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ACPE (Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education) – Alaska’s Higher Education Agency is thrilled to offer a suite of FREE resources to help educators support PK-12 students as they explore and plan for education and career training after high school.
You can access all Kids2Careers resources at: https://acpe.alaska.gov/Kids2Careers.
On this page, you will find Kids2Careers resources for Educators & Partners as well as Students & Families. Here are some examples of the content available through Kids2Careers:
Kids2Careers Postsecondary Planning Presentations (9-12):
For classroom or evening presentations with families, these presentations highlight time-sensitive steps, where to access, and how to use Kids2Careers planning resources & templates. Zoom is the most common form of presentation delivery. (Modified presentation available for neurodivergent and transition students.)
Kids2Careers Postsecondary & Career Prep Panel Discussion (5-12):
Available with or without the Kids2Careers Curriculum Program (described below). Panelists share their pathways to success, including high school planning steps, lessons learned, and college/training experiences; Q&A with students and panelists.
Kids2Careers Classroom Curriculum (5-8):
Postsecondary & career exploration curriculum typically used with grades 5-8; however, some smaller high schools and ELL classrooms use the 6-lesson Classroom Curriculum.
Early Career Explorers Activities (PK-4):
Designed for early elementary, some special needs students in middle and high school also use the Early Career Explorers downloadable activities, depending on their developmental level.
Planning Resources & Templates for Students and Families:
- Grade Level Planning Steps (for students & families)
- College & Career Training Tips (for college-bound and technical-bound students)
- Planning Templates (for college-bound and technical-bound students)
- Digital Planning Calendar (Alaska-specific deadlines; Google calendar can be personalized and shared; for college-bound and technical-bound students)
To schedule a meeting or an overview presentation, visit: https://meetingwithshelly.youcanbook.me
Please contact Shelly.Morgan@alaska.gov or 907-269-7972 for additional details.
Education Tax Benefits
 Educator Expense Deduction
Let's eligible teachers and administrators deduct certain expenses from their taxes.
Out-of-pocket classroom costs could be offset with Educator Expense Deduction
Educational assistance programs
Employers can continue to use educational assistance programs to help employees with undergraduate or graduate-level student loan debt and other education expenses tax-free.
Employers may help with college expenses through educational assistance programs
 September is Attendance Awareness month!
The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) is launching a statewide campaign to help address chronic absenteeism in our schools. We know schools have been working on this issue, and we want to support them as we move toward a successful reduction.
As you know, a student who misses 10% of the school year—or approximately two days per month—for any reason is considered chronically absent. Alarmingly, this affects more than 40% of our students across the state each year. When students miss school, they miss out on learning, meaningful relationships, and countless other opportunities that are crucial for their development and future success.
To combat this issue, we're introducing the "Strive for 5 – Attend School All Week!” campaign to raise awareness about the importance of regular school attendance and provide resources to schools and districts to help reduce chronic absenteeism across the state.
As part of this campaign, DEED will be providing:
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Addressing Chronic Absenteeism webpage with a multi-tiered system of support format
- An easy start district toolkit with informational sheets for schools to use and share with their families and communities
- Community of Practice sessions once a month to share ideas from across the state and from national resources as well
We believe that it takes everyone—schools, families and communities—to reduce the chronic absenteeism statistics in Alaska. After all, we miss our students when they're absent, and we want to see them reach their full potential.
Please contact Sharon.Fishel@alaska.gov or Pat.Sidmore@alaska.gov if you have any questions.
This Month in Alaska from the Alaska Historical Society
September 5, 1881 – Alaska held its first election. A total of 294 voters cast ballots at Sitka, Harrisburg (Juneau), Wrangell, Killisnoo, and Shakan and elected M. D. Ball of Sitka as an unofficial delegate to Congress.
