Professional Development Needs of Alaska's Career & Technical Education Teachers: An Assessment

Professional Development Needs of Alaska’s Career & Technical Education

Teachers: An Assessment

Conducted and prepared by

Kelly Donnelly, MPA

University of Alaska Anchorage

Community & Technical College

July 2013

Funded by grant # EL13.156.01 from Alaska Department of Education & Early Development. The opinions expressed in this

report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funder.

2013 CTE Teacher Professional Development Needs Assessment 2 K. Donnelly


Acknowledgements

It is with a deep sense of gratitude that I extend my thanks to the many people who provided support

and assistance in completing this needs assessment. To the teachers who give so selflessly of their time

and talent, we are indebted to you. To the administrators who have the courage to envision a different

future for both teachers and students, I thank you for your time and candor. And to my colleagues at

UAA especially Angela Dirks, Dayna DeFeo, Cathy LeCompte, Kim Griffis, and Sheila Soule, you have my

deepest appreciation. Thank you for sharing your wisdom, observations, and willingness to process

through aspects of this work. Many hands make light work and I am thankful for yours in this effort.


Executive Summary

An assessment of the professional development needs of Alaska’s career and technical

education (CTE) teachers was conducted by staff in the Career & Technical Education Department at

UAA Community and Technical College during spring 2013. The study used a combination of semi-

structured interviews and a web-based survey to collect data from a self-selected sample of teachers

responsible for teaching one or more career and technical education courses in Alaska’s schools, grades

7-12. The study was a part of the activities funded by a grant from the Alaska Department of Education

and Early Development through the Carl Perkins (2006) Postsecondary Grant Program.

Assessment data was analyzed both by respondent career phase and location (Anchorage/Mat-

Su/Fairbanks/Kenai or smaller districts). The data reveal specific needs in both categories. The results

were synthesized and used to develop a series of learner profiles that can be used to guide future

professional development activities. The profiles are summarized in the table below:

Profile General characteristics Primary topics of interest Preferred delivery modes

Early

-- 0-6 years exp. --Building a sense of teaching competence --uninformed about system processes

Boot camp/ basic CTE pedagogy; Career Pathways; Building relationships with industry partners

--Traditional course format --Learning from “experts” --online and clinics

Emergent

-- 7-14 years exp. --vulnerable to disengagement --seeking to expand connection with career

Building relationships with industry partners; advanced strategies for CTL; technical training specific to teaching assignment

--Experiential learning format --Facilitated opportunities for reflected practice --online, PLCs, Clinics, Conference+

Established

--15+ years --potential mentor pool --well-developed sense of self efficacy and self-determination as a teacher

Technology applications in CTE; building relationships with industry partners; industry certification opportunities

--Peer-to-peer format --More application than theory --Clinics and Conference+

The results also prompted 22 separate recommendations related to professional development. The

recommendations are organized by whether they are intended to address teacher behavior or system

supports. They include program, university, school district, and state recommendations. The

recommendations are offered to UAA CTC leadership, EED CTE program staff, and school district

administrators for consideration as we work to develop CTE teachers who have technical skills,

academic/disciplinary proficiency, pedagogical and the classroom management capabilities to facilitate

positive student outcomes.


Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................... 7

Problem Statement: .............................................................................................................................. 9

Purpose of the Study:.......................................................................................................................... 10

Research Questions: ........................................................................................................................... 10

Significance of the Study: .................................................................................................................... 11

Theoretical Framework: ...................................................................................................................... 11

LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................................... 11

CTE Teachers and Professional Development: ................................................................................... 11

Career Cycle Models: .......................................................................................................................... 12

METHODOLOGY ...................................................................................................................................... 15

Kind of Research: ................................................................................................................................ 15

Phase I: Semi-structured Teacher Interviews ..................................................................................... 16

Phase II: Needs Assessment Survey ................................................................................................... 17

FINDINGS ................................................................................................................................................. 18

Limitations: ......................................................................................................................................... 18

Age, Gender, Experience: .................................................................................................................... 20

Career Phases and Implications .......................................................................................................... 25

Professional Development Content and Delivery ............................................................................... 29

Urban/Rural/Remote Implications...................................................................................................... 37

CTE Pedagogy ...................................................................................................................................... 40

SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................................... 42

Recommendations .............................................................................................................................. 43

References .................................................................................................................................................. 48

Appendices .................................................................................................................................................. 50

Appendix A .............................................................................................................................................. 51

2013 CTE Teacher Needs Assessment .................................................................................................... 51

2013 CTE Teacher Needs Assessment Survey ......................................................................................... 52


Table of Figures

Figure 1: Steffey & Wolfe Career Cycle Model ........................................................................................... 13

Figure 2: Fessler & Christensen Career Cycle Model .................................................................................. 13

Figure 3: Huberman Career Cycle Model .................................................................................................... 14

Figure 4: Age and Gender Distribution ....................................................................................................... 21

Figure 5: Experience/Age Comparison ....................................................................................................... 22

Figure 6: Experience/Location Comparison ................................................................................................ 23

Figure 7: Source of Teacher Training .......................................................................................................... 24

Figure 8: ISER's New Hire Data .................................................................................................................... 25

Figure 9: Readiness for Re-certification ...................................................................................................... 26

Figure 10: Re-cert Readiness by Career Phase............................................................................................ 27

Figure 11: Portion of Day Teaching CTE ...................................................................................................... 27

Figure 12: Industry Experience by Career Phase ........................................................................................ 29

Figure 13: PD Topics by Career Phase ......................................................................................................... 31

Figure 14: Respondent-generated PD Topics ............................................................................................. 31

Figure 15: PD Format Preferences .............................................................................................................. 32

Figure 16: School Year Barriers to PD ......................................................................................................... 34

Figure 17: Summer PD Challenges .............................................................................................................. 34

Figure 18: School Year Barriers by Career Phase ........................................................................................ 36

Figure 19: Summer Barriers by Career Phase ............................................................................................. 37

Figure 20: PD Timing by Location ................................................................................................................ 38

Figure 21: PD Topic Preferences by Location .............................................................................................. 39

Figure 22: CTL Strategies by Location ......................................................................................................... 41

Figure 23: Organization of Recommendations ........................................................................................... 43

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INTRODUCTION

The role of professional development in the lives of American educators is one that receives a

fair amount of scrutiny and criticism. Often, teachers report that mandated or district-sponsored

professional development fails to meet their needs. It’s either too broad to home in on the issues with

which they grapple; too disconnected from their day-to-day experiences in the classroom; or is a

rehashing of material they feel that they already know. Career and technical education teachers, in

particular, crave opportunities that allow them to enhance professional skills while being directly

relevant to their classrooms. These anecdotal observations have been shared amongst administrators

and teachers alike. However, how true are these assumptions? The Alaska CTE Teacher Professional

Development Needs Assessment sought to address these assumptions and to illustrate the perceived

needs held by CTE teachers themselves.

Program History: The Secondary Teacher Professional Development Program at UAA has just

completed its first year of a new grant cycle. Prior iterations of this set of grant activities were blended

with those designed to support UAA’s Master of Science in Career & Technical Education and related

graduate certificate offered by the Career & Technical Education Department, as well as provide

professional development opportunities. The new grant cycle brought a new focus on specific,

intentional, and high quality professional development opportunities for Alaska’s CTE teachers in grades

7-12. The program is funded by a grant from the State of Alaska Department of Education and Early

Development as a part of the Carl Perkins Postsecondary Grant Program.

Professional development for teachers is influenced by several contextual factors. Features of

the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006 influence implementation

of the current program offered at UAA. The legislation actively promotes integrated, rigorous, and

challenging instruction, leading to students being prepared for high skill, high wage, and high demand

occupations via a framework for Career Pathways Programs of Study. With regard to professional

development, the Act seeks to improve the quality of career and technical education teachers, faculty,

administrators, and counselors; emphasizes increased coordination with business and industry

organizations; and builds greater accountability (2006). Explicit in the Act is the opportunity to apply

resources to raise the caliber of CTE teachers and it is with that end that this program is intended.

Implementation of the Perkins Act has been challenging. In an analysis of the current Act

prepared for the Obama Administration, Dortch (2012) discusses the implications of emphasis on

curricular integration. She posits questions about the quality of CTE teachers, the role of alternative


routes to certification, and the utility of Perkins-funded professional development. “Given the

expectations that CTE students become both technically and academically proficient, it is important that

CTE teachers have technical skills, academic/disciplinary proficiency, pedagogical and classroom

management capabilities.” This same concern was voiced by Meeder In his review of policy implications

of the 2006 reauthorization (2008). Both highlight the role of professional development in the efforts to

effectively integrate rigorous academics within CTE courses.

In Alaska professional development of CTE teachers holds a critical place. CTE plays an

important role in meeting workforce development needs statewide. Alaska industries rely on

secondary and post-secondary schools to produce highly skilled candidates for high demand, highly

competitive jobs in key industries. In 2010 the commissioners of the Department of Education and

Early Development, Department of Labor and Workforce Development, and University of Alaska

president came together to jointly endorse the Alaska Career and Technical Education Plan: A Call to

Action (State of Alaska, 2010). Professional development of CTE educators features prominently in most

of the strategies, again underscoring the need for teachers who are both technically and pedagogically

proficient.

The last contextual factor that influences professional development in Alaska is the role of

school reform and focus on school outcomes. In the past five years we have seen an increase in

frustration of students and their families with unintended consequence of high stakes testing limiting

courses offered at the secondary level. Increasingly, districts have elected to deploy resources that

focus on meeting requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind legislation, offering core content

courses at the expense of some traditional CTE courses. While it may not be an “either/or” proposition,

the perception is such. With the adoption of Alaska’s version of Common Core Standards for Math,

Reading, and Writing, there is concern among some CTE educators that fewer resources will be available

to support CTE courses.

However, CTE courses hold the golden opportunity to marry content knowledge acquisition with

application, yielding a more effective learning outcome. This requires a pedagogical shift for many

teachers who have built careers on working solely within their content area. Using the principles of

contextual teaching and learning (CTL), CTE teachers can take those critical content concepts and imbed

them within a context that promotes more effective learning. “Learning by doing causes us to make

connections that yield meaning, and when we see meaning, we acquire and retain knowledge and

skills,” (Johnson, 2002).


It is within this context that the CTE Teacher Professional Development Needs Assessment was

conceived and executed. It explores several broad areas related to professional development. While it

directly responds to and answers some questions posed during the first year of the grant, it raises others

that will require further inquiry. The purpose is not to create an exhaustive resource, but to offer

insights and guiding principles to shape how professional development for secondary teachers is

offered. The overarching goal of education is students who are equipped to thrive in Alaska’s

communities, support the economy, and participate fully in the wide array of post-secondary options

available to them. Teacher professional development should be designed to facilitate that outcome.

Problem Statement: CTE teachers need professional development that honors their unique

career paths, recognizes progress through a career cycle, and allows them to develop the skills and

strategies to help them integrate academic skills into their curricula. This is a context defined by Perkins

Act requirements and changes in K-12 core content standards, as well as teacher evaluation regulations.

