Evaluation of Southeast Alaska Full-Service Community Schools (SAFSCS) Grant
Through Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS), students, their families, and the local community can access academic, social, and health services, which can contribute to better educational outcomes for students and stronger communities.
In 2023, the Association of Alaska School Boards (AASB) received a Full-Service Community Schools Program grant from the U.S. Department of Education for the Southeast Alaska Full-Service Community Schools (SAFCS): A Strong Start for Southeast Alaskan Students project. Through the grant, SAFCS serves six schools with high percentages of Alaska Native students and of economically disadvantaged students in southeast Alaska. These six schools include four schools in rural and remote locations and two schools in an urban location.
To do this work, AASB is partnering with four school districts, the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (tribal government), the Sealaska Heritage Institute (Alaska Native non-profit), and AWARE-Haa Tóoch Lichéesh (violence prevention non-profit). Together, these partners will provide trauma-informed and culturally responsive supports and programs that can help students and families.
AIR's Implementation and Effectiveness Studies
AIR has partnered with AASB to conduct an evaluation consisting of an implementation study and a study of the effectiveness of proposed FSCS activities on desired student outcomes (i.e., social and emotional learning and academic growth). AIR’s mixed-methods approach provides AASB and its partners with critical information about the impact of the SAFSCS project on schools, students, and families.
Throughout the evaluation process, AIR is working closely with the SAFSCS partners to ensure that data collection processes, instruments, and the interpretation of results are culturally appropriate and reflect the lived experience of the Alaskan communities in the evaluation.
