guides, including eight who travel throughout rural Alaska
schools throughout the regions, work with youth and young
adults to create interest and provide support in learning about
the job market, researching occupations, and applying for jobs
and training programs. The guides establish a working
relationship with the school, Native organizations, community
service organizations, and employers in their communities.
Another Alaska Youth First program provides teacher
externships in three target industries of healthcare,
construction, and resource development.
A partnership with industry created the Alaska Construction
Academy. More than 2,300 middle and high school students, along
with 320 adults, are learning how to build new skills, such as
carpentry, plumbing, and drywall finishing. Begun as a pilot
program in Anchorage to attract and train youth and adults to,
first, jobs in the Alaska construction industry, the academies
are now in the Kenai Peninsula, Fairbanks, Juneau, Ketchikan
and Mat-Su. Satellite academies will be created statewide, as
needed.
The Denali Commission is a vital partner in extending the
Denali Training Fund to youth workforce preparation programs in
rural Alaska. Last summer, 32 high school students attended the
Galena and Kotzebue Summer Health Career Academy and earned six
credits at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, and received an
emergency trauma technician training certificate.
The department is beginning to coordinate the efforts of
the regional training centers in Alaska, including the
department's AVTEC Center in Seward, to deliver services more
efficiently, helping to address the highest rates of
unemployment that exist in rural Alaska, where many of the
centers are located.
Beginning January 1, education tax credits will be extended
to include secondary vocational programs and state-operated
vocational and technical schools in Alaska.
Our Workforce Investment Board is the primary policymaking
board for workforce development in Alaska. The Workforce
Investment Board is leading a State initiative to create career
pathways in vocational education programs, working with
business and education consortia to establish and implement
standards for Alaska's training programs.
The department will continue to work toward increasing
awareness of job-training opportunities to create tomorrow's
workforce. That includes paying attention to today's students
by expanding career and technical education, in partnership
with the Department of Education and Early Development, which
is part of our AGIA (Alaska Gasline Inducement Act) training
plan.
Much of the successes the Department has achieved would not
have occurred without the support of our Federal Government and
the active engagement of our congressional delegation. Many of
our new state-funded initiatives were initiated, thanks to the
U.S. Department of Labor's Federal Workforce Innovation Grants.
Senator, much work remains to be done, and we hope to
continue our dialogue with you and the rest of our
congressional delegation as the Department seeks continued
support for Alaska's Workforce Development Initiatives.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Cashen follows:]
Prepared Statement of Greg Cashen
Senator Murkowski, thank you for allowing the Alaska Department of
Labor and Workforce Development to testify before this committee today.
The programs we are adopting to engage high school students and
young adults in career training, and to assist them in persisting until
they earn a diploma, certificate, or degree are illustrated by the
experiences of Zach.
Early in his high school career, Zach was bored with his
traditional classes and considering dropping out. But a brush with
vocational education in his Juneau high school intervened.
Instead of hitting the streets, Zach found a metal class where he
learned to weld. He learned to build a tool box and soon went on to
other projects. He took other ``shop'' classes and, with the guidance
of an Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development staffer,
Zach discovered apprenticeship. After graduating last May, Zach is now
on his way to becoming a certified plumber and pipefitter. Through a
school-to-apprentice program he earned 500 hours credit--about 3 months
of work--for his high school shop classes.
The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development is working
to provide alternatives to the thousands of students like Zach who
reach a crossroad and decide to leave school.
One of the reasons the United States emerged as the economic
superpower of the 20th century was a quality workforce. As a State and
as a Nation, we have veered from that course. But the tide is turning
and our success will depend on all of us working together--in Alaska
that means building strong partnerships between the Alaska Department
of Labor and Workforce Development, industry, labor and education--to
build a future with a trained workforce.
Although the partnerships vary in scope, and the objectives and
goals vary based on who is involved, the outcomes benefit all of
Alaska.
Alaska is focusing on training to replace an aging workforce and
provide skilled workers to build a gasline and other significant
development projects on the horizon.
We are taking a vision of creating a broad-based registered
apprenticeship program that helps produce an Alaska workforce
consistently trained at the highest levels--and beginning to make it a
reality. Apprenticeship, as a pathway to a career or higher education,
is one of the most effective methods of delivering a trained workforce.
If we as a State embrace this model of partnership with business and
industry, we will be on the pathway to improving Alaska Hire and giving
hope to our most valuable asset--our youth.
In school-to-apprentice programs, high school students receive up
to 500 hours (about 3 months) of credit when they are enrolled in a
registered apprentice program. Apprentices can also earn up to 38
credits through the University of Alaska System toward a degree.
The department is reaching out to other high demand industries in
Alaska--ranging from healthcare to mining, transportation to forestry,
and manufacturing to oil and gas. These industries are well-suited to
the apprenticeship movement.
Registered apprenticeship programs will develop a skilled,
competitive, diverse and sought-after workforce--and help provide a
world class, industry-driven, postsecondary education system.
The department now has 25 newly trained Apprenticeship Specialists,
located statewide in our Alaska Job Centers, who link with career
guides in Alaska secondary schools. They are helping provide a full
line of resources such as the Alaska Career Ready program, employer
incentives and assessments for apprentices.
The Alaska Youth First Initiative, operated by Alaska Department of
Labor and Workforce Development with State General Funds, is a
strategic effort to prepare youth and young adults up to age 24 to be
job ready. This is a great example of how we can put people to work
when government, industry and education create unique partnerships to
accomplish our mutual goal--achieving workforce excellence.
Youth First provides career guides across the State, including
eight that travel to rural communities and schools throughout their
regions. Career Guides work with youth and young adults to create
interest and provide support in learning about the job market,
researching occupations, and applying for jobs and training programs in
high demand industries.
The guides are successful because they establish a working
relationship with the schools, Native organizations, community service
agencies and employers in their communities. Career Guides help youth
register for the online systems AKCIS and ALEXsys. They also assist
with the application process for apprenticeship programs, employment,
job shadows, internships, vocational training programs and more.
Career guides at the Alaska Department of Labor's Youth Hiring
Center in Anchorage invited 71 seniors in good standing to a late
spring hiring event that is part of the Job Club. The Club is a
partnership with the department's career guides, members of the
construction industry, the Anchorage Home Builders Association and the
Associated Builders and Contractors Inc. To be in good standing,
seniors have to sign up to join the club and they are required to
attend two employability workshops that includes resume writing and
other job-seeker skills, and register in Labor's ALEXsys--Alaska's Job
Bank online.
Of the 71 students, 47 are now working in construction-related
positions, 7 are going into the military in construction-related fields
such as combat engineer and welder, 3 are in registered apprenticeship
programs, 3 are continuing their education at university and AVTEC, and
4 are working in other fields. Career guides worked with the remaining
students to place them in construction industry jobs when they turned
18.
Another Youth First program provides teacher externships--a program
in which our teachers are finding there's a lot to learn about what
skills our students will need to be a successful part of Alaska's
workforce. Overall, 49 teachers completed externships in three target
industries including healthcare, construction and resource
development--with an impact on more than 2,000 students.
A partnership with industry created the Alaska Construction
Academy. More than 2,300 middle and high school students, along with
320 adults, are learning how to build new skills--such as carpentry,
plumbing, electrical, welding and drywall finishing. Begun as a pilot
program in Anchorage to attract and train young people and adults to
find jobs in the Alaska construction industry, the academies are now in
the Kenai Peninsula, Fairbanks, Juneau, Ketchikan and Mat-Su.
Additional academies will be created throughout the rest of the State.
Graduates will help fill the 1,000 construction jobs that are needed
annually.
Significantly, the Denali Commission has become a vital partner in
extending the Denali Training Fund to youth workforce preparation
programs in rural Alaska. Last summer, 32 high-school students attended
the Galena and Kotzebue Summer Health Career Academy. Through the joint
program with the department's Denali Training Fund Youth Program, they
earned six credits at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and received
an Emergency Trauma Technician Training Certificate. Additional
partners in this program were the U.S. Department of Labor, the Alaska
Department of Education and Early Development and the Tanana Chiefs
Conference.
We are partnering with other State agencies, for example creating
the Alaska Career Ready program with the Department of Education and
Early Development. The program is available to employers, students and
workers to help assess and prepare them for jobs. Employers can send
current or prospective employees to any Alaska Job Center to take an
assessment that provides a snapshot of current skills. After taking the
assessment, students and workers can attain certification.
The department is beginning to coordinate the efforts of the
Regional Training Centers in Alaska, including the department's Alaska
Vocational Technical Center (AVTEC) so they can deliver services more
efficiently, helping to address the highest rates of unemployment that
exist in rural Alaska, where many of the centers are located.
Beginning January 1, education tax credits, which cover
contributions up to $150,000, will be extended to include secondary
school vocational programs and state-operated vocational and technical
schools in Alaska. The credit had been only for contributions to 2- and
4-year colleges and universities. The credit can now be used against
additional taxes: insurance, corporate income, oil and producer, oil
and gas property, mining license, fisheries business or fishery
resource landing. However, not all vocational and technical schools in
Alaska are state-operated, thus they are not eligible to benefit from
this program.
Our Workforce Investment Board is the primary policymaking board
for workforce development in Alaska. Citizens from all across Alaska
serve on the board, representing many different organizations and
industries. AWIB is leading a State initiative to create career
pathways in vocational education programs, working with business and
education consortia to establish and implement standards for Alaska
training programs.
The department will continue to work toward increasing awareness of
job and training opportunities--creating tomorrow's workforce. That
includes paying attention to today's students by expanding career and
technical education--which is part of our AGIA training plan--in
partnership with the Department of Education and Early Development.
Much of the successes the department has achieved would not have
occurred without the support of the Federal Government and the active
engagement of our congressional delegation to secure funds for
workforce development targeting our youth. Many of our new state-funded
initiatives were initiated thanks to the U.S. Department of Labor's
Federal workforce innovation grants.
Much work remains to be done and we hope to continue our dialogue
with you and the rest of our congressional delegation as the department
seeks continued support for Alaska's workforce development initiatives.
Senator Murkowski. Thank you, Greg.
Let's, next, go to Mr. Michael Andrews, who is with the
Alaska Works Partnership.
Mr. Andrews.
STATEMENT OF MICHAEL ANDREWS, DIRECTOR, ALASKA WORKS
PARTNERSHIP, INC., ANCHORAGE, AK
Mr. Andrews. Thank you, Senator Murkowski. It's a pleasure
to be here today, particularly with this distinguished panel
and on this very, very critical topic.
I've been asked to bring testimony specifically regarding
the experiences of Alaska's union training programs in the K-12
and postsecondary education systems, and to offer some
recommendations from these experiences to help improve the high
school completion rate and advance Alaska's youth into and
through post-
secondary technical training or college.
Alaska's trade unions have more than 50 years of experience
working directly with schools to attract students to trade
apprenticeship. Many years ago, educators, trade unions,
employers, and the Federal Government agreed that completing
high school should be the basic requirement for even applying
to an apprenticeship program. Today, there are more than 800
employers in the union construction training industry system
who are anxiously waiting for new graduates to enter their
apprenticeship programs.
The high school dropout rate significantly impacts the
construction industry. Alaska's high schools are the main
supply of new apprentices. Fewer high school graduates means
fewer new workers ready to learn trade skills. As a result,
apprenticeship programs today are competing harder than ever
with other industries, postsecondary technical schools,
colleges, universities, and the military for those graduates.
We have a pipeline to build, a natural-gas pipeline to
build, and we need high school graduates who can learn those
skills to do that work.
The good news is that unions and their apprenticeship
programs, industry associations, school districts, the
University of Alaska, and others are finding many new ways to
encourage students to stay in school and go into pathways that
include postsecondary degrees and certifications.
I'd like to just mention two important career initiatives
that I did submit as part of my written testimony. Greg Cashen
mentioned the Alaska Construction Academies. These have been
very successful models, in terms of getting community
partnerships with school districts and industry and others to
attract, as he mentioned, over 2,300 students right now, into
elective programs after school, because of their great interest
in the construction industry and getting ready for the
pipeline.
Another, of course, that was mentioned, was the Denali
Commission and their Rural Youth Initiatives. Every year, we're
offered the opportunity to provide rural construction academies
at regional learning centers for students in the Bethel, King
Salmon, and St. Mary's/Nome delta areas, for example. This year
we concentrated on developing youth as pipeline welders'
helpers, so they can follow a pathway into trade
apprenticeship, learn some basic skills, so they can go to work
on the North Slope.
Just last week, we graduated 121 apprentices in our annual
pipeline construction program. They're on their way to the
North Slope, because the jobs are--there's many, many jobs in
demand up there now. We know there's great pathways for rural
and urban students to get engaged.
I'd like to just quickly move to what I think are some
suggestions that may be helpful to you and your committee.
Now, one thing--and I believe the research came from the
National Center for Dropout Prevention--was that it came to me
that there is a great wealth of research out there that points
out that in States or in school districts where there are
strong vocational education career technical programs, where
students can take two or more classes, let's say, in health or
in construction or other areas--they're going to have higher
high school completion rates than their counterparts who don't
take vocational education. In fact, there's research that
shows, in some school districts where there are strong
vocational career and technical education programs, that their
graduation completion rates have risen 10 percent. If we look
at Alaska, at 65-or-so percent, the national rate at 75
percent, it's always been my view that we could go from the
bottom to the top in short order if we really got back into
concentrating more on offering career and technical education
inside the high schools. It would improve math scores, it would
improve science scores, it would help students move on to
postsecondary education and advance through college. There's
nothing new under the sun. I think we need to go back and look
at some of those ways, because students learn differently, and
they--a lot of times, the shop class, so to speak, is one of
the reasons they would go to school and stay in school.
My recommendation is also that--it was mentioned earlier--
the Carl Perkins Act is great, but it's burdensome, it's
meager, it doesn't really meet the needs in Alaska for many
school districts. We get calls from small school districts who
are basically saying, ``We're ignoring our $15,000 Carl Perkins
grant, and we'd like to work with you and the Denali Commission
on something more substantive.'' I mean, I've been to school
districts where the only vocational education is basically
office technology online. There needs to be more done.
I would suggest that possibly something new that would
offer dedicated, flexible funding for high schools who have
partnerships with industry, postsecondary, and college for
career paths, and are vital careers that are needed for our
national and our State economy. Again, something not quite Carl
Perkins, but something that others can really use.
I would also make a pitch that we do need to help the U.S.
Department of Labor expand apprenticeship and school to
apprenticeship and other initiatives. I served for 2 years on
the Federal Committee for Registered Apprenticeship, years ago,
and there were basically no resources, there was no power,
because it was just an advisory group. We strongly encouraged
the Department to try to find more resources so that every
State could create initiatives that reached deeper into the
schools and prepared students earlier for some of the vital
careers needed in the trades and technical occupations.
I really appreciate the opportunity to speak with you today
and offer what I can.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Andrews follows:]
Prepared Statement of Michael Andrews
The Honorable Senator Murkowski & committee members, I have been
asked to bring testimony specifically regarding the experiences of
Alaska Union training programs in K-12 and postsecondary education, and
to offer some recommendations from these experiences to help improve
the high school completion rate and advance Alaska's youth into and
through postsecondary technical training or college.
Alaska Works Partnership, Inc. was formed in 1997 as a not-for-
profit by Alaska's Construction Trade Unions and their Joint
Administered Apprenticeship and Training Trusts, commonly referred to
as JATC's. Alaska Works was created to attract and prepare Alaskan's
for jobs and careers in construction. Our more than 10 years of
experience of reaching out to schools and students, employers and
industry associations, Alaska Native organizations and others to build
that workforce do provide some insights for increasing the retention of
Alaskans students in life-long learning from K-16.
Alaska's trade unions have more than 50 years of experience working
in schools to attract students to trade apprenticeship and career
training. Once a student completes high school they have met the 1st
requirement for applying to these coveted and highly competitive
positions.
Alaska's trade union apprenticeship programs, collectively, are the
States largest private-funded industry training partnership in Alaska.
Over the past decade, union members and employers have invested more
than $60 million in training Alaskans. This year their apprenticeship
programs will invest more than $10 million for industry training. No
other industry has invested as much or worked as long to develop
sustainable partnerships with secondary and postsecondary education in
Alaska.
There are 31 Joint Administered Apprenticeship and Training Trusts
operating in the State and they teach over 20 specific construction
crafts and trade skills. There are more than 800 employers contributing
funds to the system for every hour a union member works. JATCs own and
operate 14 fully staffed trade schools where course-related instruction
takes place and are building one new training center a year for the
past 5 years to meet the ever growing needs of their programs.
Their combined capital assets in facilities and training equipment
are estimated at over $30 million. Today they train more than 2,000
registered apprentices, which is more than 80 percent of active
apprentices registered in the State. These schools turn out more than
95 percent of the Alaska journeymen certified by the U.S. Department of
Labor and have for many decades.
The high school drop-out rate significantly impacts the
construction industry, particularly as it continues to aggressively
recruit new workers to meet growing job demand, to replace retiring
skilled workers, and to replace trades workers advancing into
supervisory and management positions. Adding to the skills gap,
currently 80 percent of those employed in Alaska's construction
industry are non-residents who come here to earn the high wages. We'd
like to see more of Alaska's high school graduates get those jobs.
The drop-out challenge strikes at the very core of a strong
construction industry because Alaska's high schools are the main
provider of workers for the supply chain.
Many years ago educators and trade unions and the Federal
Government agreed that completing high school should be a basic
requirement for applying to a Joint-Administered apprenticeship
program. Educators, unions and employers agreed setting graduation as
the bar would keep more young people in school and better prepare them
for success after school.
The reduced supply of talent ready to learn a trade skill means the
construction industry must compete harder with other industries,
postsecondary technical institutions, colleges and universities, and
the military for future workers. Supplying a new construction workforce
to meet increasing job demand to build Alaska and build the Alaska
Natural Gas Pipeline is a daunting challenge. But we are finding new
ways to turn that around and keep kids in school by getting them into
vocational training. I am providing two documents to the committee
which help further explain what I mean about those new methods.
I am confident today that through the great relationships
established by and between labor and education at all levels,
particularly with the university of Alaska and School Districts, we can
make a difference. These new initiatives and expanding industry
education and labor partnerships have only been possible through
investments by the Federal and State government, which is explained in
the documents I have provided.
One thing is evident. Students need education that is relevant,
flexible and career-oriented. We need to start vocational and career
education activities earlier in the education process. Students de-
select careers at an early age. They need to have some career awareness
and career activities to keep them informed about the jobs educators
are preparing them for.
We need to bring more applied math and technical reading into every
classroom. We did in the old days through vocational education and co-
operative learning. This will improve math and science scores and help
students who learn in different ways get the knowledge they need to
advance. For many, it will become a reason they go to school.
We need to offer public secondary and postsecondary schools
flexible and dedicated long-term funding specifically for career and
technical training in conjunction with industry partners. Somewhat like
Carl Perkins but not as cumbersome, costly to the schools, or meager
from the source. These should be grants that align secondary and
postsecondary credit with industry certificates and college degrees,
and put students in jobs and careers vital to the regional economies.
I commend to the committee, the Alaska Construction Academies, as
explained in one document before you, the partnerships and results of
working with Alaska's high schools as one program that can bring
insights for success in other areas.
I hope my comments have been helpful. I look forward to the
opportunity to participate with the panel in this important discussion.
And I thank you for providing me an opportunity to testify.
Senator Murkowski. Thank you, Mike.
Let's, next, go to Tina Michels-Hansen, at Cook Inlet
Tribal Council.
Welcome.
STATEMENT OF TINA MICHELS-HANSEN, ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL
PROGRAM MANAGER, COOK INLET TRIBAL COUNCIL, ANCHORAGE, AK
Ms. Michels-Hansen. Good morning, Senator. Thank you for
the opportunity for me to be here on behalf of Cook Inlet
Tribal Council. It's an honor to be here with you all.
My grandparents are Bill Hoogendorn, a retired Dutch gold
miner, and Lena Iutok, an Inupiat elder of Nome, AK, which is
the same place that I was born and raised. I'm here today to
share my personal and professional thoughts on the state of
improvements for Native education within our State.