To date, university-based professional development has been offered in response to a desire expressed

by a third party (professional association, school district, state education agency) or as an inconsistent

slate of courses responding to unknown demands. An inventory of UAA CTE professional development

offerings (590 courses) since 2008 yielded little connection between possible needs of teachers and the

courses that were offered.

Professional development courses are offered throughout the University of Alaska system, as

well as by other local and national vendors, and are a means for educators to access knowledge and

skills that meet their own specific needs. Students enrolled in those courses earn academic credit that

supports renewal of teaching certificates, can assist with movement on the salary scale, but do not

count toward advanced degrees or academic certificates. The cost for these courses is a fraction of

traditional graduate course work, with an average three-credit course running approximately $340.

Professional development courses are an economical solution to professional development needs for

individuals and for school districts1.

Complicating the issue of professional development for CTE teachers across the state are

variables that have little to do with the oft cited urban/rural/remote conundrum. Progress through

one’s career happens in developmental stages, with professional development needs changing and

1 In the past CTE teachers who serve as adjunct instructors for their local UA community campus were able to use

tuition waiver credits earned to cover tuition costs for professional development courses. However, a 2012 change in University regulations prohibits the use of tuition waivers for 590 professional development courses. At the time of this writing it has prevented several students from enrolling in Summer 2013 professional development courses. For more information please see www.alaska.edu/benefits/tuition-waivers/ .

http://www.alaska.edu/benefits/tuition-waivers/


evolving over the course. Many teachers in CTE enter the field

through alternative certification processes and bring a unique

set of professional development needs that may not be typical

of a more traditionally trained educator.

In the current fiscal climate school funding is

increasingly constrained. While funds decrease or are

stagnant and educational accountability increases,

professional development for teachers may be at risk. Since

student performance in CTE classes is not assessed, the

pressure on schools to perform may create the unintentional effect of limiting professional development

opportunities for CTE teachers.

What is measured is what gets noticed. Without data to support decisions regarding how to

achieve the goals of the professional development program, any design would be minimally responsive

at best. Rather than approaching this professional development project in the frame of “What do we

need to do for the grant?” the needs assessment allows us to focus on designing the best possible

professional development program for CTE educators.

Purpose of the Study: The purpose of this needs assessment was to better understand and

describe the types of learning and collaboration CTE teachers experience; to use career path and time in

service to develop a learner profile; to identify preferred topics, delivery formats, and times for

professional development, and to explore strategies used to enhance rigor and relevance through

contextual teaching and learning.

Research Questions: As a function of the larger Perkins funding activity, this study sought to answer

a number of questions relevant to professional development of CTE teachers in Alaska:

Can we create a series of “learner profiles” and tailor offerings to meet their needs?

How are CTE teachers imbedding academics into their content areas, supporting contextual

teaching and learning? Are there professional development needs related to curriculum

integration?

What are the barriers that keep teachers from engaging in professional development activities?

How are CTE teachers engaging with relevant industries to enhance relevance for students in

the classroom?

Where are Alaska’s CTE teachers coming from and what are are the implications for the

University of Alaska teacher preparation programs?

Urban/Rural Defined

Urban: Community that serves as a

population center, is connected to other

population centers by road, and has well-

developed infrastructure.

Rural: Smaller community with more

limited infrastructure, but still connected to

urban centers by road.

Remote: Villages and communities

accessible solely by air or boat.


What are the topics that teachers feel would be most beneficial for professional development?

A number of other tertiary questions emerged, but answers to these six questions broadly shape the

evolving Teacher Professional Development Program at UAA.

Significance of the Study: The results of this needs assessment will be of use to the Professional

Development Program at UAA, but to a broader audience as well. Given the aging teaching workforce,

the College of Education would find the information useful as they explore ways to better meet Alaska’s

need for locally grown education professionals. School districts will find the study useful as they

consider how to design school-based professional development that is equally responsive to the needs

of teachers in varying places in one’s career cycle, as well as public demand for school improvement and

reform. Education administrators will have a basis against which future professional development

activities can be evaluated as well as a tool for planning.

Theoretical Framework: Constructivist learning theory is the framework for this study. It

proposes that learning is a self-regulated process that occurs when individuals interact with their

environment and organize, reflect on, and integrate new information and experiences into their current

cognitive structures (Fosnot & Perry, 2005). Four key learning principles derived from constructivism

that can be applied to professional development for teachers. First, learning is a development process

that requires active involvement of the learner. Second, learning requires a sense of disequilibrium,

challenging learners to seek other possibilities. Third, reflection through writing and dialog allows

learners to organize and connect their experiences. Lastly, dialogue within a community of learners

inspires further thinking. This approach is congruent both with a developmental model of career cycles

and with principles of contextual teaching and learning.

LITERATURE REVIEW

The purpose of this literature review is to summarize the research and theory surrounding key

areas of this needs assessment. Research concerning professional development for CTE teachers is

examined for insight to approaches with promise in Alaska. Teacher career development cycles

research, including comparisons of different types of activities was the primary lens through which the

data from this study will be viewed. Other literature related to contextual teaching and learning (i.e.

contextual constructivism) is included where relevant.

CTE Teachers and Professional Development: Several interesting approaches to professional

development for CTE teachers have been investigated in recent years. In their exploration of

professional development strategies specific to CTE teachers, Sturko and Gregson (2009) compare two

different approaches to professional development, one a traditional structured course and the other a


facilitated professional learning community. Although the N was quite small (n=6), the results reinforce

a developmental framework for teachers and offer insight into survey results. Those teachers

participating in the structured course, “developed more confidence in their abilities to design and

deliver integrated lesson plans…building their confidence as competent CTE teachers who could

effectively integrate their lessons was an important aspect of their learning (p. 48). The study group by

contrast built an environment in which “teachers learned about practice through conversations and

personal stories, a way for teachers to make meaning out of their classroom experiences.” Both

strategies are evidenced in Alaska, as was illustrated in the interviews.

Kent State offers a program for academic teachers adding CTE endorsements (O'Connor, 2012).

In an evaluation of that program, O’Connor notes the changing profile of CTE teachers, moving from

individuals without traditional academic backgrounds (i.e. undergraduate degrees) to a greater degree

of academic preparation. “As [CTE] programs are more academic in nature, the emphasis and

importance of work experience as a part of CTE teacher background/profile has diminished.” This is

reflected in the experiences of many rural Alaskan teachers who find themselves teaching a CTE course,

but whose endorsement is in one of the tradition core content areas.

As a feature of the Math-in-CTE effort, Stone, Alfeld and Pearson (2008) briefly discussed the

role of professional development in ensuring fidelity to the pedagogical framework of the intervention.

They highlighted training to prepare the CTE-math teacher teams to function collaboratively, as well as

how to identify math concepts embedded within CTE content.

Professional development as a teacher retention strategy in Illinois was explored as well (Drage,

2010). This study explored topics of interest to CTE teachers, motivators to seek out professional

development, and barriers. It yielded several interesting conclusions related to specific types of

professional development needed by specific CTE disciplines; a need for male teachers to increase their

level of understanding and use of reflection as a professional development strategy, and the need for

consideration of place along one’s career cycle in designing professional development opportunities.

An examination of perceived professional development needs of CTE teachers in Idaho focused

on program management needs (Cannon, Kitchel, & Duncan, 2010). It found that the overwhelming

need was to learn grant writing and identification of funding opportunities. However, the authors did

also identify the following curriculum training needs: school-to-work or school-to-career activities;

establishing internships; and providing career exploration activities.

Career Cycle Models: A robust body of research exists exploring the developmental phases

educators experience over the course of a career. All recognize the steep learning curve of the new


Teacher Career Cycle Model

Pre-service

Induction

Competency building

Career frustration

Stable & stagnant

Career wind down

teacher, gains made in the competency building phase, a point in which external forces influence

satisfaction with one’s career, a phase in which teachers either reconcile negative factors or devolve

into frustration, and finally career wind down. What follows is a brief exploration of three models most

applicable to this study.

Steffey & Wolfe: One model of

teacher career cycles is offered by

Steffey & Wolfe (1997). The Life-Cycle

Model for Career Teachers identifies key

phases based on time in career and the

extent to which reflective practice is

present in their teaching repertoire.

Using the lens of transformative

learning, a critical stage for educators is

that point in which “they engage in

transformational processes including

critical reflection on practice,

redefinition of assumptions and beliefs, and enhanced self-worth. Or they can disengage from the work

environment as a source and stimulation for new learning and begin the gradual decline into

professional withdrawal,” (Steffy & Wolfe, 2001).

This model may work well for

teachers taking a traditional path in a

conventional setting, however, for the

population discussed in this needs

assessment there are too many

confounding variables such as alternate

career paths, geographic isolation, and

the unique nature of rural Alaskan

schools. It also assumes reflective

practice which is not a universal aspect

teacher training and development.

Fessler: In their text, The

Teacher Career Cycle: Understanding and Guiding Professional Development of Teachers (1992), Fessler

Figure 1: Steffey & Wolfe Career Cycle Model

Figure 2: Fessler & Christensen Career Cycle Model


and Christensen explore an alternate model of career cycles. A main strength of this model is that it

integrates the contextual influences into the understanding of teacher career development. This model

is most frequently taught in Educational Leadership programs for aspiring administrators. For the

purpose of this study its usefulness is limited by some of the same issues as Steffey and Wolfe’s model.

While there is a less linear view and greater recognition of external influences on career development, it

lacks identification of patterns or modes of a teacher’s career. It also focuses heavily on individual

responses to negative stimuli, assuming that mid-career re-assessment is unique to the teaching

profession.

Huberman’s Model: Although the literature review

reveals great depth in inquiry about teacher development over

one’s career, Huberman’s model is the most fitting for this

context. His study considers an array of educational systems,

explores effects of gender on career development, and is the

only model that also takes into account the possibility of

several paths in a teaching career, rather than adhering to one

model of development for all teachers (Huberman, 1989). As

the data will demonstrate, the sense of fluidity within one’s

path is a hallmark of the CTE teachers responding to the needs

assessment.

In Huberman’s model, all teachers begin in the Entry

Phase which lasts approximately into the third year. Key

features of this phase are basic professional survival and

discovery. Nationally, nearly 30% of all teachers in this phase

leave the profession (Boyd, Lankford, Wyckoff, Grossman, & Loeb, 2007). In Alaska, that statistic is

much higher, with some districts reporting a more than 50% turnover in faculty (Hill & Hirshberg, 2006).

Surviving this initial indoctrination and feeling a sense of basic competency heralds the start of the

Stabilization Phase. Teachers at this point in a career make a conscious commitment to the profession.

In this relatively brief portion of a teaching career feelings of mastery and professional satisfaction are

pronounced. As teachers feel more competent and confident in their craft, they begin to stretch out

and enter the Experimentation Phase. Teachers in this phase may experiment with new content, new

teaching methods, or participate in school reform activities. Some teachers, however, enter a sub-phase

in which they question their career choice, experience burnout, or move into the Conservatism Phase.

