Alaska Department of Education & Early Development

Alaska starts a statewide network to make walking and biking to school safer

The state is starting a statewide group to help Alaska kids walk and bike to school more safely, winter and all. Parents, teachers and planners are welcome.

by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min read

Three Alaska high school seniors are among 161 named 2026 US Presidential Scholars

Students from Soldotna, North Pole and Anchorage were named 2026 U.S. Presidential Scholars, three of 161 picked from more than 6,700 candidates nationwide.

by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read

State urges Alaska schools to patch PHP flaws attackers are already using

Alaska's education department urged school districts to find every system running PHP and patch it or pull the plug, citing flaws attackers are using.

by Melinda Communities.News1w ago2 min read

Follows: Fixes are out for serious flaws in software behind dozens of Alaska websites

Alaska summer meal sponsors will apply on a new state platform in 2027

Summer meal sponsors will switch to a new state system for applications and claims in 2027. Last summer the program served 1.3 million meals to Alaska kids.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readFrom Sep 9

Alaska districts have until Nov. 15 to recertify more than 15,000 migratory children

Alaska counted more than 15,000 children as migratory last year, a program built largely on fishing for food. Districts must recertify them by Nov. 15.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Alaska asks for free civics lessons as a new graduation requirement approaches

Alaska students starting high school in fall 2027 will need to pass civics to graduate. The state is asking for free lessons to post, not writing its own.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago3 min read

Native languages council to decide if state education employees can serve

The Council of Alaska Native Languages meets Oct. 21 to decide whether state education employees can serve on it and to approve its report to the governor.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

University of Oregon seeks proposals for reading screeners in two more Alaska Native languages

Two more Alaska Native languages could get reading screeners for students learning to read in them. The University of Oregon wants proposals by Oct. 30.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Alaska school improvement grant reviews delayed by staff leave

Alaska Department of Education delayed School Improvement grant reviews due to staff leave, with applications needing approval by October 31 to avoid compliance violations.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

State says reviews of school improvement grant applications are delayed ahead of Oct. 31 deadline

The state says its review of school improvement grant applications is running behind, with an Oct. 31 deadline that decides when districts get repaid.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Alaska Native students in Juneau and Klawock to pitch tech prototypes to Elders

Alaska Native students in Juneau and Klawock will build tech prototypes this fall to solve community problems, then pitch them to Elders and industry leaders.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Southwest Region schools serve freeze-dried carrot chips from 2,300 pounds of summer vegetables

Southwest Region School District freeze-dried more than 2,300 pounds of potatoes and carrots over the summer, and carrot chips are now a lunchroom favorite.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

The state is still taking comments on a school rule it dropped last year

Alaska's education department is still taking comments on a rule its board killed 11 months ago. The follow-up the board asked for is harder to find.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Alaska school tests show early gains and a one-in-five participation gap

Alaska's younger students gained ground, but one in five enrolled students had no AK STAR score. Correspondence testing barriers explain part of the gap.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min readFrom Sep 14

Migratory students lose ground moving between Alaska districts; the state's new alert is an email

Alaska says a new in-state alert tells districts when migratory students move between them. Its own 2026-27 district manuals describe no such alert.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Alaska could lose $80 million in school money over a two-point miss

Alaska could lose $80 million in federal school money over a funding-equity failure it missed by less than two points, and partly triggered itself.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min read

A new state program is lifting Alaska's worst-in-the-nation aid filing rate

Alaska seniors who worked with a new state advising program filed for federal aid at 60 percent, well above the state's last-in-the-nation rate of 35 percent.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Alaska moves to cut library and museum rules, over public objections

Alaska's education department is moving to cut whole chapters of rules for libraries, museums and archives — over a public that mostly asked to keep them.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min readFrom Sep 5

Alaska's youngest students are improving in math and reading. Older grades aren't.

