D i s c over
L e a rning
Teachin g
Living
ATP
Alaska Teacher Placement
UNIVERSITY of ALASKA
alaskateacher.org
A Message from the
Commissioner
Dear Educator,
Thank you for your interest in teaching
in Alaska. As the largest state in the
nation, Alaska provides a truly exhilarating
experience that cannot be found elsewhere
in the country. The rich diversity within
the state allows newcomers the opportunity
to engage their frontier spirit and discover
true adventure within their own lives.
In order to locate the position that is right for you, Alaska Teacher Placement
will help you form networks and gain access to current employment options.
Alaska also offers early career teachers the opportunity to work with
experienced mentor educators as part of the Alaska Statewide Mentor Project,
which provides one-on-one professional support and encouragement.
Alaska needs teachers who have a passion for teaching and will immerse
themselves in their schools and communities. I truly hope you consider
becoming an educator in our great state.
Sincerely,
Larry LeDoux
Commissioner, EED
Cover Photos (from top): “Alpen Glow” by Steve Deger/flickrcc; “On the Lake” by Tomoyoshi/flickrcc; K12 Outreach; “Kayak 2” by crayons121/flickrcc
Alaska presents uncommon challenges and unforeseen rewards. Whether
teaching in a traditional Alaska Native village, a coastal fishing town, or
Anchorage, our largest city, you will become part of a vibrant community.
With over 50 separate districts and myriad landscapes to choose from, Alaska
offers its educators the opportunity to take part in a constructive and fruitful
learning experience—their own!
Mission
Statement
Tin identifying, attracting, and placing highly qualified educators for our
he mission of Alaska Teacher Placement (ATP) is to provide leadership
state. We collaborate with Alaska school districts, university leaders, and other
educational entities to promote the teaching profession.
Services
• Online referral services
• Job fairs and Educator Expo
• Recruiting sessions
• Online recruiting sessions
• Professional consultations
• Resumé posting
• Educator support and resources
• Technical troubleshooting
All of our services are free to educators seeking employment in Alaska’s
schools. Registration with our online database and attendance at our career
fairs are open to all educators. Contact us with questions or concerns.
Contact Alaska Teacher Placement
URL
Photo: “Mountains and flowers” by Marissa C./flickrcc
Email
alaskateacher.org
[email protected]
Mailing
Address
PO Box 755400
Fairbanks, Alaska 99775-5400
Physical
Address
2175 University Ave, Suite 100
Fairbanks, Alaska 99709
Phone
907.450.8400
Fax
907.450.8401
Toll Free
877.287.6644
Fax
877.422.1124
Hours
8:30am – 5:00pm
Monday – Friday
(Closed Holidays)
Online
Services
V
isit alaskateacher.org for everything you need to know about
applying for a job in Alaska’s schools.
The website features an interactive job
bank that allows you to search for job
openings, post your resumé, contact
hiring officials, and research the many
opportunities that await you in Alaska.
Live Chats
Throughout the school year ATP hosts
Live Chat sessions. Topics for live chats
vary from living in Alaska to becoming
certified as an educator. Each Live
Chat has a scheduled guest to guide the
discussion and answer questions that
arise.
Typically scheduled once or twice
a month, chats are held on Friday
afternoons from 3–5 pm Alaska Time.
Registered candidates will be notified
by ATP via email the day before all Live
Chats.
Virtual (Online) Job Fairs
For educators who are unable to attend
one of the four ATP-hosted job fairs
in 2009, there is also the option of
networking with hiring officials online.
Virtual job fairs begin in May and are
hosted monthly until the start of the
school year in September.
i-Community
In an effort to increase the online networking between applicants and school
districts, we have developed the ATP
i-Community. Candidates also have
the opportunity to post their questions
about learning, teaching, and living in
Alaska.
The virtual job fair allows district
administrators to select candidates
from a smaller pool, and educators can
highlight their education and teaching
experience more efficiently.
Check the Job Fair page on the ATP
website for the 2009 summer virtual
job fair schedule.
alaskateacher.org/jobs
Photo: Morgan Dufseth
Register as an educator candidate at
Recruitment
Events & Job Fairs
Alaska Educator Expo
April 17–18, 2009
Hotel Captain Cook
Anchorage, Alaska
The Educator Expo is Alaska’s premier
recruitment event for employment in
education. Throughout this two-day
event, educators will interview with
representatives from Alaska’s urban and
rural school districts. Come prepared
with resumés and references.
Educators who are serious about
securing a job in Alaska should attend
the Educator Expo. Register for free,
online or at the Captain Cook Hotel
the day of the event.