I am a product of both small and rural schools and a small
college. I have come to value the need for community-based
education.
As Native people, we have an inherent sense of community.
It does, after all, take a village to raise a child. Yet, our
children today are faced with mainstream pressure to live in
only one world, rather than two, a world of glamour and glitz
that promises everything based on looks and what a person owns,
rather than what they do, know, or do for others.
Communities don't fight back against this pressure. They,
too, are trapped in trying to keep up with the Joneses. Here,
we see students losing their connection to their roots, that
which defines their sense of self and their value in their
community.
We've all seen the data. Our schools and communities are
failing our Native students at frightening rates. Kids would
rather drop out than feel like failures or be disengaged at
school. As long as they have material items, they still feel
like they can be a success. This is not a Native or a tribe's
problem, this is a community problem, rural or urban, and it's
everyone's problem to resolve.
When I grew up, I was among the top of my class,
academically. I was athletic, involved in church, arts,
cultural activities, and student government of a school of 200.
Overnight, due to circumstances beyond my teenage control, my
understanding of place and sense of self would change forever.
I had to move to Fairbanks for my senior year of high school.
There my school had nearly 2,000 students. My comfort zone of
school and notions of success were now replaced by this
frightening institution of learning, where I was no longer a
person with a name, but a number. I remember thinking, ``How is
it possible for a student to even feel invisible? Don't
teachers see me? '' In fact, they never did.
For 3 months, I didn't even know where my locker was. I
attended only two classes, and didn't care that it was 40-below
outside. I was willing to brave the cold and endure frostbite
than feel like I was invisible.
After one semester, I couldn't handle it any more and
returned home. Though this experience was brief, it has stayed
with me for all of these years.
I then spent 2 years failing at UAA, with no support;
Again, feeling invisible and having experienced prejudice for
the first time in my life.
The story does not end with me. There are kids every day
who walk into our schools, who feel invisible, like I did. No
one should ever have to feel so dispirited. Our schools have
become institutions that are underfunded, classes are
overcrowded with maniacal focus on high-stakes testing and led
by often ill-prepared teachers, many who lack thorough
multicultural training or who feel they simply do not have
enough time to be compassionate. They have become factories,
and their products lack many of the basic skills for today's
markets and industries, factories that are often unapproachable
by parents, factories that communities passively accept.
I believe that the faults of our schools today do not
solely lie with one person or entity; rather, the fault is all
of ours. We all are failing our kids, and we should be ashamed
of ourselves.
Those students who experience successes are not celebrated
adequately by the community and are often overshadowed by
thousands. They, too, need to be embraced and supported for
their continued success, not sent out to sea like a lonesome
fish, and simply forgotten. We need to ask our successful
students, What is it that worked for them?
I also believe it is possible for communities to be
involved in creating great places to learn. I've seen it happen
when all stakeholders unite with intention and respect. It
takes a plan, people willing to put their necks out on the
line, tireless efforts to outreach to the community, continuous
self-reflection, sharing best practices, building partnerships
with all stakeholders and key partners, nurturing them, day
after day after day, raising the bar, but staying rooted in
community values--compassion, patience--and, of course,
sustainable funding. It can happen, it should happen. We cannot
afford to wait any longer.
Very quickly, my time at CITC has been enriched by the
opportunities to work with many brilliant and compassionate
people. Thanks to the Alaska Native Educational Equity funding,
we can partner daily with Anchorage School District, UAA's
ANSEP Program--the Alaska Native Science and Engineering
Program--and other various people and entities. Building and
nurturing assets within our Native youth is the foundation for
which our department is built upon. We intentionalize our
efforts to create safe, positive, culturally focused learning
environments for nearly 1,000 Native students across 10 local
K-12 schools. It is in these classrooms where students have the
opportunities to reconnect with their roots, reaffirm their
sense of self as a young Native person, and experience
successes, both great and small.
For some of our students, they have been consistently
supported by a program, and they're college-bound and eager.
Others, their greatest achievement for the day may be that they
made it to school. Despite their peaks and valleys, we value
every single one of them equally.
We have urban-raised students and rural-raised students,
with very different life experiences, yet one common identity.
Often it's when the kids work together that the magic happens.
They mentor one another in ways that few textbooks could grasp.
We have smaller class sizes and stronger student-to-teacher
ratios. We meet the students where they are academically when
they walk through our classroom doors, utilize culturally
relevant materials and methodology, strive to instill a love of
lifelong learning by providing experiential learning
opportunities for students, alternative ways of assessing them,
include deliberate efforts to provide youth with the transition
skills they need to navigate life and school, tirelessly
encourage and provide opportunities for parental involvement,
keep traditional Alaska Native values central, encourage
stewardship, maintain high standards, topped with patience and
a whole lot of compassion.
Our mission has been to work in partnership with our people
to help them achieve their endless potential--not a handout;
rather, a hand-up. It's about reciprocity. We invest in our
Native people so they, too, can continue to invest in future
generations. At CITC, we partner with Anchorage School District
in a way that is often enviable to Lower 48 tribal entities.
Our partnership is strong, yet we are grant-driven.
CITC tries to do what we can for our Native students, but
there is only so much even we can do. Creating successful
schools and successful students is possible, but it's not just
one person's responsibility, again. It's--or one neighborhood's
responsibility, or one tribal entity's responsibility--it's a
community responsibility.
Mine is only one Native perspective, but I am humbled by
the opportunity to share my story and my thoughts with you
today. We look forward, at CITC, to continue to work with
others as a community to make our communities and schools be
the deserving places for our kids, where kids can grow up to be
strong, capable, caring, optimistic, and prepared for their
futures.
I also need to mention that the other day, Dr. Walter
Sobilov celebrated his 100th birthday, and I think it's
absolutely important to mention that he is a tremendous example
to us all, that it is possible to exist and live in two very
different cultural worlds, but it takes a community of people
to encourage you and to support you, and that it is possible.
Quyana.
[Applause.]
[The prepared statement of Ms. Michels-Hansen follows:]
Prepared Statement of Tina Michels-Hansen
Good morning, Senator Murkowski. Thank you for the opportunity to
be here today, as it is an honor. As stated, my name is Tina Michels-
Hansen. My grandparents are Bill Hoogendorn, a retired Dutch gold
miner, and Lena Iutok, an Inupiat elder, of Nome, AK--the same place I
was born and raised. I am here today to share both my personal and
professional thoughts on the state of, and improvements for, Native
education in Alaska.
A product of both small and rural schools and college, I have come
to value the need for community-based education. As Native people,
there we have an inherent sense of community, it does after all take a
village to raise a child. Yet our children today are faced with
mainstream pressure to live in only one world, rather than two. A world
of glamour and glitz that promises everything based on looks and what a
person owns, rather than what they know or do for others. Communities
don't fight back against this pressure, they too are trapped in trying
to keep up with the Joneses. Here we see students losing their
connection to their roots . . . that which defines their sense of
``self,'' and value in their communities.
We have all seen the data. Our schools and communities are failing
our Native students at frightening rates. Kids would rather drop out
than feel like failures or be disengaged at school. As long as they
have material items they still feel like they can be a success. This is
not a ``Native'' or a tribe's problem, this is a community problem,
rural or urban, and it's everyone's problem to resolve.
When I grew up I was among the top in my class academically. I was
athletic, involved in church, art, cultural activities and student
government in a school of 200. Overnight, due to circumstances beyond
my teenage control, my understanding of ``place'' and sense of ``self
'' would change me forever. I had to move to Fairbanks my senior year
of high school.
In Fairbanks, my high school had nearly 2,000 students. My comfort
zone of school and notions of success were now replaced by this
frightening institution of learning where I was no longer a person with
a name, but a number. I remember thinking, ``how is it possible for a
student to feel invisible? Don't teachers see me? '' But they didn't.
For 3 months I didn't even know where my locker was. I attended
only two classes and didn't care that it was ^40 outside, I was
willing to brave the cold and endure frostbite than feel like I was
invisible. After one semester I couldn't handle it anymore and returned
home. Though this experience was brief, it has stayed with me all these
years. I then spent 2 years failing at UAA with no support. Again,
feeling invisible and having experienced prejudice for the first time
in my life.
This story doesn't end with me, there are kids every day who walk
into our schools who feel invisible like I did. No one should ever have
to feel so dispirited. Our schools have become institutions that are
underfunded; classes are overcrowded; with a maniacal focus on high
stakes testing; and led by often ill-prepared teachers, many who lack
thorough multicultural training, or feel they don't have enough time to
be compassionate. They have become factories and their products lack
many of the basic skills for today's markets and industries. Factories
that are often unapproachable by parents. Factories that communities
passively accept.
I believe that the faults of our schools today do not solely lay
with one person or entity, rather the fault is all of ours. We all are
failing our kids and we should be ashamed. Those students who are
experiencing success are not celebrated adequately by the community and
are often overshadowed by the thousands. They too need to be embraced
and supported for continued success, not sent out to sea on their own
like fish and simply forgotten about. We need to ask our successful
students, What is it that worked for them?
I also believe that it is possible for communities to be involved
in creating great places to learn. I've seen it happen when all
stakeholders unite with intention and respect. It takes a plan, people
willing to put their necks out on the line, tireless efforts to
outreach to the community, continuous self-reflection, sharing best
practices, building partnerships with all stakeholders and key
partners, nurturing them day after day, raising the bar but staying
rooted in community values, compassion, patience, and of course
sustainable funding. It can happen, it should happen, and we cannot
afford to wait any longer.
My time at CITC has been enriched by the opportunities to work with
many brilliant and compassionate educators. Thanks to the Alaska Native
Educational Equity funding, daily we partner with the Anchorage School
District (ASD), UAA's Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program
(ANSEP), and other various people and entities. Building and nurturing
ASSETS within our Native youth is the foundation of which our
department is built upon.
We intentionalize our efforts to create safe, positive, and
culturally focused learning environments for our nearly 1,000 Native
students across 10 K-12 local schools. It is in these classrooms where
students have the opportunities to reconnect with their roots, reaffirm
their sense of ``self,'' as a young Native person, and experience
successes both great and small. For some of our students they have been
consistently supported by our program and are college bound and eager--
others, their greatest achievement for the day may be that they made it
to school. Despite their peaks and valleys, we value every one of them
equally.
We have urban-raised students and rural-raised students with very
different life experiences but a common identity. Often it's when the
kids work together that the magic happens. They mentor one another in
ways that few textbooks could grasp.
We have smaller class sizes and stronger student-to-teacher ratios.
We meet the students where they are academically when they walk through
our classroom doors; utilize culturally relevant materials and
methodology; strive to instill a love of life long learning by
providing experiential learning opportunities for students and
alternative ways of assessing student success; include deliberate
efforts to provide youth with the transition skills needed to navigate
school and life; tirelessly encourage and provide opportunities for
parental involvement; keep traditional Alaskan Native values central;
encourage stewardship; maintain high standards, topped with patience
and a whole lot of compassion.
Our mission has been to work in partnership with Our people to help
them achieve their endless potential. Not a hand out, rather a hand up.
It's about reciprocity. We invest in Our Native people so they too can
continue to invest in future generations. At CITC we partner with the
Anchorage School District in a way that is often enviable to lower 48
tribal entities. Our partnership is strong, yet we are grant-driven.
CITC tries to do what we can for our Native students but there is
only so much even we can do. Creating successful school and successful
students is possible, but it's not just one person's responsibility,
one neighborhood's responsibility, or one tribal entities'
responsibility, it's a community responsibility.
I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to recognize Dr.
Walter Soboleff who recently celebrated his 100th birthday. He is a
wonderful example that Native students/people can exist in two very
different cultural worlds and be successful, but it takes encouragement
and community.
Mine is only one Native perspective. Yet I am humbled by the
opportunity to share my story and my thoughts with you today. I look
forward to working with others, as does CITC, as a community, to make
our communities and schools be the deserving places for our kids--where
kids can grow up to be strong, capable, caring, optimistic and prepared
for their futures.
Quyana.
Senator Murkowski. Thank you, Tina. Your comments are most
eloquent, most appreciated, not only for your personal
perspective, but for reminding us that we do have some
successes to look to, and we must always be asking, What is it
that makes us successful? Your story was most appreciated, and
your testimony very much appreciated.
Our final participant on the panel today is Mr. Tom Morgan,
who is the State director of Communities in Schools.
STATEMENT OF TOM MORGAN, STATE DIRECTOR, COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS
OF ALASKA, INC., ANCHORAGE, AK
Mr. Morgan. Thank you, Senator.
I have prepared remarks, as well, which, if you know me, is
a good idea; it'll keep us on time and on schedule.
[Laughter.]
I feel like I should really toss these away, because I
started to say that--how honored I was to be with you, and I
mean that; but, my goodness, I'm humbled to be here, because
we're truly blessed to have good people doing good things to
help us attack what really is an epidemic in the dropouts. I
thank you, but I will continue with the prepared remarks.
[Laughter.]
Again, Karen McCarthy, I want to thank you for your help.
You told me not to single you out, but I didn't listen to you,
because you make this happen, and I know that the Senator
appreciates what you do, and makes your job easier; and for
that, we thank you.
Senator Murkowski, it's with great respect that I recognize
your outstanding leadership, not only to the Nation, but to our
great State of Alaska. Thank you for being here.
I'm truly pleased to be here today to represent Communities
in Schools of Alaska and our role of making a positive
difference in the dropout epidemic.
I know that you all share the concern about the dropout
crisis, a topic that touches all Alaskans, particularly Alaska
Native students, at a disproportionally higher rate.
CIS offers an integrated student support delivery system
that provides schools and prevention services and individual
students with case management individual services. Like glue,
we mobilize and connect resources with schools, better enabling
students to stick with it and stay in school.
As a statewide network in dropout prevention, we are
committed to success through collaboration. Let me say that
again. We are committed to success through collaboration.
That's the only way we're going to get this job done.
Now, how do we know that we are helping kids learn, stay in
school, and prepare for life? We evaluate our efforts by
tracking indicators of student success: attendance, stay-in-
school rates, improved academic performance, and improved
behavior.
Since our inception, we have worked with thousands of
students at risk of dropping out. The majority of those
students have stayed in school and improved their attendance,
behavior, and academic achievement.
Preliminary results from the Communities in Schools'
National Evaluation initiative, an independent third-party
evaluation, indicated that the CIS model does make a positive
difference in decreasing the dropout rate, increasing the
graduation rate, and improving student achievement. These
results are based on the in-depth analysis of 1,766 CIS schools
and comparative analysis of outcomes from more than 1,200 CIS
and non-CIS comparison schools over a 3-year period. That's the
last time I'll throw numbers at you.
We are not another social service agency. We broker and
mobilize, in an effective and coordinated way, existing--say
again--existing community services through the schools, saving
valuable dollars while improving efficiencies of delivery of
services to children and youth.
Just in the 2007-2008 school year, in just five
affiliates--Anchorage, Bethel, Juneau, Mat-Su, and Nome--our
minimum leverage services and resources were estimated in
excess of $1.5 million. In-kind contributions and revenue from
other sources, just in the past year, were approximately
$900,000. The amount of dollars to support is very small when
compared to the successful outcomes it provides and the
resources we're able to leverage.
Through school-based affiliate programs and statewide
initiatives, CIS Alaska is creating a network of social
services, businesses, community resources, and volunteers that
work together to break down barriers, to ensure that even the
most vulnerable of our children have access to these basic and
core needs.
Our statewide initiatives create opportunities in
conjunction with Department of Labor, an active distance
learning career exploration program targeted at rural youth,
and the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and Early Literacy
Program for Children Birth to Five are being well received.
Our dream, our call to action, is to formulate support to
implement the CIS model and provide a dropout prevention
specialist, a resource specialist perhaps, a graduation coach,
a CIS coordinator--it doesn't matter, the name--the challenge
is to get that resource person in every school in Alaska, where
its children's needs can be met to help keep them in school and
teachers are free to teach.
We believe youth do not drop out of school necessarily
because of the school. We believe, and research supports, youth
drop out due to pressures outside of the school. Educators
cannot and should not be expected to have knowledge of the many
community resources available to help them and help those
students stay in school. That is where CIS comes in. As one
principal told me, ``You allow me and my teachers to teach. We
need to clone the CIS coordinator.''
As stated earlier, like glue, we mobilize and connect
resources with schools, better enabling students to stick with
it and stay in school.
Support by the Federal and the State government will allow
us to expand our existing sites and offer the opportunity for
many more communities, especially rural communities, the
ability to experience the positive outcomes that we can provide
for you.
We have a program that has proven success in preventing
dropouts. For every dollar invested through building
collaboration, brokering services, and leveraging community
assets, CIS of Alaska adds value to build return on investment.
The paid political announcement: For a more in-depth look,
please check our Web site at CISAlaska.org.
In closing, Senator Murkowski, you know, dollar for dollar,
CIS of Alaska offers the right investment in our children's
future. We look forward to partnering with you, doing what we
do best: connecting the dots, coordinating and leveraging the
existing resources to keep youth in school, and preparing them
to succeed in life.
Thank you, again, for allowing me to be here today.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Morgan follows:]
Prepared Statement of Tom Morgan
Good morning Senator Murkowski and staff. I am honored to be here
today on behalf of Alaska's young people. It is with great respect,
Senator Murkowski, that I extend my deep appreciation of and support
for your outstanding leadership to our great State, and our Nation.
i. statement of need/dropout problem definition
I am truly pleased to be here today to represent Communities In
Schools (CIS) of Alaska and our role in making a positive difference in
the dropout epidemic. National research has shown that students who do
not finish high school earn less, pay less tax, rely more on public
health, are more involved in the justice system, and are more likely to
use the welfare system. I know that you all share the concern about the
dropout crisis, a topic that touches all Alaskans, particularly Alaska
Native students at a disproportionally higher rate.
ii. our solution/our model & results
CIS of Alaska strives to work closely with school districts around
the State to address the alarmingly high rate of high school dropouts.
We offer an integrated student support delivery system; providing
schools with prevention services and individual students with case
management and intervention services. Like glue, we mobilize and
connect resources with schools, better enabling students to ``stick
with it'' and stay in school. As a statewide network in dropout
prevention, we are committed to success through collaboration.
How do we know that we are helping kids learn, stay in school, and
prepare for life? We evaluate our efforts by tracking indicators of
student success like: attendance and stay-in-school rates, improved
academic performance and improved behavior to determine the impact of
our programs. Since our inception, we have worked with thousands of
students at risk to dropping out; the majority of those students have
stayed in school and improved their attendance, behavior and academic
achievement. In the last 3 years, Communities In Schools has helped to
put developmentally appropriate books directly in the hands of
thousands of children and families across the State. (For a more in-
depth look at CIS of Alaska programs and initiatives, please visit
www.cisalaska.org)
iii. program specific information
CIS of Alaska is part of the nationwide network of Communities in
Schools. Nationally, CIS is the largest provider of integrated student
services in the country and has an opportunity to both serve 1.2
million students with high quality services, as well as make the policy
case for including integrated student services as a fundamental part of
the solution to lowering dropout rates and improving graduation rates
in America. Preliminary results from the Communities In Schools
National Evaluation initiative (an independent, third-party evaluation)
indicated that the CIS model does make a positive difference in:
decreasing the dropout rate,
increasing the graduation rate (specifically, the ``on-
time'' graduation rate, meaning within the traditional 4-year schedule)
and,
improving student achievement [Generally speaking, the
more ``high implementing'' the school site (meaning incorporating all
aspects of the CIS model in a mid to high degree at the school site),
the higher the outcomes.]
These results are based on an in-depth analysis of 1,766 CIS
schools and comparative analysis of outcomes for more than 1,200 CIS
and non-CIS comparison schools over a 3-year period. The CIS National
Evaluation concludes that:
Among dropout prevention programs using scientifically
based evidence, the CIS Model is one of a very few in the United States
proven to keep students in school and is the only dropout prevention
program in the Nation with scientifically based evidence to prove that
it increases graduation rates.
When implemented with high fidelity, the CIS Model results
in a higher percentage of students reaching proficiency in fourth- and
eighth-grade reading and math.
Effective implementation of the CIS Model correlates more
strongly with positive school-level outcomes (i.e., dropout and
graduation rates, achievement, etc.) than does the uncoordinated
provision of service alone, resulting in notable improvements of
school-level outcomes in the context of the CIS Model.