Figure 3: Huberman Career Cycle Model


This phase is marked by negativity and cynicism toward educational systems and a sense of

powerlessness. This phase is not the only possible outcome in this framework. Alternately, teachers

who have more positive experiences and opportunities to develop a sense of self-efficacy and self-

determination in their teaching practice will enter a Serenity Phase. These teachers have high degrees

of professional satisfaction, have opportunities to diversify experiences, and move toward the ends of

their careers with a strong sense of contribution. Not bound by years of service but more by

professional experiences, Huberman offers a more fluid model in which a teacher may move between

phases, depending on the context and external factors that may be influencing one’s career at any given

time. The goal of high quality professional development would be to support these experienced

teachers in moving into the Serenity Phase, thereby enhancing learner outcomes and securing stability.

For the purposes of this study, Huberman’s model fits best for the experiences of Alaska teachers.

One minor adaptation is made to Huberman’s model. Huberman labels the late career stage of

19-30 years of practice as “Serenity vs. Conservatism” and uses that label to describe a host of

phenomena that reflect a teacher’s view of career, rather than the primary function of that period as

one would see in the earlier phases. To maintain a clear focus on the developmental needs and function

of the phase we will apply Super’s career stage label of Maintenance. According to Super, key tasks of

this phase are 1) holding one’s own; 2) keeping abreast of new developments, and 3) breaking new

ground (Williams, 1990). Those features are consistent with the tasks described by Huberman and both

models highlight the importance of context in successfully navigating those tasks.

METHODOLOGY Kind of Research: The needs assessment used a mixed methods approach. A series of semi-

structured interviews were conducted with teachers in selected districts (Phase I). The themes

emerging from those interviews were used to refine a web-based survey (Phase II). The web survey was

distributed broadly to capture as many respondents as possible. By using both qualitative and

quantitative methods, a richer, more nuanced picture of professional development needs emerged.

Having an accurate grasp of those needs is essential to ensure program responsiveness.

Population and Sample: Two different strategies were used in recruiting participants for the

study. For the structured interview portion (Phase I), characteristics of districts were examined as

selection factors for site visits. Those characteristics are illustrated in Table 1. The three districts

receiving the highest levels of Perkins funding for FY 2013—Anchorage, Mat-Su, and Fairbanks—were

automatically included due to the size, student population, and impact on Perkins outcomes. Other


districts were invited to participate based not only on funding, but also geographic representativeness

and student population.

Table 1: Site Visit Selection Characteristics

District Total FY 13 Perkins Funding

Region Student Population AY 2011-2012

$1+M Anchorage $ 1,148,151 South Central 48,816

$300K-$500K Mat-Su $ 455,994 South Central 17,494

Fairbanks $ 405,628 Interior 14,384

$150K-$250K Kenai $ 240,684 South Central 9,222

LKSD (Bethel +) $ 167,988 South West 4,208

$50K-$150K

Bering Straits $ 81,151 Far North 1,830

NW Arctic $ 62,501 Far North 2,002

Ketchikan $ 57,313 South East 2,263

Kodiak $ 52,653 South West 2,524

$25K-$50K Sitka $ 31,694 South East 1,376

SW Region $ 31,206 South West 636

Under $25K Nenana $ 15,689 Interior 994

Valdez $ 16,983 South Central 686

The larger districts were asked to have 10-15 CTE teachers participating in the structured

interviews. For the smaller districts all available CTE teachers were invited to participate. Of the 13

districts identified, nine participated in Phase I. The CTE Teacher Semi-structured Interview Guide and

the CTE Teacher Professional Development Needs Assessment Survey can all be found as Appendices A-

B.

Phase I: Semi-structured Teacher Interviews

Recruitment and Coordination: Superintendents and administrators were notified by e-mail of

the needs assessment activities and asked to assign a point of contact (POC) for these efforts. Read

receipts were tagged on messages to assist in follow up. The POCs were then contacted to arrange a

time to discuss the purpose and logistics, to gain permission to meet with CTE teachers, either

individually or in small groups; and to discuss considerations around sensitive times in buildings or the

district. To a degree, interview participants were selected by local building administrators. At some

sites the opportunity was made available to all teachers responsible for one or more CTE courses. Other

site administrators determined who would be interviewed based on teacher availability, a desire to

promote a specific message, or to offer a range of perspectives.

Instrumentation: Semi-structured protocols were used to conduct the teacher interviews. The

teacher protocols focused on a variety of issues surrounding teachers’ professional development


experiences, including: their path into teaching CTE courses; strategies used to support contextual

teaching, learning, and knowledge generalization; industry involvement in teaching CTE courses; format

and content of professional development activities; motivators or barriers to participation in the

professional development process. Background information was also gathered such as total teaching

experience, CTE teaching experience, level of academic attainment, and general demographic data.

Data Collection Procedures: Structured interviews were conducted from January 28th through

April 30th, 2013. Seven of the nine participating districts were visited in person. Skype was used in two

districts due to weather related challenges in reaching the destination. A total of 45 teacher interviews

were completed. Interview participants were asked to consent to be recorded to maintain the integrity

of the participant’s views. However, in one district the coordinating administrator prohibited any

recording of interviews. Hand written notes were used and transcribed immediately following the site

visit. For all of the remaining sites, recorded interviews and interview notes were transcribed for coding

an analysis.

Data analysis procedures The transcribed interview notes were analyzed using a priori and open

coding methods. Some of the codes were influenced by theories of teacher career cycles, as well as

other teacher professional development research explored prior to beginning of coding. Other aspects

of coding were refined with several iterations of examination.

The purpose of the interview analysis was to identify themes in the professional development

experiences of teachers that appear to vary based on the teacher’s path into CTE, career phase, or

location of their teaching assignment (urban/Big Four, rural/on the road system, or remote). The

themes were investigated in terms of several aspect of the professional development process including:

Preferences in type of delivery format for professional development

Barriers to accessing professional development opportunities

Contextual supports and hindrances in the professional development process

Reported professional development needs/problem areas

Phase II: Needs Assessment Survey

Coordination and Recruitment: Phase II of the study consisted of a web-based survey. The

survey was developed using Qualitrics, a web-based survey tool. The link to the Professional

Development Needs Assessment Survey was distributed via e-mail to all contacts listed in the Dept. of

Education and Early Development’s CTE Coordinator listserv; to all teacher and CTE administrators in

contact with the project; and was posted in the Alaska CTE Blog. CTE teachers in all 54 public school


districts in Alaska were invited to participate in the needs assessment. As the program does not have e-

mail addresses for all Alaska teachers in grades 7-12 teaching one or more CTE courses it is difficult to

gauge response rate. However, an attempt at a needs assessment from spring 2012 yielded 79

responses, with 25 representing responses from teachers. This study yielded 202 responses collected

between May 1 and May 30, 2013, most from teachers, offering a substantially more robust pool from

which to form conclusions.

Statistical Analysis Procedures: All of the data analyzed in the needs assessment were part of

the grant-sponsored activities of UAA’s Perkins Secondary Teacher Professional Development Grant.

Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Both quantitative data (teacher

surveys) and qualitative data (teacher interviews, administrator interviews) were analyzed in this study

to answer the questions posed by the needs assessment. Integrating quantitative and qualitative data

allows the researcher the benefits of each approach—the statistical inference of larger scale data sets

and the richness of information provided in qualitative data (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). The two types of

data used in the needs assessment complement each other in the analysis process, with the surveys

providing broad data from a large number of respondents and the interviews providing more in-depth

information from select number of cases.

Independent t-tests were used to determine goodness of fit in comparing career stage

responses based on years of experience (p=<.05). When the responses were grouped by number of

years in the teaching profession there was no significant difference in the mean responses across forced

choice survey items. The group sizes were unequal; because the Entry Phase group was so small (n=10)

statistical analysis beyond assessing goodness of fit proved inconclusive.

The same approach was used in analysis responses when grouped by teaching location.

Responses were grouped in the Big Four or Smaller Districts based on their response to the question of

whether or not they are teaching in the Anchorage, Mat-Su, Kenai, or Fairbanks school districts. T-tests

were used to assess comparability between the two groups. Again, there was no significant difference

in the mean responses when grouped by location (p=<.05), suggesting high degrees of comparability.

FINDINGS

The following section will outline the main themes revealed by the needs assessment. Some of

those themes respond directly to the research questions identified at the outset. However, there are

several findings that merit deeper exploration.

Limitations: It should be noted that several of the larger districts were guarded in their

participation. Conversation with district officials revealed wariness about participating, the degree to


which the district’s anonymity would be protected, and concerns about recording the interviews. Those

concerns may have also influenced selection of teachers to participate in the structured interviews.

Another shade of that concern emerged in a separate district. Although the superintendent had been

notified, active coordination had been conducted with the CTE coordinator, and various district-level

officials has been included in the e-mail conversations leading up to site visits, the structured interviews

were halted abruptly in April after participation of the faculty from one high school. The district cited

concerns about findings being shared specific to schools within the district and requested another level

of review from its internal committee. Given the estimated time for this review was several months, a

decision was made to limit the interviews to the five already on record for said district.

Both of these examples illustrate concerns that school districts have with engaging in research

projects with university partners. Despite assurances of confidentiality and protection of identifiable

data, fears were expressed by several administrators of an unflattering finding making its way to a

school board member and subsequently creating distress for district officials. It underscores the great

care for protocol and transparency required to ensure effective district/university relationships within

the context of research projects.

Another limitation of the needs assessment is the method used for classifying teachers into

specific career phases. As the data were not collected within this framework, classification was applied

simply by the number of years respondents reported working as an educator. With this limited

information it is not possible to explore the nuances of the sub-phases of the Huberman model, such as

the differences between stock-taking and diversification in the respondents. Nor does the model take

into account non-traditional paths into education, a characteristic that is a strong feature of some CTE

teachers. It is unclear how the experiences of non-traditional teachers fit into the Huberman model or

how they differ from traditional teachers at a similar career phase.

The last limitation I would offer is about the nature of the population. Since the screening

element used to select respondents was whether or not one has taught one or more CTE courses in the

past academic year, the pool may be broader than that which would have been defined by traditional

conceptualizations of vocational education. Since the survey was voluntary, one can conclude that the

pool may not be truly representative of the broad range of educators teaching CTE in secondary

settings.

There were 202 survey respondents and 45 semi-structured interviews. On the electronic

survey 21 respondents were screened out because they did not teach any CTE courses in the 2012-2013

academic year. Another 18 were screened out because they had previously participated in the


structured interviews in Phase I of the assessment. This left a self-selected sample population of 163

secondary teachers who reported teaching one or more CTE courses in grades 7-12 during the 2012-

2013 academic year. Of those respondents, 51% reported working in the Anchorage, Fairbanks, Mat-Su,

or Kenai School Districts, referred to as the Big Four from this point on. Of the smaller districts not

included in that group, 85% of respondents were from districts not accessible from by the road system.

