Alaska legislative task force releases tentative education report

Christopher Eshleman:

The Legislature should attend to policies impacting distance education, teacher training and student counseling, a task force has said.

The tentative report serves as early recommendations from the group, which formed almost a year ago under a legislative directive.

Policy makers will ultimately look to its final recommendations for guidance when setting education policy. The group spent two days last week combing, as a co-chairman put it, through a "kitchen sink" of 63 ideas. Roughly half remained when it wrapped up work Friday afternoon.

The list -- still tentative -- places emphasis on turning to technology-supported distance education in a vast state with relatively few residents. The group suggested state education and workforce development departments should team with university leaders to assess broadband infrastructure. The list would also nudge lawmakers further by asking them to consider encouraging school districts to start requiring some online coursework before a student can graduate.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at March 15, 2011 1:19 AM
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