Anchorage has dedicated more space for elementary schools than it currently needs, and it is making ASD less effective than it could be.
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Anchorage Needs to Consolidate Its Classroom Space

Many of us complain that our education system is broken and failing our kids and our country. Mayor Sullivan of Anchorage hosted an Education Summit in mid-November and invited 100 participants to hear about making the Anchorage School District a world class education system. As a followup to that summit, the Mayor will host six community conversations to involve more of the community and to move the improvement process forward. So, if you are concerned with changing the educational system and improving Anchorage’s education system so all our kids can compete in the global economy, you need to register for these “community conversations”. For more information go to: http://www.muni.org/Departments/Mayor/Pages/Mayor’sEducationSummit.aspx.

(Cato Institute, Timothy Sandefur) The Environmental Protection Agency has many administrative powers including the use of compliance orders to deny property owners the right to use their property without judicial recourse. In Idaho, Michael and Chantelle Sackett purchased property on which to build their dream home in 2005. After clearing the property and backfilling in preparation for laying the foundation, they were served by the EPA with a  wetland “compliance order” to cease building and return the land to its original state. When the Sacketts attempted to challenge the compliance order with a hearing before the EPA or a federal judge  they found that they had no right for a hearing in either venue. They only could assert their rights when, and if, the EPA filed an “enforcement” action. In other words, the Sacketts could only challenge the EPA determination that their property was designated a wetlands when the EPA allowed them, regardless of the EPA’s denial of their property rights. This would be bad enough if it weren’t for the $37,500 per day fine the Sacketts would incur if they did not restore the property to its original condition within 5 months. (read more…)

(Capitol Research Center) Taxpayers paid more than $129 million in salaries and benefits to federal employees for doing “official” union work in 2009. These federal employees logged about 3 million hours and received government paychecks for doing union work. How can this be? Title V of the US Code allows federal employees to do union work while on the job working for the taxpayer. This is called “official” time in the Code. In effect, the taxpayer pays for activities which provide literally no direct public benefit. This can also include union lobbying activities for federal legislation. So, you may be paying for a union representative to complain about inadequate bathrooms, parking spaces or inadequate windows in offices. This happens while the union representative (federal employee) is collecting a paycheck from you, the taxpayer. (read more…)

“Closing the Education Achievement Gap” 

Dr. Ben Chavis, founder of the American Indian Model (AIM) Charter School in Oakland, California will present on the topic of motivating students, especially minority and lower income students, to achieve their maximum potential. His AIM middle school is now the #1 achieving middle school in all of California. Ninety-two percent of the students speak English as a second language, 97% qualify for free/reduced lunch, and 98% of the students are minorities. How does he do this?

Many would call his method “tough love.” Whatever it is, it seems to work, and work very well. He insists on high student expectations, personal responsibility from each student, structured classrooms, and enforced discipline. Dr. Chavis has been featured on John Stossel’s “Stupid in America” series which focused on education successes in America. Some say Dr. Chavis is not politically correct; he would say his only concern is for the kids in his schools, not the political correctness of his views and methods. He is concerned with outcomes and ensuring all his students achieve their maximum potential.

An Inspiring Story

When Dr. Chavis became the principal of the middle school, it was sometimes referred to as the zoo. Neighbors hated it because the students were out of control and wreaked havoc in the area. It was the worst middle school in Oakland. Chavis realigned the culture of the school from one of low expectations/high self esteem to one of highest expectations/maximum achievement.

Join us to hear what Dr. Chavis has to say about our education system and solutions that he has made work in his schools. It will be an outstanding evening!

Wilda Marston Theater/Loussac Library

Tuesday, January, 24, 2012

6:30-9:00PM

Earlier in November, the Alaska Policy Forum released a report card for the schools in the Anchorage School District. With that report card as a starting point, the Forum created a more improved rating system, and integrated it into a clickable map for easier navigation. If you have questions or comments about this map, feel free to email

Bob Griffin, Education Research Fellow, Alaska Policy Forum at bgriffin at alaskapolicyforum dot org  

or

David Boyle, Research Associate, Alaska Policy Forum at dboyle at alaskapolicyforum dot org.

Take me to the ASD Report Card

(The Manhattan Institute) The Obama Administration’s energy policy apparently consists of subsidizing so-called “green” energy with taxpayers’ dollars and ending fossil fuel exploration/production. The Energy Department had no problem handing out $529 million in loan guarantees to now-defunct Solyndra in quick fashion. Meanwhile, the Keystone XL pipeline project, from the Canadian border to Houston, TX is held up until after the 2012 elections. It seems as if the Administration is only concerned with the environmental special interests and not creating good paying jobs for middle class Americans. It is clear where the president’s priorities are: appeasing special interests until after the election.