While this representation is disproportionate to the distribution of teachers across the state, it offers

the opportunity to compare rural/urban perspectives and how that impacts perceptions of professional

development, if at all.

Demographic data was collected both in the structured interviews and electronic survey.

Huberman’s Career Phase model was applied based on those responses. Since the demographic

questions appeared at the end of the electronic survey some respondents elected not to answer. Of the

166 valid responses, 113 completed the entire demographic portion of the survey. Readers should be

cautious about drawing conclusions based on the data.

Age, Gender, Experience: The typical survey respondent was a white male, age 59+, with more

than 15 years teaching experience. That broad statement fails to capture the subtleties within this

population, however. Only in the age group of 45-59 year olds does there approach a balance in gender.

For all other age groups males outnumbered females at a ratio of 2:1 or higher. This would not be

surprising if it were limited to conceptualization of CTE as the earlier vocational education model with

strict expectations of gender roles in occupations. However, given the effort and resource expended to

promote non-traditional occupations, one would have hoped to see a greater number of female

respondents. Instead, the data suggests that teaching assignments continue to reinforce stereotypical

expectations of gender roles in CTE occupations. In terms of professional development, there may be a

need to expand training for women to encourage teaching in non-traditional occupations.


Figure 4: Age and Gender Distribution

A wide range of endorsements was reported. EED recognizes the following areas under

Vocational Education: Vocational Education, Technology Education, Family/Consumer Sciences,

Industrial Arts and Industrial Technology. Consistent with the broader Career Pathways framework,

Business and Educational Technology endorsements were also included under the broad category of CTE

endorsements that were reported by respondents. CTE endorsements were reported by 49.6% of

respondents, followed by Math/Science endorsements (21.6%), other Secondary endorsements (17.6%).

Remaining respondents either reported an elementary endorsement or failed to report an endorsement

at all.

As is the case in so many other fields, workforce aging is a concern. Figure 2 illustrates the age

distribution by years of experience. Of concern should be the green bar representing those in the 45-59

age group. They represent the largest single response group and outnumber the other sub categories at

a 2:1 ratio. This is the group who are in the last stages of their career before wind down. On the other

end of the career spectrum are young professionals entering the field. Ideally there would be a balance

between those entering the field and those leaving. This data suggests that Alaska should anticipate a

deficit in the next 10 years of experienced CTE teachers as fewer early career professionals are choosing

a CTE career path.

0.0%

66.7% 66.7% 50.0%

72.7% 58.4%

0.0%

33.3% 33.3% 50.0%

27.3% 41.6%

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

100.0%

120.0%

Under 25 25-35 36-44 45-59 59+ Total

Female

Male

Age and Gender Distribution


Figure 5: Experience/Age Comparison

A factor possibly influencing this trend is the impact of No Child Left Behind and the system

pressure to be “highly qualified” in a math, science, language arts, or social studies subject. In terms of

teacher preparation, post-secondary institutions may want to explore strategies for pre-service

educators to gain greater facility with contextual teaching via internships with CTE teachers in addition

to those with a content specialist.

As one might expect, the more experienced teachers are located in the Big Four districts while

the new teachers are found in smaller districts. However, in the group of 15+ years, more respondents

represented the smaller districts. The interviews provided some insight to this. Those teachers who had

been with a smaller, more remote district reported high levels of community connectedness. The

contextual issues that influence satisfaction with career—administrative support, strategies for meeting

psychosocial needs, feelings of self-determination within the school culture—were referenced favorably

by interviewees in this experience group.

The concern with this experience/location distribution is availability of support for early career

professionals beginning their careers in more remote sites. Teacher turnover in some rural districts

exceeds 50%, while in the larger districts is approximately 9% (Hill & Hirshberg, 2006). Although the

Alaska Teacher Mentor project supports more than 22 mentor positions (Chesbro, et al., 2012), it would

be impossible to provide quality support to all of the teachers new to the position. Quality professional

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

0-3 years 4-6 years 7-10 years 11-15 years 15+ years Total

Years of Teaching Experience

25-35

36-44

45-59

59+

Experience by Age Group


development for these early career professionals functions not only to improve educational outcomes

for the students in their classes; it also serves as a teacher retention strategy. Approximately 15% of the

structured interview participants were in this category. None of them were working with a mentor

outside of the school in which they were assigned.

Figure 6: Experience/Location Comparison

Respondents’ path into career and technical education is diverse. Nearly one-third reported

seeking that endorsement in college, but the interviews revealed that for many this was a choice after

some extenuating circumstance (sports injury, difficulty with other coursework, etc.). With the growth

of the STEM initiative and inclusion of those courses in the broader CTE framework, one may have

expected a large number of respondents who either became interested while teaching something else,

or who were assigned a CTE course as part of a broader teaching assignment. For the respondents to

this study, 42% reported teaching CTE courses that in some way related to their roles in other content

areas.

Experience by Location


29.4%

58.2%

12.4%

UA system

Outside

Alt licensing

Table 2: Paths into CTE Teaching

What led you to teaching CTE courses? Response %

I knew that I wanted to teach CTE courses and pursued a CTE endorsement while in college. 50 31%

My industry experience inspired me to teach CTE courses. 46 28%

I became interested in teaching CTE courses while teaching in a core content area. 34 21%

I was offered a CTE course as a part of a broader teaching assignment. 33 20% Total 163 100%

Teacher preparation and where Alaska’s CTE teachers are coming from was another interesting

finding. Teacher certification programs are offered at all three major UA campuses, as well as through

Alaska Pacific University. UAA’s Community & Technical College collaborates with the College of

Education to offer a Master of Sciences degree in CTE (MSCTE). However, the vast majority of teachers

responding to the needs assessment received their institutional recommendation through a program in

the Lower 48. Just over 12% of respondents were teaching under an alternate licensing program,

including 17 respondents

who reported as having a

Type M certificate.

Given that teacher

preparation programs are

readily available across

the state, it is curious that

school districts continue

to invest in hiring teachers

trained in the Lower 48 (n=89) compared to those trained through our own system (n=45). The UAA

Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) determined that lack of familiarity with the challenges

of teaching in Alaska to be a contributing factor in teacher turnover (Hill & Hirshberg, 2006). Therefore

Figure 7: Source of Teacher Training


this phenomenon requires a closer look. ISER continues to gather and report out data on teacher

turnover, but specific attention related to CTE teachers is required.

In its annual report to

the Legislature the University

of Alaska system discussed its

success in preparing teachers

to work in Alaska (Chesbro, et

al., 2012). The data captures

the state of teacher hire

broadly, but still shows that

the overwhelming majority of

teachers hired in districts

come from the Lower 48.

There are several

aspects of the purely

demographic data that may be of interest to industry. First is the issue of nontraditional occupations. If

employers are committed to expanding gender diversity in the workforce, there should be greater

diversity among the teachers representing those careers. Secondly, experienced CTE teachers aging out

of the workforce and fewer young professionals entering the field may limit the opportunity for quality

CTE instruction for Alaska’s secondary students.

Career Phases and Implications

To examine data through the lens of career stage models some minor massaging was required.

The two categories of experience “7-10 years” and 11-15 years” were combined. This correlates

approximately with Huberman’s Experimentation Phase. Responses for the “15+ years” were treated as

the Maintenance Career Phase for the purposes of this study.

Re-certification Readiness: A key behavior this study sought to isolate was that of preparedness

for recertification. A concern was expressed by administrators that too many CTE teachers wait until the

last minute to address their required professional development mandated by the Department of

Education & Early Development, creating a sense of urgency for both the teacher and the employing

school district. Once a teacher has satisfied the requirements of the initial certificate, they are required

Figure 8: ISER's New Hire Data


to earn six academic credits for recertification2 within five years. Please note school districts may have

more stringent requirements for professional advancement and movement along the salary scale.

Those considerations are beyond the scope of this study, but influence teacher behavior related to

accessing professional development opportunities.

Generally, a large proportion of respondents are in need of academic credits for recertification.

Given that the regulatory requirement is six credits for each five year renewal, this is not alarming.

Approximately 44% of respondents had satisfied renewal requirements, compared to 44.5% who had

not met requirements but still had more than a year to do so. There is a sense of urgency for a small

group, but that represents less than 7% of total respondents.

Figure 9: Readiness for Re-certification

Analysis of the responses by career phase shows that the concern about teachers waiting until

the last minute is unfounded. A small handful of respondents (n=8) reported being in need of credits for

recertification in the next 12 months. Most respondents reported having more than a year before

recertification. Even if CTE teachers were not intrinsically motivated to hone professional skills, the

need for recency credits as reported by the respondents establishes an ongoing need for university-

based professional development. The distribution across career phases was consistent, with the one

minor exception being a single Stabilization Phase teacher in urgent need of credits.

2 In 2012 the recertification requirements for teachers with a Type M certificate were broadened to include three

academic credits related to the CTE specialty and 135 hours of work experience in the specialty area outside of work with students (Alaska 4AAC 12.370(a).


Portion of Day Teaching CTE: The need for professional development is influenced by many

contextual factors, not the least of which is the breadth of one’s teaching assignment. Few school

districts outside of the Big Four have the luxury of assigning a teacher to only CTE courses on a full-time

basis. In addition, the growth of STEM initiatives like Project Lead the Way has created its own set of

professional development requirements if the teacher is to be deemed qualified to deliver the

curriculum. With those factors in mind, I explored teacher assignment by career phase.

Figure 11: Portion of Day Teaching CTE

Nearly half of all respondents teach CTE full time (n=80). When examined through the lens of

career phase it’s clear that the lion’s share of those positions are held by teachers in the later part of

their career, although two Entry Phase respondents reporting as being in full time positions. With

slightly more than half of respondents teaching something else other than a CTE course for a portion of

49.0%

13.0%

13.0%

13.0%

10.0%

full time

75% of day

50% of day

25% of day

<25% of day

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Expires < yr,recency

credits met

Expires < yr,recencycreditsneeded

Expires > yr,recency

credits met

Expires > yr,recencycreditsneeded

Will notrenew

Entry

Stabilitation

Experimentation

Maintenance

Figure 10: Re-cert Readiness by Career Phase


the day there appears to exist an opportunity to explore curriculum integration or generalization

strategies. The responses to the “Preferred Topics” questions lead me to believe that a large portion of

this group is teaching science, engineer, and “Project Lead the Way” courses. Further inquiry into the

range of other courses taught would be useful to flesh this area out.

Table 3: Portion of Day in CTE/Career Phase

Entry Stabilization Experimentation Maintenance

N=10 N=16 N=33 N=54

Full time 20.0% 37.5% 54.5% 51.9%

75% 10.0% 18.8% 12.1% 9.3%

50% 50.0% 6.3% 9.1% 14.8%

25% 10.0% 31.3% 15.2% 16.7%

> 25% 10.0% 31.3% 9.1% 7.4%

Again, the support needs for teachers in the first six years of their careers is a concern.