The CIS National Evaluation is being conducted by ICF
International, known for its high standards of rigor and comprehensive
research designs. (Source: ``CIS National Evaluation Policy--
Communities In Schools and the Model of Integrated Student Services: A
Proven Solution to America's Dropout Epidemic.'' For further
information on this report, view it on the Web site at
www.cisalaska.org, under What We Do/Results.)
Organized in 2003 to serve at-risk students in rural Alaska, CIS of
Alaska is founded on the recognition that most students who drop out of
school are dealing with a variety of obstacles that present barriers to
their education, and that only a few of these are school-related. Most
stem from overarching family and community issues like poverty, alcohol
and drugs and violence. We recognize that numerous public and private
services already exist in our communities to help children and their
families overcome these obstacles. However, given the difficulty of
deciphering the maze of resources available, and, the time and
transportation necessary to reach them, services are nearly
inaccessible for those children and families who need them most.
We are not another social service agency. We broker and mobilize in
an effective and coordinated way, EXISTING community services through
the schools. Through school-based affiliate programs and statewide
initiatives, CIS of Alaska is creating a network of social services,
businesses, community resources and volunteers that work together to
break down barriers to ensure even the most vulnerable of our children
have access to these basics and core needs.
CIS of Alaska also provides a cutting-edge, distance learning
Career Exploration Opportunities (CEO) program (aligned with State
Educational Standards), targeted at rural high school students. CEO is
a blended learning program, combining videoconferencing and Internet
connectivity. Alaskan business executives interact with students face
to face via the videoconference twice each month, providing students
with information regarding careers and preparation beyond their
communities. Students are focused on the 16 High Needs Alaskan Career
Clusters including resource development (oil industry), construction
trades, technology, health service and others. They learn about
opportunities, career preparation and application/interviewing skills.
Students are also responsible for job shadows, career projects and
presentations and developing leadership skills.
Additionally, CIS of Alaska works in a coordinated effort with Best
Beginnings and partners with the Dollywood Foundation to facilitate
replication of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to interested
communities statewide. [Best Beginnings has evolved from the Alaska
Ready to Read; Ready to Learn Task Force.] As you may know, the
Imagination Library Program is an early literacy program that puts
quality, age-appropriate books directly in the hands of our children
ages birth to five and their families across the State.
With CIS of Alaska sites in Bethel, Anchorage, Mat-Su, Nome, and
Juneau, we are making remarkable progress in positively affecting the
high school dropout rate. With greater support, evidence demonstrates
that this success can be implemented across the State.
Consider the following specific examples of our programs and
results.
Last year, the CIS of Alaska network served 5,279 children/youth.
CIS of Bethel is working with the District Court, the
community of Bethel and its neighboring villages to address tremendous
issues with underage drinking.
CIS-Juneau has been operating a very successful care
coordinator program that provides at-risk students with needed services
to help them stay in school. Since the inception of the program 2003/
2004, we served over 500 students through 2007/2008. Ninety percent of
our students are Alaska Native. Of those students, less than 5 percent
dropped out of school. The program works!
CIS of Mat-Su referred to the Mat-Su Day School's
Alternative to Suspension (ATS) program. Last year, 31 students were
referred to CIS/Mat-Su Day School's Alternative to Suspension (ATS)
program due to long-term suspension or expulsions--of those, 27
students enrolled. Of the suspended or expelled students who enrolled,
only 2 dropped out. This group of 27 is at very high risk of dropping
out of school. We were successful in helping them continue their
education and worked to transition them back to their boundary school.
Reading is fundamental. Dolly Parton's Imagination
Library, an early prevention program to combat illiteracy, started with
a pilot program in Nome. The Nome elementary principal stated that
children were reporting to Kindergarten unprepared, especially in the
area of reading. The program quickly spread to Juneau who has signed up
over 600 children where there are 2,000 additional children eligible
but lack of funds has slowed signups. Wainwright, Wrangell, Ketchikan
and Fairbanks also have active IL programs with Mat-Su, Mt. View,
Petersburg and Girdwood poised to come on line. Statewide, almost 4,000
children birth to five are enrolled, including the First Family's
newest addition, Trig Palin. A recent survey (in Juneau) saw the number
of parents reading to their children jump from 50 percent to 75 percent
in 1 year! The Imagination Library is a proven effective program that
helps children start school ready to learn.
The Imagination Library has been adopted by Best Beginnings as a
component of their early learning program, and CIS of Alaska is excited
to be working in alignment with Best Beginning to expand the great work
accomplished to date. Tennessee has implemented a statewide Imagination
Library initiative through their Governor's Books from Birth
Foundation. Results are showing clear improvements in the average
scores of pre-K and kindergarten children whom are enrolled in the
Imagination Library, including increases in reading skills, speaking
skills, thinking skills, and social skills, as compared to the non-
enrolled children. Based on results to date, the belief is as more
children are enrolled in the Imagination Library at the earliest
possible opportunity (ideally at birth), the abilities gained from
participating in the program, already apparent in their 2007 findings,
will be ever more noticeable. (Source: Impact of Tennessee's
Imagination Library on Pre-K and Kindergarten Students from a Fall 2007
Survey of Teachers Administered by the Tennessee Board of Regents.)
For as little as $30/year per child, we could be making remarkable
progress in engaging our families to better prepare our children to be
ready to learn and be successful in school.
CEO (Career Exploration Opportunities) has grown this year
to 8 different school districts and 12 school sites across the State
and has served nearly 400 students (predominantly rural youth) since
coming under the umbrella of CIS of Alaska in 2006.
Communities In Schools of Alaska is focused on the priorities of
the Federal and State Government: Education, Literacy, Graduation, and
Career Readiness. CIS of Alaska is making a difference.
iv. how the federal government can help
Our dream, our call to action, is to formulate support to implement
the CIS model and provide a ``drop-out prevention specialist'' in every
school in Alaska; whereas, children's needs can be met to help keep
them in school and teachers are free to teach and children are present,
in a viable State to learn, are motivated to stay in school through
graduation, and are ready to pursue the immense career opportunities
Alaska has to offer them.
CIS brokers existing services and resources, saving valuable
dollars while improving efficiencies of delivery of services to
children and youth. While we do not yet have numbers for the present
year, during the 2007/2008 year, in just five sites, our minimum
leveraged services and resources estimated $1,476,459. In-kind
contributions in revenue from other sources (last year) were
approximately $882,000. The amount of dollars for support is very small
when compared to the successful outcomes it provides and the resources
we are able to leverage!
Support by the Federal (and State) Government will allow us to
expand our existing sites and offer the opportunity for many more
communities, especially rural communities, the ability to experience
the positive outcomes we can provide for youth.
We have a program that has proven success in preventing dropouts.
For every dollar invested, through building collaboration, brokering
services and leveraging community assets, CIS of Alaska adds value to
build return on investment.
Dollar for dollar, CIS of Alaska offers the right investment in our
children's future. We look forward to partnering with you, doing what
we do best; connecting the dots, coordinating and leveraging existing
resources to keep youth in school and prepare them to succeed in life.
Senator Murkowski. Thank you, Tom. Appreciate your
leadership there.
Well, we are scheduled to wrap things up, believe it or
not, at noon, and it's almost a quarter of, and we haven't even
gotten to the discussion. I'm prepared to stay here all
afternoon. I don't know about the rest of you. I don't know,
Carol, how long we have the building for, but for those of you
who were going to stick to a schedule, you can move on out when
you need to. I would like to go over our time, if that is
acceptable with our panelists here. I apologize that we ran
late, but I didn't want to cut any of you off. I think the
information that we're gathering here today is important, and I
appreciate the opportunity to listen to you.
I'd like to note that we have with us this morning Senator
Bettye Davis, who has been, long, a leader in education policy
in the Legislature. I think I also saw Peggy Wilson in the
back, Representative Wilson, from Wrangell. I'd invite both of
you to join me up here at the dais, if you'd like. You get a
better view of what's going on. If you wanted an opportunity to
ask any questions, I'm certainly eager to have my colleagues up
here. I don't know whether Representative Seaton is here also.
He was--I know he was at the summit yesterday. Again, I'll
extend that offer. If you're comfortable in your chairs--I
don't see any takers, but thank you for being here.
[Laughter.]
I've got tons of questions that I want to ask, and I'm just
not even certain where we would begin. I think what I'm going
to do is direct a question to you, Dr. Smink. I know that your
schedule doesn't necessarily allow you to be with us all
afternoon, so after you field my question, if you need to sign
off, we certainly understand that. It's a question that I will
make available to the rest of you, as well.
You've recommended to the State that we review, at the
State level, certain policies that may inadvertently be pushing
our students out of schools. Can you identify any specific
policies that you feel may actually be counterproductive? Are
there counterproductive policies that we need to change at the
Federal level--for instance, within the NCLB statutes? We
mentioned some of the successes, and you always want to
highlight the successes, but, on the other hand, if we have
policies in place that are not helping us, are not helping our
students, we need to look to eliminate them. Can you identify
anything in that area?
Mr. Smink. Well, there are a few. One of the areas is in
the area of accountability. One of the areas of most difficulty
for all of us is to have some universal accounting. Now,
hopefully, what Secretary Spellings did a few weeks ago will
help us put it in the proper direction. However, within that
announcement, she did offer some variability for additional
years, whether it be the summer or whether it be an additional
1 year, or a case could be made for--by any State--for adding,
not only the fifth year, perhaps the sixth year. If that's
allowable--and I'm not so sure whether it should or shouldn't
be--it almost puts us back to where we were, years ago, where
you had this waiver going away from a 4-year graduation rate.
We also know that some youngsters will not graduate in 4 years;
they may need the summer, they may need the fifth year. That's
going to be a tough decision for us for the foreseeable future.
Another area, particularly at the State level, is the
notion of accountability among the LEAs, among the local
education agencies. Even if there were a Federal statute, and
even if there were a State statute, local school districts may
not have the resources for proper accounting. That's very
difficult, and particularly in the area of expulsions or
suspensions or even attendance and tardy. Now, they're very
critical issues that a State may have a regulation on, or a
local school board may have a regulation on, and they tend to,
quote, ``push kids out of school.''
The area that probably bothers local folks more than
anything are the different variables on grading. There may be
some local provisions that, if you make a 60, or whatever
grading policies there is, you're going to fail that course.
That's very difficult to get universal use, whether it be in a
State or even at the Federal Government.
These are just among some of the very issues that are very
critical to local administrators on, How do they put together
the plan that has some accountability with equal standards, not
only across each State, but across even every district as--How
do they maneuver that?
There was one other area that I think Dr. Cashen and I
talked about. I'm going to let him share it with you for a
moment, because we think it fits into this category also.
Mr. Cashen. Are we down here, Jay? Is this----
Mr. Smink. Well, it's the notion of zero tolerances. This
has been an issue of, How does the school handle zero
tolerance? Whether it comes out of Federal legislation or State
legislation or local policies, where is that defining notion
between, When do you expel or suspend a student on the notion
of either drugs or weapons? I appreciate the notion of zero
tolerance; but, if you do ask a student to leave school,
suspended or expulsion, what do you do for them? That's an
issue that is extremely important, because if you do nothing
for that youngster, that person is clearly going to be a
dropout and clearly going to get in the law enforcement and
every other social agency for the rest of their life.
I'm not suggesting that we don't have a zero tolerance
policy, but what I'm suggesting, that, when that student is
asked to leave school, that there be some provision for their
continued education once they leave the official educational
environment.
There's some that local school folks, as well as State
agencies are wrestling with on a continual time.
The other area, particularly--and this is at the Federal
level and at the State level--is the area of students with
disabilities. The Federal agencies--and you well know this--
define ``students with disabilities'' in 13 different
categories, and the dropout rates are rather significant, but
they're not universal among all 13 categories. Some students
need more assistance to stay in school than others.
What we've learned from this--students with disabilities,
and particularly from the Office--what's called OSEP, the
Office of Special Education Programs, at the Federal level,
their package of--and their group of centers, of which there
are approximately 50 different technical education centers with
different responsibilities, from dropout prevention to all
aspects that serve students with disabilities--that's a
wonderful model. One of the things that we can probably take
some learnings from is to look how the OSEP, Office of Special
Education Programs, and U.S. Department of Education, has
packaged this array of technical assistance centers to serve
students with disabilities. Perhaps we need something similar
to that with our regular students, because if we don't serve
the regular students, they're going to be dropping out, too. I
think that's a model we may want to take a look at.
Senator Murkowski. Let me ask you, Commissioner LeDoux, Are
there any State policies or any policies that we have that you
feel are pushing our kids out, that are counterproductive?
Mr. LeDoux. Well, most policies are based on the local-
control school district. I think, particularly with discipline
and maintaining safe environments, even some academic
attendance policies can be used to invite students to leave.
There is no typical student anymore. They don't look a certain
way, a certain ethnicity or language. Successful schools are
able to wrap the program around the needs of the child. When
they don't do that, when they look at the student, and they
apply the discipline without looking to the needs of the
student, then you could lose them.
To treat all children the same is to treat them unfairly. I
think anytime we use any policy or procedure without looking at
the individual needs of the student, we essentially dis-invite
them.
On the other hand, some things can't be allowed in the
regular school. You can't tolerate harassment and violence
against other students. There are alternatives for those
students, that can allow them to be successful. They don't have
to be thrown away, because, again, there are no throw-away
students.
I think that, as long as we're flexible, we look at the
individual needs of students, and we hold them accountable for
their actions--they go together--they can be successful.
Senator Murkowski. Let me ask about the--just, the
situation with the silos. There were several of you that--I
know, Dr. Holloway, you certainly mentioned it, and--just, a
recognition that in order to deal with the student as a whole
person, and education as kind of the full spectrum. It's not
something that--you have elementary, middle school, high
school, college, vocational education, that there has to be a
continuity there, there has to be an alignment, and our need to
kind of break out of these silos in order to better address the
problems that we're facing.
Are we making progress? I'm going to pose it to you, Dr.
Holloway, kind of speaking from the earlier years, and then--
and you, President Hamilton, because you've got the other end
of that spectrum. What can we be doing better to deal with the
fact that we have a regime or a structure that has typically
not allowed for a continuation or better alignment is--
``alignment'' is the terms that you used.
Dr. Holloway.
Ms. Holloway. Well, I think the last 2 days were a good
start, where we put so many different people together to talk
with one another. I think we're going to have to do something
more systemic, and that is to formalize some group of folks, P
through 20, and begin the conversation. One of the pieces of
research that we looked at really cautioned us, in terms of how
to do that. It could become a very productive group, but it
could be, also, a place just where people come and gnaw on the
same issues over and over again. The recommendations are pretty
strong that you need to start looking at policy and that you
need to look at financial structures across those silos. When
you do that, these kinds of conversations will help to break
down some of those barriers.
The other thing is that you need to look at the alignment
of what we expect young people to know and be able to do. There
is this huge gap between what young people know and can do when
they leave high school and when they enter the workforce or
whether they enter the postsecondary programs. All we need to
do is look at the developmental courses. Sixty percent of our
youngsters who enter college here take developmental courses,
which means they were not prepared to take college courses. We
can fix that through working together on the alignment. What is
it that we are not preparing them to know and be able to do?
Only through conversations with postsecondary people who teach
those courses and secondary people who teach those courses are
we going to be able to close that gap.
Mr. Hamilton. Well, Shirley is absolutely right. It's one
of the reasons that I've said I always have difficulty with
this metric that says K through 16, K through 20, or whatever.
Unless every piece of it is involved in every piece of it--this
is why it's not a relay race. Everybody's got to be pulling
together across the entire board.
Let me just mention one thing, because so often we actually
define a little fork in the road and we start talking about
voc-tech. Let me pick on the Zach story for a moment, because I
don't want this misunderstood.
Here's my problem with the Zach story that you'll recall.
To be accepted as an apprentice in the pipefitters union, Zach
had to have a math resume that's about one math class short of
what is required to enter as an engineering major at the
university.
My point here is this--because I celebrate Zach and his
accomplishments, and I don't say that Zach should have come to
the university--what I say is, if we don't understand this, we
make voc-tech seem somehow to be less of a scholastic
achievement. Fact: If Zach were not a good student, he would
not be in the union.
Voc-tech is not an alternative to scholastic achievement,
it's another outcome of scholastic achievement.
I tell people all the time--this is an important thing to
understand--77 percent of the jobs in America do not require a
4-year degree. Well, why would a college president tell you
that? It's because a huge percentage of the 77 percent, about
two-thirds of them, according to a national figure, whose name
I can't recall at the moment--about two-thirds of those jobs
not requiring a 4-year degree require some postsecondary
education. Much of it is union. We work very closely with the
union. But, I'll tell you, it isn't just going to college. We
have a course at the university--of course, understand, we do
embrace the community-college mission here; we're all one here.
OK? We have a course that's called ``Math for the Trades.'' OK?
These are individuals who have graduated from high school, who
do not currently have the math skills necessary to enter into
the trades. All of us, at every level--at the 4-year college
level, at the community college level, at the union
apprenticeship level--need the same level, or very, very
closely the same level, of academic achievement. It's just a
very important thing.
Always, we make that, ``Well, you can go to the university,
you can go to voc-tech.'' Well, if you trace it back down the
pipeline, the skills are going to be very, very similar. There
are some people who don't want to get a 4-year degree, but
that--see, here's the horrible phrase. We've got to get this
out of our vocabulary. ``College isn't for everyone.'' Stop it.
We just need to stop that, dead. Because--forget about the word
``college.'' It scares people sometimes and--postsecondary
education is for nearly anyone. I mean, I'll just tell you,
unless your goal in life is to be the head fry guy at
McDonald's you're going to take some postsecondary education,
to include, if, God bless you, you take--unions are a very,
very technical, very difficult position, and I think we have
missed, in America, this, kind of, generational gap. It was
only one generation ago. Alaska is full of them, of great,
vibrant individuals who came up here, got a tremendous job,
made a good paycheck, absolutely fabulous achievement. But,
their child can't do it with the same academic skill set that
their parent was able to do it. We're miss--``Aw, come on, you
know, Dad did a great job and, you know, college isn't for
everyone.'' I'll guarantee you, Zach made a choice, because he
had a choice. If he went into the pipefitters apprenticeship
program--that is a smart young man with a whole lot of math
background who could have done anything he wanted. And he did.
Senator Murkowski. You raise an excellent point here about
the need for rigor within the academic curriculum. If we kind
of let our kids go down a track and say, ``Well, you're not
meant for college''--and I agree with you, we need to rephrase
that--it's not to suggest, then, that you can have a career in
the trades and blow off, basically, your academic credentials.
You've got to have those skill sets. And talking with those
that are bringing together these in the apprenticeship
programs, you do have the ability to kind of pick and choose
between some young people that are able to make it because of
the background that they have received in school, and then
others, they just don't have what it takes to make it through.
If we're letting them believe that, ``Well, if you're not on
the college track, that you can go and get a job building our
gas line,'' that's not being fair to them, because they--and
this is where I think we need to make sure that our young
people understand that, when you make that decision 6 days
before completing your 10th-grade year, what that means to you
as an individual and your options, moving forward. I'm not so
sure that we're being as honest and as open as we need to be
with them.
Carl.
Mr. Rose. Senator, I want to go back a little ways to your
first question that you asked of Dr. Smink.
How many of us would entrust our 16-year-olds to make life-
changing decisions? We have a mandatory-attendance law that
says you have to be in school until you're 16. What is the
message that that sends? They are prepared now to face the
world, at age 16? I think we need to re-look at that. That's
one of those inadvertent laws that pretty much give people the
option to say, ``At age 16, I can make a choice.'' Many of them
will make a bad choice.
Two additional years of school could be the difference
between whether they graduate or not. If it's not mandatory--
you know, right now we don't have the wherewithal to enforce
truancy laws at 16. When you say ``16,'' you say, ``It's OK.''
The State says, ``It's OK for you to leave school.'' I don't
think it's OK. I think we need to take a look at that.
