Melissa Hill Director of K-12 Outreach Phone: 907.450.8403 melissa.hill@alaska.edu About Melissa Hill
	K-12 Outreach Program Websites Future Teachers of Alaska Alaska Teacher Placement Alaska Statewide Mentor Project

High student achievement starts with excellence in teaching. That is why the University of Alaska and the Department of Education have made a commitment to work together to advance Alaska's teaching profession. ACEA works to attract, place, and retain high quality teachers. Beginning with students in Alaskan K-12 classrooms, the Future Teachers of Alaska Program encourages Alaska Native students to consider teaching as a career. Next, the Alaska Teacher Placement program works directly with school districts to fill current teaching vacancies. Finally, the Alaska Statewide Mentor Project gives new teachers the ongoing support they need to be successful in the classroom. ACEA provides a full circle of support for the teaching profession in order to bring out the best in each and every Alaskan student.

Future Teachers of Alaska (FTA): The 2004/2005 school year completed year two of the three-year FTA pilot project. Program Director Lolly Carpluck, in partnership with three school districts, created 19 Future Teacher Clubs to help rural Alaskan communities "grow their own" teachers. With a membership of over 225 students expected this coming school year, FTA is helping stimulate a new generation of education professionals.

Alaska Teacher Placement (ATP): ATP provides recruitment services for schools in Alaska through the www.alaskateacher.org website and job fairs in Alaska and other states. ATP Director Melissa Hill has been working with the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) to study recruitment trends. A preliminary 2005 Teacher Supply and Demand Report shows that Alaska has about 1,100 teaching vacancies each year. With UA teacher training programs producing about 220 graduates per year, recruitment is an ongoing challenge.

Alaska Statewide Mentor Project: This project, led by Lorrie Scoles, finished a very successful first year. During the 2004/2005 school year, 339 beginning teachers in 31 school districts received mentoring from 22 master teachers who were fully released from their classroom duties. In the upcoming school year, the project will be expanded to include additional school districts and will include a coaching program for new principals and administrators.

What other ways can the University of Alaska and K-12 schools work together for their mutual benefit? Opportunities for ACEA program additions include the following:

• Use the insights of the mentor teachers and their experiences with beginning teachers to offer targeted professional development conferences and seminars.
• Provide an online comprehensive clearinghouse for youth activities that are sponsored by the University and its campuses.
• Convene Schools of Education across campuses to discuss issues in pre-service curriculum.
• Develop comprehensive pathways to support FTA students as they enter UA campuses.
• Develop a component of the mentoring program that includes a focus on Alaskan Native culture.