Education

With less than a month to go before they vote on a proposal to cut or repurpose seven elementary schools, school board members say they’re still collecting information and hoping to hear from residents.

The change was presented as necessary to make room for additional career and technical education courses as part of the implementation of the career academies model in Anchorage.

Anchorage is home to some of the most diverse public schools in the country. The school district relies on specialized programs to support its many students with language needs.

The Anchorage School District has proposed closing seven elementary schools, citing declining enrollment, aging school buildings, a budget shortfall and other challenges.

The suit alleged the district violated students’ constitutional rights.

Anchorage and Juneau schools appear to face the biggest hit, but education officials warn the impacts could be felt more widely.

The proposal, which will need to be approved by the school board before it can be implemented, calls for staggered closures over the course of three years.

Commissioner Deena Bishop said the documents were a first draft and appeared on the state’s website due to a technical error.

Most U.S. adults support cellphone bans in middle and high schools, research shows.

The standards lay out what students from kindergarten through third grade are expected to know to develop proficiency in reading in their language. The framework also reflects an Alaska Native worldview and puts emphasis on oral traditions.

So far this school year, there have been two suspected overdoses in Anchorage School District students.

Under proposed regulations, the Office of Education Advocacy will accept complaints from the public against school districts in Alaska.

The governor’s office collected contact information from 2,256 people in four months.

School spending is a key issue in competitive legislative races after lawmakers in March sustained the governor’s veto of a major education funding boost.

New financial pressure on Head Start operators in Alaska and elsewhere has them turning to Congress for a cost-of-living increase for their programs.

Both UAA and UAF have established partnerships with a personalized co-branded apparel company and are launching marketplaces where their student-athletes can connect with businesses or boosters.

The clinics will be held on Monday, Sept. 23 and Wednesday, Sept. 25, from 2 to 5 p.m.

For months, a dispute between federal and state education officials has escalated over whether Alaska equitably funded schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.

MJ Thim, a spokesman for the district, said Monday evening that there are now four confirmed cases and four suspected cases total at Anchorage schools.

Officials on Wednesday confirmed one case at Goldenview Middle School and said two more are suspected at two other schools.

A national legislators’ group is pushing Congress to give states more time to spend money for homeless students, but advocates say it may be too late for an extension.

The department is expected to report new information next year on how families of homeschooled students use the funds they are allotted.

The scores are similar to last year’s results overall, even though the state lowered its standards for the assessment in January.