Another issue that we touched on is this collaboration
across the spectrum. P through 20, for example. There's a lot
of turf here, there's a lot of governance issues, there are
going to be finance issues, there are going to be a lot of
things that people say why you can't. The issue right now is,
Why should we be looking at some sort of an effort that would
coordinate?
If you looked it up--at some sort of a council that would
provide some kind of oversight, and you take some of the most
influential people in your State and talk about what kids need
from the very beginning through their entire career, to take a
look at the gaps that may be there, and to make recommendations
to school boards or the Board of Regents or whoever the
governing bodies may be, I think there's some value there,
because right now when we talk about silos, we operate
independently, and what we need to do is take a look at--I
mean, we're not here to operate our systems independently,
we're actually here for the students that we serve.
So often when you take a look at the statutes that we have
to comply with, it's very easy for people to become distracted.
We start to look at our work and some of the pressures that we
face and the financial commitments that are made, and all of a
sudden we're not thinking about kids anymore, we're thinking
about our individual jobs, what we need to do to comply inside
of our silos, and the people who really are not served are the
students that we're all designed to serve.
I think we need to consider--if we can't do this for
ourselves, we should be working toward some sort of an
overseeing council that would bring these issues to the
appropriate decisionmaking bodies so we can deal with them.
Last, one of the comments that came up, for young people,
the lack of reinforcement of the options that are available to
them, coming not just from schools, but from their parents and
when you take kids who come from families or communities that
are socially and economically challenged, they don't get the
same kind of reinforcement that kids who come from educated
parents, middle-class families, get.
All of us have to take a look at what kind of options are
available, because I do believe, even if you're a fry cook at
McDonald's, you will receive some instruction on quality
control.
[Laughter.]
All of us are going to receive some additional instruction,
in whatever job that you take.
I would encourage us to take a look at these things. Some
of the things that we say and do in statutes--nobody intends
for kids to leave school at 16. Well, why would you have a
statute that said it was OK?
Senator Murkowski. It's a message that is sent. When you
talk about, just, the whole issue of relevance--``Why should
I--why should I be--why should I stay in school? I've hit 16,
you know, I've passed the high school exit exam, I've got other
things that are distracting me, I'm not challenged''--we need
to really look at the relevancy aspect of it.
In this Wall Street Journal article that I mentioned
earlier, the reason the article struck me was because it was
entitled ``Mayors Go Door to Door,'' personally encouraging
students to stay in the game for their own good and for the
sake of the city. The U.S. Conference of Mayors was focusing on
what's going on with the dropout rate throughout the United
States. It was mayors in Houston, in Texas, Atlanta, Milwaukee,
and Kansas City. I mean, they're literally going to the
students' homes and doing a one-on-one intervention.
You talk about, well, how can we be that community support,
how can we make sure that, when you're making a decision, that
you think, at 16 or 17, that you've had enough--how can we be
intervening, how can we get these counselors in the school to
do this intervention that we need to do?
That's one aspect of the spectrum. My focus in just about
everything that I do, whether it's healthcare or education,
it's all about prevention, and it goes back to what we're doing
early on, when you've got toddlers, when you've got kids that
are, in 5th-grade, de-selecting their career choices. Let's
talk a little bit about this issue of relevance and how we are
better connecting with our young people.
Throwing it out to you guys. Recognizing that we're well
over our time limit already.
Commissioner.
Mr. LeDoux. Well, I would say--some have said that the new
three R's are relevance, rigor, and relationships in schools. A
lot of times, as we said before, kids leave school for a number
of personal or family reasons, but many times the playground
for them to explore their interests has gotten very small in
school. There's not very many electives, there's very few
career educational opportunities for them. The arts have been
decreased in many areas so that the resources can move toward
remediation so that they can meet the test score--because
they're judged on their test score, not on the quality of what
kids learn and what they're able to actually do. They're not
completely coherent.
The education program has to be relevant to the young
people. They have to see that it has meaning with regard to
where they're going and what they want to do. They don't know
what they want to do, usually. They find that out through
experiences, by talking to people, by having a relevant program
for them to engage in. As I said earlier, many schools still
award credit based on minimum competency, not really what they
can do and how they can apply it. Some of the movements in
standards-based education are demanding that kids perform; and
if they can perform, they don't have to sit in the seat that
long.
I think we also need a very rigorous program that will
demand excellence from students. We heard from the university
earlier that they're very concerned that the entering freshmen
do not have the math skills to pick the professions that they
need. America and Alaska are losing our scientists and our
mathematicians and our engineers, because we've actually
never--until the study that was being carried out by Avant-
Garde, we really haven't looked at what we expect our high
school students to look like when they graduate and what the
college wants them to look like. We're now actually aligning
those. We need the rigor. Young people can tell the difference
between something that is--where they're held accountable and
where they're not.
I also would say that schools have to develop relationships
to kids. Kids have to feel a part of something bigger. They'll
pay any price to belong or be connected, and schools have to be
places where kids can explore their talents, where they feel
safe, where they're connected. This is where counselors are
important, and teachers who actually take the time to work with
kids.
I might point out, though, that all three of these areas of
modern school--rigor, relevance, and relationships--are
severely challenged in rural Alaska. We have teachers that are
responsible for teaching multiple-discipline classes in a
single school site. While they work hard and they do a great
job, kids would benefit from a teacher who has a major in math
or science or history or social studies.
Another area is the relevance. For many Alaska Native
children, the curriculum is not related to how they learn or
their knowledge base or their indigenous way of looking how
information is passed on, so it's hard for them to connect with
the relevance, and it's hard for them to have the playground,
if you will, to explore their interests. They don't get an
opportunity.
Relationships are severely compromised sometimes because we
have so many teachers coming and going in rural Alaska, that,
just when the young people and their parents start developing
meaningful relationships, the teacher leaves and another
teacher comes in and they have to develop new relationships.
As Alaska, we must find a way to increase our relevance,
rigor, and relationships in all of our schools, particularly--
--
Senator Murkowski. Let me ask you, Tina and Elizabeth--I
mean, Tina, you spoke about literally feeling invisible. When
you're invisible in a school, there is no relationship, and it
makes you wonder or question the relevance of your being there.
Elizabeth, you mentioned that, with other things going on, it
just didn't feel like you needed to be there, so the relevance
was lacking. So, how--if you care to comment on that aspect of
it.
Tina.
Ms. Michels-Hansen. I'm just taking some notes here as
other people are speaking. In a couple of things that come to
mind is, we prepare ourselves, at CITC, right about this time
of year, to see an influx of students come into the Anchorage
area. I mean, it's been in the news, we've all heard about it.
We've all either known somebody or heard of somebody who has
moved into town, for a variety of reasons. I can tell you that
one of the challenges with--when working with our students and
their families, to help them keep the notion of education as
central in their lives, and that it's just as valuable as their
personal security is, they are--when you look at, you know,
Maslow's hierarchy of needs, they are functioning right now at
the basic level of survival. A lot of people have made the
choice to move based on economics. If they are simply focused
on--I shouldn't say ``simply,'' but if their primary focus, on
a daily basis, is consumed and just, ``Where am I going to
stay? Where's my next paycheck going to come from? How can I
afford to keep the lights on and the heat on, let alone feed my
child? '' you know, the idea of going to school and
participating actively is really low in their list of
priorities. That's the reality that we face, not just in Nome
or Kwethluk or Anchorage or, you know, Klawock. It's across the
entire State. It's a tragedy that's happening to our people.
Another thing that I think we need to add, that I really
don't hear much mention to, and we absolutely cannot turn a
blind eye to it, is that we do have those high-functioning
students out there. We have wonderful Alaska Native students
who are participating in high-level math classes, pre-calculus.
They're looking at trade, they're looking at high advanced
biology classes. It's through small partnerships, like ANSEP at
UAA, that we're able to build that. But, they have the sense of
community, they know that it takes multiple people, multiple
entities, and tons and tons of energy to make education
relevant to our students.
There's a story, though, that--and I'll make it very
brief--that I want to keep in the back of your minds. The
notion of prejudice is still very much alive, and it's very
much alive not just for our Native students, but for our Hmong
students, our African-American students. We lack, as a State,
as far as our education system is concerned, in my personal
opinion, a strong sense of valuing diversity. Our teachers are
ill-prepared, when they come into the schools, to have a good,
solid background in multicultural training and education,
understanding. They have to complete a couple of credits. Well,
that doesn't make it thorough, and it doesn't make it personal
for them.
We had a young girl--her parents called us the other day
and said, ``You know, my daughter's not in your class, but I
really could use your help.'' This girl was enrolled in a pre-
calculus class, and her test scores proved that that's where
she belonged. She's a very motivated individual. She was on the
right track for accomplishing the goals that she wanted in
life. She entered into her classroom on day one, there were
eight students in that class. The teacher looked at her,
recognized she's the only person of color in the room, only
minority within the room, pulled her out into the hallway and
said, ``I'm sorry, but there must be some mistake. You can't be
in here.'' What message does that send to that child, to her
peers, to her parents, to her larger community, if our
teachers, our professional educators, do not understand and do
not accept diversity? Yet, they are persisting with the notions
of prejudice.
I didn't know what prejudice was until I came to college,
because I grew up in a small-knit community, where everybody
knew that I was part Inupiat, even though I didn't look like
it. We were all related. Well, I came here, and the answer was,
``How could you be Native? You're too white to be Native.
You're too gussuk.'' It's not the color of your skin, it's the
values that you hold inside, it's the relevance of things in
life that make you who you are. We need to, not just as
schools, but as every single stakeholder involved in education,
prioritize the diversity, prioritize the diverse needs, and
wrap around together to raise our kids up.
Mr. Smink. Senator, may I add to the question about
relationships?
Senator Murkowski. Oh, I'm looking for you, Jay.
[Laughter.]
Yes, go ahead.
Mr. Smink. OK.
If you recall, near the end of my verbal comments and in
the written testimony, we highlighted the value of home school
liaison, graduation coaches, career counselors, etc. That was
in direct response to the need for relationships that students
who drop out tend not to have. These were solutions and
strategies that we're seeing across the Nation.
Let me reinforce that with one other notion, and that is,
there is currently, in numerous States, the mandate for having
an individual graduation plan which every--for example, South
Carolina is just one of several States that are doing this--and
every 8th-grade student must build, before they enter 9th
grade, an individual graduation plan that says, ``I will select
one of these 16 career clusters, and it will be my guideline
for my course selections from grades 9 through 12.''
Now, more importantly there, they are beginning to not only
look at career technical education, that individual graduation
plan must be discussed and signed by the student, the
counselor, and a parent, or both parents. That's building a
relationship between all three that is important. In some
cases, they'll even invite in a business entity that may serve
as an intern opportunity later in the high school career.
There are even some school districts--for example, St.
Paul, Minnesota--that has carried this notion of a 4-year
graduation plan to 6 years, where the student will build not
only the 4-year graduation plan for high school, but look
beyond high school for the next 2 years, whether it be a
community college or the first 2 years of a 4-year college. I
think this speaks to relevancy in a little bit different way,
but it reinforces the notion also of collaboration.
Thank you.
Senator Murkowski. Yes, I appreciate that input.
Elizabeth, would that have made a difference for you?
You're just about getting through 10th grade, if you had had
some kind of a plan----
Ms. Winkler. I believe that if I did have a plan, similar
to what Dr. Smink was talking about, that I would have been
more focused and understand that education is important. My
father went to college, my mom was a civilian in the Air Force,
but there wasn't very much talk of how important education was
and what it could or couldn't do for you. I had a lot of
misunderstandings about that as I was growing up, and simply
didn't care.
Where I come from--I'm around a lot of troubled youth that
don't know where they're going in life, what they want to do,
or how are they going to get there. Plans like that would, I
believe, would really help, a lot of youth, a lot.
Senator Murkowski. Dr. Holloway.
Ms. Holloway. Well, I'd like to address the commissioner's
``rigor,'' because, as you may recall in our written testimony,
we stepped on probably something that would be one of those
holy grails, Commissioner LeDoux. We suggested that we might
look at national standards for reading, writing, and math. The
reason is that we have every State spending lots and lots of
money developing standards, developing assessments, and each
State decides how good is good enough. Is there really a
difference in how well we want a student to read in Kaktovik or
the student in Biloxi? I mean, I really think, you know, who is
benefiting from all of this are the testing companies. They're
making out like bandits. That's money that could be spent on
all of the things that we're talking about here, in terms of
school improvement. I know the local control argument, but I'm
only talking about those essential skills that every student
needs in order to be a successful learner.
Senator Murkowski. Let me ask a question, probably to you,
Greg or Mike, in talking about the career training--the career
and technical education aspect of it and the barriers, I think,
that we have effective career training opportunities. You've
mentioned--several people have mentioned Carl Perkins and the
fact that, in many cases, people aren't even bothering, because
it's just as difficult as it is, and it's basically costing you
more to apply for it than you actually are able to receive.
What other barriers do we have out there, when it comes to the
career and technical education?
I'd also like you to comment--Lamont Albertson, from The
People's Learning Center, in his testimony, written testimony
that he'd submitted, had suggested to me that expanding
regional training centers would be a big part of addressing the
high school dropout rate in some parts of rural Alaska. Can you
speak to that as a suggestion, as well?
Mr. Andrews. Thank you.
In terms of the, let's say, barriers for career and
technical education, things have changed over the years now.
There is a blur between academic and career and technical
education training. That's why I say it needs to be integrated
back into the high schools, because more and more--there's more
and more need for students to understand technology and science
and math and other areas as it applies to work, and students
are eager to learn that.
It also takes more dollars to do that, because you need
modern equipment, you need instructors who are up to date with
industry standards and also academic standards. There needs to
be a real strong commitment from the State or from the local
education community. Let's say, for example, out in Mat-Su,
where they bonded and created a state-of-the-art career and
technical education high school. It's fabulous. I think we need
one in every community, if we could, in the State, but that
would take an awful lot of money and a lot of resources.
We need more instructors--and that's why partnerships are
working, because they're bringing in folks from industry to
work with students after school over in the classroom, and just
more and more of that effort.
In terms of Perkins--and I'm no expert in Perkins; we've
operated a few Perkins grants, etc; they're well-intended.
Years ago, you could do a lot more with them, now they're very,
very restrictive, and they're such an administrative burden and
a reporting burden that that's why I'm hearing smaller school
districts are opting out or joining with other school districts
to try to get something that's meaningful and sustainable for
schools, particularly in rural Alaska. I've been in former
vocational education shops in rural Alaska that are now
warehouses or offices. So, we need to sort of look at that.
The other issue of expanding regional training centers in
my view--people need a place to learn these new skills closer
to home, so we have learned over many years of working with
regional learning centers, that it's more cost-effective, it's
more relevant for local folks to learn in their region, and you
can do very good, intensive work, and--what you need is
something that follows up behind that, like a job or continuing
education, connection to a degree program with a university,
such as with health, out at Yuut, etc.
Each one of those, from my experience--and I've worked with
most of them for a long period of time--is that they all are
sort of different animals, they're different entities
themselves. Some have great partnerships with school districts,
some, based on the nature of their funding, may not necessarily
have a great relationship with the school district, or there
may be other, let's say, turf barriers or--particularly
fighting for resources, because it is so tough to put together
a building that's open and available for people, to keep the
lights on and--there also are not any standards, that I know
of, and I've been encouraging the Alaska Workforce Investment
Board and the Department of Labor to look at this, that there
needs to be some standards to say, What really is a regional
learning center, what is a regional training center? Because
there are some things that you have to have in a learning
environment to make sure students are getting the information
well enough to apply outside of school.
I think that regional learning centers are becoming more
and more relevant to the State, but I think that we still have
difficulty defining them, and we don't have standards across
them. I would encourage each one of them to be a center of
excellence; for instance, where they could do construction
truck driving and pipeline welding, or they could do health or
other areas, so people from around the State, particularly
rural students looking for those challenges, would go there.
We also would like to point out that--in my trips to
Galena, Mount Edgecombe, Sitka, and Chugach school districts--
we have fabulous statewide high school programs out there that
maybe people don't know enough about. These students are high
achievers, they do really well in those settings, and they
choose to go to these places to learn. I'm just amazed, every
time I stop by and talk to those students--high quality. So,
they know what they want.
Senator Murkowski. Yes, they are good.
Greg, do you want to add----
Mr. Cashen. Senator Murkowski, I was just going to mention,
in a followup to Mike's discussion on regional training
centers, the Department of Labor has been meeting with the
regional training centers for about the last year and a half as
part of our AGIA training plan, and there are strategic
elements within the training plan that do address regional
training programs and regional training centers. The one thing
that we need, of course, is additional funding. That was part
of our appropriation request last special session, to fund our
AGIA training plan, which regional training centers were a part
of.
I agree with Mike, we need to ensure that we don't have
redundant programs somewhat throughout the State, and more of
the centers-of-excellence model, focusing on certain programs
that each school can conduct efficiently, like diesel mechanics
or commercial drivers licenses or welding or electrical work,
carpentry, etc. But, we are working with Mr. Albertson and
Yuut, as well as SAVEC and Alaska Technical Center and Galena
and AVTEC, as well. Thank you.
Senator Murkowski. We are well over our time here today,
but I want to make sure that everybody feels like they've had
an opportunity to say that one thing that's just been burning
inside you and I haven't asked you the question or I skipped
over you. Tom hasn't had an opportunity on the hot seat at all
to talk about some of the wrap-around services. You don't have
to add anything as, kind of, your final wrap-up, but I give you
this opportunity.
Tom, I'll start with you first to see if you've got any.
Mr. Morgan. Thank you, Senator. Time is such a valuable
commodity, I'm sitting here, and I'm thinking, ``Gee, what
could I possibly say that would add to what has already been
put forward.'' I'd be remiss if I didn't also acknowledge and
say thank you to Senator Bettye Davis for all that she has done
for this State and certainly for education. Senator, thank you
for that.
I'd also be remiss if I didn't acknowledge that a couple of
hardworking volunteers are making time to be here today, and
that's a couple of my board members, Bobby Olsen and Sue
Hennessy.
Seated directly behind me is the superintendent from Mat-
Su, Dr. George Troxel, and Lucy Hope, the director of student
support services, one of our affiliate sites. They get it.
Maybe that's the glue I was talking about. They get what
Communities in Schools can do.
I'm actually emboldened by the comments today, because I
walked in here thinking, ``OK, we just came off a 2-day
education summit. What else can we say to build upon that? ''
I'm thinking, you know, and I'm getting raspy-voiced because
we've been saying a lot over the last 2 days, and a lot of good
things, but I really believe more strongly now--and Dr. Smink
has said it, too--Communities in Schools, agencies like ours,
models like ours, they work. As the two folks here have said,
we can't allow people to drop through the cracks, we can't
allow invisible students there. We have the resources at our
fingertips to bring to bear and help these folks. We can do
that. We can't rely, and we should not rely, just on the
education system to make that happen. They're busy doing a lot
of other things that we've asked them to do. As a taxpayer,
that's what we're asking that they do.
We can do more with less with the existing resources. Give
us an opportunity to do that. Today is one of those
opportunities.
Thank you.
Senator Murkowski. Who else wants to add their final
thoughts into the mix?
President----
Mr. Smink. Senator----
Senator Murkowski [continuing]. Hamilton.
Mr. Smink [continuing]. Senator, whenever you're finished
there, I'd like to add one example of some of the things that
we've been doing. You can go on with your other guests there
and save me for later, whatever your timing is.
Senator Murkowski. Dr. Hamilton.
Mr. Hamilton. Just one quick note, that we didn't mention
that is a real obstacle in dealing with all of these issues
that we've discussed, is this notion of equity. I mean, there
are circumstances that exist in Alaska that are extraordinarily
difficult to overcome. Larry mentioned the importance of having
a teacher with a degree in the discipline taught. That would
quite literally result, in several cases of Alaska, of having
more teachers than students. Clearly, it's not going to ever be
done.
I think maybe one of the biggest ones, and maybe there is a
Federal piece of this, it's this huge and growing bandwidth
disparity. In Alaska, the famous ``last mile'' is 500
kilometers long. Until we can get connected and be able to
maybe distribute or redistribute existing materials, existing
experts, and really take advantage of what bandwidth can
ultimately do, that gap will just simply continue to grow.
