University of Alaska
Teacher Education Plan:
Deans Report
University of Alaska
Dr. Mary Snyder, Dean of the UAA College of Education
Dr. Larry Harris, Dean of the UAS School of Education
Dr. Eric Madsen, Dean of the UAF School of Education
I.
OVERVIEW
Alaska is failing her children. In Judge Gleason’s March 31, 2010 ruling in Moore vs. State of
Alaska, she notes the State:
has failed to identify those schools within the state that are not according to children a
meaningful opportunity to acquire proficiency in the subject areas tested by the State
and meaningful exposure to the other content areas in the State’s education standards.
And as to those schools that are deficient in that regard, the State has failed to provide
adequate supervision and oversight in a concerted effort to remedy that situation.
The current situation is challenging and complicates the recruitment and retention of high
quality teachers; low salaries, the high cost of living, schools in corrective action, new policies
related to teacher certification, the retirement system, and more lucrative career opportunities
elsewhere are all variables outside of the immediate control of teacher preparation. Yet these
variables have profound impacts on recruitment of students into the profession of education.
In response to the extreme demands our graduates face, all of the teacher preparation programs
have revised curriculum, integrated coursework about and experiences with diverse learners,
and devised instructional delivery strategies to best prepare tomorrow’s teachers. This threeyear plan builds on the ongoing efforts of the UA Education Units (UAS School of Education,
UAF School of Education, UAA College of Education) to place more Alaskans into education
positions. To effectively address this challenge, we must continue to engage Alaskans in the
process. This includes policymakers, the current administration, state leaders, teachers, school
boards, superintendents, university faculty, community members, and our students. The
Teacher Education Planning Group is expanding its collaboration with K-12 education leaders
to develop a workforce that accurately reflects the diverse student populations they serve.
The University of Alaska Teacher Education Plan will produce more Alaska-prepared
educators through increased awareness of the profession; expanded access to educator
preparation programs; and academic, personal and professional support to retain students as
they move toward successful program completion. We must also increase the diversity of the
teaching workforce by making teacher education more attractive to underrepresented
populations. Additionally, establishing the research base on Alaska’s educational policies and
practices will be critical in aiding the State in its efforts to enhance P-20 education.
II.
GOALS
The Education Planning Group has set three goals for the University of Alaska System:


Recruit and Retain more students in Education, particularly Alaska residents.
Increase program access through multiple delivery methods.

Conduct research to identify causes and propose solutions for education challenges in
Alaska.
For each of these goals, the Group has identified a series of actions, funding needed
and deliverables.
A. Recruit and Retain more students in Education, particularly Alaska
residents
Rationale
The future of Alaska requires that every child has access to quality educators dedicated to
individual student success. The education profession offers rewarding career
opportunities, however the general public, policy makers, parents and students are not
always fully aware of these opportunities and the rewards of the profession. Recruiting
top students into the teaching profession is paramount to improving the Alaska education
system. Special Education is a particularly critical area and all three MAUs support
having a Special Education program at UAF to meet this ever-growing demand.
According to data collected through statewide Supply and Demand studies and from
partner districts directly, school administrators rank special education positions as their
hardest to fill. The Teacher Education Planning Group has worked collaboratively to
implement a system-wide, cross-MAU endorsement and degree program in special
education, but each campus must have qualified faculty in order to realize the benefits of
this initiative.
Actions
1. Fill a tenure-track special education faculty position at UAF.
COST: $142,000/year
2. Consult with Statewide in their development of a multi-faceted public awareness
campaign to market the education profession as a rewarding career.
COST: $600,000 for print, radio and television ads
3. Education Units will establish a formal Teacher Education Consortium that includes
representatives from the Department of Education & Early Development, school
districts, and industry to improve the recruitment & retention of educators; curriculum
and instruction; research.
COST: $25,000/year travel and operational support
4. Hire Recruitment and Retention Coordinators at each of the Education Units to work
with school district and communities to develop more effective strategies for
recruiting qualified candidates for Alaska teacher preparation programs, particularly
students from underrepresented populations.
COST: $300,000/year for Recruitment and Retention coordinators
($100,000/MAU)
5. Create support centers at each campus to develop and support chapters of Future
Educators of Alaska in area middle and high schools. Funds will a.) provide release
time for faculty to work with prospective educators, b.) support inter-MAU
collaboration for faculty advisors, and c.) facilitate partnership with the existing FEA
organization currently operated under the auspices of Statewide.
COST: $51,000/year for oversight and coordination with Future Educators of
Alaska ($17,000/yr/MAU).
Deliverables
1. Implement a statewide public awareness campaign that includes specific steps to
recruit educators from underrepresented populations. Radio, television, and print
advertising will be created by Statewide with input from the MAUs Education Units.
2. The Teacher Education Consortium will meet at least twice annually, hosting an
annual forum to discuss educational issues, share research findings, and solicit
stakeholder feedback on universities’ programs and initiatives.
3. The three UA Education Units will collaborate in offering areas an articulated special
education program consistent with State needs and current resources.
4. Increase number of certificates and degrees in Education awarded by UA over the
next five years, with Special Education demonstrating a 10% increase.
5. Determine metrics and implement tracking data to establish the impact Recruitment
and Retention Coordinators have at each UA Education Unit. Indicators will include
increased enrollment, program admission, and successful program completion.
6. Establish campus capacity to provide start-up and support for school FEA chapters.
Track middle and high school participants to determine if there is a relationship
between FEA membership and a.) pursuit of higher education, b.) admission into
teacher education, c.) success in the field as an educator.
B. Improve Program Access Through Multiple Delivery Methods
Rationale
The Education Units will meet the needs of traditional and non-traditional students with
flexible face-to-face, distance and onsite delivery options. UA teacher preparation
programs will expand partnerships to offer cohort-specific training as another form of
program delivery that allows for more customized, service-oriented approaches to
education. W will use synchronous and asynchronous delivery, scheduling flexibility, and
inquiry-based learning.
Actions
1. Improve program access for students in Alaska's diverse settings by:
further developing existing successful access methods such as distance delivery,
intensives, summer programs, cohort models, and site‐based faculty;

