Students and parents can browse new web pages tailored to their needs thanks to the Idaho State Department of Education (SDE). Announced last week, state superintendent Debbie Critchfield stated she “hopes these expanded efforts are a solid step towards empowering Idaho’s families to get the most out of the K-12 education experience.”

The Parent Corner website includes practical information for parents connected to education in Idaho. For example, a parent interested in helping their students with scholarships could click on the “College & Career” page and find a comprehensive list of scholarships available here in Idaho and nationally.  A family who just moved to Idaho might benefit from exploring the “My School” section of the website, where they would find information about school choice and the different types of Idaho schools. Or a migrant family living in Idaho could access the website and download a word document with eight pages of links to resources.

The Resources for Students webpage, initiated by a member of Critchfield’s Student Advisory Council, brings awareness to various educational opportunities. These include options connected to many different fields including STEM, art, science, outdoor activity, politics, language, Career Technical Education (CTE), videography and computers. For example, a student interested in space science could find information about the Idaho Science and Aerospace Scholars. The website also gives information about scholarships and grants like the recent Idaho Launch program.

Students and parents can access both web pages from the main menu on the SDE website. Critchfield explained, “One of my priorities when I took office was to lead a department that engaged and partnered with parents. I hope that both parents and students looking for educational support find these pages useful for a variety of needs throughout the K-12 school journey and beyond.”