Maybe it's possible to do something in this extraordinary
circumstance. We have to modify some existing E-Rate things and
the like. I mean, for instance, the university can't use E-
Rate. I understand that. I understand why that's a good one-
size-fits-all. When the last mile is 500 kilometers long, maybe
we ought to take another look at that. We could reach people in
existing bandwidth that we're not allowed to in this.
Senator Murkowski. It's an excellent point, one that I've
had an opportunity, speaking with folks up north at Ilisagvik
College, recognizing what that could do for them and their
ability to provide for greater levels of communication and
teaching.
Let's go to Dr. Smink, and then we'll come back to you, Dr.
Holloway.
Mr. Smink. Thank you, Senator.
We completed, 2 years ago--the National Dropout Prevention
Center, in collaboration with Communities in Schools
headquarters--we completed a year-long significant study on the
risk factors that we know are found with students and with
families, that--in fact, there were 25 of those risk factors of
why youngsters drop out of school. The good news, we can define
those, and we know that. We can design intervention programs to
address those. And we do that, also.
Let me share with you an experience that I had yesterday
illustrating the point that community involvement and
collaboration is extremely important.
Knowing that information, I was in the meeting yesterday
with hospital administrators, and we posed the problem to them,
as, ``How can you be a better collaborator with educators on
addressing this issue of dropouts? How can you make people more
aware of the issue? How can you gain parental support, etc.? ''
Again, the question was addressed to hospital administrators.
Now, what I want to share with you is some of their ideas,
which reinforces the notion that collaboration, beyond the
school walls with just school staff, is important.
They offered--what an opportunity for a new mother, usually
in a hospital, to provide that new mother with a package of
materials that would help that mother and parent be better.
For example, we know kids drop out of school because of
nutrition. What a wonderful time to give them some information
about nutrition, that new mother, and what they need to do with
the baby.
We know that kids drop out of school because of drug abuse
and because of shaken-baby syndrome and others. What a
wonderful opportunity to give that new mother some information
about, ``Please stay off drugs, as a mother.''
Also, we know it's important that a youngster be read to,
even before they get to first or second grade. Literally being
read to during the first 36 months of their life. What an
opportunity to tell that mother about the value of that, and
give that mother some reading materials.
I could go on with health prevention. I could on with ways
that a mother--a new mother, or a father, could give support to
that youngster.
What I'm trying to illustrate is that community
collaboration for awareness and increasing the level of
education, value in education, is important.
Furthermore, the administrators reminded me of a school,
that I was familiar with, where the superintendent of a county
school district sends one of their staff-persons to every new
mother and gives a mother a package of information, much like I
just said, including a certificate for a seat in the graduating
class 18 years down the line. Doesn't that send a very powerful
message to that mother? That illustrates the notion of
community collaboration with groups that are not normally in
our array of relationships as educators.
I simply close with that to let you know that, yes, kids do
drop out of school, but they drop into the community, and the
community has to be a part of jointly understanding it, but
also jointly putting together interventions that work with our
youngsters who are struggling to stay in school.
Again, I'm going to close by just thanking you for the
opportunity to be with you today, and I welcome being with you
more as you pursue this particular committee or other
activities at the Federal level or at the State of Alaska
level.
Thank you very much.
Senator Murkowski. Thank you, Dr. Smink, and we look
forward to working with you. Both my office, most certainly,
and, I'm sure, many who are in the room here will be seeking
your advice and counsel.
I think it's a great reminder--you're dropping out of
school, but you're dropping into the community. Talk about
responsibility. That's a keeper that we can use repeatedly.
Dr. Holloway.
Ms. Holloway. Well, I want to thank President Hamilton for
bringing the technology issue up, because many of the
innovations that we're a part of really are using technology to
make it happen. It's really critical to some of the exciting
things that we're able to do. One of them has to do with the
virtual high school and how, through a virtual high school
program, you can have them drop back in.
The virtual high school doesn't have to be done by the
school, it can be done in a community center, it can be done in
the Boys and Girls Club, it can be done in lots of places. We
have lots of examples of bringing young people back in to
prepare themselves for work or additional training.
So, I think that this piece is so critical. Our teacher
initiative, our Alaska Native Teacher Initiative, is all being
delivered by distance. Having the high-quality technology is
critical to the success of that program.
So, thank you very much. It's been a wonderful day. I've
learned a lot from all of you, and some wonderful ideas that I
hope we can continue to talk about in our P-20 council.
If I may, Senator Murkowski, I'd like to introduce Don
Shackelford. He's sitting behind me. He's my colleague in
Avant-Garde, and does a lot of work. We're just pleased to have
been part of this.
Senator Murkowski. Well, thank you, we appreciate it.
Welcome to you, Dr. Shackelford.
Commissioner.
Mr. LeDoux. Thank you, Senator Murkowski.
I just want to say thank you to all the many wonderful
educators, teachers, and principals, who are heroes every day
across Alaska. Many kids are graduating because of superhuman
efforts in time and compassion and hard work.
While, many times, when we focus on what needs to be done--
and we should, we should always go looking for the ones who are
lost--but, we have so many wonderful assets in Alaska that are
producing outstanding graduates who are successful all over the
country, who are leading--I believe you're a graduate of an
Alaska institution, as am I and many in this room, and I am
proud to be an Alaskan educator. I think we are up to the
challenge.
When those people came by, the last 2 days, to try to build
a plan, they left behind their interests, the organizations
they worked for, they rolled up their sleeves and were
committed to, not only respond to the challenges that we see
right now, but to look to the future to see the challenges that
our kids are going to have to face, and to predict what we're
going to do. They paid their own way there, they put themselves
up. It reflects incredible interest in the kids and the success
of Alaska.
As we talk about all the challenges, I just want to
recognize that we are where we are because really great people
are working hard all across Alaska--not just teachers;
communities, politicians, leaders throughout the State. I'm
proud to be an Alaskan, and I'm proud to be an educator.
Senator Murkowski. Well, we thank you all. It was
wonderful.
Yesterday, I got off the airplane and went over to the
Dena'ina center just as you all were breaking, and I kind of
figured I would be looking at some draggin' individuals after 2
days of a real intense conference. What I saw were smiles and a
level of energy and enthusiasm and, you know, ``We've got work
to do, but we're going out there and we're going to make it
happen.'' I think that's certainly a reflection on those of you
who kind of led the agenda with a positive outlook as to how we
confront our challenges and view them as opportunities. These
kids that we're all working for, this is what should be getting
us all up in the morning and getting us energized.
I think it's so important for us to recognize that it's not
just the teachers, the administrators, those within the
schools. Each and every one of us has responsibility for the
children that we encounter, whether it's somebody's kid that
you know at work, somebody in your church, the families that we
have around us, or the kids that we have around us. We should
all be looking to see what we can do to provide for that level
of encouragement, to make sure that no child feels like they
are invisible within their school or within their community. To
just accept responsibility for my own children is not
sufficient, it's not right. That's what we're all doing here
together.
Now, I didn't want to do any closings here, but I wanted to
make sure that anybody that had a final opportunity to speak up
has their final chance.
Mr. Morgan. Yes. Senator, I have an alibi. I learned that
in the Army ranks--thank you, General Hamilton--that when you
forget something, you just say, ``I have an alibi.'' So, I have
one.
[Laughter.]
Dr. Smink reminded me about hospitals and other groups and
roles that can be played. One of the programs we got involved
in, going statewide here, and hopefully we can go statewide
with it, is the Dolly Parton Imagination Library Program. It's
one of those programs that doesn't try to be more than it is.
It says that putting books in the hands of children at an early
age, birth to 5, is a good thing. If we do that, that's when
they're sponges, they're going to really learn, and it has all
kinds of add-on types of pluses.
We started pilot programs in Nome and also Juneau,
Fairbanks, and just--in Juneau, for instance, Bartlett Memorial
Hospital actually has signed on, and they foot the bill, sign
up every child born that wishes--their parents wish--to be
enrolled in the Imagination Library Program from day one of
their birth to age 5.
There are other agencies standing by, ready to do that.
Lucy, I mentioned earlier, is working with a hospital out in
Mat-Su. It's just a matter of having enough time in the days.
Again, it's another way that other entities, other
agencies, other resources can come to bear to help in the
overall process, and that is to provide good opportunities for
our youth.
Again, thank you for the opportunity to be here.
Senator Murkowski. Thank you.
I want to thank you all. You have overextended. We greatly
appreciate that. I appreciate you taking your time on a
Saturday. I think we all recognize the importance of what it is
that we are doing, the work that we have in front of us.
We are going to be working, back in Washington, DC, as we
go into a new Congress, to try to focus on this dropout piece
and how we can better address it. We need your input, we need
your help. So, on this Saturday afternoon, I'm giving you all
assignments. You've got homework. I need you to work with us as
you develop some of the ideas, at the very local level, at the
State level, within all aspects of what it is that we do. Let's
really be partnering on this. Let's not just talk about
breaking down the silos, let's be working together.
When I extended the invitation, to our legislators that are
here, to be part of this--I mean, we've got to kind of put
aside everybody's hats and titles and areas of jurisdiction if
we're really going to be providing for a full alignment for
these kids. They don't care whether it's a Federal issue or a
State or whether it's something that happens within the private
community. All they know is whether or not they are feeling
loved and respected and feel like they have a sense of self-
worth and something that they can contribute. So, it's our job
to kind of put it all together. Let's be really working on
this. Help us with this, back East, and we will help you with
it here in the North. So, we'll keep working.
I appreciate, so much, the passion that you all clearly
have for our greatest resource, which are our kids. So, we'll
be working together.
And, with that, we stand adjourned.
[Additional material follows.]
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL
Prepared Statement of LaMont Albertson, Executive Director, Yuut
Elitnaurviat--People's Learning Center, Bethel, AK
Here's basically what worked for us in Aniak in years gone by and
what will work throughout rural Alaska. Note that I do not distinguish
between native and white students. If the Caucasian students in urban
areas were exposed to the same stultifying NCLB curriculum as our rural
high school students, the dropout ratio would be no different,
regardless of race. There is a fundamental inequality of educational
opportunity in rural Alaska as contrasted with what exists in urban
Alaskan communities.
Depending on the parameters of your research, it can be argued that
the rural/urban effort by the State is equal but even that argument is
reduced quickly to a comparison of apples and oranges to the informed
observer.
The most critical element in keeping our rural students in school
through high school graduation is an appropriate curriculum which
should include a broad swath of vocational, hands-on type courses open
to both female and male students. Those courses should be available to
the academically oriented student as well as those interested in
focusing on the vocational crafts. And those vocational crafts should
not be just for the construction trades. They should include broad
health career and home trade training as well.
Second, principals need to be conditioned to expect students to
stay in school and not buy into this growing tendency on the part of
rural educators to accept a high dropout rate as being an acceptable
norm. Principals, school district personnel, and rural university
campus staffs need to work in concert with their community and tribal
councils to establish common goals fashioned to discourage student
dropout. The role of the individual principal should not be
underestimated in its influence on whether students stay in school or
choose to dropout.
Counselors should be used extensively to channel our students to an
appropriate career choice. School districts should have full-time
activity coordinators planning robust activities such as basketball,
wrestling, X-country skiing, NYO, academic rodeos or even outside the
school competitive engagements in subsistence activities. Students will
not dropout when the show at school surpasses anything in town or the
region for entertainment.
To summarize, (1) curriculums have to be broadened both in their
offerings and to whom they are open to, (2) principals, regional
educational leaders and community leaders expectations have to be
changed from the current acceptance of our dropout rates; principals
should be working with families of/and potential drops on an individual
basis (3) full-time counselors and activity coordinators need to be
used to make our total school programs enticing, irresistible.
These changes will cost money and require a recommitment, perhaps a
rechanneling and configuration of the allocation of resources. But if
reducing the dropout rate is our goal, these suggestions are proven.
They have worked in the past and will still work if we will but put our
resources where our stated intentions are. It has to be emphasized that
funding to school districts has to be increased to appropriately
broaden the curriculum.
If broad, wholesale curriculum changes cannot be made in individual
community schools, then we need to seriously consider using our new
Rural Training Centers (RTCs) as vocational magnet schools. These
institutions could actually prepare our students for the world of work
and at the same time in concert with their respective school districts
and our rural University campuses, address academic and developmental
education needs.
They could provide the necessary counseling and, most importantly,
RTC's could be operated in conjunction with State of Alaska, DOL JOBS
centers.
Prepared Statement of Steve Atwater, Ph.D., President, Alaska
Association of School Administrators
Chairwoman Murkowski, as president of the Alaska Association of
School Administrators (AASA), I respectfully submit this written
testimony in response to your hearing on what the Federal Government
can do to improve the high school graduation rate and postsecondary
success in Alaska and nationwide. I feel that it is fair to state that
all of Alaska's school districts are working hard to improve their
graduation rates and are devoting more attention than ever before to
help their students have success after leaving school. Thank you for
considering this testimony; I know that Federal support plays a
significant role in helping our districts' improvement efforts.
Recent research on why students are not graduating from high school
found that students are likely to stay in school when they feel that
they are a part of the school community, understand that what they are
learning is relevant and are challenged intellectually.\1\ I use these
three elements as the basis for the following recommendations for how
Federal support can improve graduation rates and student success after
school.
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\1\ Stanley, K.R. and Plucker, J.A. (2008). Improving High School
Graduation Rates. Education Policy Brief, Center for Evaluation &
Education Policy, 7 (6), 1-11.
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establishing school community
Working to help students feel that they are a part of a school
community includes a strong parental presence in the school and
providing students with a variety of learning opportunities. While the
engagement of parents in the schooling process is a local concern, I
feel that Federal support of early childhood education can help to
ensure that students are exposed to a comprehensive curriculum. For the
past several years, the Lower Kuskokwim School District (LKSD) has
studied their incoming kindergarten students' school readiness skills
and then used this data to predict their future academic success. The
district has learned that many of their students who enter school with
low skills are never able to catch up and are by default, in jeopardy
of not graduating. This situation is of course, not unique to LKSD; it
exists in many of Alaska's school districts where there is a high level
of poverty. Schools with students who fall into this category are
forced into the predicament of offering this group a seemingly endless
array of interventions, e.g., 2 hours/day of reading instruction. The
downside of this is that school for these young children lacks much of
what is important to early learning. In sum, when teaching the basics
consumes the school day, there is little or no time for instruction in
the arts. As a way to help avoid this scenario, the Federal Government
can work to improve student readiness for school by increasing the
funding for Head Start programs and by requiring that Head Start align
its learning goals with those of the local school district. With more
funding, Head Start can recruit a more qualified staff and offer more
training opportunities for its employees. An improved Head Start
Program would better prepare more of Alaska's and the country's
impoverished children for school. This would help schools to avoid the
limitations of the catch-up conundrum and in turn, contribute to
establishing a positive school community that is an important part of
helping students to stay in school.
Recommendation 1: Support early childhood learning through
increased funding for Head Start and/or other grants for preschool.
relevant learning
While I know that all of AASA's members embrace the need for
schools to be held accountable, I also know that few agree that the
current practice of determining school quality on an annual test in
math and language arts is appropriate. Due to the pressure for positive
test results, many high schools are limiting course offerings in
content areas with a real-life application, e.g., Career and Technical
Education (CTE), to instead focus on language arts and math. The
consequence of this approach is that students may deem school that is
lacking in these courses to be irrelevant to their lives. It is ironic
then, that a school's well-intentioned effort to make AYP may
indirectly contribute to a lower graduation rate. A solution for how to
maintain school accountability and also improve graduation rates is to
allow and then encourage States to redefine their accountability plans
to include assessments that test the application of work readiness
skills. Alaska's Career Ready Certificate is an example of one such
assessment that would serve this purpose. This broadening of academic
focus could well help students to maintain their interest in school. A
State's accountability plan with a tiered assessment system that
measures academic basic skills for elementary students and applied
skills for secondary students would cause schools to expand their
curriculum offerings and thus help to address this oft-cited problem of
school not being connected to real life.
Recommendation 2: With the reauthorization of NCLB, allow States,
as part of their accountability plan, to include an assessment of work
readiness skills.
Schools across Alaska are at varying stages of offering Career and
Technical Education (CTE). As we plan for how best to prepare our
students for a highly technical world of the future, it is imperative
that we do more in the area of CTE. The Federal Government can help
districts to expand their offerings and in some cases rethink what CTE
can be, by increasing the Carl Perkins funding and relaxing some of the
Act's compliance requirements. At present, most of the small districts
in Alaska qualify for such a small amount of Perkins funds, that their
impact is minimal.
Recommendation 3: Increase Carl Perkins funds to help schools
provide applied learning opportunities.
intellectual challenge
When examining traits of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School
District's dropouts, the district's administration was surprised to
discover that many of this group scored at the proficient or advanced
level on the State's required assessments. The cited research found
this to be common among many of the Nation's dropouts. One can infer
that these capable students are dropping out because they are
disenfranchised with school and not because school is academically too
difficult. The traditional way of accommodating such students is to
offer an alternative or optional program places an emphasis on
collaboration and projects. The Federal Government can help districts
establish such programs through grants that provide the needed start-up
money. Federal support should also be made available to support
innovative programs that are helping students graduate and to then go
on to college. Project Grad is one such program that deserves Federal
money; it is having success with Kenai Peninsula Borough School
District's students.
Recommendation 4: Offer Federal support for innovative alternative
programs that follow a rigorous curriculum.
For the past several years all of us in education have heard that
our high school graduates are not prepared for postsecondary schooling
or for the world of work. Many of the remedies for this problem include
implementing national standards with high quality assessments and
making work readiness training a mandatory part of high school.
Although these proposed solutions would likely raise the level of
academic achievement and lead to more success for the entering
workforce, they may not help the students who are at risk of not
graduating. I believe that a way to both increase graduation rates and
ensure greater postsecondary success is for schools to employ a more
strategic use of technology. While the use of technology for school
administration has blossomed in the past 10 years, I don't believe that
the technological component of instruction has followed suit. That is,
much of the use of this medium is little more than an electronic
transfer of written information and not, as is needed in the world of
work, a way to creatively solve problems. The Federal Government, with
private industry as a partner, should offer schools a clear roadmap and
support for how to train staff so that they are better able to teach
problem solving with technology skills. With Federal guidance and
continued strong fiscal support through the Schools and Libraries
Program and other Federal funds, schools can realize this needed
instructional improvement.
Recommendation 5: Ensure that the Schools and Libraries Program
funding is not reduced and provide grant monies for training teachers
in how to provide instruction that utilizes innovative problem solving.
In closing, I want to thank you for your past and on-going
commitment to improving the education of our Nation's students. The
members of the Alaska Association of School Administrators welcome the
opportunity to work with you in pursuit of the goals of increasing
graduation rates and improving postsecondary success.
Prepared Statement of Diane Barrans, Executive Director,
Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education
Thank you for this opportunity to provide input relative to what
the Federal Government can do to improve high school graduation rates
and postsecondary success in Alaska.
As you are aware, the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education
(ACPE) is Alaska's State higher education agency, charged with
increasing Alaskans' access to the benefits of higher education. To
meet that mission, ACPE provides our State's citizens with
AlaskAdvantage Programs, a suite of programs and services that provide:
Outreach to underserved populations, and early awareness
of and preparation for higher education;
Financial aid for postsecondary education and training;
Advocacy for Alaska colleges and postsecondary career
education opportunities; and
Education consumer protection through institutional
authorization and consumer complaint investigation.
The Alaska Student Loan Corporation (ASLC), a public corporation
and instrumentality of the State of Alaska, finances these core
programs and services which comprise the AlaskAdvantage Programs. By
leveraging the receipts and income of this State enterprise agency in
this way, Alaskans benefit from ACPE's services and programs without
appropriations from the State General Fund.
Through participation in the Federal Family Education Loan Program
(FFELP), ASLC is able to further leverage its programs with Federal
lender payments to offer Alaska's students the lowest cost financial
aid packages in the Nation. In the 7 years since joining FFELP in 2001,
ASLC has provided Alaska borrowers with over $21 million in cumulative
education loan cost savings. Additionally, program economies of scale
leveraged through FFELP participation allow ASLC to fund the
AlaskAdvantage Education Grant program, which annually provides over
500 needy Alaska students with grants of up to $2,000.
