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Quality Schools

The Quality Schools Grant Program began in 1998. This purpose of this grant program is to increase student achievement through the methodical improvement of Alaska’s public schools. The Quality Schools Initiative promotes this school improvement by providing clear standards for schools to attain.

The standards fall into the following categories:

  1. Student Standards: English Language Arts, Math, Science, Arts, Digital Literacy, Employability, History, Computer Science, Library/Information Literacy, Skills for a Healthy Life, Cultural, Geography, World Languages, Government and Citizenship, and Physical Education;
  2. Professional: Educator Content and Performance Standards;
  3. Family, School, Business, and Community Networks; and
  4. School Excellence Standards

Please refer to DEED’s Standards website for specific information. Professional, Family, and School Excellence Standards can be found under “Other Standards”. Quality School funds must be spent advancing one or more of these categories.

Approximately 4 million dollars is allocated (district entitlements are calculated by multiplying by $16 the district’s adjusted ADM) to Alaska School Districts each year through the Quality Schools Initiative. Districts must dedicate their Quality School Grant funds to efforts that clearly fall under one of the established grant goals above, and be able to demonstrate how their funded activities contribute to student academic achievement.

Contact Us

  • Questions concerning Quality School Grants or to access past applications or reports for your district, contact:

    Education Specialist II
    Kevin Dennis 
    Kevin.Dennis@alaska.gov

    Education Administrator II
    Brittnay Bailey 
    Brittnay.Bailey@alaska.gov

    Regulations

    Districts that receive $10,000 or less no longer are required to submit an End of the Year Report. The Application process for these districts has also been simplified. Districts only need to provide DEED with a brief email overviewing what fundable activities their Quality Schools grant will be implementing and how they will evaluate it.

    View the links below on regulations pertinent to the Quality Schools Grants:

    Allocations

    DEED recommends that districts use this allocation chart as a planning guide when trying to determine how much Quality Schools funding they will be awarded in the next fiscal year. Typically districts receive about the same level of funding each year, so basing projections for the next year on what was awarded in the current year is a sound practice. If, however, a district anticipates a significant change in student enrollment it may want to increase or decrease the projection slightly to reflect this change.

    Forms