Early in 2020, legislation was announced again to address the third-grade literacy crisis facing Alaskan children. Year after year, the problem has been discussed and legislation with viable solutions proposed—only to go nowhere. Finally, inRead More
Memo to Policymakers: Help Teachers Focus on Reading
By Robert Pondiscio This article originally appeared on the Thomas B. Fordham Institute website on November 19, 2020. At the tail end of a recent symposium titled “Why children can’t read—and what we can doRead More
Podcast: Bob Griffin and Casey Dschaak Talk Education
In this episode, APF’s Senior Education Research Fellow Bob Griffin joins Casey Dschaak on the Alaska Conversations Podcast. Listen now as they discuss Alaska’s educational policies, including the Alaska Reads Act. They alsoRead More
PEAKS Performance 2019: Victories for Alaska Charter Schools
The Performance Evaluation for Alaska’s Schools (PEAKS) exam measures the performance of students and schools in both mathematics and English language arts (ELA). Routinely, Alaska’s schools woefully underperform on state and national standardizedRead More
Top 10 Myths and Misconceptions Surrounding The Alaska Reads Act
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 ofRead More
Testimony on SB6 – Early Literacy Education
On February 12, 2020, I gave the following testimony on SB 6, “An Act relating to early education programs provided by school districts; relating to funding for early education programs; relating to theRead More