AR20 Education

When the pandemic closed Anchorage schools in March 2020, education took a hit. So we all rolled up our sleeves.

United Way and longtime partners in the 90% Graduation by 2020 initiative learned to improvise so the right supports to the right student at the right time continued. Despite the pandemic, the 2020 four-year graduation rate was 81.7 percent – our second-highest ever, and the five-year rate set a record at 88 percent! 

Already proficient with online studies, the Back on Track program run with Covenant House Alaska and the Anchorage School District adopted them full-bore. Restrained by COVID-19 limits, staffers still maintained close ties with students struggling to earn diplomas against challenges like homelessness, hunger and dysfunctional families. The result? 65 new high-school graduates.

For younger students, United Way retooled aspects of its Community PLUS Schools program.  With the Anchorage School District and Camp Fire Alaska, we launched “learning pods” at three elementary schools to provide safe, effective programming and connection to classes for 60 students with the highest needs. United Way connected the pods to Restaurant and Hunger Relief to provide restaurant-quality meals to these young students. They didn’t have to learn on empty stomachs.

For the youngest of students – preschoolers who might have lost critical development to pandemic restraints, 90% by 2020 partner Best Beginnings maintained the book-a-month distribution of the Imagination Library. Together with other partner organizations including Kids’ Corps, Inc. and the Alaska Literacy Program, free books continued to flow into the hands of young children, with the goal of increasing literacy and improving kindergarten readiness.

Further, United Way won a grant for $60,000 in grocery gift cards from the Albertsons Companies Foundation/Carrs Safeway to help families of Anchorage students most in need.

Living United, your support gave kids the tools to stay in school.