Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Teacher Pipeline topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
University of Alaska details 'grow your own' pipeline, scholarships to tackle teacher shortage
Summary
The University of Alaska told the House Education Committee it is expanding 'Grow Your Own' programs, registered apprenticeships and a dual‑credit pilot to rebuild the teacher pipeline; the university will send 109 internship award letters next week and has committed about $4 million to student supports.
Dr. Bridget Weiss, liaison to the Alaska College of Education Consortium at the University of Alaska, told the House Education Committee on April 29 that the university system is coordinating three schools of education to expand recruitment and retention programs aimed at Alaska's teacher shortage.
Weiss said the consortium treats the shortage as a multidimensional problem and highlighted four research‑backed requirements for durable "Grow Your Own" programs: money, time, encouragement and quality preparation. "When those things are combined through partnerships between university and school districts ... it does result in the type of educators that we need in the state," she said.
The university reported rising pipeline indicators: Weiss said some programs showed a roughly 73% year‑over‑year increase in student participation, and she pointed to Ed Rising and other outreach as key recruitment tools. Weiss described a state‑specific dual‑credit pilot created by faculty from all three University of Alaska schools of education that will be piloted this fall to give high‑school students a head start on college coursework.
Weiss also described registered apprenticeship programs (RAP) developed with the Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) and other partners. She said RAPs are "place based," enabling people to train in their own communities and remain there as long‑term educators. The university is collaborating on RAPs across early childhood, elementary, secondary and special education, and plans to expand into educational leadership apprenticeships.
On financial supports, Weiss said the university will send award letters next week to 109 teacher‑education students in internships; about 43 students will be fully funded with tuition and a $5,000 per‑semester stipend during their student‑teaching internship. "So we'll award just over $1,000,000 and those letters will go out next week. Total we've done about $4,000,000," she said.
Weiss also noted program work to indigenize courses and support rural placements, and said UAS plans to present a Master of Arts in Teaching Indigenous Languages to the Board of Regents in May to address nontransferable language endorsements in some districts.
Committee members asked about local advising capacity, district differences in dual‑enrollment funding, and how quickly enrollment gains will translate into more certified teachers. Weiss cautioned that degree completion takes time: students recruited now may not enter the initial‑licensure totals for several years.
The presentation concluded with committee members urging continued outreach to employers and tribal partners and with support for the university's efforts to remove financial barriers to teacher preparation.
