News and Announcements

Research shows that good teachers are critical for a child’s academic success, as well as their long-term social and economic outcomes. However, high teacher turnover disrupts instructional continuity and hurts student achievement. In Alaska, maintaining a stable educator workforce has been a challenge for nearly three decades. 

Ever wonder what happens inside a glacier? Mark your calendars for Thursday, October 8 for a talk on glacier caves, some of the most dynamic and least documented features of glacier systems. Research shows they can form, evolve, and even disappear within short periods of time! 

Since Anchorage School District (ASD) began rolling out its new school lunch model four years ago, elementary students have been eating 31% more of their entrées and 29% more vegetables, according to data collected by a team based at ISER and the Center for Behavioral Health Research and Services. 

The benefits extend beyond lunchtime: national research indicates school lunch participation improves academic outcomes equal to about two months of additional learning within a school year.

Are you familiar with the wildfire mitigation strategies in your city? In Anchorage, certain techniques known as fuel treatments have helped reduce fire risk.

In November 2025, Mayor Suzanne LaFrance briefly introduced a 3% sales tax proposal to the Anchorage Assembly.  ISER researchers examined the implications and outcomes of the proposal, identifying several key conclusions:

Several ISER members were part of the Alaska delegation at last month's UArctic Congress in the Faroe Islands. This biennial meeting assembles researchers and institutional leaders from across the Arctic Circle to collaborate on shared goals for the region.

The school year is over, and ISER researchers are studying which Alaska educators choose to come back to their jobs next year – and why. Researchers from the Center for Alaska Education Policy Research (CAEPR) presented updated teacher and principal turnover numbers, as well as preliminary findings from their statewide educator survey, at the Alaska State Board of Education on Wednesday June 3.

ISER Directors Diane Hirshberg (2021-2026), Gunnar Knapp (2013-2016), Steve Colt (2007-2009), Fran Ulmer (2005-2007), and Lee Gorsuch (1976-1994)

The Institute of Social and Economic Research got its start in 1961, just two years after Alaska statehood. ISER has been at the forefront of public policy research ever since. 

ISER will welcome public service researchers from across the country for the 2026 Consortium of University Public Service Organizations (CUPSO) Conference! 🐏

This year’s event, titled “Public Service on the Frontier,” will gather research staff from dozens of universities to share their successes and help shape future public policy. The conference also coincides with the 65th anniversary of ISER, which has been providing non-partisan policy research for Alaska since 1961.

Resource industries like oil and fishing are characterized by boom-and-bust cycles – there are “good years” and “bad years.” In communities that are highly connected to a particular resource, these economic shocks are foregrounded in the public attention. But how well does news coverage of the shocks reflect the actual health of the economy?