Lower 48 Job Fairs
Photo: “my ride out” by Mcav0y/flickrcc
The ATP Lower 48 Job Fairs provide educators who are not able to attend the
Educator Expo in Alaska with a chance to interview for job openings. Because
contracts will be offered, make sure to bring a list of references that can be reached
on evenings and weekends.
Washington
Minnesota
Michigan
April 3–4, 2009
April 5, 2009
April 19, 2009
Seattle
Minneapolis
Grand Rapids
To register for Alaska Teacher Placement’s job fairs, visit
alaskateacher.org
then click on the Job Fair tab at the top of the page.
Alaska’s Diverse
Public School System
P
ublic schools in Alaska serve more than 130,000 students and
employ close to 9,000 teachers, including part-time and long-term
substitutes. However, these students and teachers are not distributed
evenly across the state. Most of the population is centered in the
metropolitan areas of Anchorage, Matanuska-Susitna, Fairbanks,
and Juneau. The Anchorage School District, for example, is
one of the 100 largest school districts in the nation, with
3,000 teachers and 50,000 students. While most students
are in urban areas, the majority of Alaska’s 54 school
districts are located in the “bush,” places isolated
from the rest of the state and off the road system,
accessible only by air, boat, or all-terrain
vehicle. Of Alaska’s 503 schools, 135 schools
have fewer than 50 students and 82 schools
enroll 25 or fewer students.
Alaska’s schools are very diverse culturally,
mixing lifelong Alaskans with newcomers
from the Lower 48. In rural areas, over 80%
of students are indigenous Alaskans. The
term “Alaska Native” is used to describe
many Native groups with different
languages and traditions, including
Yup’ik, Inupiaq, Aleut, Athabascan,
Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and others.
In some rural communities, Alaska Native students
grow up speaking their native language, and learn
English as a second language. Subsistence activities
such as hunting, fishing, and gathering traditional
foods are important to village communities.
For people who are new to Alaska, the exposure
to Alaska Native languages, cultures, values, and
subsistence lifestyles makes teaching in rural
Alaska an exciting and enriching experience!
Photos: K12 Outreach
For more information about Alaska Native peoples, visit
Alaska Native
Knowledge Network
Alaska Federation
of Natives
Alaskool
ankn.uaf.edu
nativefederation.org
Alaskool.org
Opportunities in
Special Education
I
f you are a special education teacher and have the desire to help students with
special needs, incredible opportunities await you in Alaska:
• Itinerant positions that allow you to explore the state
• Pursue master’s work in special education
• Small schools and class sizes
• Full-time or part-time work
The Special Educators for Alaska Project
is focused on supporting, recruiting,
and retaining special education teachers.
The project, sponsored by a grant from
the U.S. Department of Education,
is a collaboration between ATP, the
Alaska Department of Education &
Early Development Special Education
Division, and the Alaska Statewide
Mentor Project. One project goal is
to recruit a yearly cohort of special
education teachers and provide
them with two years of mentoring.
Another goal is to provide professional
development training to instructors in
the field of special education.
eed.state.ak.us/tls/sped
Photos (from left): “PowerHockey” by Percita/flickrcc; “DSC_0186” by Lobberich/flickrcc
For those interested in pursuing special
education as a focus area, including
paraeducators, Alaska has many
convenient options. The University
of Alaska Southeast, in Juneau, offers
a distance-delivered special education
endorsement and a master’s degree
program; and the University of Alaska
Anchorage offers distance-delivered
master’s programs in general special
education, early childhood special
education, as well as speech, language,
and auditory pathology.
Alaska Statewide
Mentor Project
T
he Alaska Statewide Mentor Project
(ASMP) is designed to support
early career teachers in their first and
second year of teaching. Working in
partnership with a mentor, new teachers
learn strategies that influence the way
they teach so that each will become the
teacher whose classroom practices are
ready to meet the needs of tomorrow’s
children, as well as those of today.
Who gets an
Alaska Statewide Mentor?
Photos: Adam Demientieff
How do mentors help?
ASMP’s mentors do more than help
new teachers survive—they help them
understand that excellent teachers build
their practice one day at a time, from
the first day they step into a classroom.
Mentors encourage early career teachers
to set high expectations for themselves
and their students, convey a belief in the
power of the classroom teacher to affect
student learning, and hold themselves
personally accountable for the academic
success of their students.
Many first- and second-year teachers
hired in participating districts have
the opportunity to work with an
Alaska Statewide Mentor. Unlike the
induction models of many professions,
the mentoring relationship is not
evaluative: your Alaska Statewide
Mentor is a sounding board, problem
solver, advocate, and even an extra set
of hands.
alaskamentorproject.org
Certification in
Alaska
Tyou do not yet have one, it is recommended that you begin the process as
o teach in Alaska, you will need a current Alaskan teaching certificate. If
soon as possible. In Alaska, educators are certified by the Teacher Education and
Certification office within the Department of Education & Early Development.