further developing existing faculty expertise to support expanded program access;
and

expanding district partnerships to offer cohort training that allows customized,
service-oriented approaches to education.
COST: $60,000/year ($20,000/MAU) for faculty buyouts and to cover costs of
teacher exchanges.

2. Provide professional development opportunities within and across campus to expand
faculty expertise and share quality instructional practices.
COST: $30,000/year ($10,000/MAU)
Deliverables
1. Each campus will have at least 50% of all Education courses will be delivered
by alternative access instructional models (i.e. online, hybrid, cohort, site-based,
alternative scheduling, etc.)
2. 80% of all UA Education faculty will participate in extensive professional
development opportunities relevant to expanding program access.
C.
Conduct research to identify causes and propose solutions for education
challenges in Alaska.
Rationale
By establishing the Senate and House Education Committees, Alaska has taken an
important step toward better understanding the issues that impact both K-12 and Higher
Education. However, Alaska has a significant need for educational research focused on
policy making, instructional practice and the links between policy and practice. In
particular, research will help Alaska address the numerous challenges related to teacher
recruitment, retention, high dropout rates, finance, and access to education in rural areas.
An increased emphasis on education research will provide valuable information to guide
educators and policymakers alike. Beneficiaries include university departments and
programs, the Alaska Department of Education & Early Development, the K-12
community, and the general public.
Actions
1. The Teacher Education Consortium will identify education research topics related to
public education policy and practice needed in Alaska, and will issue RFPs and make
awards to UA education faculty to conduct that research.
COST: $ 90,000 ($30,000/MAU)
2. Increase support for education policy research conducted by the University of Alaska
Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER).
COST: $90,000/year
3. Improve data management systems
COST: $75,000/year ($25,000/MAU)
4. Increase research dissemination to expand and enhance the State’s knowledge base on
educational policy and practices through eJournal to be housed at UAA.
COST: $25,000/year journal
Deliverables
1. Increased number and quality (as evaluated by peer and end user review) of data
reports and publications addressing Alaska education challenges, policymaking, and
the links between policy and practice.
2. Increased number of data reports related to educational policy completed by ISER.
3. Establishment of a repository for data collection and data management system that
serves all three MAUs.
4. UAA creates an online journal (eJournal) as a vehicle for research dissemination.
Editorial board includes representatives from each of the MAUs.
III. SUMMARY
We recognize we have the opportunity and the obligation to aid the State and its school
districts in addressing historical barriers that have kept our education system from realizing its
true potential, however these efforts will require alternative approaches, additional resources,
and ongoing collaboration. Taken together, the initiatives described above will allow the UA
Education Units to address in meaningful ways the educator shortage identified in SB241 and,
equally important, to enhance the critical role that P-12 education plays in developing Alaska's
workforce.
O ne -time mone y
Public Awareness Campaign
YEAR 1
YEAR 2
$600,000
O n-going funding
UAF Special Education Faculty
YEAR 3
T OT AL
$600,000
$142,000
$142,000
$142,000
$426,000
$25,000
$25,000
$25,000
$75,000
UAS
UAA
UAF
$100,000
$100,000
$100,000
$100,000
$100,000
$100,000
$100,000
$100,000
$100,000
$300,000
$300,000
$300,000
UAS
UAA
UAF
$17,000
$17,000
$17,000
$17,000
$17,000
$17,000
$17,000
$17,000
$17,000
$51,000
$51,000
$51,000
UAS
UAA
UAF
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
$20,000
$60,000
$60,000
$60,000
UAS
UAA
UAF
$10,000
$10,000
$10,000
$10,000
$10,000
$10,000
$10,000
$10,000
$10,000
$30,000
$30,000
$30,000
UAS
UAA
UAF
$30,000
$30,000
$30,000
$30,000
$30,000
$30,000
$30,000
$30,000
$30,000
$90,000
$90,000
$90,000
ISER
$90,000
$90,000
$90,000
$270,000
UAS
UAA
UAF
$25,000
$25,000
$25,000
$25,000
$25,000
$25,000
$25,000
$25,000
$25,000
$75,000
$75,000
$75,000
UAA
$25,000
$25,000
$25,000
$75,000
$1,488,000
$888,000
$888,000
$3,264,000
Annual Consortium Meeting
Recruitment and Retention Coordinators
FEA
Expanded Access
Professional Development
Research Support
Policy Research
Data management system
Journal
TO TAL
UAS C ost
UAF C ost
UAA C ost
ISER
Tchr Ed C onsortium
SW
TO TAL SUPPO RT
ANNUAL
$202,000
$344,000
$227,000
$90,000
$25,000
O NE-TIME
$600,000
3-YEAR TO TAL
$606,000
$1,032,000
$681,000
$270,000
$75,000
$600,000
$3,264,000