If the word “normal” seems overused these days, you aren’t imagining it. Everyone wants to get back to normal. Especially in our local schools. But that’s easier said than done. My perception of […]
When Will Our Schools Return To Normal?
APF Selected As Award Finalist!
Alaska Policy Forum is honored to have been selected as a finalist for the State Policy Network’s Bob Williams Award for Outstanding Policy Achievement — Biggest Home State Win! APF was proud to […]
Op-Ed: The Effectiveness of Read by 9 Reforms
This op-ed was originally published in the Anchorage Daily News and the Mat-Su Frontiersman. APF appreciates Ms. Van Dyke’s advocacy, and looks forward to the positive outcomes of this reform. by Debra Van […]
Podcast: APF Board Chair with Alaska Landmine
Alaska Policy Forum’s board chair Jodi Taylor was a recent guest on the Alaska Landmine Radio podcast with Jeff Landfield. They discussed the Correspondence School Allotment Program, and our Read by 9 policy […]
Historic Victory for Alaska’s Children
Alaska Policy Forum was pleased to be invited to the bill signing ceremony for the Alaska Reads Act, which contains K–12 reforms for which APF has been advocating since 2013. In our 2013 […]
The Best and the Worst of the 2022 Legislative Session
As is often the case, there was no shortage of bills introduced to the 32nd Legislature (which comprises 2021 and 2022). Not counting resolutions, legislators introduced 690. Those that did not pass both […]
Alaska’s Public Education Revenues, Expenditures, and Outcomes
Click here to open a printable PDF of this report in a new tab. By Sarah Montalbano and Johan Soto Introduction The National Public Education Financial Survey, annually compiled by the National Center […]
Major Win for Alaska Students
Yesterday, something truly historic occurred. Nine years after Alaska Policy Forum began calling attention to our state’s poor student outcomes, and proposed adopting “the Florida reading reforms” as a remedy, legislators have finally […]
Video: Former Principal Supports Read by 9
Only one in four Alaska fourth grade students are reading on grade level. But there is a prescription for this problem. Debra Van Dyke was formerly principal at Fort Yukon School in the […]
Intensive Teacher Training: Science-Based Instruction to Help Alaska’s Students
Reading by age nine is a crucial element of academic and professional success for Alaska’s students. Students who enter fourth grade reading fluently can learn the material; students who do not enter fourth […]
Alaska’s Students Must Learn to “Read by Nine” Now – Not in Nine Years
This op-ed was originally published by the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and the Mat-Su Frontiersman in February 2022. An entire decade. That’s how long Alaska’s public schools have ranked in the bottom five […]
Parent Involvement and Intensive Training: How to Help Struggling Readers
A student’s ability to read is a critical predictor of educational and lifelong success. A strong reading program, beginning in kindergarten and continuing into the third grade and beyond, gives students the best […]
Identify and Individualize: How to Catch Struggling Readers Early
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 […]
Report Finds Alaska Has Most Progressive School Funding – But is it Successful?
Advocates of higher school spending often frame the problem as a no-brainer solution to assist struggling students. However, the school funding issue in Alaska is far more complicated; a recent report by the […]
Testimony on HB 164 – Read By 9
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 […]
Video: Alaska Students Must Read by 9
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 […]