Initial Certificate Requirements
1. Bachelor’s degree or higher, and
completion of a teacher preparation
program.
OR
Current enrollment in a teacher
preparation program. (Program must
be completed within two (2) years of
the issuance of the Initial certificate.)
NOTE: Individuals enrolled in special
education programs must complete
their program prior to applying for the
Initial certificate.
Reciprocity with other states
2. Passing scores on the Praxis I, CBEST,
or WEST-B exam.
3. Fingerprint cards submitted with
application for background check.
4. Complete application submitted with
processing fees.
A one-year teaching certificate may be
issued for applicants who have not yet
met the testing requirement, but hold
a current, valid teaching certificate in
another state.
Contact EED with your certification questions
URL
Email
Phone
[email protected]
Department of Education & Early Development
ATTN: Teacher Certification
801 West 10th St. Suite 200
PO Box 110500
Juneau, AK 99811-0500
907.465.2831
Fax
907.465.2441
Photo: Adam Demientieff
Mail
eed.state.ak.us/TeacherCertification
School District
Contact Information
Alaska Gateway Borough
Dillingham City Schools
Kuspuk School District
Sitka Borough
Aleutian Region Borough
Fairbanks North Star Borough
Lake and Peninsula Borough
Skagway City Schools
907.277.2648
aleutregion.org
907.452.2000
northstar.k12.ak.us
907.246.4280
lpsd.com
907.983.2960
no website
Aleutians East Borough
Galena City Schools
Lower Kuskokwim Schools
Southeast Island Schools
907.383.5222
aebsd.org
907.656.1205
galenaalaska.org
907.543.4810
lksd.org
907.828.8254
sisd.org
Anchorage Schools
Haines Borough Schools
Lower Yukon Schools
Southwest Region Schools
907.591.2411
loweryukon.org
907.842.5287
swrsd.org
Annette Island Schools
Hoonah City Schools
Mat-Su Borough
Tanana Schools
Bering Strait Schools
Hydaburg City Schools
Mt. Edgecumbe High School
907.285.3491
hydaburg.k12.ak.us
907.966.3200
mehs.us
Unalaska City Schools
Bristol Bay Borough
Iditarod Area Schools
Nenana City Schools
Valdez City Schools
Chatham Schools
Juneau Borough
Nome City Schools
Wrangell Public Schools
Chugach Schools
Kake City Schools
North Slope Borough
907.785.3741
kakeschools.com
907.852.5311
nsbsd.org/
Yakutat Schools
Copper River Schools
Kashunamiut Schools
Northwest Arctic Borough
907.858.7713
chevak.schoolaccess.net
907.442.3472 x233
nwarctic.org
Cordova City Schools
Kenai Peninsula Borough
Pelican City Schools
Yukon/Koyukuk Schools
Craig City Schools
Ketchikan Gateway Borough
907.247.2142
kgbsd.org
Petersburg City Schools
Yupiit Schools
907.826.3274
craigschools.com
Delta/Greely Schools
Klawock City Schools
Pribilof Schools
Kodiak Island Borough
Saint Mary’s Schools
907.883.5151
tok.schoolaccess.net
907.742.4312
asdk12.org
907.886.6332
aisd.k12.ak.us
907.624.3611
bssd.org
907.246.4225
bbbsd.net
907.788.3302
chathamsd.org
Photo: “Northern Lights” by Nick Russill/flickrcc Brochure Design: Morgan Dufseth
907.522.7400
chugachschools.com
907.822.3234 x223
crsd.k12.ak.us
907.424.3265
cordovasd.org
907.895.4658
dgsd.k12.ak.us
Denali Borough
907.683.2278
dbsd.org
907.842.5223
dlgsd.org
907.766.2644
glacierbears.hbsd.net
907.945.3611
hoonahschools.org
907.524.3033 x221
iditarodsd.org
907.523.1700
jsd.k12.ak.us
907.714.8888
kpbsd.k12.ak.us
907.755.2917
klawockschool.com
907.481.6200
kodiakschools.org
907.675.4250
kuspuk.org
907.746.9255
matsuk12.us
907.832.5464
nenanasd.org
907.443.2231
nomeschools.com
907.735.2236
no website
907.772.4271
psgsd.k12.ak.us
907.546.3337
psd-k12.org
907.438.2411
smcsd.us
907.747.8622
ssd.k12.ak.us
907.366.7203
wolfpride.tanana.net
907.581.3151
ucsd.net
907.835.4357
valdezcityschools.org
907.874.2347
wrangellschools.org
907.784.3317 x226
yakutatschools.org
Yukon Flats Schools
907.662.2515
yukonflats.net
907.374.9417
yksd.com
907.825.3600
yupiit.org