The research described in this study sought to understand how teacher agency was influenced by engaging teachers in action research-based professional development. Teacher agency is a critical component of teacher professionalism and nurturing teachers to recognize and enact greater agency has the potential to elevate the profession of teaching. A…

Culturally Responsive, Embedded, Social and Emotional Learning (CRESEL) in Alaska integrated social and emotional learning (SEL), culturally responsive, and trauma-informed approaches in rural and frontier school districts. The evaluation of CRESEL included implementation and impact evaluations. The implementation evaluation found that most…

In this descriptive and comparative study, we present results highlighting the complexity and scope of the challenges facing rural districts as they navigate the changing demographics of the students and families they serve. Rapid increases in the number and concentration of racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse students in rural areas…

This article describes how superintendents approach the administrative processes of recruiting, hiring, and training new teachers to work in Alaska's rural schools. Drawing from interviews of superintendents and administrators in 32 rural Alaska school districts, the data show not only the amount of time and responsibility that rural…

The Alaska Statewide Mentor Project (ASMP) is a joint effort of the University of Alaska and the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development to address the persistently low teacher retention rates in the state, especially in rural districts that predominantly serve Alaska Native (AN) students. Over six years, teacher retention in rural…

As a follow-up to a 2007 Edvantia, Inc. report entitled "A Legacy of Leadership and Lessons Learned: Results of the Rural Systemic Initiatives for Improving Mathematics and Science Education," (ED531892) Edvantia, Inc. sought and received support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to hold a forum in the nation's capital that…

Local school districts differ in their ability to pay for teacher quality, and in the amenities they offer as places to live and work. Market clearing with heterogeneous quality yields geographically varying teacher salary levels that confound scarcity with unobserved differences in quality. The paper discusses identification and estimation of a…

This pamphlet contains information about Alaska's schools and their students, teachers, and administration. In 1987-88, Alaska had 480 public and private schools in 32 city and borough school districts and 23 regional educational attendance areas; average daily attendance for public schools was 101,144. The pamphlet covers the following student…

Helping schools create environments where all students can learn is a worthwhile mission for schools big and small. Both multi and single site districts agree that providing equitable and meaningful learning opportunities for every student is essential, but find this challenging and difficult. What are the systemic factors that limit educators in…

This report examines the first year of operation of the 21 Regional Educational Attendance Areas (REAAs) that were established in rural Alaska by the passage of Alaska Senate Bill 35 in 1975. The report is divided into four sections. Section 1 presents background information and an overview of the study and of the events that led up to the passage…

Alaska has made many attempts to find methods for providing a quality education for students living in rural areas. They include regional schools, boarding dormitories, the Boarding Home Program, area and local high schools, and correspondence study. This booklet discusses the strong and weak points relative to the major financial, social, legal,…

This manual offers practical advice to educators on conducting a job search and obtaining a position in Alaska. Alaska Teacher Placement (University of Alaska Fairbanks) is a statewide clearinghouse for the placement of educators. Although Alaska's certification requirements are similar to those of other states, school administrators are also…

The Southeast Regional Resource Center serves all of Alaska's 53 school districts, many of them rural. Its itinerant special education personnel deliver services on-site and train teachers, paraprofessionals, and parents to deliver services. Video exchanges, telephone conversations, and Internet communications are used to monitor student progress,…

THE MAJOR OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DEVELOP A PROGRAM OF EDUCATION FOR THE NATIVE PEOPLES OF ALASKA (INDIAN AND ESKIMO) WHICH WILL ENCOURAGE AND ENABLE THEM TO PARTICIPATE IN THE LIFE OF ALASKA ON A SELF-SUSTAINING AND SELF-RESPECTING BASIS. THIS STUDY BEGAN WITH AN EXAMINATION OF OFFICIAL MEMORANDUMS, STUDY GUIDES, AND OTHER LITERATURE…

In 1998, the demand for educators in Alaska reached an all-time high. The shortage was most critical for music, math, and special education teachers, as well as for counselors. Filling positions in rural areas is especially difficult. An early retirement incentive program has caused a drain on Alaska's pool of teachers. Factors that inhibit…