ALASKA PUBLIC EDUCATION was once among the top academically in the nation. Today ALASKA! is at the bottom for academic outcomes. For what The People were paying teachers since the 1980s, we should have been able to hire the best in the world! Today, having a teacher workforce of some 8,500, Alaskans see a turnover of 2,000-4,000 teachers flushing through every year.
With more than 50 school districts–each with at least 10 students and a superintendent—the goal of Alaska public education is wealth distribution. As a product of Alaska education through a Master’s Degree and teaching certificate, DONN LISTON has a unique insight into how we are failing our students: DONN LISTON worked nine years in Juneau for the largest teacher union, NEA-Alaska!
Life Lessons about Alaska Public Education This writer’s longest time away from Alaska over 60 years living there was when I went to Tonasket, Washington to attend some high school. This was necessary because Yakutat had two K-8 schools but no high school. I attended three Tonasket HS semesters–coming home between each–before our family moved […]
8th Grade at Yakutat, AK Read More »
You CAN Blame Us! https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Generation_timeline.svg&lang=simple My Baby Boomer generation grew up in the long shadow of the Greatest Generation–Americans who lived through the Great Depression and fought for the rights and freedoms guaranteed in our USA and Alaska Constitutions. My father was a member of the following Silent Generation by one year (Born in 1929)
Confessions Of An Alaska Boomer Read More »
What’s Alaska’s Long-Term Plan? Notice to International Readers: This site can be read in six languages. Just peck the popup at the bottom of the page to change from English. Ang site na ito ay mababasa sa anim na wika. I-peck lang ang popup sa ibaba ng page para magpalit mula sa China HAS a
Thinking about China; 4,000 Years of Recorded History Read More »
Longstanding Alaska Dilemma Notice to International Readers: This site can be read in six languages. Just peck the popup at the bottom of the page to change from English. Ang site na ito ay mababasa sa anim na wika. I-peck lang ang popup sa ibaba ng page para magpalit mula sa Updated version originally published:
Who Should be Teaching YOUR Kids? Read More »
What is Entertainment-NEWS Good For? JUDGE MURPHY TRIAL FOR PERJURY LIVESTREAM LINK: https://courts.alaska.gov/#:~:text=%E2%96%B8%203KN%2D23,2023%20%40%2010%3A00am For boomers like this writer, NEWS was something boring that our parents watched after dinner before entertainment programs on black & white televisions. Today the legacy NEWS is entertainment and little more. [1]Confessions of a Boomer Later, as a cub reporter at
Demise of the FOURTH ESTATE Read More »
And, how ONE Spec Ed Bully can menace a learning community Alaska Public Education is in crisis. Management cannot protect teachers and as more parents abandon the Education Factory Model students at the lower economic strata of society will suffer. This is because government education in Alaska is little more than a money pit for
The Alaska Government School Hustle Read More »
…it’s not just for “Drop-outs.” Update of story first published March 14, 2016 NorthernRight.com As Alaska Legislators debate how much Protection Money they will again award the Union Cartel that throttles our failing government education factories, perhaps Alaskans should accept what many intelligent parents have learned: The GED is set at 12th grade and students
An earlier version of this story appeared January 11, 2018, ECHO Magazine The luxurious Egan Library at the University of Alaska Southeast was completed while I lived in Juneau. This branch of the UA System has the best School of Education but many districts prefer to hire newly trained Outside teachers seeking their Alaska Adventure.
Life Transitions; Alaskan Choices I Made Read More »
A Teacher’s Dilemma Updated story first published October 16, 2019 More than 8,000 teachers work for k-12 government schools in Alaska and an estimated 2,000-4000 cycle annually in and out of the jobs provided in more than 50 school districts. Most of these districts provide teacher employment contracts as part of Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA)
Power of Alaska Public Sector Unions Read More »
Jungle Primary>Ranked Choice Voting Alaska wannabes in the political minority have been the tail that wags the dog since before 1959 statehood. 1947 territory Alaskans voted to hold Blanket Primary Elections–where all candidates of all parties were listed in each race on the primary ballot Iike beauty contestants. Alaskans voted for personalities over philosophy or
