Diane Hirshberg

DepartmentOrganizationEmailPhoneAddressAnchorage , Alaska 99504United StatesBioDiane Hirshberg is Director and Professor of Education Policy at the Institute of Social and Economic Research, 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.

Science Specialties

education
indigenous education
circumpolar education

Current Research

Cost of teacher turnover in Alaska
Arctic Youth Indicators