Study: Alaska's education system gets low marks
Originally published Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 8:40 a.m.
Updated Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 9:49 a.m.
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Stumble It!ANCHORAGE -- A new state study shows that Alaska's education system is faltering.
The Anchorage Daily News says the study overall found Alaska ranking at the bottom of educational attainment indicators — from getting students to graduate from high school to achieving an advanced degree.
The study released Wednesday shows that only one out of every 20 children entering ninth grade in Alaska will go on to graduate from college in a timely manner.
That gives Alaska one of the worst post-secondary education rates in the nation.
The study also shows Alaska's efforts to improve the dropout rate have also failed.
"(This) really sends the message of how immediate the need is and the gravity of the situation," said Diane Barrans, executive director of the state's Postsecondary Education Commission, which released the study.
The study found that Alaska was eighth from the bottom among states in the number of ninth-graders graduating four years later. It was fourth from the bottom in high school seniors going directly to college. Alaska was last in the number of college freshmen receiving a bachelor's degree within 150 percent of the normal program length.
The commission, which was charged by statute with supporting postsecondary access in 2002, has achieved some gains with low-income Alaskans going to college, said Barrans, but the overall rate of Alaskans going to college has not changed.
The study indicates the problem is cultural.
"Alaska is a state of individualism, of people doing their own thing," said the study's author, Ron Phipps, of the Washington, D.C.-based Institute for Higher Education Policy. Phipps used to live in Juneau and was a previous head of the state commission. "Like a sieve, kids are falling away," he said.
Larry LeDoux, recently appointed commissioner for the state Department of Education and Early Development and slated to begin the job in July, said he hadn't read the report and wouldn't comment on it yet.
However, he said he knows Alaska has problems.
"We accept that we definitely have challenges before us," he said from his Kodiak office, where he is still superintendent of the school district there.
He said he's not sure whether he believes the dropout rates — they can often be skewed, he said — but if they are true, he has his work cut out for him.
Phipps said the first thing the state needs to do is get students through high school.
"If you don't finish the 12th grade, you aren't going anywhere," Phipps said.
Community Discussion
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woo hoo i am 1 in 20! looks like bush's "no child left behind act" is working
What is the incentive to go to college when you can get a job in construction and make $50,000+ a year in no time at all. In Alaska there is a greater need for people who build things than for office workers. The schools system needs to realize this and better prepare students for the jobs that Alaska needs done. For many students welding class would get them a lot further than trigonometry.
Alaska should harness its individualism and switch to vouchers. Failing that, I advise the intelligent and disciplined high school students to study and take the SAT and GED, drop out, and enroll in a community college for a year and then transfer to a university. High school as it is currently run is a waste of time.
James... look in the mirror before you say or write anything. Take a good hard long look before you say something bad about other people.
Well this goes to show that paying the highest salaries for teachers in the US has NOT been a good investment.
The secondary system is a failing mess, yet for some reason we still keep voting for more school bonds and throwing money at it.
Perhaps when the next bonds hit the ballot, Fairbanks will just say, "Enough!"
Our schools and teachers do an excellent job of educating our children. I hear a vocal few just slamming our education system. It sounds like you need to remove your kids from school and home school them. Mine will stay in school because the system, and their teachers are doing an excellent job. Its called teamwork... parents, kids, and teachers working together.
I recently finished school and I enjoyed schooling, but I can tell you they didn't teach me much of anything I use where I work, and that would be an office job :) And I dont plan on going to college, because of all the ridiculous pre-classes I would have to take to be what I want to be.
samiam,
Alaska ranks #11 in teacher salaries in the US.
What I find amusing is that the parents are quick to point fingers at the school districts or the teachers and most likely both; when in fact they should be looking in the mirror. I would like to see a study on the parents.
"How many of the students who went on to finish college in a timely manor had parents who spent time with their children every day to ensure they were getting what they needed from their school/home work?"
"How many of the students who didn't go to college or finish in a timely manor if they did attend had parents who spent time with their children every day to ensure they were getting what they needed from their school/home work?"
My parents didn't, so it was up to me. At 30 I am about to finish my Associates... not 20 like I should have per this story.
The school districts can only do so much from 8-3, it isn't their responsibilities to raise the child, to enforce homework before TV/play time.
Society is so quick to put the blame on the "other"...and in this situation the other is the school districts and/or the teachers.
Time to step up mom and dad, time to invest in your kids versus that 6:30pm TV show or that text message conversation you are having with that co-worker you spent all day at work with.
TV isn't turned on in my house until after the kids go to bed and MY homework is complete. By that time of day *11PM or later*... I am exhausted and I would rather sleep.
My 2cents..
