The U.S. Department of Education shares on their official blog, Homeroom, the challenges rural schools and early-career teachers face —the Alaska Statewide Mentor Project (ASMP) is one approach to addressing these barriers.
Our new teachers really have to learn everything: a new culture, sometimes a new language, new teaching skills, a new curriculum, customs and traditions of our kids, and the culture of our schools.
Above from left to right: First-grade teacher Amelia Tulim is starting her career in the same school she attended as a child in Chevak (Photo by LA Johnson, NPR); Once a month, teacher mentor Ed Sotelo takes three planes to get to Tulim’s classroom in Chevak (Photo by LA Johnson, NPR); Snowmobiles glide across the tundra at sunset in Chevak (Photo by Joseph, Flickr).
Nationwide, teachers are in short supply. That’s especially true in small, isolated districts, the kind that are easy to find in Alaska. Here, hiring teachers is only half the battle. Keeping them is hard, too. Alaska is especially hit hard by the teacher shortages, losing roughly one in four teachers every year. But research shows there is a powerful thing schools can do to retain teachers — pair them up with veteran teacher mentors. NPR’s Cory Turner shares the story of one effort to get mentors out to Alaska’s most remote schools — the Alaska Statewide Mentor Project (ASMP).
The story follows the experience of Chevak first-grade teacher, Amelia Tulim, and the meaningful mentorship of ASMP’s veteran teacher, Dan Sostelo.
Click here to listen to the story or read the transcript.
Participants of the 2023 Educators Rising Alaska Conference gathered for a group photo, which was held on the UAF Troth Yeddha’ Campus. UAF photo by Eric Engman.
Middle and high school students and their teacher leaders from across Alaska will attend the annual Educators Rising Alaska State Leadership Conference, held this year on the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) Juneau campus, Feb. 22-23. The annual state conference rotates amongst UA’s three main campuses: UAF, UAA and UAS to provide an immersive experience in the education field. This years’ conference is expected to have over 200 attendees.
The state conference kickoff will be Thursday, Feb. 22 on the UAS Campus where attendees will hear from inspirational speakers including 2023-24 Alaska Teacher of the Year, Catherine Walker, Interim UAS School of Education Dean Carlee Simon, and state leaders. Students will then attend breakout sessions for two days, relating to entering college, education careers and more.
An award ceremony in the Juneau Arts and Culture Center will wrap up the conference on Friday, Feb. 23 to recognize those who competed. Students will see presentations from UA President Pat Pitney, UAS Chancellor Aparna Palmer, Senator Lisa Murkowski and Representative Mary Peltola, followed by a closing ceremony including performances from Woosh.ji.een Dance Group and All Nations Children’s Dance Group.
Read the full story here. Link to watch ceremonies: bit.ly/42EQw25
Educators Rising Alaska is a diverse, teacher and student-led grassroots movement that aims to inspire high school and college students to serve their communities by entering the field of education. School-based chapters are in every U.S. state, where students practice the necessary skills to lead a classroom while adding student voice to State and National discussions around education.
ASMP teacher mentor Hal Neace is surrounded by early-career teacher Brett Stevens’ fifth grade class in Utqiagvik. Photo courtesy of Brett Stevens.
The University of Alaska Fairbanks secured a $14.9-million grant from the U.S. Department of Education and Innovation Research to expand its Alaska Statewide Mentor Project (ASMP). The program will expand from serving only first – and second-year teachers to mentoring all teachers new to the state, including experienced educators from other countries.
“Teacher recruitment and retention are especially challenging in remote communities. Teacher recruitment and retention are especially challenging in remote communities.” – Sue McIntosh, ASMP Program Manager
McIntosh explains it’s important for teachers new to Alaska — whether rural or urban, experienced or new to the profession — to understand their students’ communities, cultures and history. They also need to know how to navigate the practical realities of life in a remote place — how to get food delivered, for instance, or access to medical care.
Photo courtesy of ASMP. ASMP’s 2023-2024 mentor group, with Sue McIntosh, program director, (second from right, back row) and Glenda Findlay, K-12 outreach director at UAF’s School of Education, (third row, left).
The Alaska Statewide Mentor Project (ASMP) recently marked its 20th year of mentoring first- and second-year teachers in schools all over Alaska.
Operating under the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ School of Education, ASMP offers individualized support to new teachers and develops a teaching workforce that is responsive to the diverse student population, addressing unique academic needs.
Leaders from all tiers of K-12 education gathered on October 12 to celebrate the anniversary and share stories.
LEARN MORE about ASMP’s history and response to meeting a vital state priority — Alaska needs more teachers.
UA Workforce Development News 