Regional Educational Laboratory Northwest supported Alaska’s Department of Education and Early Development to measure the implementation of activities in the state’s Strategic Reading Plan. To achieve this goal, the partnership focused on evaluating the plan’s evidence-based reading activities for K–3 students, studying district-level implementation of those activities, and revising and analyzing a survey about district instructional practices.
Partnership Organizations: Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (lead partner), Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Alaska Mental Health Trust, Association of Alaska School Boards, University of Alaska Anchorage
Current projects
No projects at this time.
Completed Projects
REL Northwest conducted a research study to provide vital information to the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (AK DEED) and key partners about the implementation of trauma-engaged practices and policies by districts as well as the use of Alaska's suite of trauma-engaged resources. AK DEED, the Association of Alaska School Boards, and the Alaska Division of Public Health within the Department of Health and Social Services will use insights from the study to bolster the suite of trauma-engaged resources for districts. This project concluded in 2024.
REL Northwest provided technical support to the Alaska Alternative Schools Coalition (AASC) schools to identify which trauma-engaged practices and conditions show promise for enhancing student outcomes in alternative school settings. The partnership brings together REL Northwest, thirteen alternative high schools, serving some of the most vulnerable students in Alaska, the Alaska Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Behavioral Health, and the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (DEED). This work will inform future iterations of DEED’s Transforming Schools Toolkit, a resource for schools across Alaska that provides evidence-based strategies to help students that have experienced traumatic life events. This project concluded in 2024.
How are districts implementing recommendations from the Transforming Schools: A Framework for Trauma-Engaged Practice in Alaska? REL Northwest assisted AK DEED in developing a statewide survey tool and administration plan to assess the implementation of the framework and the use of a suite of related resources. The technical support project bolstered AK DEED's capacity to carry out similar survey development and dissemination tasks in the future.