FREE America250 Curriculum & Webinars from the Lou Frey Institute at the University of Central Florida
In collaboration with C-SPAN Classroom, the Lou Frey Institute is excited to launch our new free America250 curriculum, featuring some fantastic resources from C-SPAN and the National Archives. This is a series of 9 lessons, for grades 6-16, that examine the Declaration of Independence and its principles over time. We are launching the new material with an ongoing monthly webinar series featuring experts and scholars in the field, from August 2025 through May 2026. Check out the new material from C_SPAN and LFI at the provided link, and be sure to join us for the webinar series! You can see the entire calendar at the link. https://floridacitizen.org/doi250/
Find this resource and more listed on AK DEED’s Playlist: America250 at https://education.alaska.gov/standards/social
America’s Field Trip Contest for Students from America 250 Alaska
In 2026, the United States will mark our Semiquincentennial: the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Today’s young people are the leaders, innovators, and thinkers who will shape the next 250 years — and it’s important their voices are heard as we commemorate this historic milestone.
“America’s Field Trip is a contest that invites students across the country in grades 3–12 to be part of America’s 250th anniversary by sharing their perspectives on what America means to them — with the opportunity to earn an unforgettable field trip experience at some of the nation’s most iconic historic and cultural landmarks.”
Details, educator resources, news, and winning entries from last year’s contest at https://america250.org/fieldtrip/
ACPE’s Master the FAFSA Training provides a line-by-line overview and detailed explanation of the 2025-26 FAFSA process. Education and Workforce Development Professionals gain better understanding and navigation of the FAFSA form to ensure they can support Alaska’s students/families and adult learners with successful FAFSA completion.
ACPE’s Master the FAFSA Training sessions are delivered weekly, on Mondays and Thursdays, from 2:00 to 3:30 pm.
PLEASE NOTE: This is not a series of training sessions. Weekly ACPE’s Master the FAFSA Training sessions are separate sessions that cover exactly the same material. Individuals only need to register and attend one session; however, multiple sessions are available to accommodate a variety of schedules.
Please reach out to Dominika Szpotanska, ACAC Coordinator, for more details.
Registrations are open!
Join the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) and educators worldwide at our Annual Conference & Research Symposium in exploring how we use outdoor education to move “Forward Together” to advance environmental literacy and civic engagement. For this year’s virtual event, NAAEE is committed to making this online experience affordable to all, with reduced rates as needed.
With more than 200 engaging sessions and keynotes, we’ll dive into how education can create healthier, more resilient communities. NAAEE 2025 offers a rich variety of sessions, workshops, presentations, symposium panels, discussions, bright spots, and posters, along with great opportunities for networking, growth, and change.
Learn more about these special events on our NAAEE 2025 Conference website.
 We’re excited to announce the launch of a new website for the Cultural Connections to Alaska Science project! This site is a hub for co-produced science content designed specifically for Alaska communities. We invite you to explore these supplemental resources and see how they connect to the homes and real-life experiences of your Alaska students.
Each resource includes a video, student guide, and teacher manual. You’ll also find a companion language tool that provides pronunciation support for key terms translated into the Indigenous language of the community that guided development.
https://culturalconnections.gi.alaska.edu/
Cultural Connections to Alaska Science (CCAS) is an NSF DRK-12 funded project focused on developing and improving an effective co-production model of science education content between UAF Geophysical Institute’s Education Outreach Department and rural Alaskan communities.
 Cultural Connections to Alaska Science Canvas Courses
The UAF Geophysical Institute’s Education & Outreach Office is thrilled to share a growing collection of place-based Canvas courses centering Alaska science. Each course features student content, teacher manuals, multimedia resources, and a companion language tool.
Courses can be accessed through the links below or by searching "Cultural Connections" in the Canvas Commons. Ten new resources are expected by Fall 2026.
Cultural Connections to Alaska Science (CCAS) is an NSF DRK-12 funded project focused on developing and improving an effective co-production model of science education content between UAF Geophysical Institute’s Education Outreach Department and rural Alaskan communities.
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