From the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development's "DEED Information Exchange" April 14, 2017:

Juneau, Alaska

Juneau High School and College Students Celebrate Completion of a House
On April 21 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., students from the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) and the Juneau-Douglas High School are having an open house to celebrate the completion of Lena Loop House 2 at 16200 Lena Loop Road, on the corner or Point Lena Loop and Ocean View Drive.
 
The House Build Project is a four-way partnership with the city of Juneau, the Juneau School District, the Juneau Housing Trust, and UAS to build affordable housing while training students in residential construction. The program gives high school and college students real-world experience planning and building a small house. Upon completion, the house will be sold to provide a family in Juneau with a new, durable, and energy-efficient home. Students participate in all aspects of the project including; design, construction, planning, estimating, interior and exterior finishing.
 
Local resident Chava Lee noted in an email to the school, “The idea of working with the students to produce an incredible product is an amazing thing. We need more of this type of education. The houses are beautiful and a great addition to our neighborhood. I value having this type of instruction and mentoring available. Everyone involved should be very proud of what has been accomplished.”

LIVE Webinar Series Invitation:  Connecting Secondary Students to Apprenticeship Programs
 
To enrich our students’ high school experiences and secure a path to career and postsecondary success, communities across the country are strengthening the pipeline between CTE and apprenticeship. This U.S. Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) project explored programs that connect CTE students and apprenticeships. 
 
On April 26, 2017 at 2:00 pm ET, OCTAE welcomes a discussion of lessons learned from site visits to the eight CTE and apprenticeship programs examined under this project. Advance CTE, RTI International, and program representatives will share observations and explore implications for state and local leaders.
 
Speakers:

• Kate Kreamer and Andrea Zimmermann, Advance CTE
• Tony Trapp and Jason Haak, Upper Valley Career Center, Ohio
• Mitchell Harp and Melissa Stowasser, Trident Technical College, South Carolina 

Register for the webinar at the following link: 
https://vivayic.webex.com/vivayic/onstage/g.php?MTID=e4ee7ca96ae444d5ca239cba44dd96007
 
Questions about the webinar?
Contact  Scott Stump
Office: 1-800-280-7272 ext. 713
Cell: (970) 580-8049
Email: sstump@vivayic.com

The University of Alaska Anchorage is offering several programs for middle and high school students this summer, including Summer Science Camps and the Kids' College Summer Programs. Check out the links below for more information and to register for these great opportunities!

Mat-Su College Summer Science Camps

• Healthcare Career Exploration Academy with ETT Certification - May 15-June 2    
• Mini-Med School I - June 5-9    
• Crime Scene Investigation - June 12-16    
• Healthcare Career Exploration Camp - June 19-23    
• Mini-Med School II - June 26-30

UAA Kids' College Summer Programs

• App Adventures: The Next Level    
• App Attack    
• Code Breakers    
• LegoⓇ Comics: Design Your Own Adventure!    
• LEGOⓇ Video Games    
• Make Your First 3D Video Game    
• Make Your First Video Game    
• Minecraft Animators    
• MinecraftⓇ Designers    
• MinecraftⓇ Modders    
• Star WarsⓇ Stop Animation    
• Summer Youth Art Academy    
• Video Game Animation

From the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education:

 
From: akcis, ACPE (ACPE sponsored) [mailto:akcis@alaska.gov]
Sent: Thursday, April 06, 2017 11:05 AM
To: akcis@list.state.ak.us
Subject: [akcis] APS Legislation Introduced
Importance: High
 
Greetings,
 
Senate Bill 103, sponsored by the Senate Finance Committee was introduced on April 3rd. If passed, SB 103 would repeal, under a phase out plan, the existing statutes pertaining to the Alaska Performance Scholarship and Alaska Education Grant. The last students to be eligible for these programs would be the high school graduates of 2017 who apply by July 1, 2017. The bill would reallocate funds in the Alaska Higher Education Investment Fund, which funds the APS and AEG, to create an Alaska Education Innovation Grant Fund for grants to school districts. You can find a copy of the bill, which has been referred to the Education and Finance committees, here.
 
The APS, created by the legislature in 2010, is designed to encourage Alaska students to excel in high school, graduate prepared for college & career training, complete that education and training in Alaska, and contribute to the Alaska workforce and economy. Information about how the APS delivers on those goals is provided here:

• The APS Delivers
• First APS Recipients Enter Workforce

 
If you wish to learn more about APS Outcomes after reviewing the attachments, go to: http://acpe.alaska.gov/REPORTS/Reports/APS_Outcomes_Report.

We join the AdvanceCTE national consortium in welcoming Deb Riddle to the position of CTE Director for the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development! On March 28, 2017, Andrea Zimmerman, Senior Associate for Member Engagement and Leadership Development for AdvanceCTE, posted this blog entry:

Welcome to Alaska’s New State CTE Director, Deborah Riddle!
Deborah Riddle was born in Glennallen, Alaska, and raised near Bristol Bay, on the western coast of the state. When she made her way many years later to southern Utah to be a teacher, there was one problem – it was just too hot.

So Riddle and her husband began looking for jobs back home in Alaska, and as a back-up plan, “as close to the Canadian border as possible,” she said.

That led her to Simms, Montana, to teach middle school math and science. When the school district also needed someone to teach Career Technical Education (CTE), Riddle stepped up. What first began with teaching traditional home economics classes then grew into robotics classes and even helping start and support related Career Technical Student Organizations (CTSOs) at the local high school.

After 15 years in Montana, home was still calling, so Riddle took a position with the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development. She started at the State department five years ago doing school improvement focusing on mathematics. For the past year, Riddle has managed the state’s federal funding under Title 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The state department recently reorganized, and with those changes, Riddle’s responsibilities expanded, including the title of State CTE Director and responsibilities of managing another source of federal funding through the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins).

Riddle said she is excited by the prospects of making connections across the federal education laws to maximize funding and other opportunities for Alaska’s students. Since being named the State Director in February, she has been learning all that she can about CTE in Alaska, and said she has been so impressed by the depth and diversity of the stakeholder support she sees for CTE at the local level, especially the connections to employers, community colleges and workforce development.

“I knew there were partnerships, but I didn’t realize how many and how varied there were and what (stakeholder engagement) can really add to a program,” she said.

Riddle said she is also looking to bolster CTSOs in Alaska and continuing to strengthen and overcome the unique challenges to offering CTE for the state’s most rural schools.