- Cama-i, quyana tailuci!
- (Central Yup’ik)
- "Greetings, thank you for coming!"
Last Call, New, Reminder
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS) will convene a virtual conference to address one of the most important issues confronting American education today: The declining performance of America’s lowest-performing readers and the growing gap between low- and high performing students. This two-day gathering will open with an in-depth discussion of NCES data from Associate Commissioner Peggy G. Carr that will focus on lower-performing students. Conversations that follow will bring together some of America’s most respected and innovative researchers and educators in the fields of reading instruction, literacy, and language—connecting the country’s foremost experts from the research world with those who put research into practice to help children succeed.
June 8–9, 2021
Day 1: 7:00 a.m.—11:05 a.m.
Day 2: 7:00 a.m.—12:45 p.m.
To attend the event, please register here (registration is free): https://www.accelevents.com/e/IESReadingSummit
NEW! Summer of Heroes program looking to recognize youth making a difference
Summer of Heroes is a program between Alaska Communications and Boys & Girls Clubs - Alaska, promoting education, awareness, and support for youth development programs throughout the state. Summer of Heroes includes two main components - a youth recognition and $1,500 scholarship award, and a cause-related sales promotion.
Alaska Communications is seeking nominations from across the state for youth who are doing good in their local communities.
Learn more and nominate a hero here.
Free Opportunity: Itinerant School Counselor Program
SERRC - Alaska's Educational Resource Center is piloting a new Itinerant School Counselor program.
An Alaska licensed school counselor will address:
- Social-emotional support
- Mental and behavioral health and wellbeing for students
- Staff training
- Parent learning opportunities
Services will be available in one-on-one and small group sessions with virtual delivery.
Contact Emily Dwyer to apply for this grant funded opportunity. SERRC is looking for two districts to pilot this new program.
For more information: Contact Emilyd@serrc.org
The Academic Decathlon (HS) and Pentathlon (MS) are national scholastic competitions designed to stimulate intellectual growth, create critical thinkers and create lifelong learners. Both programs are team competitions where students match their intellects with students from other schools. High school students are tested in ten categories on a common theme and middle school students compete in five categories (2021-2022 Theme: Water - A Valuable Resource).
Next year's programs will offer college credit for both coaches (500 level) and high school students, scholarships for UAA, UAF and UAS along with scholarships that can be used at any higher education institution. Both the high school and middle school program offer medals to individual participants and trophies to the winning teams. The Alaska Academic Decathlon State Competition will take place February 17-20, 2022, on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus.
The Alaska Academic Decathlon and Pentathlon are programs of SERRC - Alaska's Educational Resource Center.
Find out more at www.akacadeca.org.
REL Northwest Educator Retention and Turnover: 2021 Update
Updated data show that teacher turnover in Alaska has remained steady but high, while principal turnover in the state decreased this academic year. A new infographic, compiled by Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Northwest as a follow-up to their 2019 report, illustrates how rural schools continue to be hardest hit by turnover. Additionally, it suggests strategies for improving teacher and principal recruitment and retention.
Creating Cultural Competence (C3) program is in search of a Curriculum Developer
The Alaska Humanities Forum (AKHF) is looking for someone who can develop 20 lesson plans this Summer to be used by C3 teachers in the Northwest Arctic and North Slope regions of Alaska. The attached RFP contains all the information regarding this work, but in short, the lessons should be grounded in the Alaska state geography and cultural standards, connect directly to place, incorporate Inupiaq cultural values, and include Alaska-based literature.
To learn more about AKHF and the C3 program, please visit our website: https://www.akhf.org/
Please email questions and completed applications to Kirstie Willean @: kwillean@akhf.org.
FCC Emergency Broadband Benefit Outreach Toolkit
Teachers - If you have students who need broadband at home, the Emergency Broadband Benefit Outreach Toolkit provides infographics, Twitter and Facebook posts, flyers, posters and handouts to help you tell students and parents about this program to help households struggling to afford internet service during the pandemic. As of May 12, 2021, eligible households will be able to enroll in the program to receive a monthly discount off the cost of broadband service from an approved provider.
