Survey Shows Districts Value Career Guidance, but Face Implementation Challenges

Earlier this year school board members and district staff completed a survey on career guidance efforts in their districts. 47 of 53 districts responded.

This informal effort aimed to better understand what career guidance looks like across the state, how it is being prioritized, and who is helping deliver it. The intent was to get a general sense of the landscape and help inform future conversations.

Here are a few high-level takeaways:

• Nearly all respondents (90%) identified career guidance as either a priority or an emerging focus
• There is an opportunity to build more cohesive systems to ensure students graduate with a clear postsecondary plan
• Most respondents indicated that they struggled to provide one-on-one planning guidance for students and families.

Going forward, AASB is partnering with state agencies, higher education institutions, and Native serving organizations to:

• Continue to develop and organize resources and program examples for districts
• Explore ways to better define and measure career guidance consistently
• Identify promising practices and partnership models across the state
• Support districts when they are ready to expand or strengthen their efforts
• Continue advocacy efforts to elevate the importance of career guidance and improve alignment across state, regional, and local partners

The Alaska Career Guide project provides dedicated support to high school seniors to ensure they graduate with a clear, actionable postsecondary plan. The project connects students to existing state resources, provides one-on-one guidance, and supports key milestones such as applications, financial aid, and career exploration. For districts interested in learning more or exploring potential involvement, please reach out to Zach Stenson at zach@pathfinderak.com. 

AASB’s Alaska Family Engagement Center is also working at the middle school level to pilot strategies to help students and families prepare for their future. Starting early was a key recommendation from a statewide workshop AASB hosted in 2022. If your middle school is interested in the Bridging to the Future project, please contact Molissa Udevtiz at mudevitz@aasb.org.