Alaska’s State Highlights

Summary of Grades

Alaska scores lower than the average state for each of the four graded categories of education policy in Quality Counts.

The state loses points in standards and accountability because the American Federation of Teachers has not rated its English and social studies standards as clear and specific at any grade span. But the state fares better on the accountability indicators. For example, it provides assistance to all low-performing schools, not just those that receive federal Title I money.

Alaska ranks last among the 50 states and the District of Columbia for its efforts to improve teacher quality. The state does not require prospective high school or middle school teachers to major or minor in the subjects they will teach. Its teacher assessment requirements are equally sparse–it requires only basic-skills tests for aspiring teachers.

Alaska also falters in the area of school climate, where the state is ranked last in the nation. School report cards do not include school safety information, and the state lacks laws related to school bullying and harassment. But it earns points for school size because higher percentages of students attend small schools than in other states.

In resource equity, Alaska receives the best wealth-neutrality score in the nation, which indicates that poorer districts tend to receive more per-pupil funding than do wealthier districts. However, Alaska is also among the lowest-scoring states on the other two equity indicators, resulting in a low overall grade in this category.

Note: Details may not sum to totals due to rounding.