News from The Alaska Department of Education

NEW! Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools (EANS) Application - Due March 12, 2021

The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act was signed into law on December 27, 2020 and provides another round of funding for States to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in K-12 schools. The CRRSA Act provides $5.4 billion for the Emergency Assistance for Non-Public Schools (EANS) program, which is part of the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER II) Fund. Under the EANS program, the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development (DEED) was awarded funds to provide services or assistance to eligible non-public schools to address the impact that the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had, and continues to have, on non-public school students and teachers in the State.

This EANS Application is posted to the DEED Forms page. To receive services or assistance under the EANS program, an eligible non-public school must submit an application to DEED. DEED must prioritize services or assistance to non-public schools that enroll low-income students and are most impacted by COVID-19. Applications are due to DEED no later than March 12, 2021 at 5:00pm Alaska Standard Time. Submission must be sent to DEED.CARES@alaska.gov.

NEW! Nominations for Alaska Teacher of the Year open through March 15

Nominations are now open for the 2021-2022 Alaska Teacher of the Year. Candidates must have at least five years of education experience and are an expert in their field who guides students of all backgrounds and abilities to achieve excellence. Click here to nominate a teacher before March 15. Contact DEED.SRS@Alaska.gov with any questions.

Last Call! Bond Reimbursement & Grant Review Committee Meeting February 25

The BR&GR Committee will meet via teleconference on Thursday, February 25, at 2pm.  The primary topics of the meeting include updates from construction standards subcommittees, review of draft publication Alaska School Design & Construction Standards, and review of proposed changes to the FY23 capital improvement project (CIP) grant application relating to preventive maintenance scoring.

DEED Recruiting for Alaska Social Studies Content Standards Committee Members

DEED is beginning the process of reviewing and recommending state social studies content standards.  Applications to be part of the standards committee will be accepted through Friday, February 26, 2021.  Please view the information sheet for details and complete the online application form and attach the confidentiality agreement if you are interested!

February Activities at the APK and SJM

Check out the February 2021 issue of At the APK and SJM!  There’s a virtual youth activity for children in Juneau and a new (in-person) exhibit, Illustrating Alaska (featuring Caldecott winner, Michaela Goade among others) at the Alaska State Museum. There are also chances to learn more about Social Security.

As of now, all division facilities are open to the public.  See the newsletter for details and be sure to check lam.alaska.gov for the latest updates.  The State Library and archives is open Tuesday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m. and the APK Museum and the SJM is open Wednesday through Saturday, noon – 4 p.m. 

Initial FY23 Attendance Area Report for District Review

District requests for changes to the attendance area report utilized to determine space eligibility for FY2023 school construction projects are due by March 1. Contact Sharol.Roys@alaska.gov for more information.

DEED Final FY22 Capital Improvement Project Grant Rankings Available

DEED’s FY2022 final school construction and major maintenance priority lists are now available. Final lists are brought to the State Board of Education for approval and forwarded to the Governor and Legislature for consideration during budget development in the upcoming session. 

Summer Food Service Program Looking for Local Sites

Too many children who rely on school meals do not have access to meals in the summer. Are there children in your community who will go hungry this summer? DEED’s Child Nutrition Programs (DEED/CNP) is looking for school districts, parks and recreation departments, non-profit organizations, and churches to operate Summer Food Service Program feeding sites for children and youth in low-income areas in Alaska. For more information, please read the full blog post on this opportunity on DEED’s Info Exchange blog!  Completed applications are due by April 15.

Women of Alaska Display Featured on Official Election Pamphlet

Women of Alaska is an exhibit on virtual display through the Alaska State Library and Archives. Women have played a significant role in shaping Alaska into the state it is today. Women of Alaska recognizes and celebrates their achievements and contributions to the economic, academic, social, cultural, and political fields within our communities.

Alaska Statewide Virtual System Discussion Board

AKSVS teachers, are you looking for a place of discussion and support? Interested in meeting and sharing with other Alaskan teachers using AKSVS? Check out the Teacher Channel Discussion Board through the Alaska Professional Learning Network.

Trauma Engaged Toolkit Professional Development Opportunities

This fall AASB & DEED will be hosting a series of webinars featuring the Transforming Schools Framework and Toolkit. The first session will take place on September 15^th and will focus on Self Care. Please continue to check back as more sessions are added.

New DEED Science Education Listserv

DEED launched a new Science Education Listserv! The listserv will be a space for science teachers in Alaska to share information on teaching practices, instructional resources, community partnerships, lesson plan and unit ideas, professional development opportunities, and to discuss topical concerns in science instruction. DEED will also use it to push out notifications regarding opportunities in science education.  All science teachers in Alaska (pre-K, K-12, and collegiate) are encouraged to join.

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.

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.