The Alaska Arts Education Data Project
Overview
In‬†2023‬†the‬†National‬†Endowment‬†for‬†the‬†Arts‬†and‬†Alaska‬†State‬†Council‬†on‬†the‬†Arts‬†awarded‬ funds‬†to‬†the‬†Alaska‬†Arts‬†Education‬†Consortium‬†to‬†investigate‬†what‬†was‬†happening‬†with‬†arts‬ education in Alaska.‬
Goal
â€The‬†goal‬†of‬†the‬†Alaska‬†Arts‬†Education‬†Data‬†Project‬†is‬†to‬†gather‬†data‬†and‬†analyze‬†the‬ accessibility,‬†equity,‬†and‬†quality‬†of‬†arts‬†education.‬†Arts‬†education‬†encompasses‬†teaching‬†and‬ learning‬†in‬†and‬†through‬†the‬†arts,‬†both‬†during‬†and‬†outside‬†of‬†school‬†days,‬†focusing‬†on‬ children,‬†youth,‬†and‬†communities.‬†We‬†champion‬†a‬†vision‬†of‬†equity,‬†diversity,‬†and‬†inclusion‬ that‬†ensures‬†the‬†full‬†and‬†fair‬†participation‬†of‬†all‬†students‬†in‬†arts‬†programs,‬†policy‬†formation,‬ and decision-making, making sure all voices are heard.‬
Surveys
Surveys were conducted in 2024 and in 2025.
The 2024 survey, designed by a cross-sector working group, was conducted from April 8 through June 28, 2024. Complete data were received from 18 districts out of 54 districts – a 33% participation rate. At the student enrollment level, these districts account for roughly 47% of students Pre-K through 12th grade. Further, all five general regions of the state were represented in the summary of data – North, Interior, Southwest, Southcentral, and Southeast.
The 2025 survey, was conducted from January 13, 2025 through May 16, 2025 and received complete data from 42 districts out of a total of 53 districts, providing a participation rate of 79% of districts. At the student enrollment level these districts account for about 90% of students across the state Pre-K through 12th grade. All five general regions of the state are represented – north, interior, southwest, southcentral, and southeast.
The 2026 survey was conducted from March 27 through June 19, 2026 and received complete or updated data from 52 of the 53 districts. The second round data were used for the one remaining district, which enabled a 100% response rate. This report shares a full landscape picture of arts education in Alaska’s public Pre-K-12th grade education system.
Key Contacts
Annie Calkins – Lead Investigator: anniecalkins@gmail.com‬
Sonta Hamilton – Co-coordinator: sontahamilton@gmail.com
â€Barbara Adams – Project Researcher: badams.aas@gmail.com
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