You got it, akuzilvak. Many of these vocal folks basically have an axe to grind with "big government" in general, and this is just their way of airing their shrill complaining. They certainly aren't considering that the statistics AK students pile up are every bit (if not more) reflective of the jobs they themselves are doing parenting, and the efforts their kids are putting into learning. Teachers are not miracle workers and if you send an apathetic, unmotivated kid to school, your going to get an ignorant one back.
The *perception* that basic education is a waste, and that we should be teachuing kids to weld and build instead of math and science is just that: perception. Certainly some students are better suited for vocational studies, but de-emphasizing academic subjects is a good way of starting a new wave of "brain-drain" from the state, and dumbing-down those who remain in AK.
A certain comment above is just a bunch of blithering ignorance; kind of wish people would keep such bitterness to themselves.
Thank you for your comment init4life. I appreciate for comments.
America's Promise Alliance has a campaign called "15 in 5" to improve high school graduation rates. You can help meet the campaign goal of improving the lives of 15 million disadvantaged youth over the next five years by keeping Five Promises:
1.Give children support and guidance from caring adults in their families, schools, and communities.
2. Provide safe places for children to grow physically and emotionally.
3. Give children a healthy start so their physical and emotional development grows in a healthy way.
4. Make sure children get effective education to equip them for a successful future.
5. Give children a sense of responsibility and of possibility through opportunities to help others.
Just a few comments too--Alaska needs to look at the disparities between school districts in our state. Some regions in the state have more opportunities for youth.
Also, not all teacher are adequately prepared to teach culturally diverse populations, and some are even expected to teach subjects they have not been trained to teach.
My mother busted her butt to put herself through nursing school and raise her kids as a single parent. She made sure we had decent housing, adequate clothes and nutricious food. She made sure we did our chores and homework before any fun time. She made sure our homework was done before she even started her homework. I remember my mom staying up with me until midnight pushing me finish my math homework. My mother's sacrifices (she could have stayed home, collected welfare and sat on her rear all day) inspired me finish high school and continue on to college. I strive to do the same for my kids. Even if it means staying up late to help with homework or giving up a TV show to make sure my kids stay off the dole.
chelc324- college is way different than high school and I encourage you to attend. Mathematics tends to be poorly taught (and the most required remedial subject in college due to teacher unions refusing to allow mathematics teachers to be paid more than teachers) but it is truly important to understanding social policy and Nature/Creation. Even legal jurisprudence has become dominated by economic thinking which is very math dependent.
Because public education is politicized, teachers have incentives to test very boring, useless, and easy to grade subject matter. Junk such as memorizing the periodic table or the order of the U.S. Presidents. Yet another reason to switch to private schools with public subsidization.
Public school in Fairbanks is such a waste of time.
nmg60- On a national level, our primary (K-5) public education is decent. Really it is only our high schools that are horrible, especially here in Alaska.
In my experience the public school system in Alaska is first rate; my three children, all born in Fairbanks, are products of Interior public schools from kindergarten through high school. They never had to memorize the periodic table, but they were expected to understand it. My oldest son went to on UAA to get a two year degree in welding, and is working 70 hour weeks in a steel fabrication shop in Anchorage. My daughter is working full time in a Seattle medical clinic as a nursing assistant while she goes to medical school. Just this past Saturday I had the pleasure of attending my youngest son's graduation ceremony at Florida Tech; he attended on a full ride academic scholarship, getting his degee summa cum laude in aerospace engineering. His entire senior design team has been recruited into the local space industry in and around Cape Kennedy on the strength of their senior project that tests a new satellite concept. Their first working satellite will be in orbit within the next year. I personally know another product of the Alaska public school system that went on to do well at MIT, and is now an oil tanker captain working out of Valdez. Of course, many kids fail to benefit, but in my view the public school system in Alaska will provide a top notch education to prepare Alaskan kids to do anything they want to work for. They key is, the kids have to work for their education, and the parents must act to support that effort. Most Alaskan teachers in my experience have been and are top notch, but they can't work magic; they must be supported by the home environment. My wife and I paid attention to our kid's efforts in the classroom, and we had a few simple rules. Foremost was we turned the TV off most of the time. Our kids were expected to spend more time reading (not counting homework)than watching TV, and my wife and I modeled this same behavior. The second rule was that they had to participate in an extracurricular activity at least two of every three quarters. The choice of activity was up to them; basketball, cross country skiing, chorus, drama, chess club, we did not care what the choice was; they just had to participate. The point is, the Alaska public schools never failed us, because we never failed the schools.
My personal opinion is Alaska needs more support for technical colleges. Many students, native and non-native, drop out because the "introductory" courses such as chemistry, advanced mathematics, etc. are not in tune with the way an individual thinks or learns. Also, if not taught right it is hard to see the relevancy of such courses. Like trying to tell a child they need to brush their teeth. Thus, in such courses many students do poor, get discouraged, and sadly drop out. For example, many people are interested in wildlife or wildlife management, but get discouraged by "introductory" courses and give up. I am not saying that "introductory" courses are not important, but if we want to encourage learning in the broader view more streamline programs might offer more opportunities for the future of our young ones.