Along with financial aid, ACPE offers outreach and early awareness
programs and services intended to increase Alaskans' awareness of the
importance of academic preparation and financial planning to ensure
both access and success in postsecondary education. ACPE seeks to
provide every State resident with informational tools to understand
that postsecondary education is vitally important and possible for all
Alaskans--regardless of their economic or social status.
Most recently, when Alaska was faced with the loss of its Career
Information System (AKCIS), ACPE was able to leverage ASLC resources to
make this vital tool available to all Alaskans at no charge, including
all teachers, counselors, and student mentors in Alaska. AKCIS is an
interactive, Alaska-centric Web-based tool that ``connects the dots''
between academic preparation, higher education, and career success.
There remains, however, much more to be done. Alaska has the lowest
college-going rate among its youth of any State in the Nation; a high-
school dropout rate of 48 percent, and the second highest unemployment
rate in the Nation among its high-school dropouts. Of even greater
concern, the fastest growing population segments in Alaska are those
with the lowest family income, lowest graduation and highest
unemployment rates. Unless we take efficient, effective, and timely
action, the demands on Alaska's social service and public facilities
will take a tremendous toll on our State support infrastructure,
especially during this time of nationwide economic retraction.
To address this issue, ACPE commissioned a study by the Institute
for Higher Education Policy (IHEP), and identified a three-pronged,
cost-efficient strategy leveraging existing programs to create new
partnerships and expand program reach. However, erosion of partnerships
with Federal programs puts these opportunities at risk.
The most important thing the Federal Government can do to improve
high school graduation rates and postsecondary success in Alaska is to
thoughtfully support state-focused programs such as FFELP that leverage
Federal/non-Federal partnerships in ways that expand our joint reach
without expanding our individual costs. Legislation and programs that
recognize the value-added services of non-profit/state agency FFELP
participation provide clear positives for our shared State citizen
customers, allowing us to customize Federal program benefits to make
them Alaska-centric and specific to our Alaska students' unique needs.
I urge Congress to develop and support State-Federal partnerships
which are inherently state-centric and flexible to ensure knowledge of
local cultures and issues inform the design and delivery of services,
but which are also accountable for demonstrating both efficiencies and
effectiveness. State-Federal partnerships leverage the efficiency of
national initiatives and apply that national agenda and model in ways
that increase effectiveness by adapting delivery to the specific needs
of each State's varied and diverse target populations. Specifically,
Congress should provide assistance, relative to the current liquidity
crisis, for state-based FFELP lenders, such as ASLC, that are committed
to originating and servicing customers' loans throughout their
lifecycle. This form of commitment to the students and borrowers we
serve means that we may not sell these loans under the U.S. Department
of Education's purchase program or any other.
On behalf of the members and staff of the Alaska Commission on
Postsecondary Education, I offer our thanks to Senator Murkowski for
her efforts to address this critical State and national challenge.
Prepared Statement of Debbie Bogart, Executive Director,
Anchorage's Promise
We believe that the issues surrounding High School Graduation Rates
and Postsecondary Success in Alaska and Nationwide can not be
successfully identified or addressed without first understanding the
historical influences, cultural diversity and economic differences that
impact the State of Alaska. These differences are deeply embedded
within our communities and impacted by the services that our young
people must receive in order to affect their ability to successfully
engage socially, emotionally and academically.
Children and youth who attend school hungry, without adequate
health care, or the support of a caring adult are significantly more
at-risk of failure. Research completed by America's Promise Alliance,
Every Child, Every Promise, shows a strong correlation between children
who experience what the Alliance calls the ``Five Promises'' and their
ability to become successful adults. These Five Promises are caring
adults, safe places, a healthy start, effective education, and
opportunities to help others. Research shows that the more support
youth have, both inside and outside the classroom, the more likely they
are to stay in school. ``We must invest in the whole child, and that
means finding solutions that involve the family, the school, and the
community.'' (Grad Nation Guidebook to Help Communities Tackle The
Dropout Crisis, 2008.)
Investing in the whole child and providing support inside and
outside the classroom requires that as a state Alaskans be allocated
fiscal support, given dedicated staff time and guidance in strategic
planning to develop a detailed understanding of why our students are
dropping out. This includes building an even stronger alliance among
educators, community-based program services, and postsecondary
education to convey to our communities that the dropout crisis is a
real and significant problem, one that affects the whole community, but
it is solvable with sufficient community effort and foresight and is
dramatically impacted through the support youth receive both inside and
outside the classroom.
The Alliance for Excellent Education reports that:
Approximately 4,100 students did not graduate from
Alaska's high schools in 2007.
If Alaska's high schools graduated all students ready for
college, the State would save almost $672 thousand a year in community
college remediation costs and lost earnings.
The lost lifetime earnings in Alaska for that class of
dropouts alone are more than $1.1 billion.
Alaska would save more than $57.2 million in health care
costs over the lifetimes of each class of dropouts had they earned
their diplomas.
Alaska's economy would see a combination of crime-related
savings and additional revenue of about $19 million each year if the
male high school graduation rate increased by just 5 percent. (February
2008)
Research is strong, to meet the needs of our young people, we can
no longer work independently to address the issues that are surmounting
and rapidly growing beyond the point of being out of control. As a
nation and as a state, we must work together to identify and address
the needs of our young people. We must work together to provide strong
supports both inside and outside the classroom.
Our ability to identify solutions and build successful partnerships
between schools and community services can be accomplished through
strong alliances, and with an adoption of a collective mission, one
that is directed towards addressing the needs of the whole child.
As an organization whose mission is to build on the collective
power of local and State partners to align services for youth people,
fulfilling the Five Promises, we are recommending that through Federal
support, the following three focus areas could impact the lives of
Alaska's young people and make a substantial difference in improving
high school graduation rates and postsecondary success. These
recommendations are substantiated through national research and through
the collaborative work that our organization has been involved in
locally and across the State of Alaska.
Addressing the current level of Medicaid and SCHIP funding that
Alaska receives. Moving forward not only in adopting new legislation,
but increasing funding that would provide additional support to our
State, providing medical coverage for children who desperately need
health care. Currently, Alaska has approximately 18,000 children who
are uninsured and another 22,227 who receive services through the State
Children's Health Insurance Program (Denali KidCare). Across the
Nation, 47 million Americans lack health insurance, 9 million are
children. (Center on Budget and Policy, 2008). While healthcare
coverage is a nationwide issue, it is an issue that impacts the success
of each young person, and their ability to thrive and remain healthy.
Without preventative care and health care coverage, Alaska's youth are
at risk of failure physically, mentally and emotionally.
Uninsured children are much less likely to receive treatment for
easily curable conditions that can affect long-term health as well as
performance in school.
``From 2006 to 2007, the number of America's children that live in
poverty grew by nearly half a million. Indeed in 2007, the child
poverty rate reached a level, 18 percent, not seen in this country for
more than a decade. Furthermore, the number of children who live just
above the poverty line (between 100 percent and 125 percent of the
Federal Poverty Level) also grew by about 100,000 children from 2006 to
2007. All told, last year more than 13.3 million children in America
were living in poverty with an additional 4.3 million living just above
the poverty line.'' (First Focus, 2008).
Within the State of Alaska, 182,788 children, 11 percent, live in
poor families with an average income of $21,200. Thirty-seven percent
(21,484) of Alaskan children under the age of 6 live in low-income
families and thirteen percent (7,712) live in poor families. Fifty-
three percent (29,464) of low-income families and seventy-eight percent
of poor families are headed by single parents. Seventy-three percent
(6,322) of children whose parents do not have a high school degree live
in low-income families, while 36 percent are among poor families.
(National Center for Children in Poverty, 2008)
Current legislation and levels of funding both at the Federal level
and within our State must be addressed. Additionally, access to health
care, expansion of provider services, reimbursement of costs to the
provider and out-of-pocket expenses expected by caregivers must become
transparent and fluid to allow for greater coverage and access to
health care for Alaska's children.
Increasing the number of safe places our children and youth can
access before and after school, during vacations and holidays.
Addressing and solving issues that limited the amount of time local
schools are open and available for community use, especially for
children and youth. Every school day, when the last bell rings students
are released back into the community. A far greater number of students
are returning to homes without parent supervision, exploring unsafe
places and engaging in activities that are poor choices.
Research provided through the National Institute on Out-of-School
Time, David J. Shernoff and Deborah Lowe Vandell State, ``We found that
there were significant differences in the use of time and the quality
of experience when students were at the programs compared to when they
were elsewhere after school. While attending the programs, program
youth reported spending a higher percentage of time in organized
sports, academic and arts enrichment activities, and completing
homework than when they were elsewhere. Students in other settings
reported spending a good deal of time watching TV and eating or
snacking after school. Students in programs rarely reported engaging in
these activities. Students in other settings also reported being alone
or in ``self-care'' a substantial percentage of the time. Not once did
a student report being alone when at a program. (Youth Engagement and
Quality of Experience in Afterschool Programs, Fall 2008). Engaging
students in quality programs and services during the out-of-school time
can have an even greater impact on the level of success socially as
well as academically.
In Alaska there are 633 licensed providers with 17,189 slots
available for children birth to age 12. (Child Care Connection, 2008).
Unfortunately, annual fees for full time infant/toddler care are
$9,480, an increase from $1,780 since 2005. (Alaska Department of
Public Assistance; Child Care Assistance, 2008) In comparison, the
annual cost of college tuition for a full-time resident student in
Alaska is $4,530 (University of Alaska Anchorage Web site, 2008). For a
family of four with an annual income of $21,200, the cost of licensed
day care will most likely require a caregiver or parent to stay at
home, use an extended family member for support or even rely on an
older sibling to provide care before and after school so that one
parent family members can work when children are not in school.
Afterschool programs provided by Campfire, Boys and Girls Clubs,
21st Century Community Learning Centers, and faith-based community
partners have increased the number of quality programs and services
available for many of our school age children. However, there is still
a great need for more options that are affordable and provide quality
care. Through the support of local education, corporate, nonprofit and
government partners we can address this need and provide integrated
support and opportunities for our youth to succeed.
In 1953, with the help of Michigan State University, a model we in
Alaska and across the Nation fondly called ``Community schools''
quickly became the focal point for delivering a wide range of
neighborhood services. Well coordinated and community active models
evolved, that included providing opportunity for the entire community,
not just the school and its after-hours recreation programs, to became
a part of providing services for children, youth and families. This
model was first brought to the attention of the Mott Foundation through
a local educator, an individual who saw a need, at a time when--
economically--support for social programs, recreational services and
extended education opportunities were not provided or even thought of.
Often called the ``Founder of Community Education,'' Frank Manley was
devoted to improving the quality of life for young people and adults
through academic and recreational programs in schools.
As an early change agent, Mr. Manley's work has continued to impact
communities and citizen involvement. Utilizing public schools as a hub,
community schools bring together many partners to offer a range of
supports and opportunities to children, youth, families and
communities--before, during and after school, 7 days a week. These
partners work to achieve these results:
Children are ready to learn when they enter school and
every day thereafter.
All students learn and achieve to high standards.
Young people are well prepared for adult roles in the
workplace, as parents and as citizens.
Families and neighborhoods are safe, supportive and
engaged.
Parents and community members are involved with the school
and their own life-long learning.
This past year, a Federal Act provided a limited number of grants
to local partnerships, composed of local school districts and
community-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, and other
public/private entities, for purposes of coordinating at least three
services at a school site, providing an exciting opportunity for those
communities who received funding. Through expanded fiscal support,
matched by both Federal and State dollars, communities across Alaska
can work together to develop full service community schools that
provide early childhood programs; literacy/reading programs for youth
and families; parenting education activities; community service/service
learning; job training/career counseling services; nutrition services;
primary health and dental care; and mental health preventive and
treatment services.
Supporting legislation and increasing funding within No Child Left
Behind increases meaningful opportunities for elementary, middle
school, high school and college-age youth that enables them to link and
partner within their communities through service-learning and community
volunteer opportunities. Service-learning is a philosophy, a pedagogy,
and a model for community development that is used as an instructional
strategy to meet learning goals and content standards. It is a strategy
that can be adopted within the classroom and in community-based
programs such as Campfire, Boys and Girls Clubs, Communities In School
and through the 21st Century Community Learning Center programs. August
25, 2008--The National Youth Leadership Council released service-
learning standards that came from a nationwide effort involving input
from key stakeholder groups, including teachers, service-learning
specialists, policymakers, administrators, and students. They are based
on a body of research from the service-learning, education and youth
development fields. They offer educators, schools, and community
organizations a guide to ensure that service-learning can achieve the
academic and civic engagement outcomes that this powerful teaching
method promises. The K-12 Service-Learning Standards for Quality
Practice include eight standards that ensure high-quality service-
learning experiences for all involved--teachers, students and include;
meaningful service, link to curriculum, reflection, diversity, youth
voice, partnerships, progress monitoring and duration and intensity.
Identify and define actions within language that can be interpreted
and understood by all who are involved. The result of this will enable
each community to rally around the issues that impact student success
and will develop an understanding of the dimensions of the dropout
challenges in our State. To develop an effective plan, one that will
combat the high school dropout rates and prepare youth for advanced
learning in and after high school requires strong partnerships, those
that can make a lasting change.
For example, the Five Promises are the framework that align with
the 40 Development Assets and provide a common language that often
connects with organizational goals and mission statements found in most
organizations that provide services for children and youth. Safe
places, caring adults, healthy future, effective education and
opportunities to serve are easily understood and can be aligned
collaboratively to build coalitions and partnerships.
We can turn the trend if we remember that our communities are
complex and diverse in social and economic representation, inclusive of
different languages and level of education. Improving High School
Graduation Rates and Postsecondary Success in Alaska and Nationwide
requires the involvement of those who care about young people and are
committed to helping make a lasting change.
Daily in our work with community partners, youth, educators and
families, Anchorage's Promise understands the value of working within a
collaborative environment to strengthen the power of the Five Promises
for Alaska's children. Through the involvement and commitment of
community partners we collectively provide opportunity each year for
over 30,000 youth to become engaged in volunteer service and leadership
opportunities that have enriched their own life and have provided
valuable results within their own communities.
Annually, through the support of community partners, our
organization has worked to provide an opportunity for the Five Promises
to come alive during an event called KidsDay. A time when children are
valued by all, are given an opportunity to explore and learn about
positive choices and are engaged with at least one caring adult in
exploring creative and fun activities. On this day as a community,
Anchorage comes together to wrap support and services around children
and young people. We believe valuing our children within our homes,
community and schools is essential in building a foundation within
which our young people can thrive and succeed as they grow and become
mature, productive and caring adults.
``We must invest in the whole child, and that means finding
solutions that involve the family, the school, and the community.''
(Grad Nation Guidebook to Help Communities Tackle The Dropout Crisis,
2008.)
As a nation, and as a state that values children, within our
communities and in our homes we must work together to identify ways
that we can improve, intensify, expand or significantly integrate
existing efforts to provide the support that youth must have, both
inside and outside the classroom that will encourage each student to
stay in school and succeed in high school and postsecondary education.
about anchorage 's promise
Anchorage's Promise, an affiliate organization of America's
Promise, is a part of a national alliance made up of nonprofit groups,
corporations, community leaders, charitable foundations, faith-based
organizations and individuals. Through increasing awareness, advocating
for children and engaging in local initiatives, we use the strength of
our partnerships and our association with America's Promise, to more
effectively and strategically bring the power of the Five Promises to
Alaska's children--enabling them to have the resources they need to
lead happier, healthier, more productive lives and build a stronger
future. Founded in 2003, Anchorage's Promise has emerged as the largest
and most effective mobilizer of youth-led activities in Alaska.
Annually, Anchorage's Promise with support from partners touched the
lives of 30,000 young people and their families throughout the State of
Alaska.
Prepared Statement of the Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Inc.
executive summary
1. Through the reauthorization process of No Child Left Behind
(NCLB), Congress has the opportunity and responsibility to expand upon
existing models that lead to increased Alaska Native, American Indian,
and overall student achievement.
2. The Alaska Native Educational Equity, Support, and Assistance
Act (NCLB, Title VII, Part C) addresses the holistic educational needs
of Alaska's first peoples, throughout the continuum from early
childhood to postsecondary education. Cook Inlet Tribal Council (CITC)
has discerned through examination of Alaska's statewide Adequate Yearly
Progress data that when Alaska Native students are thriving in school,
all students are thriving.
3. Through the funding provided by Alaska Native Educational
Equity, Support, and Assistance Act, within the framework of NCLB, CITC
demonstrates that a successful educational program integrates the
following core elements:
Rigorous curricula and high academic expectations,
Innovative public-private partnerships,
Positive youth development,
Family/community involvement in education, and
Culturally responsive practices.
Alaska's Vision of Success for its Native Students
In 2006, First Alaskans Institute (FAI) interviewed 45 Alaska
Native leaders, legislators, state officials, school district staff,
and community members to produce a report on Alaska Native Student
Vitality that reflects the perspectives of Alaska's diverse educational
stakeholders. In this report, FAI defined a successful Native student
as ``one who can set and achieve goals because he knows his own worth
and value, understands his responsibility to his community, and is
prepared to pursue whatever life path he chooses.'' CITC exhorts
Congress to reflect upon this vision of success for students across the
Nation as it reauthorizes NCLB and charts the future of education in
America.
the challenge
The data is unassailable: far too many of our youth are dropping
out of school, and even more youth leave our K-12 educational system
ill-equipped to make meaningful life choices regarding their
postsecondary education opportunities, their future careers, and their
personal well-being. As Senator Murkowski noted on her Web site, this
``limit[s] Alaska's ability to develop its economy and limit[s] our
Nation's ability to compete on the world stage.''
Congress has already articulated the challenge and set forward some
of the key ingredients needed for achieving success, as follows:
NCLB, TITLE VII, PART C, SEC. 7302. FINDINGS.
Congress finds and declares the following:
1. The attainment of educational success is critical to the
betterment of the conditions, long-term well-being, and preservation of
the culture of Alaska Natives.
2. It is the policy of the Federal Government to encourage the
maximum participation by Alaska Natives in the planning and the
management of Alaska Native education programs.
3. Alaska Native children enter and exit school with serious
educational handicaps.
4. The educational achievement of Alaska Native children is far
below national norms. Native performance on standardized tests is low,
Native student dropout rates are high, and Natives are significantly
underrepresented among holders of baccalaureate degrees in the State of
Alaska. As a result, Native students are being denied their opportunity
to become full participants in society by grade school and high school
educations that are condemning an entire generation to an underclass
status and a life of limited choices.
5. The programs authorized in this part, combined with expanded
Head Start, infant learning, and early childhood education programs,
and parent education programs, are essential if educational handicaps
are to be overcome.
6. The sheer magnitude of the geographic barriers to be overcome in
delivering educational services in rural Alaska and Alaska villages
should be addressed through the development and implementation of
innovative, model programs in a variety of areas.
7. Native children should be afforded the opportunity to begin
their formal education on a par with their non-Native peers. The
Federal Government should lend support to efforts developed by and
undertaken within the Alaska Native community to improve educational
opportunity for all students.
meeting the challenge
CITC is a tribal social service nonprofit organization in
Anchorage, AK that works in partnership with the community to provide
opportunities for Native people to fulfill their endless potential in
four core areas: K-12 education; workforce development and employment;
child welfare and family services; and recovery from addictions.
While CITC recognizes the tumultuous history of Native education in
Alaska, and the residual apprehension or mistrust of schools that it
may engender in our people, we also want to emphasize that education is
a traditional value that our Native community holds in high regard; we
know that education is the key to our people's success both now and
into the future. CITC is partnering with the U.S. Department of
Education, the Anchorage School District, our students and families,
and our community to ensure that our Native students receive a quality
education that prepares and empowers them to set and achieve their life
goals.
At CITC we believe that in order to achieve the desired academic
outcomes and goals of NCLB, our schools must provide all students with
educational opportunities that holistically strengthen and support
youth as our most valued resources to be nurtured and developed--rather
than using the dominant, deficit-based framework of viewing our
students and their achievement as problems to be solved. While all of
CITC's educational services target dropout prevention, we directly
address this challenge through the concept of developing lifelong
cultural, social, emotional, and academic success in our students.