ACSA hiring Public Information Officer
If you believe in the transformative power of education and are a strong communicator looking for a dynamic career with big impact, we invite you to explore the Alaska Council of School Administrators! The Alaska Council of School Administrators (ACSA) is looking for a Public Information Officer (PIO) to join their team based in Juneau, Alaska.
Enhanced Learning Maps Project helps students personalize path the student success
Enhanced Learning Maps provide standards-focused materials that foster the conditions for improving student achievement, including online tools deliberately designed to support and inform personalized learning.
These tools encourage interactions that elicit evidence of student thinking, leading to conversations that engage students and teachers in formative assessment processes.
UAF K-12 Outreach statewide survey
The K-12 Outreach Department houses education programs at the University of Alaska Fairbanks that serve statewide. They are conducting a survey to advance their educational support for our state. Your help in completing this survey is greatly appreciated, it will take less than 5 mins.
Prince William Sound College announces summer ‘for Teachers’ events
Each of these professional development courses awards you three 500-level credits and your cost to attend, including tuition, housing, and some travel, is paid for through grant funding. Each course will mix content instruction with discussions on the Alaska teaching standards, the Alaska Cultural standards, thematic lesson planning, place-based learning, and the inclusion of Indigenous Knowledge/Indigenous Science in the curriculum. Each course includes outdoor activities as part of the learning process. Learn more: https://pwsc.alaska.edu/4teachers/
Resilient Educators Retreat: A Team Approach for Building a Web of Support School
July 27-28, 2021 at the Alyeska Resort in Girdwood
No one person can support the social-emotional health of your students and staff! Wellbeing for a school is about creating a system of support that consists of all staff and students. A customized systemic approach to resilience is within your reach and a necessity! Brightways Learning's Resilient Educators facilitation team will provide you with new tools, expertise, and opportunities to work together to launch a Full-Color Web of Support school and/or district. Be ready to reflect on what you’re already doing - such as understanding neuroscience, trauma-responsiveness, character development, quality relationships, etc. Then, using what you know and exploring new perspectives, you’ll strategically re-design your practices to improve student and staff engagement. You’ll leave looking at your school through a new lens and with an actionable plan for creating a Web of Support school. Bringing a team is highly encouraged and team discounts are available!
Project Learning Tree and Science Standards of Alaska Place-Based Educator Workshop
Professional Development Event at Alaska Geographic's Murie Science and Learning Center Field Camp in Denali National Park on the Teklanika River.
June 26-29 (Full. Contact courses@alaskageographic if you know someone in the course and want to join them).
July 26-29 ( 1 space available).
August 2-5 (2 spaces available)
$125
For course details and registration, see Teacher Opportunities on Alaska Geographic's Field Institute website.
Thanks to a generous grant from Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and Project Learning Tree (PLT), and support from Alaska Geographic, this in person workshop is offered to educators for just $125 for 2 full days of instruction, plus an extra free night's stay at the Teklanika field camp after the workshop has commenced and a road pass to drive their private vehicle to the site. Participants will receive Project Learning Tree's brand new Environmental Education guide, Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide, which highlights outdoor learning, STEM skills, NGSS correlations, cross-curricular lessons, has ready made student pages, and much more.
Optional CEU credit through UAA is available for an extra fee.
For more information, contact Molly Gillespie, Alaska PLT coordinator: alaskaplt.molly@gmail.com
2021 Alaska School Leadership Institute conference registration open
Educators navigated major challenges this year. As we move to a post-pandemic phase, the time is right to start preparing for the fall. Gather a team together to gain a head start on organizing and simplifying the workplace changes that may take place. Reflect on what worked this year, and plan for transitions that minimize the loss of instructional time and support accelerated learning next year.
The Alaska School Leadership Institute (ASLI) 2021 will focus on the question: How should we plan for opening school next fall — and where do students begin?
Applications for summer computer science PD for middle and high school teachers now available
The Alaska Staff Development Network is excited to announce the dates for the 5-day professional learning opportunities available to Grade 6-12 teachers this summer.
- Apply to attend Computer Science Discoveries professional learning. You must be a classroom teacher who can teach this curriculum next year to apply.