Im sorry but Mr. Phipps is wrong. His comment "If you don't finish the 12th grade, you aren't going anywhere" is wrong. I did not finish 10 grade and I am doing well for myself(making $42,5000). Yes I agree kids should finish school and continue their education but I think it is just wrong saying what he did
I hated school, but I never thought of blaming the president of the united states...... Oh, but I couldn't blame Jimmy Carter, can I?
Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.
Wow -
This study kinda echos all the thoughts we have been commenting on in the last few days on these boards.
Lemmie guess - you can't rate kids based on stadardized tests, blah blah blah
Maybe we should pay the teachers more! Bet that would help.
Clearly we cannot educate kids in this state. We ship prisoners out because it is cheaper - maybe we should ship the kids out for an education (tongue in cheek) - they might have a better chance then.
Our schools have failed. Lets blame everyone but the schools and the teachers for this performance...gotta be the parents...no child left behind...George Bush...Dick Cheney...Global Warming...corn bale houses...leaving your lights on at home...pogo mine...etc etc etc....
As always, the FDNM runs this story the day after a major story on the bargaining between the teachers and the FNSB school district that hosted the most comments on this sight that I've seen to date. Coincidence .... I think not and am insulted by the fact that the FDNM would not think that the average person would notice.
We've had five kids go through the FNSB School District. We've experienced great teachers, good teachers and bad teachers. They've been in schools with great administrators, good administrators and administrators that had risen to their own level of incompetence. They've played under great coaches, adequate coaches and coaches that were never good players and less than that as coaches.
We had three in college this last year. The oldest has worked for his employer since he was 15 and is quite successful, entering his eighth year there and a department manager. The youngest is still in high school. They are doing fine regardless of how poor many folks think the education system is here in Fairbanks.
It all starts at home with all of us parents. Quit blaming the system, other people and the community for what you have lacked to do to raise your own child(ren). Only you are responsible ........ as are you for the content of the paper FDNM editorial staff!
As always, the FDNM runs this story the day after a major story on the bargaining between the teachers and the FNSB school district that hosted the most comments on this sight that I've seen to date. Coincidence .... I think not and am insulted by the fact that the FDNM would not think that the average person mould notice. We've had five kids go through the FNSB School District. We've experienced great teachers, good teachers and bad teachers. They've been in schools with great administrators, good administrators and administrators that had risen to their own level of incompetence. They've played under great coaches, adequate coaches and coaches that were never good players and less than that as coaches.
We had three in college this last year. The oldest has worked for his employer since he was 15 and is quite successf entering his eighth year there and a department manager. The youngest is still in high school. They are doing fine regardless of how poor many folks think the education system is hee in Fairbanks.
It all starts at home with all of us parents. Quit blaming the system, other people and the community for what you have lacked to do to raise your child(ren). Only you are responsible ........ as are you for the content of the paper FDNM editorial staff!
It does take the parents, teachers, and administration to educate. And the individual. That said every few years some study pulls the curtains away and we do not see the success we were promised.
I was surprised when I realized there were parents who did not seem to take much interest in their child's education, "That's what we pay the teachers for." or "I work all day and am beat when I get home."
I was not quite so surprised when I realized there were teachers did not seem to have much interest in their student's education, "The class is over full," or "I put in so many overtime hours."
What was not at all surprising is that the administration is mostly useless. More programs. More plans. More staff. More vague results to justify the administration's requests and existence.
At every level the school bureaucracy in this town is like a crab boat over loaded with crab pots so they can max out the fishery, for this analogy fishery equals tax basis (your home). That needs to change but guess who's job it would be to change that?
Teachers are given extra paperwork that perhaps could be reduced. But... there's something else. From what I've seen of teachers and the UAF teacher's degree requirement, I would say many, maybe most, teachers don't know how to teach. Now by that I mean that there is a special quality that engages a person in a way that the person suddenly lifts his head and says, "I see". Some people are born with that ability to teach. Maybe it is an ability that can not be learned. I would not say that I have that ability but I can recognize it. After raising two kids here I can only say I met one elementary and one high school teacher that were true teachers. There were others who knew their subjects and even cared for the material. Some cared for the students These could have done better with less paper work. There were and are others who wanted a fairly well paid job with time off that did not require too rigorous university course work.
Parents: yes, we have job related home work and think that the kids' homework is their's to do. We have to prepare for the next day. We have meals to make, cars to fix, and shopping to be done. But they are our children and they are our responsibility. Hurts doesn't it.
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