Our vision is an Alaska that continuously grows prosperity by maximizing individual opportunities and freedom
The Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) recently received a $1 million grant, funded by the federal CARES Act, to research a “legal and practical pathway” for tribal compacting of education. Tribal compacting is an education agreement between the state and tribes where local authority for K-12 schools is vested […]
It is a sad fact, but it is true: children who cannot read by nine rarely catch up to their peers. In 2019, only 25 percent of Alaskan fourth-graders were proficient in reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), and almost […]
Project Nickel is a tool that makes it easy for parents and policymakers alike to understand how much is spent per student at a school by bundling together the most informative statistics and […]
This is a copy of the verbal testimony APF provided to the House Education Committee on May 8, 2021. Click here here to open a printable PDF of the testimony in a new […]
With one policy change, Alaska can improve learning, reduce poverty and ensure more students are on the path to success in career and college. Alaska invests huge sums into public K—12 education but […]
This is a copy of the verbal testimony APF provided to the Senate Education Committee on April 10, 2021. Click here to open a printable PDF of the testimony in a new tab. […]
It’s no surprise that reading is a critical skill for young children to learn. In fact, by third grade, students “stop learning to read and start reading to learn.” This means it is […]
The Texas Public Policy Foundation has released an interactive tool that classifies programs at universities based on average annual earnings, monthly loan payments, students’ average debt-to-earnings ratio, and gainful employment equivalent status. The debt-to-earnings ratio is calculated by dividing the median debt […]
Given the recent budget woes of the University of Alaska (UA) system and falling enrollment for nearly a decade, it is reasonable to wonder if earning a degree in Alaska is a sound economic investment for students. In other words, do Alaskan students leave […]
It is time for Alaska to consider a June 1 kindergarten birthdate rule. Most Alaskan students are not showing up for kindergarten fully ready for school. That is especially true for the very […]
Myth 1: ALL research indicates students should ALWAYS be socially promoted, even if they are far below expected proficiency in reading in 3rd grade. Reality: Over a dozen studies show the benefits of […]
Click here to open the press release as a PDF in a new tab. ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska Policy Forum (APF) has published new interactive maps of the 2019 Performance Evaluation for Alaska’s […]
Click here to open the press release as a PDF in a new tab. ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Alaska Students’ Educational Bill of Rights ballot initiative contains “a number of potential legal flaws” […]
Proponents of the Alaska Students’ Educational Bill of Rights ballot initiative have begun collecting signatures, but according to a preliminary legal opinion from the law firm Holland & Knight: “The Initiative is a […]
This article was originally published in the Anchorage Daily News on September 6, 2019. In the midst of debates surrounding current budget cuts and the Alaska Permanent Fund, we are neglecting to address […]
By Bob Griffin On October 1st 2019, the Fairbanks North Star Borough School Board passed a resolution questioning the accuracy of Performance Evaluation for Alaska’s Schools (better known as the PEAKS test). In […]