Not only would the Keystone XL project create nearly 20,000 jobs for several years, it would also provide about 700,000 barrels per day of vital energy supply, thus lowering our dependence on countries not friendly to us. Robert Bryce, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, states that the Keystone XL project would generate 46% more energy than all of America’s solar and wind energy sources. (read more…)

From the 2009-10 to the 2010-2011 school year, the Alaska Native Cultural Charter School in the Anchorage School District saw the most improvement in their performance. Based on the Standard Based Assessment test scores, the charter school saw a gain of 8.7 points.

To view the change in performance for all schools in the Anchorage School District click here (PDF).

Anchorage, Alaska – Alaska’s grassroots movement for parental choice in education received a significant boost the other day with the endorsement by delegates to the 2011 Annual Convention of the Alaska Federation of Natives, according to Jeremy Thompson, executive director of the Alaska Policy Forum.

“This resolution from AFN could not have come at a better time,” said Thompson. “Lawmakers are preparing to return to Juneau in January for a new session and will have before them proposals to establish a parental choice scholarship program in Alaska.  The AFN endorsement is a loud message that the people of the state want them to act.”

The resolution submitted by the AFN Board of Directors, after being sent in by the Kenaitze Indian Tribe, states that delegates endorse parental choice because it “allows Native parents flexibility to start new schools, or select other schools or methods designed to best respond to their children’s need.”

House Bill 145 and its companion Senate Bill 106 authorize public funding to be used to pay for the cost of K-12 education at a public or private school selected by a child’s parent.  The school of choice, according to the legislation, would receive the amount of funding the school district in which the student resides would have received.

According to Jonathon Ross, President of Tsiltan Management Group, the legislation will create opportunities to meet the educational, cultural and social needs of Native children.

“Alaska Native peoples have distinct cultures, languages, traditional knowledge, and a rich history that are a valuable resource to all Alaskans, and should be part of a child’s education in Alaska,” Ross said.  “For years the tide has been going out under the current educational systems, but in the Dena’ina language of Southcentral Alaska there is a word, naqantughedu\, which means the tide has turned around and it is coming back in, and with it a resurgence of our cultures, languages, traditions, and values that have sustained Alaska Native peoples for thousands of years. That time is here now, and it is time to make significant changes to how education happens for all Alaskans.”

Earlier this year during its first session the Legislature held a number of hearings on the educational choice proposals. “When lawmakers start work again in early 2012, we want them to pass these bills and send them to the governor for his signature,” Ross said.  “Our children deserve the opportunity to attend the schools that best meet their educational needs. This legislation will go a long way to help accomplish that.”

According to Jeremy Thompson, legislators need to hear support from other state organizations and individual Alaskans.  “We believe that parental choice in education is the best contribution we can make for the future of our kids.”

To read the full AFN resolution, visit: http://www.alaskapolicyforum.org/wp-content/uploads/AFN-Convention-Resolution-11-05.pdf

UPDATE, Monday November 28, 2011:

Alaska Policy Forum has revised the letter grades that were assigned to the SBA averages for each school in the Anchorage School District. The new system is as follows:

We feel this grading system to be a better representation of the SBA testing results. We have also created a clickable map to better display the grades and make the information more accessible (Flash required). To view the new map, visit here:

http://www.alaskapolicyforum.org/resources/anchorage-school-district-report-card/

END UPDATE

We all remember the days when report cards were given to us by teachers and the great anxieties those days held. This was especially true when the grades were not good and we had to show them to our parents so they could sign off on the report card. Some of us even tried to hide our “achievements”!  If students are graded and held accountabl for their achievements,then school districts should be accountable and receive grades, as well.

For example, Florida has graded all its schools since 1999 on an A to F scale, resulting in dramatic improvements in student achievement. These schools are required to prominently post the school grade at the school. We have developed a grading system for the ASD based on results of the Standards Based Assessment (SBA) tests administered to public school students in grades 3 through 9. Students in tenth grade are required to take a combined SBA/HSGQE test. Per the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development,  ”the SBA in grades 3 through 10 measure student achievement in relation to the performance standards/grade level expectations.”  All students in grades 3-10 are assessed in reading, writing and mathematics.

This report card only considers scores in mathematics and language arts, with the reading and writing scores combined for an average into a language arts score. The scores in language arts and mathematics were averaged together and a school grade was assigned based on the following: see above.