Although these two groups are much smaller than those of more established career phases, they are

also less likely to have the stability of a single content assignment. 80% of the Entry Phase respondents

and 62.5% of the Stabilization Phase respondents are teaching at least one other course, with 70% of

Entry respondents and 69% of Stabilization respondents teaching something other than CTE courses for

half or more of their day.

With the range of endorsements reported, it is reasonable to infer that these early career

professionals are teaching content for which they were not prepared in their teacher education

programs. It suggests a specific professional development need exists around basic CTE pedagogy and

contextual teaching and learning for teachers working outside of their endorsement area.

Industry Experience: A unique characteristic of the CTE teacher role is that of industry partner,

ambassador, and representative to students. It is no secret that Alaska industry leaders are relying on

secondary and postsecondary schools to produce the highly skilled workforce needed to fill their

vacancies. Many of the teachers participating in the needs assessment have traveled career paths that

took them to industry prior to seeking out a teaching position. Many continue to work in that industry as

summers allow time to return to those fields.


Figure 12: Industry Experience by Career Phase

Although a small proportion of respondents reported no experience related to their teaching

assignment, most reported some with a large number reporting more than 15 years industry

experience. That this spans all phases of teaching career cycle suggests that teaching careers continue

to draw industry employees. The interviews provided some insight to this phenomenon. Several

interviewees shared that teaching became their choice following a workplace injury. Others reported a

desire to teach after having a family and finding a need to have more time with them. Still others

reported being victims of economic downturns prompting career changes. Most of the interviewees

reported some level of continued summer involvement with industry including commercial fishing;

construction; engineering; surveying; and hospitality or tourism.

Industry experience is an asset for CTE educators. To assist with building relevance into their

courses professional development opportunities with industry should be available to both those with

CTE endorsements, as well as those endorsed in other content areas.

Professional Development Content and Delivery

One of the major efforts of this needs assessment was to gauge educator perceptions of

professional development needs; to identify optimal times for professional development; barriers to

engaging in professional development, both during the summer and during the academic year;

identification of course or training topics, and delivery models most desired.

0%20%

40%60%

80%100%

no exp.

0-2 yrs

3-5 yrs

6-10 yrs

11-15 yrs

15+ yrs

10.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

10.0%

20.0%

18.8%

37.5%

12.5%

0.0%

12.5%

18.8%

15.2%

15.2%

9.1%

18.2%

12.1%

30.3%

9.3%

5.6%

18.5%

16.7%

13.0%

37.0%

Entry

Stabilization

Experimentation

Maintenance


PD Topic Preferences: Preferred topics differ by career phase, however, building relationships

with industry partners showed up as the number one or two choices across all four phases. Career

pathways as a topic was a high level choice for early career professionals and technology was the

counterpoint for those in more established phases. Table 4 illustrates the top career choices by career

phase. In several instance two topics tied for a place in a phase’s top three picks.

Table 4: Preferred PD Topics by Career Phase

Entry (0-3 years)

Stabilization (4-6 years)

Experimentation (7-15 years)

Maintenance (15+ years)

Building relationships with industry partners

Career Pathways Building relationships with industry partners and industry certification (equally)

Technology applications in CTE

Career Pathways Building relationships with industry partners

Specific technical knowledge and technology applications (equally)


Boot camp for new CTE teachers

Industry certification and technology applications (equally)

Strategies for contextual teaching and learning

Industry certification opportunities

Figure 13 presents the data in a slightly different format, allowing the reader to compare not only

priority topics, but to also compare within career phases interest in specific topics. The portion of the

graph representing “Industry partnerships” illustrates the distribution consistent with the breakout of

respondents. While those in the Maintenance Phase expressed high levels of interest in technology

applications, this was the least selected topic for those in the Entry Phase. Looking at the data in this

format underscores the need for a tailored approach to professional development based on one’s career

phase.


Figure 13: PD Topics by Career Phase

Those respondents who

selected “Specific Technical

Knowledge” were asked to provide

more information about the kinds

of topics of interest. Sixty-three

respondents generated a list of 82

additional suggestions, which were

then coded and grouped. The

largest single category was that of

“Trades” and includes carpentry,

woodworking, electrical, and

plumbing. “Design” includes

drafting, design software, and 3D printing applications. “IT” includes all recommendations related to

computer hardware, software, and applications. The list of those topics that fell into the

05

10152025303540

Entry

Stabilization

Experimentation

Maintenance

16

11

10

7

7

6

6 Trades

Welding

IT

Automotive

Design

Career Pathways

Robotics/Eng

Figure 14: Respondent-generated PD Topics


“Miscellaneous” category included: pedagogy (4); culinary arts (3); professional networking (3); health

(2), and multimedia (2).

The data describing both pre-identified and respondent-generated topic choices provides clearly

identifiable interest areas for professional development. Along with consideration about career phase

and specific geographic needs, this data should be used to help prioritize delivery and availability of

specific professional development opportunities.

PD Delivery Formats: Griffin’s dissertation research (2001) suggests that because of the varying

needs associated with career cycles, professional development should differ in design as well as content,

depending on the makeup of the teachers participating. Career entry teachers are more likely to choose

workshop/lecture format, whereas those in the Experimentation or Serenity phases prefer more

innovative models with high levels of teacher collaboration and practical application.

Use of a “clinic” or intensive model was the most preferred method of delivery, followed by

courses associated with conferences (Conference+ Model), site-based professional learning

communities, online courses, traditionally-delivered courses, and virtual professional learning

communities in that order of preference. Teachers participating in the interviews shared high levels of

enthusiasm for a Clinic Model. Their responses suggested that they’d be willing to spend 4-5 days

including weekend times or Spring Break to learn high value skills, knowledge, and strategies that they

can apply in their classrooms.

Regardless of the delivery model used for professional development, care must be taken to

create structures that support transfer from academic discussion to becoming a part of a teacher’s

repertoire. Most professional development is aimed at generating some type of behavioral change in

how a teacher executes his or her practice. Behavioral changes require time, support, and opportunities

to reflect on the impact of that change.

PD Timing: Timing of professional development offerings is critical. Many assumptions have

been made about most opportune times, ranging from, “Teachers do all their professional development

Figure 15: PD Format Preferences

Statistic

Traditional

Course

"Clinic"'

Model

On-line

Courses

Conference Plus

Model PLC-In person PLC-Virtual

Min Value 1 1 1 1 1 1

Max Value 6 6 6 6 6 6

Mean 4.02 2.1 3.7 3.07 3.55 4.55

Variance 3.72 1.72 2.81 1.95 1.75 2.08

Standard Deviation 1.93 1.31 1.67 1.4 1.32 1.44

Total Responses 146 146 146 146 146 146


during the summers,” to “Teachers will only do professional development during the school year.” The

needs assessment sought to resolve questions around timing and barriers.

Implications of the data related to timing are clear. Teachers engage in professional

development year round, with career phase being a consideration when course slates are developed. As

early career professionals appear more willing to engage in summer PD, offerings during that semester

should reflect the interests and needs of that group. Program evaluation data for FY14 and beyond

should build data collection around career phase into standard course evaluation protocols.

Barriers to accessing professional development: CTE teachers in general feel that district

sponsored professional development is aimed for other teachers, not themselves. When asked to

reflect on relevance of district-sponsored professional development, only 18% reported that more than

half of it was relevant to their work. Nearly a quarter (24%) of the respondents reported that their

districts allowed them to identify their own professional development needs and provided financial

support for those opportunities. This creates a conundrum for those teachers responsible for CTE

courses if that support by their districts isn’t available. Entry phase professionals who were interviewed

were not aware that they may be able to advocate for individual professional development

opportunities (conferences, skills intensives, etc.) with their building principal or CTE coordinator. Those

who were aware of that option were unclear about the decision-making process behind who is able to

access those opportunities.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Entry Stabilization Experimentation Maintenance

30.0% 25.0% 30.3%

44.4%

50.0%

37.5% 24.2%

25.9%

20.0%

37.5% 45.5%

29.6%

Legend:

Blue—School year

Red—Summer

Green—Year round


The theme of need for financial support came up as a barrier for both summer and school year

professional development. Costs in this item included not only tuition, but also travel, supplies, and

room/board.

Figure 16: School Year Barriers to PD

The other major issue that teachers reported as a barrier was the impact on student outcomes.

Interviewees expressed a sense of pressure and anxiety about the breadth of content. With no

assurance of a substitute who was competent to deliver instruction and adequately deal with classroom

management, many teachers felt that the burden having to plan for a substitute combined with delays

in achieving instructional objectives outweighed any benefit from the PD opportunity.

CTE teachers have a skill set that presents a barrier to summer professional development that

other content teachers may not experience. More than one-third, 36%, reported having another job,

usually related to the CTE courses they teach. Those jobs coincide with Alaska’s summer job market and

include construction, engineering, work in the

tourism/hospitality industry, or commercial

fishing. One interviewee captured the

challenge in this observation: “Look, I build

custom homes during the summer, 14-16

hour days. If you want me to do professional

development then it costs me money.”

Although summer jobs were a

notable barrier, the greatest summer barrier

identified by respondents was that of

commitments to family. Again, the interviews shed some light on this issue. The first point that was

22%

48%

20%

16%

52%

27%

26%

14%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

No sub available

Impacts on student learning

Notice not timely

No prof. release time

Costs

Nothing offered in my content area

Time

other

18%

51%

36%

47%

15%

0% 20% 40% 60%

Nothing offered in mycontent area

Commitments to family

I have another job in thesummer

Costs

other

Figure 17: Summer PD Challenges


made repeatedly is that public school teaching is as much a lifestyle choice as it is a vocation.

“Commitments to family” included being more available to parent one’s own children and honoring

plans for family time. The other theme that arose around this challenge links back to the number of

teachers from the Lower 48 who have relocated to Alaska. Many of them use their summers to

maintain connections with extended family.

The category of “Other” in both questions brought to light several interesting issues. From lack

of childcare to frustration about no release time, there were few unifying themes in their comments.

The one theme that was identified was a desire to protect summer break as a time to renew and

recharge for the coming school year.

Analysis by career phase brought several interesting points to light. “Impacts on student

learning” was the leading barrier for the first three career phases, but not those in the Maintenance

Phase, who identified “Costs” as their primary barrier. “Costs” ranked equally for those in the

Experimentation Phase and was the second most frequently identified barrier for the Entry and

Stabilization Phases.

To deal with this issue of impacts on student learning with teacher absences several building

administrators employed the practice of cultivating substitutes who were trained to deal with specific

courses or groups of students. This holds promise as an effective means to support professional

development efforts.

In terms of addressing the costs concerns, Entry and Stabilization Phase teachers seemed less

certain that they would be able to access district resources to support professional development

expenses. It wasn’t immediately clear if that confusion stemmed from simple lack of awareness of

system processes or if it was something beyond that. As one might expect with new professionals, they

weren’t always clear about how those funding decisions are made, the role of tenure or seniority, or

even that the district had Perkins funds that were available for professional development. The more

established Experimentation and Maintenance Phase teachers brought an entirely different perspective.

