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News from Education & Early Development

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NEW! State Board to Hold Work Session on August 19

The Alaska State Board of Education and Early Development will hold a work session on August 19. The purpose of the meeting is to hold a work session to receive an update from Commissioner Dr. Michael Johnson on department activity.

NEW! Join the DEED Team!

DEED is recruiting for an Education Specialist II. This position is part of the highly-collaborative School Recognition and Support Team in Anchorage that works to provide coordinated and targeted information, resources, and leadership to districts and schools across the state. This position closes August 24.

NEW! Seeking Comment on Procedures and Tools to Implement Preventive Maintenance Regulation

Changes to the regulation relating to a school district’s preventive maintenance and facility management program established a requirement for regular evaluation of the effectiveness of and need for commissioning existing school buildings. Comments on the proposed implementation options are sought by August 31.

NEW! FY2022 Capital Improvement Project Grant Applications Due September 1

The department annually evaluates capital improvement project (CIP) grant applications that are submitted by school districts.  The deadline for submittal of FY2022 school construction and major maintenance capital improvement project grant application materials is postmarked September 1.

NEW! Teaching Dr. King’s Social Justice Principles to a Digital Generation

In response to student interest in issues of equality and social justice, these timely curricula for both high school and elementary school students are based on the nonviolent social justice philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Both MLK curricula are ideally suited for online learning. For more background on this timely and unique educational initiative, please watch the recording of the Alaska Smart Start 2020 Summer Virtual Summit session on August 10.

This MLK curriculum is keyed to national and state history and social studies standards

This MLK curriculum is keyed to national and state ELA reading standards

NEW! Museum From Home

Alaska museums and cultural centers offer a rich diversity of online learning opportunities, activities, and experiences that you can explore right from your home!

Needs Assessment of Alaska’s Mixed-Delivery System of Early Childhood Care and Education

This needs assessment is funded by a Preschool Development Grant Birth Through Five (PDG B-5) awarded to DEED by the Administration for Children and Families, and jointly administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Education. For Alaska, the core grant focus on children birth through age 5 years is expanded to include children prenatal through 8 years of age where data and information allow.

Alaska State Museum Opens New Exhibit Featuring Big Artworks from the Largest State

From large format photographs to towering canvases, the Alaska State Museum’s newest exhibition features artworks by renowned Alaskan artists with one thing in common: size. Simply Big is a collection of artwork made between 1970 and 2020 and includes works that have not been on exhibit before as well as recent acquisitions made possible by the by the Rasmuson Foundation.

Three New Online Exhibits on Women’s Suffrage in Alaska

In recognition of the 100-year anniversary of women's suffrage in the United States the Alaska State Library, Archives and Museum presents three online exhibits: Women of Alaska, Women of Vision and Alaska’s Suffrage Star.  Educational activities associated with these exhibits can be found on the webpage, Teacher's Online Resources.

Extended Availability of District FY20 Perkins Funds due to COVID-19 Interruptions

Districts with unspent FY20 Perkins funds have an additional 3 months to expend awarded funds on Perkins/CTE activities.  These funds normally would have expired on July 1, 2020 but are now available through September 30, 2020. For questions or comments please contact Brad Billings.

Documenting the Impact of COVID-19 on Life in Alaska

The Alaska State Libraries, Archives, and Museums Division is documenting the impact of COVID-19 on life in Alaska. You can help by sharing documents, images, journals, audio recordings, videos, and other digital or tangible items relating to COVID-19 in Alaska.

COVID-19 Resources Guide from the Alaska State Library

The Alaska State Library has published an Alaska-specific guide for Libraries and COVID-19. The COVID-19 website includes:

  • Statement about the latest health mandates applicable to libraries, archives, museums and schools.
  • Resources for remote working and professional development.
  • Self-care resources to help you destress in this time of crisis.
  • A working list of services currently offered by libraries in Alaska.

BrainPOP Subscription

Many of you know that Alaska has a statewide license to BrainPOP, but did you know that your teachers can unlock additional features through individual accounts that can only be set up at the school level? At no additional charge to you?

  • For students to access BrainPop: click the LOG IN tab (not ENTER CODE)
  • For teachers to whose schools are set up to use BrainPop Educator: use the ENTER CODE

If you have the username and password for DEED’s statewide subscription, please only share it in a way that no one on the internet besides your patrons or students can access the username/password. (i.e. direct e-mail ok, posting to your social media/website/blog is NOT.) If you don’t have the current SLED database credentials, visit the SLED Password Request form and fill it out completely. Expect a response within one business day. The SLED usernames and passwords are good for nearly all the SLED Databases and resources. One request will empower you to help with just about anything SLED related. Contact Martha Ketsdever, BrainPOP Account Manager for Alaska State Libraries, for more information.

Seeking Public Review and Comment on State Content Standards

DEED is seeking review and comment on state content standards. We encourage parents, educators, and communities to take a few minutes to provide input on Alaska's current English Language Arts and Mathematics standards adopted in 2012.