YKSD Strategies for Addressing Teacher Shortage Challenges Edit each slide to reflect your school’s information

YKSD Demographics Yukon Koyukuk School District covers 65,000 square miles. 7 remote fly-in sites 2 remote sites accessible by road 7 principals, 50 teachers, 2 guidance counselors, 13 central office administrators, and approximately 100 support staff Add any other facts about your school that you find interesting.

Innovative Partnerships 2012-2015 Alaska Science Literacy Project (ASLP) YKSD partnered with UAF SOE to provide Science and Literacy professional development to 35 teachers in YKSD and 5 other districts (Delta-Greely, Yukon Flats, Tanana, Nenana, and Denali) Secondary schools may want to include sports.

ASLP UAF professor provided 3 credit hour classes each year for teachers to increase science content knowledge Teachers developed Science lessons with Literacy and Math integrated to share with other teachers UAF SOE students assisted teachers with research, etc.

NSF GeoSTEM Grant Collaboration Provides pre-service teachers with mentored rural school teaching experiences Huslia and Ruby will host pre-service teachers this spring

Grant Partnerships/Activities ACHIEVE Grant Provides new teachers with a cultural immersion camp prior to the beginning of school Also provides a 2-day cultural training, an online course designed to support increased cultural knowledge, and ongoing support throughout the school year MOORE Teacher Retention Grant Provides a centralized system for Internet and access to satellite TV in all teacher housing units Allows teachers to feel connected to the world outside their immediate environment

Strong Collaborations YKSD and UAF-SOE work closely together to prepare teachers for rural placements within Alaska Short and long term rural teaching experiences are critical for addressing the challenges of finding qualified teachers

Short & Long Term Placements Short Internship (3 weeks) – provides exposure to rural teaching and helps the participant to get acclimated to teaching environment Long Internship – free district housing, monthly stipend for food, travel to/from school for professional development

Student Teacher Placements Placements in Allakaket and Minto Very successful– Minto intern was hired as full-time teacher for FY17 in Huslia Student teachers are placed with a mentor teacher Field experiences (pre-service teachers learn about rural teaching by visiting remote schools) Complete list to accommodate your school. Pictures could be added to this page.

District Recruitment/Retention Efforts Monthly check-ins with new staff to insure their needs are being met River School differentials ($750) First flight to site paid for by district Exit interviews Signing bonuses Professional development/teacher leadership opportunities

Highly Qualified Efforts All costs associated with becoming highly qualified paid for by district Support materials provided Tutoring/test preparation provided Courses taught over VTC by highly qualified teachers Add any information for your school’s policy concerning absences. May discuss what PIN # consists of.

Recruiting Suggestions Work with State of Alaska to allow districts to hire retired teachers without them being penalized. Statute 14.20.220 (e) limits the amount of out-of-state experience teachers may bring into a new position. In critical times, teachers need to be allowed to bring in more than just 6 years.