“If they want me to do PD they’d better pay me for it,” was how it was framed by one teacher. The

more experienced teachers had a sense of entitlement about district support of professional

development expenses.


Figure 18: School Year Barriers by Career Phase

Summer barriers distributed in a roughly similar pattern by career phase. Commitments to

family were the most frequently identified barriers for Entry and Maintenance phase teachers, tied with

Costs for those in the Experimentation phase. Cost was the most frequently identified barrier for the

Stabilization phase.

What is the significance of these barriers and which can we influence? Certainly professional

development programming isn’t going to have a bearing on commitments to one’s family. However,

with more advanced planning and marketing, teachers can better plan and prepare family for

professional commitments. Coursework can be offered in an asynchronous format, accessible over the

internet offering flexibility of time and place. The program cannot directly influence release time

policies or use of skilled substitute teachers. However, program staff can work to educate building

administrators about career and technical education’s role in promoting academic outcomes, and the

need for professional development for both CTE and traditional content teachers. The program can

respond to many of the other barriers through more aggressive course marketing, more advanced

planning, and collaboration with districts to secure professional development funding and resources.

5.0%

35.0%

10.0%

5.0%

30.0%

20.0%

5.0%

0.0%

10.5%

23.7%

13.2%

5.3%

21.1%

7.9%

15.8%

2.6%

10.5%

25.0%

9.2%

7.9%

25.0%

9.2%

6.6%

6.6%

11.4%

21.2%

9.8%

8.3%

23.5%

12.1%

8.3%

5.3%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

No sub

impacts on student learning

Notice not timely

No prof. release time

Costs


Time

Other

Entry

Stabilization

Experimentation

Maintenance


Figure 19: Summer Barriers by Career Phase

Urban/Rural/Remote Implications

Most any discussion of statewide programs in Alaska includes a comparison of urban/rural

challenges. For the purposes of this needs assessment schools are grouped into the Big Four

(Anchorage, Fairbanks, Mat-Su, and Kenai) school districts and smaller school districts.

Table 5: Re-certification Readiness by Location

Readiness for Recertification: There doesn’t appear to be major differences in the readiness

between teachers in the Big Four compared to smaller districts, with one exception. Respondents from

smaller districts were four times more likely to have an urgent need of credits than their counterparts

from the Big Four. However, given that this is a very small group (n=10), caution should be exercised in

generalizing that finding. Those with more than a year showed a higher percentage from the Big Four

than the smaller districts, with 48.6% and 40.3% respectively.

11.1%

38.9%

16.7%

33.3%

0.0%

10.0%

30.0%

23.3%

33.3%

3.3%

7.1%

30.4%

21.4%

30.4%

10.7%

9.1%

38.6%

20.5%

31.8%

8.0%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%


Commitments to family

I have another job in the summer

Costs

Other

Entry

Stabilization

Experimentation

Maintenance

Big Four Smaller Districts

< a year, recency credits met 12.2% 9.7%

< a year, recency credits needed 2.7% 11.1%

> a year, recency credits met 33.8% 31.9%

>a year, recency credits needed 48.6% 40.3%

will not renew 2.7% 6.9%

Total 100% 100%


The data suggest an outreach effort aimed at those teachers whose certificates are expiring

within 12 months would be advised. If the Department of Education and Early Development were able

to share this information with the university, targeted outreach and professional development could be

effectively executed.

Timing of Professional Development: The data show that respondents from the smaller

districts are more than twice as likely as the respondents from the Big Four to be willing to participate in

summer professional development. Opportunities such as Clinic Models could be tailored to address

the needs of each group individually, with summer offerings aimed primarily at those in smaller districts

and those offered during the school year geared for those from the Big Four. The data support offering

the majority of PD opportunities between August and May, however, offering a slate of summer courses

announced well in advance of the end of the school year is also supported by the data.

Figure 20: PD Timing by Location

Professional Development Topics: The data demonstrate that there are differences in the

topics in which teachers would like to have more professional development when the two groups are

compared. Teachers from the Big Four expressed greater interest than those from the small districts in

these areas:



Specific technical knowledge

Working with advisory boards

Project Lead the Way related professional development

Industry specific certifications

Technology applications in CTE

Respondents from the smaller districts expressed greater interest than those from the Big Four in these

areas:

Career Pathways

Promoting non-traditional occupations

Reading strategies for CTE

Working with industry simulators

Boot camp for new CTE teachers

This could reflect several contextual issues. The Big Four have very sophisticated CTE programs

and receive the vast majority of Perkins funding, as illustrated in Table 1. The industry specific topics

could simply be a function of those programs. The topics identified by those from smaller school

districts suggest broader, more basic needs. Regardless of the contextual influences, the data suggest

that there are differences in the interests of respondents based on location.

Figure 21: PD Topic Preferences by Location

0.0%

20.0%

40.0%

60.0%

80.0%

100.0%

120.0%

Big Four

Smaller Districts


Table 6: PD Topics by Location

Big Four Smaller Districts

Building relationships with industry partners 55.4% 48.6%

Specific technical knowledge 52.7% 43.1%

Career Pathways 24.3% 33.3%

Working with Advisory Boards 17.6% 9.7%

Promoting Non-Traditional Occupations 27.0% 29.2%

Reading Strategies for CTE 23.0% 27.8%

Working with Industry Simulators 28.4% 31.9%

Boot Camp for New CTE Teachers 10.8% 23.6%

Industry-specific certification opportunities 48.7% 45.8%

"Project Lead the Way" related courses 20.3% 11.1%

Strategies for contextual teaching and learning 28.4% 27.8%

Technology applications in CTE 47.3% 43.1%

One final note on professional development needs. In the course of the interviews several

teachers disclosed teaching technical content of which they had no first-hand knowledge. This included

welding, aviation, and surveying. These individuals accepted the teaching assignment because they felt

that it was their only choice to be able to be employed full time with the school district. When asked

how they addressed those gaps, the teachers usually referred to a summer professional development

opportunity accessed after they finished teaching the course in question. School administrators should

be wary of pressuring new teachers or enticing substitutes, coaches, or other non-teaching personnel

with teaching assignments for which they are not prepared. Student learning and safety is

compromised by this practice.

CTE Pedagogy

Inquiry around pedagogy inspired lengthy conversations during the interviews. Teachers were

excited to discuss strategies they’re using in the classroom, readiness to implement the new Math and

Language Arts standards, and approaches for building rigor and relevance into their lessons. The needs

assessment revealed that the extent to which teachers use common CTL strategies varies depending on

location. Teachers from smaller districts reported greater use of work site visits, student internships,

and reported explicit teaching of safety skills than did those in the Big Four. However, the Big Four

teachers reporting greater use of CTSOs, simulation activities, and testing for certification. This again

may be a function of more resources available in the larger districts.


Figure 22: CTL Strategies by Location

One of the unique characteristics of CTE education is the extent to which educators must move

beyond traditional educator roles and assume those of technical expert, coach, advocate, career

counselor, and collaborator. Collaboration with industry is essential for CTE success. Partnering with

representatives of private industry, coordinating with administrators, working closely with parents and

community organizations, and collaborating with peers requires that CTE teachers have strong

collaborative skills and the ability to function well as a part of a team (Brown, 2002). Given the

respondents’ interest, regardless of location or career stage, in developing relationships with industry

partners, a professional development need may exist around teaming and collaboration skills.

While the advent of more rigorous math and language arts standards is causing some angst

among educators across the state, CTE professionals were fairly at ease with the concept of curriculum

integration. Sixty percent (60%) reported that they had adequate levels of math and language arts

already built into their CTE courses. The remaining 40% desired greater opportunities to work more

closely with their math and language arts colleagues. That being said, both the survey and the

interviews note an interest in professional development related to reading strategies in CTE courses.

Teacher Externships as a Pedagogical Resource: The Teacher Industry Externship (TIE) Program

has been an important opportunity for Alaska secondary teachers to gain firsthand knowledge of careers

in local industries, build relationships with industry partners, and develop teaching resources to bring

that experience back into their classrooms via a professional development course specifically designed

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

90.00%

Big Four

Smaller Dists


to facilitate that process. Externships occur from late May until late July, with coursework completed in

August. Externs participate in 80 hours of job shadowing or supervised experience; complete a project

that benefits both the industry host and their own teaching; build a standards-aligned lesson plan

related to the externship and present that to peers for feedback. Externs are paid a stipend of $1,500-

$2,000 and travel cost for some industry externs are paid by the industry host. The program is funded

by a combination of a state grant to three grantees (APICC, Kenai Peninsula School District, and UAA

Office of Health Programs Development) as well as direct funds from industry.

In FY 13, 42 teachers enrolled to participate in externships in health care, behavioral health,

mine, oil, natural resources, and related fields. The teachers interviewed who had participated in TIE

spoke in glowing terms of how it helped them build technical knowledge, create relevance for their

teaching, and cultivated industry partners who served as important resources for those teachers. Given

that these are some of the very issues that survey respondents expressed high levels of interest, one

might expect to see interest in TIE as well. However, 77% of survey respondents reported that they had

not participated in that opportunity. Those respondents were queried about their intent to apply within

the next two summers, but 54% indicated that they would not. Conversely, of the small number who

had participated in TIE in the past, 49% would be interested in repeating the opportunity in a different

industry. The primary barrier identified by both teachers interviewed and prior TIE participants was

timing.

The opportunity for teacher externships may be at risk. Effective July 1, 2013, the Department

of Labor and Workforce Development severely reduced funding for TIE. Two of the previous grantees—

KPBSD and UAA Office of Health Programs Development—did not receive grant funds for which they

had applied. APICC was awarded a grant, but at a 50% reduction from previous years. TIE program

partners are working together to develop an alternate plan, but at the time of this report that plan does

not yet exist.

SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Although there are limitations to the findings of the needs assessment, they still provide some

suggestions and implications to consider in terms of teacher professional development. These

implications can assist UAA, as well as school district and state education administrators, to increase the

usefulness and quality of professional development offerings. The suggestions are directed at improving

the professional development experiences for CTE teachers at all stages of the career cycle.


Teachers and administrators are resourceful when seeking out sources of professional

development. The results of Teacher Survey demonstrate that they will pursue professional

development options that are convenient, relevant to their content area, inexpensive, and are offered in

a format that matches their personal learning style. UAA is not the only option for professional

development. Teachers described accessing professional development through a wide variety of

resources, ranging from UAA-sponsored courses, to PLTW teacher training offered by Lower 48

universities. Those teachers participating in the structured interviews reported accessing PD from

industry consortia (APICC, Construction Education Foundation, etc.), other UA campuses, the Alaska

Staff Development Network, and a multitude of university –based programs in the Lower 48. It begs the

question, “How does UAA deliver a professional development

program that more effectively meets the needs of secondary

CTE teachers?”