Alaska's youngest students are gaining in math and reading, but older grades have stalled — and most students still aren't testing proficient in either.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Alaska raised the age of consent, and school districts have new duties

Alaska raised the age of consent to 18 in July. School districts now must report such conduct to police, notify parents, and file with the state.

by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read

Alaska schools warned on parental consent for surveys and student records

Alaska schools could risk federal funding if they survey students on sensitive topics without written parental consent, or withhold records parents can see.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Alaska says school improvement grant reviews are delayed by staffing gaps

Federal money for Alaska's lowest-performing schools is stuck. The state office that reviews the applications is short-staffed, and deadlines have not moved.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Districts learned about $115 million after school had already started

Alaska school districts learned they were getting $115 million the day after school started, because the money depended on oil revenue counted Aug. 31.

by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read

Alaska districts have three weeks to apply for hunter education money

Alaska school districts have until Sept. 18 to apply for hunter education grants of up to $50,000, with $500,000 available statewide.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Alaska says 4,264 fewer K-3 students ended the year reading at the lowest level

Alaska ended the school year with 4,264 fewer K-3 students in the lowest reading category. The figures compare fall to spring, not year to year.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Many Alaska districts can reuse last year's foster care agreement for federal funds

Alaska school districts must upload a signed foster care transportation agreement with the Office of Children's Services to complete their federal education funding application.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

The Presidential Fitness Test is coming back to Alaska schools, with $1.15 million behind it

The Presidential Fitness Test — the mile run and pull-ups many remember — is coming back to Alaska schools in 2027-28, a decade after it was dropped.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

A new federal tax credit will let Alaskans fund K-12 scholarships, and nonprofits can start signing up now

A new federal tax credit will let Alaskans fund K-12 scholarships for a tax break — and the state is signing up the nonprofits to award the money.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Federal money can now put a homeless family in a motel room to keep a kid in school

Federal guidance now lets Alaska schools use homeless-education money for a motel room when no shelter's available — a last resort to keep a child in school.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

Alaska tells school kitchens cooking produce is safest Cyclospora step

Alaska school kitchens are told cooking produce to 158 degrees is the safest way to kill Cyclospora, as washing alone cannot remove the parasite amid a national surge in cases.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

Alaska schools could face a choice between internet and teachers if a federal subsidy is cut

A federal review could cut E-Rate, the subsidy that sent $203.5M to Alaska schools and libraries last year — and school boards warn it's internet or teachers.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

Alaska will cover district travel to a school safety summit

Alaska will cover districts' travel to a September school safety summit in Anchorage — even as many face budget deficits and a staffing crisis.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

A staffing gap at the state is delaying Alaska school-improvement grants against a hard deadline

Alaska's school-improvement grant approvals are stalled by staff vacancies at the state — with districts facing an Oct. 31 deadline to lock in their reimbursements.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read

Alaska school meal reimbursements rise 3.5% for 2026-27 school year

Alaska school districts will receive $6.98 per free lunch starting July 1, a 24-cent increase tied to food inflation.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read

Alaska's educator apprenticeship program wins permanent federal approval

Alaska keeps recruiting teachers who leave. A newly permanent apprenticeship flips that — training locals to become certified teachers without leaving home. It's grown from 5 to 96 in 18 months.

by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read

Alaska school districts could lose unspent federal money if they don't spend it fast

Some Alaska districts have unspent federal education money — and they'll lose it for good if it's not spent by Sept. 30. Notices don't go out until mid-July.

by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read

A June 30 Deadline Decides Who Eats Free at School

A June 30 deadline quietly decides which Alaska schools feed every kid for free next year — miss it and the cafeteria math gets a lot less kind.

by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read

Alaska passed a federal check that keeps its school funding system intact

Alaska passed a federal school funding test. Translation: the state didn't have to come up with extra money it doesn't have.

by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read

Alaska releases June summer meal bulletin with fraud warning

Alaska's Department of Education released a June bulletin warning that fraud in the state's rural summer meal program, which ships food to roadless communities, undermines public confidence and jeopardizes service to children who need it most.

by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago1 min read

State board approves UAS master's program for Native language teachers

Alaska's State Board of Education approved a master's degree program in Indigenous language teaching at University of Alaska Southeast, expanding graduate preparation for Alaska Native language educators as the state addresses rapid language loss.

by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read