CITC respectfully submits these comments through the lens of our
educational services, which we have found to be effective for Native
students and, by extrapolation and as demonstrated by research,
effective for all students.
CITC provides strengths-based, core content classes and supportive
services to over 1,000 K-12 Native students and their families across
the Anchorage School District. Our external evaluations indicate that
the longer students are involved in CITC's educational services, the
better their performance in school. ``Among the [Alaska Native/American
Indian] students in [CITC's educational services], less absences,
higher GPA, higher Standardized Base Assessment test scores in reading
and writing, and greater rates of graduation were related to more
frequent participation in the program . . . With regard to changes in
actual SBA test scores, students in the [CITC] Program improved
markedly in their reading and math test scores, and these improvements
were substantially greater for CITC than for non-CITC [Native]
students.'' (Excerpts September 22, 2007 letter from CITC external
evaluator, Spero M. Manson, Ph.D; Professor and Head of American Indian
and Alaska Native Programs; School of Medicine; University of Colorado
Denver.)
CITC recommends that all early childhood, K-12, and postsecondary
educational systems be firmly rooted in and accountable to the
following core concepts:
Innovative Public-Private Partnerships
Rigorous Curricula and High Expectations of Students
Positive Youth Development
Family and Community Involvement in Education
Culturally Responsive Practices in the Classroom
Innovative Public-Private Partnerships
The education of our youth is a shared responsibility that extends
beyond our school systems' purview; every community member has a role
to play in contributing to the success of our youth. Now more than
ever, we as a community must ensure that we are effectively leveraging
our resources and aligning our educational and social services to best
meet the needs of our people. Through CITC's unique partnership with
the Anchorage School District (ASD), we have created a successful model
for widespread community collaboration in Native education that can be
replicated across Alaska and nationwide. This collaborative
relationship is designed to produce positive educational and social
outcomes for youth while being mutually beneficial to all parties
involved.
With funding from the U.S. Department of Education (ED), CITC
supplements the educational services offered within ASD by providing
teams of CITC staff working in 10 ASD public schools. These schools are
identified by ASD and CITC based upon high numbers of Native student
enrollment and Native student achievement. CITC works with ASD
leadership to establish a ``school within a school'' model for Native
students in each location.
The CITC education teams are composed of:
Certified Teachers are ``highly qualified'' per NCLB, and
teach core content classes (in Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and
Physical Education) for Native students in ASD. These teachers are
trained in Native traditions and learning styles, and they integrate
Native culture into the content and the methodology of their classes.
Assistant Teachers provide individualized instruction and
tutoring, homework assistance, small group instruction, after school
activities, family activities and communication, curricula development,
field trip coordination, and other associated educational duties. The
Assistant Teacher position is a stepping stone for aspiring teachers to
develop their classroom skills within a supportive environment.
Family Advocates serve as a culturally responsive bridge
of ongoing communication between home and school, helping families to
advocate for their child's needs. They also refer students and families
to other community resources.
Academic Counselors assist students to stay on track for
graduation from high school through individualized education, career,
and life planning.
Overall, ED provides funding for CITC to hire 51 full-time
educational professionals to ensure that Native students' academic and
social-emotional needs are met within the 10 ASD schools in which CITC
has a presence. While CITC currently receives competitive grant funding
from the ED Office of Indian Education and the ED Office of Safe and
Drug-free Schools, the majority of CITC's educational funding (76
percent) is awarded through the Alaska Native Educational Equity Act.
CITC relies on this funding stream to serve our students. We cannot
overstate the importance of this funding to both CITC and to the entire
State of Alaska.
Beyond our foundational tripartite partnership amongst CITC, ASD,
and ED, CITC cultivates numerous other partnerships that contribute to
student success, such as:
Within CITC, all departments collaborate to provide wrap-
around services and opportunities for students and their families in
employment and training, recovery, and child/family welfare;
CITC partners with the University of Alaska Anchorage's
highly lauded Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP) to
provide ongoing high-end math and science tutoring to CITC youth, and
to smooth the pathway for Native students to pursue postsecondary
education and careers in science, technology, engineering, and math;
CITC works with the Alaska Native Heritage Center to
provide cultural trainings for staff and special events for students
and/or the community at large;
CITC students produce multimedia public service
announcements and documentaries for public events and other social
service entities, including: Covenant House's Candlelight Vigil for
Homeless Youth, Alaska Native/American Indian Heritage Month, Anchorage
Youth Court, Alaska Native/American Indian Aids Awareness, among
others;
CITC students work with Koahnic Broadcast Corporation to
produce public radio pieces for distribution nationwide through
National Native News; CITC students produce a live, weekly radio show
on the University of Alaska Anchorage's radio station, KRUA; and CITC
staff members regularly serve as featured guest panelists on the
nationally syndicated Native America Calling; and
CITC's educational services partners with numerous other
individuals and social service organizations across Alaska and the
Nation to ensure that we are collectively identifying, responding to,
and meeting the needs of our youth and their families.
In addition to our ongoing outreach and sharing within the
Anchorage community, over the past year CITC has been invited and/or
selected to present our innovative educational partnerships at the
following local and national educational events:
Bilingual Multicultural Education and Equity Conference in
Anchorage, AK;
Office of Indian Education Partnerships for Indian
Education: Students--Schools--Family--Community Annual Conference in
Rapid City, SD;
Office of Indian Education Annual Grantee Meeting in
Washington, DC;
National Indian Education Association Annual Conference in
Seattle, WA; and
White House Compassion in Action Roundtable in Washington,
DC.
Rigorous Curricula and High Expectations of Students
Educational leaders set the tone within schools, and teachers set
the tone within classrooms for expectations regarding student
achievement. All educators must fully believe and embrace the core
concept that all students can learn; however, unintentional biases and/
or cultural misunderstandings can lead to low expectations for student
achievement, especially for Native students. When students feel
respected and supported in the classroom, they are willing and capable
of rising to and exceeding the academic expectations that are set for
them. As a result, educators must intentionally examine and re-think
the common and inaccurate presupposition that Native students will not
fare as well in class as their non-Native counterparts because that's
what the data has tended to demonstrate.
Academic rigor is key not only to our students' performance on
standardized tests for Adequate Yearly Progress, but also to their
ability to become critical thinkers and contributing members of their
communities. All of CITC's core content classes follow established
curricula and meet or exceed district and State standards. CITC is
proud to offer both basic and advanced math, science, and language arts
classes, and we strive to cultivate intellectual curiosity and
commitment to citizenship within a global context in all our students.
Positive Youth Development
Often referred to as ``soft skills,'' positive youth development
and the social-emotional learning that it brings about are the
foundational skills for students' success in school and in life. The
Search Institute is a leader in advocating for the power of positive
youth development and its impact on student achievement and well-being.
The Search Institute created a research-based framework of
developmental assets, which are ``positive factors in young people,
families, communities, schools, and other settings that have been found
to be important in promoting young people's healthy development. Search
Institute's framework organizes 40 assets into eight categories:
support, empowerment, boundaries and expectations, constructive use of
time, commitment to learning, positive values, social competencies, and
positive identity'' (http://www.search-institute.org/research/insights-
evidence). More information about developmental assets is available at
www.search-institute.org/assets.
In their October 2003 publication Insights & Evidence--Promoting
Healthy Children, Youth, and Communities, the Search Institute stated
``New studies suggest that developmental assets play a significant role
in students' academic achievement across a wide range of students. In
fact, developmental assets appear to have as much or more influence on
student achievement as other demographic factors and school reform
strategies. Thus, building developmental assets has great promise as a
strategy for boosting student achievement.'' (Quoted words are bolded
by CITC.)
CITC builds positive youth development through developmental assets
into all of its educational services. CITC education staff engages in
regular professional development focused on positive youth development.
Staff implements positive youth development strategies in our classes,
and they inspire our students to create cultural analogies about
positive youth development. Student analogies include the feathers on
an eagle representing the developmental assets and the strengths
students need to soar to success; the fibers of a basket representing a
community uniting to support youth; and traditional subsistence fishing
as a metaphor for the community identifying the inherent abilities and
assets of students. CITC staff have participated in and presented at
numerous Search Institute national conferences, sharing our culturally
based approaches to utilizing the developmental assets framework as a
means for improving student achievement and enhancing family
involvement in education.
CITC is grateful to the Association of Alaska School Boards for
their exemplary work in creating the assets-based publication Helping
Kids Succeed--Alaskan Style. Also funded by the Alaska Native
Educational Equity Act, AASB's Alaska Initiative for Community
Engagement (Alaska ICE) has provided all Alaskans with information,
tools and assistance to work together and engage in the shared
responsibility of preparing Alaska's children and youth for the future.
CITC's educational services have been enriched by the work that Alaska
ICE has done to incorporate place-based and culture-based knowledge
into the Search Institute's developmental assets framework, making it
readily accessible and relevant to our Native students and families.
CITC also commends ASD for recognizing the critical need for
accountability to positive youth development by adopting district-wide
Social-Emotional Learning Standards and Benchmarks. ASD defines Social
and Emotional Learning (SEL) as ``the process through which we learn to
recognize and manage emotions, care about others, make good decisions,
behave ethically and responsibly, develop positive relationships, and
avoid negative behaviors. It is the process through which students
enhance their ability to integrate thinking, feeling, and behaving in
order to achieve important life tasks. Within the school setting, SEL
can best be accomplished through a layered approach of skills lessons,
infusion into the curricula and classroom practices, and an environment
of safety, respect, and caring which models SEL values.'' (http://
wwvv.asdk12.org/depts/SDFS/SEL/SEL_Standards.pdf) CITC uses ASD SEL
standards in all of our classes.
Family and Community Involvement in Education
As research indicates, family involvement in education is a strong
predictor for student success in school. CITC recognizes that parents
and family members are our young people's first and most important
teachers--we need our families to help us with our educational
services. When educators hear the term ``family involvement,'' they
often think of the activities that can be done to involve parents in
the school rather than involving schools with families. Throughout the
school year, CITC provides meaningful outreach from the schools and
opportunity for family involvement in our educational services:
Each CITC school has a full-time Family Advocate dedicated
to ensuring individualized opportunities for family involvement to the
degree the family is able;
Families receive regular communication (phone calls, home
visits, mailings) from Family Advocates--and are able to call our staff
anytime;
Families are welcome in CITC classes to share their
knowledge and experiences with students, and can just visit the
classroom whenever they like;
Families are encouraged to attend field trips and special
events with students;
Families are invited to monthly CITC cultural and academic
family gatherings, trainings, potlucks, guest speakers, and pow wows;
CITC welcomes family input and feedback from our families
about our educational services at any time, and holds family focus
groups twice yearly to learn how to improve our services; and
CITC encourages and assists (through transportation
services and incentives) families to attend important school events,
such as registration and parent-teacher conferences.
Culturally Responsive Practices in the Classroom
Nationwide research as well as the Alaska Native/American Indian
community have identified the need for improved cultural competence as
a primary means to mitigating and alleviating the academic
underachievement of Native students. CITC classes actively integrate
Native culture in curricula, our classroom expectations are grounded in
traditional Native values, and our teaching methodology reflects Native
ways of teaching and learning. We provide students with a cultural
sense of belonging within our core content classes.
CITC helps to resolve issues in cross-cultural education documented
by the Alaska Native Education Study: A Statewide Study of Alaska
Native Values and Opinions Regarding Education in Alaska (First
Alaskan's Foundation, 2001). Key findings in the report are as follows:
Barriers to Native students' academic success in Alaska
(Section 1, p. 3-4):
Curriculum, learning materials and teaching styles do
not relate to Native culture.
Ignorance of Native culture among teachers and other
school staff.
Role of Language and Culture (Section 1, p. 4): Currently,
``classroom education is generally inconsistent with Native culture and
a rural lifestyle. To close the divide between Western education and
Alaska Native culture, experts and parents alike suggest that `Native
ways of knowing' will improve Native student's success.''
Improving Education for Alaska Native Children (Section 4,
p. 19): Alaska Natives value education and want schools to be more
relevant for Alaska Native students, as illustrated by their ranking of
the following contributing factors: (1) parent involvement, (2) better
teachers, (3) more Native teachers, (4) Native culture classes, (5)
increased academic challenges, and (6) communication with teachers.
The Northwest Regional Laboratory (February 2003) study, A Review
of the Research Literature on the Influences of Culturally Based
Education on the Academic Performance of Native American Students,
supports the role of family and culture in education and includes the
following findings:
Introduction (Section 1, p. 4): Jerome Bruner (a pioneer
in cognitive development) states that ``. . . culture shapes mind . . .
it provides us with the tool kit by which we construct not only our
worlds but our very conceptions of ourselves and our powers'' (Bruner,
1991).
Definitions of Culturally Based Education Interventions
(Section 2, p. 7): Culturally based education programs have six
critical elements:
1. Recognition and use of Native American languages.
2. Pedagogy that stresses traditional cultural characteristics, and
adult-child interactions.
3. Pedagogy in which teaching strategies are congruent with the
traditional culture and ways of knowing and learning.
4. Curriculum that is based on traditional culture and that
recognizes the importance of Native spirituality.
5. Strong Native community participation (including parents, elders
and other community resources) in educating children and in the
planning and operation of school activities.
6. Knowledge and practice of the social and political mores of the
community.
These key Native education studies combined with findings from
CITC's education programs, inform the building blocks for CITC's
academic enhancement and drop-out prevention efforts.
recommendations to congress
Echoing Alaska's vision of success for its Native students, CITC
and its Native community want Native students and all students to set
and achieve goals because they know their own worth and value,
understand their responsibility to his community, and are prepared to
pursue whatever life path they choose. In order to do so, CITC submits
the following recommendations:
First and foremost, CITC exhorts the U.S. Senate Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions Committee and Congress at large to continue to
support and to further strengthen the Alaska Native Educational Equity
Act language within NCLB. The funds provided through NCLB Title VII,
Part C are important to CITC and to all of Alaska. Alaska's educational
system perpetually faces funding challenges, which are compounded by
the increasing energy crisis that Alaska faces. Approximately 80
percent of Alaska's communities are remote/rural and lie off of the
``road system,'' meaning that they rely upon petroleum products for
heating, electricity, and transportation--as a result, many rural
school districts are struggling to keep their doors open. These funds
allow for an intentional focus on educational innovation and excellence
beyond the operating costs of schools; they fill the gaps in Alaska's
educational systems, with 54 current grantees providing critical
educational services ranging from early childhood through postsecondary
education. If these funds were continued and increased, Alaska could
experience even greater student success and achievement. We remind
Congress of the importance of the purpose of this funding through
Congress' own language:
NCLB, TITLE VII, PART C, SEC. 7303. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this part are as follows:
1. To recognize the unique educational needs of Alaska Natives.
2. To authorize the development of supplemental educational
programs to benefit Alaska Natives.
3. To supplement existing programs and authorities in the area of
education to further the purposes of this part.
4. To provide direction and guidance to appropriate Federal, State
and local agencies to focus resources, including resources made
available under this part, on meeting the educational needs of Alaska
Natives.
Second, CITC also recommends that Congress increase the support of
and direct accountability to the aforementioned key areas of
educational systems (Innovative Public-Private Partnerships, Rigorous
Curricula and High Expectations of Students, Positive Youth
Development, Family and Community Involvement in Education, and
Culturally Responsive Practices in the Classroom), requiring
educational systems nationwide to demonstrate their proficiency in
these areas as part of their NCLB reporting requirements. This broad-
ranging accountability is also essential at the State, district,
school, and classroom levels to ensure that teachers are utilizing
individualized, culturally relevant, differentiated instruction and
multiple forms of assessment to more accurately gauge and support
holistic student achievement.
Prepared Statement of Beverly Patkotak Grinage, President,
Ilisagvik College, Barrow, AK
Today, Native American college graduation rates are the lowest of
any racial or ethnic group in America. As president of the only Alaska
Native-controlled College in Alaska, and the only recognized tribal
college in the State, I would like to provide the committee with a
rural Alaska Native perspective on this issue. Everyone involved in
education in Alaska is numbingly familiar with the dismal educational
statistics of rural Alaska, especially among Alaska Natives.
``. . . the Education Department data show that Native American
students are less likely than other students to be enrolled in or to
graduate from college,'' (inside
highered.com/news/2005/08/26/indian).
The same report shows Native Americans with a Bachelor's degree
comprising the lowest of all ethnic or racial groups at 15 percent, as
compared to the national average of 45 percent. Native American faculty
members make up less than 1 percent of the total in higher education
facilities.
Alaska Natives and Native Americans are being left behind. One of
the ways to improve postsecondary success in Native Americans both in
Alaska and nationwide is through tribal colleges. According to Paul
Boyer, in Native American Colleges, ``Research, site visits,
accreditation reports, and government audits all confirm their
effectiveness. . . . Their impacts are real. . . . More than any single
institution, they are changing lives and offering real hope for Native
American communities.'' A 2007 report from the Institute for Higher
Education Policy supported these findings about tribal colleges by
stating, ``They are the driving force for economic and social
development in Native American communities.''
Dr. Gerald Gipp stated that with over 27,000 students enrolled
today in 36 tribal colleges across the United States and one in Canada,
other tribal nations have shown great interest in joining this
movement. (Tribal College Journal, Fall/Winter issue 2005). In 2006,
Ilisagvik College took great pride in achieving recognition by the
Bureau of Indian Affairs as the only tribally controlled college in
Alaska.
Nearly 40 years after the first tribal college was established, the
challenges faced by Native American communities continue to be immense.
The challenges faced by the Inupiat of the North Slope and
Ilisagvik College are nearly identical to those faced by Native
Americans through the country. And the forces that gave rise to tribal
colleges throughout the United States are identical to that which
created Ilisagvik College. Local leaders saw the need for a regional
postsecondary institution where the emphasis was on culturally
appropriate instructional programs that would strengthen Inupiat
language, culture, values and traditions.
``The precursors to Ilisagvik College--Inupiat University, the
North Slope Higher Education Center, the Arctic Sivunmun Ilisagvik
College--and Ilisagvik College were all created to serve the residents
of the North Slope Borough who did not have access to the higher
education provided by the University of Alaska and others like it.''
(Dr. Edna MacLean, former Ilisagvik College president). She said the
hope was that Inupiaq people would come to the college for
geographical, linguistic and cultural reasons, as well as the fact that
they simply did not have ready access to the State university system in
Alaska.
Long-time Inupiaq leader Oliver Leavitt stated in a December 2006
meeting that Ilisagvik was created for the 70 percent of Inupiat who
could not leave home for a variety of reasons to get a college
education. Leavitt was on the NSB Assembly when it approved the
creation of Ilisagvik in 1995.
Former Mayor George N. Ahmaogak, Sr. explained that he fostered the
establishment of the college because it was his moral responsibility to
do so. He also felt compassion for people who desperately needed the
training and education Ilisagvik could provide in order to obtain
employment near to their homes and culture.
TCU's were patterned after the community college model, because
they most closely matched the needs of tribal members. This does not
mean that the TCU's look and act like mainstream (non-Indian) community
colleges. Their first loyalty is to their tribal members and nations.
They pass on Native culture and values, and their mission is to rebuild
tribal nations and create stronger nations. (Boyer). Boyer went on to
say that in many ways, TCU's do follow the model of community colleges.
Like community colleges, TCU's also have a policy of open admission;
they provide jobs training; they are local, thus providing easy access;
their programs are relevant to the workforce needs of local employers;
and many provide basic skills upgrades in their missions. (Capturing
the Dream).
Like other tribal colleges, Ilisagvik provides a wide range of
support services to its students. These services range from tutoring,
student advocates who contact every student regularly, pre-college math
and English courses, student transport services, a full-time cultural
resources specialist and a dorm parent. This approach is supported by
research from other tribal colleges. ``Success often depends on the
institution's ability and commitment to provide access to those who
aspire to enter college; provide financial, social, and academic
support while the students are enrolled; and help provide opportunities
to those who have finished their degrees,'' (Institute for Higher
Education Policy, 2007).