Recommendations

Based on both the data from the needs assessment and

the body of knowledge around teacher professional

development, the following recommendations are presented,

organized around general themes related to loci of control. I

invite UAA CTC leadership in partnership with EED leadership to

prioritize emphasis areas to be addressed during the remainder

of this grant cycle. I further invite school district administrators

to consider how the data can be used to support specific, intentional professional development of any

teacher responsible for one or more career and technical education course. As we examine priorities a

question that must be addressed is: What activity or focus has the potential to yield the greatest return

on investment of effort and resources.

Theme: Meeting Teachers Where They’re At

The recommendations in this theme focus on recognizing the interplay between personal

professional development needs and contextual influences. These are recommendations that influence

teacher behavior directly, increasing the likelihood that they access UAA CTE courses to address their

professional development needs.

Learner Profiles Given what has been learned through this assessment tailoring of professional

development courses is needed. The matrix below blends the career phase framework with the Big

System centered

Teacher centered

Figure 23: Organization of Recommendations


Four/smaller district analysis and builds on the body of knowledge about delivering high quality,

effective professional development for teachers.

Table 7: CTE Learner Profiles

Profile General characteristics Primary topics of interest Preferred delivery modes

Early -- 0-6 years exp. --Building a sense of teaching competence --uninformed about system processes

Boot camp/ basic CTE pedagogy; Career Pathways; Building relationships with industry partners

--Traditional course format --Learning from “experts” --online and clinics

Emergent -- 7-14 years exp. --vulnerable to disengagement --seeking to expand connection with career

Building relationships with industry partners; advanced strategies for CTL; technical training specific to teaching assignment

--Experiential learning format --Facilitated opportunities for reflected practice --online, PLCs, Clinics, Conference+

Established --15+ years --potential mentor pool --well-developed sense of self efficacy and self-determination as a teacher

Technology applications in CTE; building relationships with industry partners; industry certification opportunities

--Peer-to-peer format --More application than theory --Clinics and Conference+

Given this framework the following recommendations are offered:

Create an open-enrollment web-based course to function as at CTE Boot camp. While this is not

the optimal delivery format for new CTE teachers, it has the benefit of flexibility and broad

accessibility regardless of location. Program staff would design the course based on similar

models available through the Association for Career and Technical Education and with input

sought from CTE administrators and educators in the Established career phase. Ideally, it would

function with a mentoring program specific to CTE teaching.

Revive courses related to career pathways and experiment with various delivery mechanisms,

starting with traditional approaches. Logical venues include Conference+ options, online, and as

an organizing structure for site-based professional learning communities.

Increase the number of “clinic” model PD opportunities, including offering intensives during

Spring Break, over long weekends, and immediately after school is out. Potential partners

include the Construction Education Foundation, APICC/Alaska Engineering Academies, and the

trades training entities. This would be an effective means to address needs around industry

certification and specific technical knowledge.


Design courses around desired topics and offer those in at least two different formats to

accommodate varying needs among career stages. With the array of variables it’s unlikely that

adequate enrollment data will be available by the end of the grant cycle to draw conclusions.

However, the recommendation can serve as a guiding principle for selecting which courses will

be offered and at what frequency.

Provide CTE-specific content area reading strategies coursework. EED may want to consider

leading this recommendation in support of the new Math and Language Arts standards.

Because of the focus on this area I recommend offering the course in several different formats

each academic year.

Offer a “Basics” on technology in CTE. Many CTE teachers attend the annual AACTE and ASTE

conferences. Given that the primary audience is those teachers in the Established career phase,

offering it as a Conference+ model meets their stated needs. This may also be an area that

overlaps with the needs of post-secondary faculty.

If these recommendations were adopted for implementation, performance metrics would include

enrollments, credit hours generated, and courses offered over an academic year. Individual course

evaluation metrics would include satisfaction, relevance rating, and pre/post assessment of impact on

teaching.

Theme: Systems That Build Better CTE Teachers

The recommendations in this theme address the system support needs of both practicing and

pre-service teachers. The recommendations cross several spheres of influence, including the university

system, state system, and school districts.

Program level recommendations:

Teacher scholarships and stipends: Seek out funds to support tuition and travel stipends for

teachers who genuinely cannot access their district’s resources for professional development.

Meaningful course evaluation: Revise the CTE Professional Development Course Evaluation

protocol to include post/pre assessment of impact and to collect basic data points related to

career phase and location.

PD timing: Reassess assumptions about teacher availability for professional development. Take

advantage of Spring Break to offer intensives.

Scheduling and marketing: Plan basic course offerings, independent of conferences or 3rd party

requests, a year at a time. Minimum enrollments may be applied. Course marketing will then


be consistent with teachers planning family time and other commitments. Build in flexibility to

accommodate 3rd party course requests when quality standards are assured.

Single access point: Create a single website which hosts all known CTE professional development

opportunities, regardless of origin. Include a course/unit repository for innovative, Alaska

specific CTE lesson plans and resources (i.e., Digital Sandbox but organized and tagged for CTE

specific applications) and aligned with State standards, as well as the CTE Plan.

Continue to work with APICC, UAA OHP, and other partners to maintain and build externship

opportunities for teachers.

College level recommendations:

Build interest in CTE teaching: Collaborate with the UA College/Schools of Education, Future

Educators of Alaska (FEA) to increase awareness of the career opportunities in CTE. Collaborate

with COE to expand student teaching opportunities to include opportunities for curricular

integration by spending time with CTE mentor teachers.

Address cross college coordination: Work with Alaska Engineering Academies, Project Lead The

Way regional representatives, and the UAA School of Engineering to facilitate local delivery of

PLTW professional development.

Teacher externships: Explore mechanisms to support TIE-type opportunities.

School district level recommendations:

Build awareness: Support transparent decision-making processes for use of CTE-specific

professional development funds.

Allow tailored PD for CTE professionals: Be more explicit about district resources available to

support PD opportunities.

Take a careful look at support needs for new CTE teachers: Teaching in CTE is unique both in

content and safety risks. Ensure that teachers have access to professional development that

ensures they have basic technical skills, are offering pedagogically sound instruction, and that

those factors are addressed before the teacher is responsible for instructing students.

Department of Education and Early Development level recommendations:

Teacher competence: Explore the feasibility of requiring a CTE endorsement for educators

responsible for more than one CTE course.

Non-traditional occupations: Define strategies to increase the number of women teaching in

non-traditional occupations. How can professional development support those strategies?


Safety: Update the state CTE Safety Manual and disseminate broadly. Consider partnering with

UAA to offer/require a one-credit course related to safety practices.

Safety2: Develop a strategy to address untrained teachers responsible for teaching courses with

high levels of safety risk. Identify the role you would like professional development to play in

that strategy.

Summary

Professional development of quality CTE teachers doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Career phase

and context create influences that can either encourage good teachers to become better, or can allow

professionals at critical milestones to devolve into apathy and cynicism. The data in the needs

assessment presents us with a picture of an aging teaching workforce with specific ideas of what they’d

like for professional development and how they would like that delivered. They are contending with

fragmentation of their day, teaching in content areas for which they may not be prepared, resource

inequities, and a public that continues to demand more of them. While there are differences between

those in larger districts and those in smaller ones, they share common needs around partnering with

industry to support contextual teaching and relevance; being both technically and pedagogically

proficient; and needing time to tend to professional development needs. The recommendations offered

in this report seek to address those needs and increase the likelihood that every Alaskan student has

access to high quality career and technical education.


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Boyd, D., Lankford, H., Wyckoff, J., Grossman, P., & Loeb, S. (2007). Who Leaves? Teacher Attrition and

Student Achievement. Washington, D.C.: National center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in

Education Research.

Brown, B. (2002). New wine in new bottles: Transforming vocational education into career and technical

education. Practice application brief no. 21. Columbus, OH: Center on the Education and

Training for Employment, Ohio State University.

Brown, B. (2002). Professional development for career educators. ERIC digest. ERIC Clearinghouse on

Adult, Career and Vocational Education.

Cannon, J. G., Kitchel, A., & Duncan, D. W. (2010). Identifying perceived professional development needs

of Idaho secondary CTE teachers: Program management needs of skilled and technical science

teachers. Journal of Industrial Teacher Education, 42-69.

Chesbro, P., Donson, P., Gruenig, G., Hill, A., Hirshberg, D., Lo, D. E., & Morotti, A. (2012). Alaska's

University for Alaska's Schools 2012. Fairbanks, AK: University of Alaska.

Dortch, C. (2012). Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006: Implementation Issues.

Washington, D.C.: Congressional Reseach Service.

Drage, K. (2010). Professional development: Implications for Illinois career and technical education

teachers. Journal of Career and Technical Education, 24-37.

Fessler, R., & Christensen, J. (1992). The Teacher Career Cycle: Understanding and Guiding the

Professional Development of Teachers. New York: Allyn and Bacon.

Fosnot, C. T., & Perry, R. S. (2005). Consructivism: A psychological theory of learning. In C. Fosnot,

Constructivism: Theory, perspectives and practice (pp. 8-38). New York: Teachers College Press.

Griffin, N. C. (2001). Teacher professional development across the career cycle: Participation,

preferences, and organizational supports. Los Angeles: University of Southern California.

Hill, A., & Hirshberg, D. (2006). Alaska Teacher Supply and Demand 2005 Update. Anchorage, AK:

Institute of Social and Economic Research, University of Alaska Anchorage.

Huberman, M. (1989). The professional life cycle of teachers. Teachers College Record, 31-57.

Johnson, E. B. (2002). Contextual Teaching and Learning: What it is and Why it Works. Thousand Oaks,

CA: Sage Publications.


Meeder, H. (2008). The Perkins Act of 2006: Connecting Career and Technical Education with the College

and Career Readiness Agenda. Washington, D.C.: Achive, Inc.

O'Connor, P. J. (2012). The professional development needs of academic teachers adding career-

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State of Alaska. (2010). Alaska Career and Technical Education Plan: A Call to Action. Juneau, AK: State of

Alaska.

Steffy, B. E., & Wolfe, M. P. (2001). A life-cycle model for career teachers. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 16-19.

Stone III, J. R., Alfeld, C., & Pearson, D. (2008). Rigor and relevance: Enhancing high school students'

math skills through career and technical education. American Educational Research Journal, 767-

795.

Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1998). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and processes for developing

grounded theory. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Sturko, P. A., & Gregson, J. A. (2009). Learning and collaboration in professional development for career

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Appendices

Appendix A: Teacher Semi-structured Interview Guide

Appendix B: CTE Teacher Professional Development Needs Assessment Survey


Appendix A

2013 CTE Teacher Needs Assessment

Data Collection

Semi-structured Interview Questions

The purpose of this activity is to collect data to develop the professional development activities through

the UAA CTC Professional Development Program so that they are responsive to the needs of Alaska’s CTE

teachers and to school districts.

Domain Questions

Background and prep What path led you to teaching CTE courses?

Of your current assignment, what percentage of your day is spent teaching CTE?

What type of certification and endorsement do you possess?

What university provided your initial teacher training?

