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ISER releases new report on how COVID-19 school closures affect teacher preparation

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Dunleavy mandated that Alaska’s K12 schools closed to in-person instruction; later, these school closures were extended until the end of the 2019-2020 academic year. Across the state, educators worked not only to ensure they met their responsibilities for instruction, but also other key school functions including parent resources, meal services, and social-emotional learning. Concurrently, senior college students in teacher licensure programs at the University of Alaska (UA) were in classrooms fulfilling their clinical experience (student teaching) requirements. During the school closures, students were still “placed” in schools, but the nature of their internship experience changed fundamentally as classes were moved to distance delivery. Read more about > ISER releases new report on how COVID-19 school closures affect teacher preparation

2020-06-30T17:08:51-08:00June 30th, 2020|Categories: CAEPR, News|Tags: , , , |
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First Alaskans Institute 2020 summer intern

Gina Bodnar is joining ISER this summer as a First Alaskans Institute intern, and we are excited to welcome her! At ISER she’ll be working with Dr. Cueva to develop cancer education for youth in Northwest Arctic, and will be learning about the research process from IRB submission to data analysis. She is also curious to learn about ISER, and will be having informational interviews with staff and faculty during her internship. Read more about > First Alaskans Institute 2020 summer intern

2020-06-09T14:11:25-08:00June 11th, 2020|Categories: News|Tags: , , |
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Reporting impacts and recommendations for COVID-19 in Anchorage and Alaska

ISER faculty are working to inform the Municipality of Anchorage's COVID-19 efforts through a partnership between ISER, the UAA Division of Population Health Sciences, and the UAA College of Arts and Sciences. The group is involved in three distinct projects. First, Dr. Cueva, Dr. DeFeo, and Dr. Berry contributed to a series of publications focusing on specific areas in which the pandemic has impacted Anchorage and its residents, with recommendations for monitoring further impacts and potential responses/interventions. Of the published papers, Dr. Cueva and Dr. DeFeo took the lead on Education; considering the pandemic’s effect on early childhood, K12, and postsecondary systems, they noted the impacts of school and facility closures on students and communities, and provided recommendations to limit negative outcomes and plan for the future. Dr. Berry authored a paper on the economic impact of the hunker down order. Read more about > Reporting impacts and recommendations for COVID-19 in Anchorage and Alaska

2020-06-23T11:58:11-08:00June 9th, 2020|Categories: News|Tags: , , , , , , |
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Impacts of ‘Hunker Down’ in Anchorage

Economists, both nationally and in Alaska, are frequently asked to assess the economic costs of the steps taken to limit the spread of COVID-19.  The economic impacts are huge; the US is experiencing rates of unemployment not seen since the 1930s in the Great Depression.  But the benefits of saving lives by reducing deaths due to COVID-10 area also very large.  In a recent a working paper, “The Impacts of the ‘Hunker Down’ order in Anchorage,” Assistant Professor Kevin Berry used the concept of the economic value of a statistical life to undertake an approximate comparison of the economic costs (in lost income) and economic benefits (in saved lives) of the Municipal response to the coronavirus outbreak.  His work combines epidemiological modeling of how COVID-19 could have spread without the Hunker Down order with the value of a “statistical life”.  The results suggest that the economic benefits of saving human lives to date has far exceeded the economic costs in lost income. Read more about > Impacts of ‘Hunker Down’ in Anchorage

2020-06-23T11:59:16-08:00June 4th, 2020|Categories: News|Tags: , , |
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Alaska State Fair 2018 Exit Survey

Ever wondered if you are the only one who goes to the Alaska State Fair for some amazing Fair food? According to findings from the 2018 Alaska State Fair Exit survey, 67% of fairgoers surveyed said their main reason for attending the Fair was for the food! Volunteers and staff of the Alaska State Fair surveyed 398 fairgoers during the 2018 Alaska State Fair; the survey instrument was based on one administered at the 2013 Fair by McDowell Group. Alaska State Fair, Inc. management asked ISER to assist in using the data they collected to prepare a 2018 Exit Survey report and to compare findings to past years (2005, 2010, and 2013). Read more about > Alaska State Fair 2018 Exit Survey

2020-06-23T12:04:59-08:00May 15th, 2020|Categories: News|Tags: |
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Dr. Mouhcine Guettabi joined Mayor Ethan Berkowitz for the COVID-19 community update

Dr. Mouhcine Guettabi joined Mayor Ethan Berkowitz at the Anchorage daily COVID-19 community update on Wednesday, May 6. He discussed the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the Anchorage economy and the prospects for economic recovery. A video of the briefing is available from the Anchorage Daily News website. Dr. Guettabi’s presentation begins at about 16:42 and lasts about 12 minutes. His presentation can be found in ISER's publications database. Read more about > Dr. Mouhcine Guettabi joined Mayor Ethan Berkowitz for the COVID-19 community update

2020-06-23T13:24:38-08:00May 11th, 2020|Categories: News|
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Air and Water Violations in Alaska: 2011-2019

Alaskans care about their environment. Whenever we discuss development and conservation proposals, there is always a discussion about whether our water and air are being protected and whether some industries have a good record protecting our air and water. Or not. Read more about > Air and Water Violations in Alaska: 2011-2019

2020-06-23T13:25:15-08:00May 7th, 2020|Categories: News|Tags: , , |
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Navigating the Ferry Cutbacks

In March 2020, as the first warm rays of sun hit Orca Inlet, Cordova started to emerge from a ferry-less winter. The Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS) is used by 30 communities for reliable and affordable year-round transportation. But, following the passage of the FY 2020 budget, the Alaska Legislature cut funding for the AMHS by $44 million dollars, a 31% reduction from previous fiscal years.  As a result, according to the Alaska Municipal League, many coastal communities, including Cordova (Figure 1), spent six to eight months with no ferry service during the 2019/2020 winter. Additional funding for the AMHS is included in the FY21 state budget, but Cordova will likely have to wait until July 2020 for the first ferry of the year. By that time, Cordova will have been without ferry service for 9.5 months. Read more about > Navigating the Ferry Cutbacks

2020-04-30T10:37:27-08:00April 30th, 2020|Categories: News|Tags: , , |
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Presentations to Alaska Legislature: Impact of COVID-19 restrictions on Alaska economy

Two UAA staff recently presented information to the Alaska Legislature about the impact of the COVID-19 restrictions on the Alaska economy.  Mouhcine Guettabi (ISER) and Nolan Klouda (UAA’s Business Enterprise Institute) made presentations to the House Labor and Commerce Committee on April 24, 2020.  Video and audio from that hearing can be found online. Read more about > Presentations to Alaska Legislature: Impact of COVID-19 restrictions on Alaska economy

2020-06-23T13:26:41-08:00April 27th, 2020|Categories: News|Tags: , |
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Social Distancing in Anchorage

The coronavirus crisis has dramatically affected economic and social behavior in Alaska. Getting immediate measures of the impact on economic activity is limited by the inherent lags built into the collection of data on economic variables such as employment and sales. Dr. Mouhcine Guettabi turned to some near-real-time electronic data to get a more immediate sense of how activity has been impacted. Read more about > Social Distancing in Anchorage

2020-06-23T13:45:05-08:00April 22nd, 2020|Categories: News|Tags: , , |
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