Overview
State leaders in Alaska have established a solid foundation for high school transformation through policies that empower school systems to award graduation credit based on demonstrated proficiency rather than seat time, as well as the successful completion of high-quality work-based learning (WBL) experiences.
These efforts support the achievement of the goals outlined in the state’s March 2025 workforce development plan, developed in part to address significant labor shortages in the state. High school transformation, which includes establishing robust high school work-based learning programs, can support state efforts to fill gaps in labor supply and demand.
As a next step, state leaders in Alaska could develop a Portrait of a Graduate or similar framework that reflects the broad set of competencies that all high school graduates should have by the end of high school. In addition, state leaders could explore opportunities for a statewide initiative with dedicated resources to incentivize community-led high school redesign.