Pedagogy What strategies do you use to help students generalize technical knowledge gained in a class setting to a broader context?

What strategies do you use to integrate literacy and math into your CTE courses?

Do you have common planning time with math or lang. arts teachers?

Do you actively work with math or LA teachers to promote curricula integration? What does that look like?

How do you use principles of contextual teaching and learning in your lesson or unit plans?

Relationship(s) with industry Have you ever participated in a teacher externship? Would you be interested in doing so?

Do you have an industry-recognized certification? How about in your primary teaching assignment?

In the past 12 months, spanning both last AY and the current, how did you involve industry in your teaching?

PD experiences What professional development opportunities are offered in your school? In your district?

What things prevent you from taking advantage of PD opportunities?

When you have the opportunity to choose between several different PD opportunities, what characteristics are most appealing to you?

When do you engage in PD activities?

What factors most influence your decision to engage in PD activities (credits for re-cert; movement on salary scale; desire to hone skills; desire to earn industry credential, etc.).


Appendix B

2013 CTE Teacher Needs Assessment Survey

Introduction: Thank you for participating in the 2013 CTE Teacher Needs Assessment being conducted

by the Career & Technical Education Department at UAA. Your responses will be anonymous and will

assist in planning professional development activities for the next two years. The questions will cover

four areas: your path into career and technical education; CTE pedagogy; your relationship with relevant

industries, and finally your preferences regarding professional development. Demographic data will also

be collected. The survey contains 40 questions and is expected to take you approximately 10 minutes to

complete. If you have questions or concerns about the survey please contact Kelly Donnelly,

Professional Development Coordinator, UAA Community & Technical College (907)786-6364 or

[email protected].

Q1 During the academic year 2012-2013 did you teach one or more career or technical education

courses for grades 7-12?

Yes (1)

No (2)

If No Is Selected, Then Skip To End of Survey

Q2 During the spring semester 2013 did you participate in the CTE Teacher Interviews conducted by

Kelly Donnelly from the UAA Career and Technical Education Department?

Yes (1)

No (2)

If Yes Is Selected, Then Skip To End of Survey

The next set of questions relates to your role in teaching CTE courses. People come to career and

technical education along several different paths and these questions seek to capture information about

those paths.

Q3 How did you arrive at teaching CTE courses?

I knew that I wanted to teach CTE courses and pursued a CTE endorsement while in college. (1)

My industry experience inspired me to teach CTE courses. (2)

I became interested in teaching CTE courses while teaching in a core content area. (3)

I was offered a CTE course as a part of a broader teaching assignment. (4)


Q4 What portion of your teaching day is spent with CTE courses?

Full time (1)

Approximately 75% of my day (2)



Less than 25% of my day (5)

Q5 What type of Teacher Certificate do you possess?

Type A--Initial (1)

Type A--Professional (2)

Type A--Master (3)

Type M--Limited (4)

If Type M--Limited Is Selected, Then Skip To How much experience do you have worki...


Q6 Which university provided the institutional recommendation for your secondary teaching certificate?

Q7 What type of endorsement do you have?

Q8 How much experience do you have working in an industry related to your CTE teaching:

I have never working in an industry related to my CTE courses (1)

0-2 years industry experience (2)




15+ years (6)

The next set of questions is about CTE pedagogy, or strategies that you use to help students learn. It

will include several questions about your views of the new Math and Language Arts standards, and how

they fit into the scope of your teaching.

Q9 What strategies do you use to help students generalize technical knowledge from a class setting to

real world contexts?

visits to work sites (1)

bring in guest speakers (virtually or in real life) (2)

job shadowing (3)

internships (4)

creation of a "product" (5)

problem-based learning (6)

simulation activities (7)

participation in CTSOs (8)

testing for technical certification (9)

Work place safety (10)

Q10 Please list other strategies you use if the list above does not reflect your teaching practice:

Q11 In light of the new math and language arts standards adopted by the State, what strategies do you

use to integrate grade level appropriate literacy (both reading and writing) and math into your CTE

courses?

Reading technical manuals or literature (1)

Building industry-specific vocabulary (2)

Writing reports, essays, or PowerPoint presentations (3)

converting measurements (4)

calculating job costs (5)

applying complex mathematical concepts to CTE content (6)

Other (7)

None of the above (8)


Q12 Please list other strategies you use to integrate math, reading, and writing into your CTE course if

the list above does not reflect your teaching practice:

Q13 Do you actively work with math or language arts teachers to promote curriculum integration?

Yes (1)

No (2)

Q14 Which statement below best reflects your opinion:

I would like more planning time with math and/or language arts teacher to work on curriculum

integration. (1)

I feel that my CTE courses already have an adequate amount of math and/or language arts

integrated within the content. (2)

Career and technical education has a unique role with industry partners, a role that is often more direct

than what you might find in the core content areas. The next set of questions asks you to describe what

that role looks like from your perspective.

Q15 Have you ever participated in the Teacher Industry Externship Program?

Yes (1)

No (2)

Q16 If you have, are you interested in repeating in a different industry?

Yes (1)

No (2)

Q17 If you have not, are you planning to apply within the next two years?

Yes (1)

No (2)

Q18 Do you have any kind of industry certification?

Yes (1)

No (2)

If No Is Selected, Then Skip To In the past 12 months, spanning both ...


Q19 Is it current?

Yes (1)

No (2)

Q20 Is it related to your current teaching assignment?

Yes (1)

No (2)

Q21 What is your certification?

Q22 In the past 12 months, spanning both last school year and the current school year, how did you

involve industry in your teaching? check all that apply:

guest speakers (1)

trips to work sites (2)

in-person or virtual tours of an industry (3)

job shadow experiences for students (4)

industry partner assisted in delivering content (5)

use of industry-developed curricula (6)

none of the above (7)

other (8)

Q23 If you selected "Other" in the question above, please explain how you involved industry in your

teaching:

This set of questions allows you to tell the University what works for you for professional development,

needs you have, and what course delivery formats work best for you.

Q24 How do you typically learn about professional development opportunities? Check all that apply:

From my dept. chair or building principal (1)

from the state CTE listserv (2)

from a professional teaching association (3)

from an industry association (4)

Direct communication from a college or university (5)

other (6)


Q25 Which statement below best reflects your opinion about professional development opportunities

sponsored by your school district:

More than half of the professional development sponsored is relevant to my teaching assignment.

(1)

Less than half of the professional development sponsored is relevant to my teaching assignment. (2)

My school district allows me to identify my own professional development opportunities and

provides support (release time, travel costs, tuition, etc.) if those opportunities are not scheduled

during district PD days. (3)

Q26 What things prevent you from taking advantage of professional development opportunities during

the school year? Check all that apply:

No sub able to cover my classes (1)

I don't like taking time away because of impacts on student learning (2)

I don't find out about opportunities until it's too late (3)

My school/district does not allow teachers release time for professional development (4)

Costs associated with the opportunity (tuition, supplies, travel, room/board, etc.) (5)

Nothing offered in my content area (6)

I don't have time to participate in professional development activities (7)

other (8)

Q27 If you selected "other" in Question 25 please describe below what prevents you from taking

advantage of professional development opportunities during the school year.

Q28 What things prevent you from taking advantage of professional development opportunities during

the summer? Check all that apply:

Nothing offered in my content area (1)

Commitments to family (2)

I have another job in the summer (3)

Costs associated with the opportunity (tuition, supplies, travel, room/board, etc.) (4)

other (5)

Q29 If you selected "other" in Question 27 please describe below what prevents you from taking

advantage of professional development opportunities during the summer:

Q30 When do you engage in professional development that is not a district-sponsored event?

independently during the school year (1)

during the summer (2)

year round (3)


Q31 From the list below, select up to five (5) topics that would be most useful to you as professional

development opportunities:

building relationships with industry partners (1)

technical knowledge (please identify area in the following question) (2)

Career Pathways (3)

Working with Advisory Boards (4)

Promoting Non-Traditional Occupations (5)

Reading Strategies for CTE (6)

Working with Industry Simulators (7)

Boot Camp for New CTE Teachers (8)

Industry-specific certification opportunities (9)

"Project Lead the Way" related courses (10)

Strategies for contextual teaching and learning (11)

Technology applications in CTE (12)

Q32 If you selected "technical knowledge" from the list of topics please describe the field/area below:

Q33 Professional development is available in a variety of delivery formats. Please rank the formats

below, with "1" being the most appealing for you and "6" being the least appealing for you.

______ face-to-face over a traditional semester (1)

______ "clinic"' model (2-5 day intensive) (2)

______ On-line courses (3)

______ Courses in which you earn credit for attending a conference/conference strand and complete

follow up work on-line (4)

______ Professional learning communities--in person (5)

______ Professional learning communities--virtual (on-line) (6)

Q34 Please rank the factors below that most influence your decision to engage in professional

development activities, with "1" being the most important factor and "5" being the least important

factor.

______ Need credits for re-certification (1)

______ Desire to move on the salary scale (2)

______ Desire to hone my professional skills (3)

______ Desire to earn an industry credential (4)

______ Availability of support for tuition and/or travel (5)

Q35 What is the current renewal status of your teaching certificate?

It expires in less than a year and I have met all of my recency credit requirements. (1)

It expires in less than a year and I have not met my recency credit requirements. (2)


I have more than a year left before renewal and I have met all of my recency credit requirements.

(3)

I have more than a year left before renewal and I have not met all of my recency credit

requirements. (4)

I do not intend to renew my certificate. (5)

The following questions are for demographic purposes only.

Q36 Are you teaching in the Anchorage, Mat-Su, Kenai, or Fairbanks Northstar Borough School District?

yes (1)

No (2)

If yes Is Selected, Then Skip To Are you male or female?

Q37 Is your school on the road system?

Yes (1)

No (2)

Q38 Are you male or female?

Male (1)

Female (2)

Q39 How would you describe your ethnicity?

African American (1)

Alaska Native/American Indian (2)

Asian (3)

Caucasian (4)

Hispanic (5)

Pacific Islander/Hawaiian (6)

Mixed (7)

Q40 Which group best describes your age?

Under 25 (1)

25-35 (2)

36-44 (3)

45-59 (4)

59+ (5)


Q41 For how many years total have you been a certificated teacher, both in Alaska and in the Lower 48?

0-3 years (1)

4-6 years (2)

7-10 years (3)

11-15 years (4)

15+ years (5)

Q42 Of those years as a certificated teacher, in how many have you taught at least one CTE course?

0-3 years (1)

4-6 years (2)

7-10 years (3)

11-15 years (4)

15+ years (5)

Q43 What is your highest level of education?

Industry/technical certificate (No undergraduate degree) (1)

Bachelor's degree (2)

Bachelor's degree AND an industry/technical certification (3)

Graduate certificate (4)

Graduate degree (5)

post graduate (6)

Thank you for your time. If you participated in the structured interviews conducted by Kelly Donnelly

from Feb. 1-Apr. 30th your data has already been collected. We appreciate your support of this effort.