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University of Alaska outlines apprenticeship pipelines, scholarships and new programs to ease teacher shortage
Summary
University of Alaska officials told the Senate Education Committee the system is expanding registered apprenticeship programs, a new in‑state school psychology master’s, scholarships and high‑school pipelines to address teacher shortages across Alaska.
Dr. Bridget Weiss, liaison to the Alaska College of Education, told the Senate Education Committee on March 4 that the University of Alaska system is expanding multiple pathways to make more teachers available for K–12 classrooms across the state.
Weiss said the consortium is implementing registered apprenticeship programs in teacher preparation — a federally defined model that has put UAA “deep into implementation” and brought UAF and UAS into the effort. “We are developing and and, implementing apprenticeship programs that are new to our country in the area of education,” Weiss said, describing the programs as a key part of a statewide strategy to recruit and retain educators.
The program portfolio includes a newly launched in‑state master’s program in school psychology at UAA, with about 15 students enrolled, and a UAS master’s of arts in teaching indigenous languages that is in the approval process. Weiss said UAF’s School of Education expects higher fall enrollment — “up 85 students” — and noted that UAF, UAA and UAS now each host apprenticeship or related grow‑your‑own programs that can be stacked from certificate to associate to bachelor’s and eventual licensure.
The university also funds an intern scholarship program intended to remove financial barriers for candidates in clinical placements. Weiss said the consortium has awarded substantial scholarship support and that “this current year, 1.3 has been awarded $1,300,000 to about 95 students,” covering tuition and providing a $5,000 per‑semester living stipend during internships.
Weiss described the Educators Rising high‑school pipeline as another growing source of future teachers, citing a jump from 118 students last year to 312 this year, and emphasized district partnerships incubated at UAF’s Grow Your Own event with 15 participating districts.
Committee members asked about accreditation and candidate preparation. In response to a question from President Stevens, Weiss said that UAA’s initial licensure program currently operates under provisional oversight by the state Department of Education after the program lost CAEP accreditation for that specific track; UAA is proceeding through CAEP’s multi‑year accreditation cycle with expected final stages in 2027–28.
On Praxis and other licensure tests, Weiss and UAF Dean Dr. Doug Cost said the core Praxis (reading, writing, math) remains a key obstacle for some candidates. The consortium is piloting practice‑preparation cohorts, small‑group coursework and intends to purchase a multimodal preparation tool for broad use across campuses and candidate populations.
Weiss warned that sustaining tuition‑free apprenticeship pathways and stipends will require ongoing funding decisions at the university and state level but called the combination of apprenticeships, scholarships and pipeline programs a promising strategy for the state’s persistent teacher shortage.
The committee did not take action on university funding during the session; members asked the presenters to return with additional data, including passage rates and comparative cut‑score information for licensure exams.
