Alaska's education department is set to launch a new reading instruction center for students and teachers, amid concern from some lawmakers that the program appears ill-equipped to address lagging reading abilities where the need is greatest.
At the time, Dunleavy said the funding would go to support a bill passed by the Legislature last year to improve reading proficiency through “conferences, trainings, materials and ongoing professional development through the department of education.”Deena Bishop, the former Anchorage schools superintendent who now serves as Dunleavy’s special assistant for education issues and a point person for the reading academy, did not respond to an interview request.
“There was commitment to put reading specialists to help teachers teach reading in the districts that are struggling the most. They would be on the district team. They would live in the region,” said Kiehl, the Juneau Democrat. But the Alyeska Reading Academy, with its Anchorage-based facility and staff, “didn’t come out of the Reads Act, wasn’t discussed, certainly isn’t what we voted for. I’ll be darned if I can see how it’s going to work.
Teshner said she assumes the funding is meant to cover both travel and housing in Anchorage for teachers from rural communities to benefit from the program.
“Why don’t you get a YouTube video?” Kiehl asked. “It will be as relevant to the actual experience of teaching kids in the districts that are struggling.”Teshner said that the program would be run by the department of education, comparing it to the Alyeska Central School, a statewide correspondence program that was run by the department until 2004, when the Legislature passed a bill to end it.
“A hyper expensive centralized school that’s not in a district that’s struggling to teach reading? I’m very dubious,” Kiehl said. Fields, who meets regularly with the governor, said Dunleavy first mentioned the idea of a reading academy to him late last year.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Alaska’s lawmakers respond to report of attempted Chinese spying in AlaskaAlaska’s congressional delegation is responding to a report of Chinese spies trying to access one of the state’s military bases. According to USA Today, Chinese citizens posing as tourists “have made several attempts” to snoop on American military bases in recent years including in Fairbanks.
Read more »
Today's Headlines: Gov. Gavin Newsom threatened Gov. Ron DeSantis with kidnapping charges over migrantsGov. Gavin Newsom threatened Gov. Ron DeSantis with kidnapping charges after South American migrants were flown to Sacramento.
Read more »
Why abortion is becoming a political minefield for Republican presidential candidatesThis week, the Republican presidential field will considerably expand, with the entry of former Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.
Read more »
Passengers evacuated from small cruise ship in Alaska’s Glacier Bay after fire breaks outNo injuries were reported Monday after 67 passengers and crew were evacuated from the UnCruise Adventures ship Wilderness Discoverer to another cruise ship in the area, authorities say.
Read more »
Fire forces evacuation of 51 passengers from cruise ship in Southeast AlaskaMembers of the U.S. Coast Guard responded to a fire onboard a small cruise ship in Glacier Bay National Park on Monday.
Read more »
Fire on small cruise ship in Alaska forces evacuation of 67 people, Coast Guard says | CNNA fire on a small cruise ship in Alaska forced 67 people aboard to evacuate Monday, according to the US Coast Guard.
Read more »