Diane Hirshberg, Ph.D.

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Director Professor of Education Policy

Work Phone: 907-786-5413 Work Email:

Biography

Diane Hirshberg is the Director of the Institute of Social and Economic Research and a Professor of Education Policy at the University of Alaska Anchorage. She also serves as Vice-President Academic for the University of the Arctic. Her research includes education policy analysis, indigenous education, circumpolar education issues, and the role of education in sustainable development in the Arctic. She has studied the boarding school experiences of Alaska Native students, teacher supply, demand, and turnover, including the cost of teacher turnover in Alaska. She co-edited the book Education, Equity and Inclusion: Teaching and Learning for a Sustainable North, published in 2023, which features her co-authored chapter “Adaptation isn’t just for the tundra: Rethinking teaching and learning in Alaska’s Arctic.” Her current work focuses on the role of education and knowledge sharing in self-determined sustainable development in remote villages and in supporting community efforts to build energy security and sustainability in northern and Indigenous communities. Dr. Hirshberg currently teaches in the Master of Public Policy Program at the UAA College of Business and Public Policy. She has a Ph.D. in Education from UCLA, a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University, and two bachelor’s degrees from UC Berkeley.

Notes

Selected Publications:

Hirshberg, D.B., Cost, D., Alexander, E. (2023). Adaptation Isn’t Just for the Tundra: Rethinking Teaching and Schooling in Alaska’s Arctic. In: Hirshberg, D.B., Beaton, M.C., Maxwell, G., Turunen, T., Peltokorpi, J. (eds) Education, Equity and Inclusion. Springer Polar Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97460-2_2
Hirshberg, D.B., Maxwell, G., Peltokorpi, J., Beaton, M.C., Turunen, T. (2023). Introduction: Education, Equity and Inclusion for a Sustainable North. In: Hirshberg, D.B., Beaton, M.C., Maxwell, G., Turunen, T., Peltokorpi, J. (eds) Education, Equity and Inclusion. Springer Polar Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97460-2_1
Harvey, H., Pierce, J., & Hirshberg, D. (2023). Using Participatory Research to Develop a Culturally Responsive Early Childhood Assessment Tool. Journal of Participatory Research Methods, 4 (2). https://doi.org/10.35844/001c.77624
Harvey, H., Hirshberg, D., & Pierce, J. (2021). Guidelines for culturally responsive reflective practice in birth to five settings (Version 1). Cook Inlet Tribal Council.
Hirshberg, D. B., Harvey, H., Cost, D. & Ohle, K. (March, 2019). Mind the Gap… Mind the Chasm: Exploring Inclusion and Equity in Alaska’s Education System. In Beaton, M. C., Hirshberg, D. B., Maxwell, G. R., and Spratt, J. (Eds.). Including the North: A Comparative Study of the Policies on Inclusion and Equity in the Circumpolar North. Rovaniemi, FI: University of Lapland.
Tetpon, B., Hirshberg, D., Leary, A. & Hill, A. (2015). Alaska Native-focused Teacher Preparation Programs: What have we learned? Alaska Native Studies Journal (2).88-100.
Hirshberg, D. and Hill, A. (2014). Indigenous Self-Determination in Education in Alaska: How Can Communities Get There? Alaska Native Studies Journal (1) 96-122.
Hirshberg, D. (2008). It was bad or it was good: Alaska Natives in past Boarding Schools. Journal of American Indian Education. (47) 3, 5-30.

Selected ISER Reports and Working Papers:

Hirshberg, D. & Green, N. (2021). School District Energy Costs in Alaska. Institute of Social & Economic Research, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Hirshberg, D. & Passini, J. (2021). School District Internet Costs and Access in Alaska. Institute of Social & Economic Research, University of Alaska Anchorage.
DeFeo, D.J., Tran, T., Hirshberg, D., Cope, D. & Cravez, P. (2017). The Cost of Teacher Turnover in Alaska. Anchorage, AK: Center for Alaska Education Policy Research.
Hirshberg, D., Joseph, B., Hill, A., & Thomas, C. (2016). Education- K- 12 and the University: Meeting the Needs of all Alaska Students? In Thomas, C., (ed.) Alaska Politics and Public Policy: The Dynamics of Beliefs, Institutions, Personalities, and Power.Fairbanks, AK: University of Alaska Press, 941-1002.
Hirshberg, D. & Petrov, A. N. (2015). Education and Human Capital. In Larsen, J and Fondahl, G. (eds.) Arctic Human Development Report: Regional Processes and Global Linkages. Copenhagen: Nordic Council of Ministers, pp. 347-395
Hirshberg, D., DeFeo, D., Berman, M. and Hill, A. (2015) Salary & Benefits Schedule and Teacher Tenure Study Final Report. Anchorage, AK: Center for Alaska Education Policy Research.

Selected Presentations:

Hirshberg, D. (January 2020). “The Role of Education in Self-Determined Sustainable Development in the Arctic,” Paper presentation at the Arctic Frontiers Science Forum, Tromso, Norway.
Hirshberg, D. (February 2019). Retention and Turnover of Teachers in Alaska: Why it Matters. Presentation to the Alaska Municipal League annual legislative fly-in, Juneau, AK.
Hirshberg, D. (2018, September). Reframing Education Research in the Arctic. Keynote talk, UArctic Congress, Oulu, Finland
Hirshberg, D. & Suralta, B. (September 2019). “Building more Culturally Responsive Early Learning Settings for Indigenous Children in Alaska: Initial Work of the Improving Childcare Outcomes Research Project,” Presentation at NCRE (Native Children’s Research Exchange) 2019, Denver, CO.
Hirshberg, D. (2019, March). Inclusive Education Policy from a Critical Perspective. Keynote talk, Developing an Inclusive School Conference, University of Lapland, Rovaniemi, Finland.

Curriculum Vitae: Diane Hirshberg CV Sept 2023

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