* June 14-18 (virtual) with yearlong support as you teach the curriculum SY 21/22
* July 26-30 (tentatively in-person in Anchorage) with yearlong support as you teach the curriculum SY 21/22 - Apply to attend Computer Science Principles professional learning
* June 14-18 (virtual) with yearlong support as you teach the curriculum SY 21/22
Lee Waters, Ed.D. with the Anchorage School District in collaboration with the UAA Center for Human Development LEND Without Walls has created a manual to assist all those involved with the education of students with disabilities. This manual is designed to be a helpful resource for anyone involved with the transitional needs of students with disabilities from secondary to postsecondary education. The manual is available through ASD’s website: https://www.asdk12.org/PostsecondaryTransitionManual.
FDA Releases New Agricultural Biotechnology Curriculum for Middle and High School Students
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of Science and Our Food Supply: Exploring Food Agriculture and Biotechnology, a new, free and online supplemental curriculum for middle and high school students on the science behind genetically engineered plants. This curriculum is the latest release of the FDA’s award-winning supplemental curriculum series Science and Our Food Supply. Through labs, activities, and interactive discussions, the curriculum aims to help teachers instruct middle and high school students about traditional and modern agricultural methods, with a focus on genetic engineering and genome editing techniques that are used to produce foods commonly called “GMOs.”
NASF Centennial School Tree Challenge Grant, Extended!
The Alaska Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry has extended The National Association of State Foresters (NASF) Centennial School Tree Challenge. Grants are available to schools for the purchase, shipping, and planting of trees. Trees can be planted on school grounds, or even indoors if your school has a suitable space or a greenhouse. This opportunity is first come first served and is available until funds are exhausted. NEW: Participating schools will be eligible to receive a FREE curriculum from Project Learning Tree!
COVID-19 has brought exceptional challenges to us all during the past year, and it's no surprise that educators have once again shown courage, strength, and resiliency. Plant a tree at your school in honor of your school's heroes! Create a memorial grove of trees in memory of your community members who have lost lives to COVID-19. Use this grant to create a new outdoor classroom surrounded by trees for a healthy learning environment!
The Parent’s Guide to Filling out the FAFSA Form
While the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form is the student’s application, we know that parents often play a large role in the process. With that in mind, the U.S. Department of Education wanted to provide instructions for parents who are starting the FAFSA form on behalf of their child.
U.S. Department of Education Releases Parent and Family Digital Learning Guide
The U.S. Department of Education released a new Parent and Family Digital Learning Guide, a resource to help parents and guardians understand how digital tools can provide tailored learning opportunities, engage students with course materials, encourage creative expression, and enrich the educational experience.
Are you interested in dual enrollment opportunities at the University of Alaska? Members of the University of Alaska Transition Coalition (UATC) are available to assist with curriculum alignment, dual enrollment, and other opportunities that support the transition of secondary students to continue their training and education at the postsecondary level.
Girls Who Code at Home Activities
Girls Who Code releases free computer science activities for students, educators, and parents on Mondays. Some online, some offline, of varying levels of difficulty. Each activity features a woman in tech who pioneered innovative technology.
Google Educators Group of Alaska
Google Educators Group (GEG) are independently run communities of educators who inspire and empower each other to meet the needs of students through technology both in the classroom and beyond. Via face-to-face meet-ups and online activities, GEGs provide a way for educators who are passionate about education and technology to meet like-minded people and share, learn, and collaborate together.
Awareness Materials on Family and Youth Homelessness
As a result of the pandemic, and without the usual methods of outreach and identification, many families and youth experiencing homelessness may be even more disconnected from school and early childhood programs. The SchoolHouse Connection created PSAs and a social media toolkit to help raise awareness and provide information around educational rights.
Online Story Circles for Educators and Community Members
Educator Story Circles are opportunities for small groups of people (educators and engaged community members) to gather together to listen and share thoughts and stories related to a common theme. No preparation is necessary, and each participant has the option to share or simply listen to others. Story Circles aren’t about performing. Rather, the purpose is to listen and connect. Participants who want to lead Story Circles with their own students or community members will have access to a free toolkit and will be eligible for a $200 stipend from the Alaska Humanities Forum.
Ready to Read Alaska is a statewide initiative for families and caregivers of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in Alaska. The program’s mission is to promote early literacy development in Alaska’s young children to create the foundations needed for when a child begins to learn to read. Ready to Read is posting training videos on YouTube, and literacy tips, book recommendations, crafts, and activities on Instagram.