Tribal Colleges and Universities are the most poorly funded
institutions of higher education in the country. But despite this,
tribal colleges create community-based miracles every day. They also
developed their own data system for maintaining accountability to
Federal agencies, their communities, and their students. Although
Alaska Natives and Native Americans lag far behind all other ethnic
minorities in college graduation rates, tribal colleges currently serve
27,000 students whose presence in an institute of higher education is
the best hope to change the current dismal statistics.
The most critical issue facing us is the need to secure full
funding for our operations. Establishing forward funding is also a
priority. Tribal colleges are the ONLY schools funded by the Department
of Interior that are not forward funded, and this means that our
institutions must endure extensive funding delays each fiscal year due
to the often late congressional passage of the appropriations bill and
a very slow administrative process. Even if we were funded immediately
at the start of the fiscal year, we still would not receive funding
until a month or more after the school year begins. We are asking for a
one-time investment of only about $45-$50 million. This would have an
impact for years to come, and would be tremendously beneficial to all
tribal colleges and Native Americans.
We need support for remedial/developmental education programs,
student support services, high school/college bridge programs,
facilities, and preservation/revitalization of Native Language
programs. In all of these areas and more, we need programs specifically
funded and designed for Tribal Colleges. This country as a whole cannot
move ahead unless all its members move ahead also. And without support
for these programs, our residents are definitely being left behind.
We also need your commitment to work with the Tribal Colleges and
AIHEC in re-writing and implementing the Executive Order on Tribal
Colleges and Universities.&
We need funding and assistance with our distance delivery education
technology. Distant delivery education technology is a major avenue for
bringing education to even the remotest of sites in a cost-efficient
manner. We have seven outlying villages on the North Slope that depend
on this technology and some go without Internet access for up to 4
months at a time. This disruption in service greatly hampers our
ability to educate and train our people.
The need for local Alaska Native teachers is reaching a desperate
level. This is a problem we are currently working on without support
from the Federal or State governments. Out of the 196 certified
teachers employed in our schools on the North Slope, only three (3) are
Inupiaq. Our children need teachers who understand them and their lives
and culture. They need teachers who will be there year after year,
integrated into the very fabric of the community and not teachers who
come and go on a yearly basis. If our children are to succeed in life,
they must start this success in the very earliest years of their
education. We need Alaska Native teachers instructing Alaska Native
students.
Tribal Colleges are an integral part of the Nation's higher
education system and have demonstrated marked success in educating
Native Americans. With Ilisagvik College achieving Tribal College
status, Alaskan Natives are now being served by a tribal college as
well. Tribal colleges have been consistently under-funded. This means
their financial soundness remains tenuous at best. Although new
colleges achieve tribal college recognition from time to time, as
Ilisagvik did in 2006, appropriations do not recognize this expansion
with additional funds. Thus appropriations for the existing colleges
become more and more stretched to meet an ever-expanding roster of
tribal colleges. There is a need for a major infusion of operating
funds for all these institutions, including Ilisagvik.
We are the best hope for the future of Native Americans in this
Nation. We need more than your moral support and good intentions. We
need your financial support in an ongoing, steady and immediate fashion
so that we can continue to serve one of the most underserved ethnic
groups in our Nation today.
Prepared Statement of Denise Greene-Wilkinson, Board Member, National
Association of Secondary School Principals
Chairwoman Murkowski and members of the committee, thank you for
the opportunity to share recommendations regarding high school
improvement and postsecondary success. My name is Denise Greene-
Wilkinson, and I am the principal of Polaris K-12 School in Anchorage,
AK, where I have served for 14 years. Today, I am appearing on behalf
of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, where I
serve as a member of the NASSP Board of Directors, as well as, a member
of the Alaska Association of Secondary School Principals. In existence
since 1916, NASSP is the national voice for middle level and high
school principals, assistant principals, and aspiring school leaders
from across the United States and more than 45 countries around the
world. Our mission is to promote excellence in middle level and high
school leadership.
improving high school graduation rates
Many reports have been issued in the past few years that reveal
deep problems with the achievement levels of U.S. high school students
as well as low graduation and college attendance rates for low-income
and minority students. More often than not, these low rates can be
traced back to the large numbers of students entering high school
reading below grade level. In addition, the vast majority of high
schools have a climate of anonymity where little focus is placed on
identifying the personal learning needs of individual students and
using such information to foster improved teaching and learning.
Improving education for all students is paramount to strengthening
our democracy and preparing our Nation to compete in today's global
marketplace. To that end, it is quite necessary for the Federal
Government to play an ongoing active and supportive role in improving
the Nation's schools by encouraging reform and providing adequate
resources to supplement improvement efforts at the State and local
levels. The role of the Federal Government in education should be one
of partnership with the States and local school districts to improve
the overall quality of the Nation's schools and to ensure equal
opportunity for all students.
Congress has an opportunity right now to provide middle level and
high schools with the resources they need to ensure that every student
graduates with the skills necessary for success in postsecondary
education and the workforce. Positive proposals to amend current law
include the Striving Readers Act, the Graduation Promise Act, and the
Success in the Middle Act.
striving readers
NASSP urges Congress to authorize and expand the Striving Readers
program for students in grades 4-12. This vital program will help
ensure that the 6-8 million students reading below grade level receive
the literacy interventions they need to earn a high school diploma.
Nationwide, 29 percent of eighth-grade students read ``below
basic'' on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. These
students, who are in the bottom quarter of achievement, are 20 times
more likely to drop out than students at the top. That should come as
no surprise. Low literacy prevents students from succeeding in high
school in all subjects. And the National Center for Education
Statistics found that 53 percent of undergraduates require a remedial
reading or writing course. In addition, the National Association of
Manufacturers reported that businesses spend more than $60 billion each
year on remedial reading, writing, and mathematics for new employees.
The Striving Readers Act (S. 958) would create a formula grant
program for States based on poverty levels according to the U.S.
Census. States would develop statewide literacy plans, and districts
applying for the grants would use funds to create schoolwide adolescent
literacy plans that met the needs of all students, including students
with special needs and English language learners; provide professional
development for teachers in core academic subjects; train school
leaders to administer adolescent literacy plans; and collect, analyze,
and report literacy data.
The goals of Striving Readers are very much in line with Creating a
Culture of Literacy: a Guide for Middle and High School Principals,
which NASSP released in 2005. This guide was written for principals to
use as they team with staff members to improve their students' literacy
skills by assessing student strengths and weaknesses, identifying
professional development needs, employing effective literacy strategies
across all content areas, and establishing intervention programs.
Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) have
been true leaders in adolescent literacy, and NASSP would like to thank
them for their hard work in ensuring that the Striving Readers program
has a permanent place in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
graduation promise fund
NASSP is a national leader in high school reform and in 2004,
created a framework upon which to improve our Nation's high schools
called Breaking Ranks II: Strategies for Leading High School Reform.
The handbook offers successful research-based practices, real-life
examples of high schools at various stages of reform, a step-by-step
approach to lead change, obstacles to avoid, and resources from which
to draw. NASSP offers Breaking Ranks for all high school principals,
regardless of school size, geographical location, or where they are in
the school improvement process.
High schools have historically been the forgotten stepchild of
school reform efforts and, for far too long, have not received an
adequate share of funding and other resources from the Federal
Government. But successful high school reform requires real strategies
and significant resources for implementing systemic improvement and
raising individual student and schoolwide performance levels. This is
why NASSP supports the Graduation Promise Act (S. 1185), which would
support the development of statewide systems of differentiated high
school improvement that focuses research and evidence-based
intervention on the lowest performing high schools, and improves the
capacity of the high schools to decrease dropout rates and increase
student achievement. The bill would also provide competitive grants to
States to identify statewide obstacles hindering students from
graduating, and provide incentives for States to increase graduation
rates.
success in the middle act
Although much attention has been focused on high school reform,
NASSP urges Congress to also address the more than 2,000 middle level
schools that feed into the Nation's ``dropout factories''--those high
schools graduating fewer than 60 percent of their students. High school
reform will never succeed in a vacuum, and many of these middle level
schools are in need of the same comprehensive whole-school reform that
is offered to high schools under the Graduation Promise Act.
The future success of ESEA rests largely on the shoulders of middle
level leaders, teachers, and students. Students in grades 5 through 8
represent 57 percent (14 million) of the Nation's annual test takers
under ESEA, but middle level schools are not receiving adequate Federal
funding and support to help these students succeed. We recognize that
the majority of districts choose to funnel their title I funds into
early childhood and elementary programs, and while we fully support
continuing the drive to help students succeed in these grades, the
needs of struggling students in our lowest-performing middle schools
must not be ignored. If title I funds were distributed on the basis of
student populations, middle level schools (representing 23 percent of
the Nation's student population) would receive approximately $2.92
billion of the current title I allocation. Yet, of the $12.7 billion
appropriated in fiscal year 2005 for title I, only 10 percent is
allocated to middle schools.
Therefore, I strongly urge the committee to support the Success in
the Middle Act (S. 2227), which was introduced last year by President-
Elect Barack Obama. Under the bill, States are required to implement a
middle school improvement plan that describes what students are
required to know and do to successfully complete the middle grades and
make the transition to succeed in an academically rigorous high school.
School districts would receive grants to help them invest in proven
intervention strategies, including professional development and
coaching for school leaders, teachers, and other school personnel; and
student supports such as personal academic plans, intensive reading and
math interventions, and extended learning time.
NASSP believes the comprehensive middle level policy articulated in
S. 2227 is necessary to address the realities that only 11 percent of
eighth-grade students are on track to succeed in first-year college
English, algebra, biology and social science courses (ACT, 2007), fewer
than one-third can read and write proficiently, and only 30 percent
perform at the proficient level in math (NAEP, 2005). Enacting the
Success in the Middle Act hand-in-hand with the Graduation Promise Act
would strengthen ESEA by providing the support necessary to turn around
our Nation's lowest-performing middle and high schools and give our
struggling students the help they need from pre-school through
graduation.
graduation rates
As you know, the U.S. Department of Education released final title
I regulations on October 28 that would require all States to report a
national uniform graduation rate that defines the ``4-year adjusted
cohort graduation rate'' as the number of students who graduate in 4
years with a regular high school diploma divided by the number of
students who form the adjusted cohort for that graduating class. The
regulations would allow States to propose an extended-year adjusted
cohort graduation rate that includes students who graduate in 4 years
or more with a regular high school diploma. Any States that choose to
report an extended-year graduation rate would be required to submit to
the department a description of how it will use an extended-year rate
along with its 4-year rate to determine whether its schools and
districts make adequate yearly progress.
NASSP has long advocated for a uniform formula to counter the
confusion and inconsistencies in current graduation-rate calculations
that make it impossible to compare State performance and blur any views
of a nationwide graduation rate. However, we do have concerns that
States may not choose to report an extended-year graduation rate or
include the extended-year rate in the accountability system. Because
not all students enter the 9th grade reading and writing at grade
level, NASSP recommends that the graduation rate be extended to within
at least 5 years of entering high school. We also feel very strongly
that identified special-needs students who complete high school with a
state-approved exit document should have until age 21, inclusive, to be
counted as graduates as defined by the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act.
Designating a 4-year timeframe within which students must exit and
graduate from high school goes against what we know about student
learning, especially for English language learners, and timelines
designated by IDEA. In fact, we should be moving in the opposite
direction by allowing students additional time to graduate if they
require it without penalizing the school, or less time if they have
reached proficiency.
Student performance should be measured by mastery of subject
competency rather than by seat time. States that have implemented end-
of-course assessments are on the right track and should be encouraged
to continue these efforts. And ESEA should reward students who graduate
in fewer than 4 years--which could encourage excellence--rather than
simply acknowledge minimum proficiency, and the recognition of high-
performing students could help schools that are nearing the target of
100 percent proficiency.
Ultimately, individualized and personalized instruction for each
student must be our goal. NASSP has been a leader in advocating for
such positive reform strategies through its practitioner-focused
publications Breaking Ranks II: Strategies for Leading High School
Reform and Breaking Ranks in the Middle: Strategies for Leading Middle
Level Reform.
preparing all students for postsecondary success
In 2009, the NASSP Board of Directors will consider a position
statement expressing our support for challenging graduation
requirements and providing recommendations for Federal, State, and
local policymakers to help schools ensure that all students meet those
high standards.
The national conversation about graduation and dropout rates has
all but ignored the individuals who obtain their high school diplomas
but are not prepared to succeed in postsecondary education or the
workforce. Those students are the near dropouts who earned enough
credits to graduate, but have backgrounds similar to the 1.2 million
students whom high schools ``lose'' annually. Data from the National
Education Longitudinal Study indicates that only 21 percent of
graduates from the lowest-income families are adequately prepared for
postsecondary education, compared to 54 percent of graduates from
middle- and high-income families.
In the absence of national standards--which NASSP supports--many
States are already taking the initiative to improve academic content
standards and raise graduation requirements for all students. The
American Diploma Project, launched by the nonprofit education reform
organization Achieve, helps States align their standards ``with the
real-world expectations of employers and postsecondary faculty in the
increasingly competitive global marketplace.'' Since 2005, 22 States
have aligned their high school standards to meet those goals and an
additional 10 States plan to do so by the end of the 2008-2009 school
year.
But raising academic standards alone is not enough to ensure that
all students, especially low-income and minority students, will
graduate from high school and succeed in postsecondary education and
the workforce. Supports must be in place to help schools ensure that
all students achieve this goal.
NASSP recommends the Federal Government offer incentives for States
and districts to develop graduation requirements that allow students to
choose from multiple pathways to graduation, including career and
technical education courses that are aligned with higher standards,
Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs, dual-
enrollment programs, and early college high schools. The Federal
Government should also ensure that students have access to academic
supports that will help them stay on track toward graduation. These
supports could include counseling services that provide information and
assistance about the requirements for high school graduation, college
admission, and career success; targeted and tiered interventions for
middle level and high school students who are falling behind; online
learning opportunities; extended learning; job shadowing, internships,
and community service; and in-school and community-based social
supports, such as counselors, social workers, and mental health
services.
Madame Chairwoman, this concludes my formal remarks. As the
committee and Congress move forward on the reauthorization of ESEA,
NASSP stands ready to work with you to ensure that all students
graduate from high school with the skills to help them succeed in
postsecondary education and the workplace.
Thank you again for this opportunity.
______
Alaska Pacific University,
Anchorage, AK 99508,
October 30, 2008.
U.S. Senate,
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.
Dear Members of the Committee: I am very pleased that the committee
is holding a field hearing here in Anchorage on November 15 on the
important subject of improving High School Graduation and Postsecondary
Success for Alaska students as well as all our Nation's students.
I have prepared a list of recommendations that University of Alaska
President Mark Hamilton may include in his presentation, and I would
like them entered into the record of the hearing as well.
Dr. Douglas M. North, President of Alaska Pacific University,
submits the following list of recommendations for improving High School
Graduation and Postsecondary Success for Alaska students as well as all
our Nation's students:
1. Reduce class sizes allowing for more individualized attention.
2. De-emphasize standardized testing and use tests primarily as a
diagnostic exercise to determine the learning needs of the individual
student.
3. Emphasize stand-and-deliver forms of education where the
students have to present work they have done to their peers as well as
the teacher.
4. Increase project-based education and other creative teaching
strategies to engage and enhance student curiosity and learning.
5. Reverse the ethic, especially among school-age males, that it is
not cool to be smart or achieve academically.
6. Increase both challenge and support of students through more
positively oriented individual conferences with teachers.
7. Measure school success in part by how many students want to, and
love to, go to their schools.
Thank you very much for allowing me the opportunity to share these
recommendations that have come from my 42 years as a postsecondary
educator.
With sincere good wishes,
Dr. Douglas M. North,
President, Alaska Pacific University.
______
Best Beginnings,
Anchorage, AK 99501,
November 5, 2008.
Hon. Lisa Murkowski,
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee,
U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC 20510.
Subject: Improving High School Graduation Rates and Postsecondary
Success in Alaska and Nationwide--What can the Federal Government Do?
Dear Senator Murkowski: Best Beginnings is a public-private
partnership that emerged from growing concern among Alaskans that we
aren't doing nearly enough to prepare children for school and life.
Best Beginnings is mobilizing existing resources and organizations to
build a statewide early learning system that Alaska so desperately
needs. One of our most important roles is to engage, convene, and
mobilize the myriad organizations with an interest in early learning.
Best Beginnings is pursuing solutions to meet this challenge. Our
efforts are in three areas.
Because parents are a child's first and most important teachers,
Best Beginnings promotes early learning and literacy, family literacy,
and education at home.
Because so many young children spend time in care away from home,
Best Beginnings is a catalyst for making high quality child care and
early learning programs affordable and accessible for all families that
want them.
And because preparing children to succeed in school has such
important implications for the whole State, Best Beginnings is
promoting a cultural shift in Alaskans' attitudes. We will know this
cultural shift has taken root when Alaskans insist on the investments
to finance and sustain early learning.
the problem
Alaska's children are being left behind. Too many Alaska children--
about 40 percent--enter school unprepared to succeed. When children are
not prepared for school, they rarely catch up later. Children who start
school unprepared are less likely to finish high school, go to college,
have the skills to get good jobs, and contribute to a thriving economy.
Lack of readiness contributes to low scores on standardized tests,
poor performance on high school graduation qualifying exams, and high
school dropout rates that are among the highest in the Nation.
Studies have shown that when infants and young children are given
appropriate, positive learning experiences, they develop the skills and
knowledge needed to succeed in school. A child's readiness for school
is a strong indicator of how he or she will fare in life, generally.
For this reason, economists say that investments in early learning
yield huge returns to society as a whole. Quality early learning
results in productive citizens, healthy families, and greater
contributions to society.
We know what success will look like:
Parents and extended families are fully engaged in
children's learning right from birth;
Built-in incentives for more and better programs and
services;
Appropriate pay for early childhood professionals;
An early childhood infrastructure built on established
standards; and
High quality early learning programs that are affordable
and accessible to all Alaskans who want them.
public investment in early learning integral to economic recovery
Early education should be an integral component of America's
economic recovery. Indeed, the current economic challenge makes public
investment in early education even more critical. As a nation, we
cannot afford to pass up the dividends that accrue from investing in
high quality early education.
Decades of research on high-quality voluntary early childhood
education have shown that a Federal investment in the early years now--
not when we're in the black--would yield the following short- and long-
term benefits:
More 3- and 4-year-old children--still in the most
critical stage of brain development in their lives--can attend programs
that prepare them for school and for life;
Family pocketbooks receive much-needed relief;
States see a reduction in costly expenses for special
education, remediation, criminal justice, and social services; and
Our future workforce gains the foundational skills they
will need to compete in the 21st century global economy.
Ensuring that children enter school ready to learn and succeed is
fundamentally sound fiscal policy. Human capital is as important as any
other form of capital we invest in as a society. To assure a strong
economy, it is imperative to increase support for proven human capital
strategies as much because of our current financial crisis as despite
it.
specific steps the federal government can take
Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act (ESEA)/NCLB should include Pre-K in sections that provide Federal
funding for school and teacher training. Congress should:
Create a Federal incentive grant program to support
and improve State Pre-K programs;
Include high-quality Pre-K programs as an allowable
instructional intervention available to States and local
education agencies identified for improvement in title I;
Include Pre-K teachers in academic training and
professional development; and
Help States include Pre-K in their longitudinal data
systems designed to measure students' progress from Pre-K
through college.
Head Start and Child Care.--The 2007 reauthorization of
Head Start adapted this landmark education program to serve the present
needs of low-income children. As the Department of Health and Human
Services prepares to implement the refurbished Head Start law, we
recommend:
The departments of Education and Health and Human
Services share in responsibility to oversee coordination
between Federal and State programs that support Pre-K and child
care;
Congress provide new funds for Head Start and the
Child Care and Development Block Grant to compensate for years
of underfunding; and
Provide funding for State Advisory Councils, as
envisioned under the 2007 reauthorization.
Rural Needs.--To ensure that every child has access to
high-quality early learning experiences, we recommend Congress provide
funding to support the growth of quality programs in rural areas,
including home visiting programs.
Thank you for your attention to these vitally important issues.
Sincerely,
Abbe Hensley,
Executive Director.
[Whereupon, at 2:42 p.m., the hearing was adjourned.]