OPINION: Academy provides Anchorage students with vital skills

The Academy of Anchorage provides students with life and career skills to build a brighter future.

The Anchorage School District began exploring the implementation of the high school academy model nearly six years ago. This concept has been proven in school districts around the world to improve graduation rates, better prepare students for college and the workforce, and ensure all students have equal access to resources that will prepare them for success after graduation. After several years of planning, we are excited to officially adopt the Anchorage Academy.

The Academy allows students to take new, rigorous electives that will stimulate their thinking and help them envision their futures – futures we can only imagine as the world of work changes rapidly. As parents and school district staff, we long for our students to be passionate about their education and find purpose and meaning in everything they do. Having worked diligently over the past months and years, we know that the Academy will be transformative for the high school students in our district.

As ASD employees who were selected to be Academy coaches and have been working on this plan for a year, I want to share why we believe the Academy of Anchorage is the right path for our district.

Let’s clarify a few important points.

• New Schedule: The six-period schedule will remain unchanged for the coming school year. Discussions regarding possible schedule adjustments for 2025-26 will continue into next school year. The updated Academy schedule will provide students with the opportunity to take more AP classes, art classes, and other elective classes, and will allow them to access more specialized support for their classes (such as support for students who need help mastering algebra or additional class time to teach advanced calculus or biology concepts to gifted students). In fact, depending on the schedule adjustment adopted, the new Academy Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes could be one elective class per semester on a student’s schedule, allowing students to graduate with up to eight additional classes in their high school career, a major advantage when applying to competitive schools.

• Replaced Coursework: Ancient Civilizations, the class that will be replaced by the Career Exploration course in Freshman Academy next school year, is not a required course. It has never been a required course. The class will continue to be available as an option for students, and its content will continue to be covered in World History.

• Rooted in local community feedback: Grassroots community engagement drives curriculum choices. Our suggested career pathways include law, medicine, business, engineering, education and a variety of professions. These are the most popular careers that our students and parents are interested in. We surveyed nearly 10,000 people. These pathways also directly relate to career opportunities and growing industries here in Alaska. Focusing on careers in our community means students have exposure to real professionals and get real-world work experience. We want to prepare students for a career, not just a job after high school.

• Equity of Access: King Tech is a popular and effective program that produces excellent outcomes consistent with the Academy model; however, credit requirements and program space limitations have hindered the opportunity for more students to participate. King Tech will be an integral part of the Academy of Anchorage and by expanding CTE programs across the district, we will ensure that all students have equitable access to this type of education.

• Improved college and career opportunities: Concerns have been raised by families who are certain their children will attend college and don’t see the value of additional CTE coursework. It’s important to note that while the Academy model will increase the enrollment chances of students who want to attend college, it also likely will improve college and career opportunities for the 60% of students who don’t (yet) consider college a possible career path.

• College Readiness: There is a fear that the Academy will become vocational/technical education driven, pushing all students into vocational training and eliminating rigorous academic coursework. This couldn’t be further from the truth. CTE is a contextualized study of academic content, unlike the vocational technical education of old. Many CTE pathways are explicitly designed to support students who are college-bound. Our Engineering and Health Science pathways contextualize rigorous math and science coursework to help prepare students who plan to study nursing, medicine, and engineering fields in college. Additionally, language arts, math, science, and social studies will always be at the core of a high school education, because these classes are required for graduation and college readiness remains foundational. Access to AP/International Baccalaureate coursework, and even dual credit opportunities, will be enhanced through expanded schedules and partnerships with local universities. Additionally, access to global electives such as music, art, and foreign language will be included and often expanded. This model gives students more opportunities, not less.

Through these pathways, students can begin thinking about careers they may be interested in long before they invest financially in a college major. Hands-on experience develops specialized skills and gives all students the opportunity to gain something positive from the curriculum, even if they find that it’s not the right path for them.

Giving students choice and clarity about their goals for the future helps them feel more connected to their education. This is an exciting and motivating time to join in reimagining what our district can offer. If our core values ​​truly include a belief in the potential of every student, a culture of high expectations, and responsiveness to an ever-changing world, Academy of Anchorage is a path to achievement.

This commentary was co-written by Anchorage School District Academy coaches. Turner Armstrong In the West, Melissa Carey In the service, Maureen Cronin At Bette Davis East Amy Haberstadt In the south, Leah Kellerby In Bartlett, Tony Lewis In Diamond, Kirby Senden Eagle River and Adam Wortman In Chugiak.

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