Multiple educators and administrators from 13 Alaska school districts attended the day-long Educators Rising Alaska Professional Development (PD) workshop in Anchorage, Alaska on September 11, 2021. The PD was offered in-person (limited to 25), virtually (unlimited), and recorded for later viewing by educators who are interested in learning more about the Educators Rising Alaska Program and optional UAF ED593 3-credit yearlong PD. Two former ASMP early career teachers (ECTs) attended this year’s workshop. To be Covid-19 conscious, in lieu of hands-on activities, workshop participants engaged in Kahoot! and Jamboard sessions where both in-person and virtual attendees were able to connect. Teachers will encourage students to take the 3-credit UAS ED122 course via dual-enrollment or UAS direct-led instruction.

Please welcome 2021-2022 EdRising Alaska State Officer Torrey McClain from Palmer High School. Photo: Doreen Hayward

Save the Date: Arrangements for the Educators Rising Alaska State Leadership Conference (SLC) held February 27-March 1, 2022 in Juneau, Alaska have begun. Foreseeing possible travel restrictions for some schools, a hybrid (in-person and virtual) option will be available to registered students, teacher leaders, and guest speakers. Competitions are always the focal point of the SLC and require a great deal of planning by

both students and teacher leaders. Preparation pays off as shown by last year’s SLC competition results: 22 students who competed in the 2020-2021 EdRising Alaska competitions went on to compete at the National level. Fourteen of the twenty-two placed in the Top 10! Congratulations to all our hard-working students!

Marjorie Baker, back in Kotzebue after graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Human Development and Family Sciences and a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. Photo courtesy of Tammy Baker.

EdRising Spotlight: June Nelson Elementary School first grade teacher Marjorie Baker was a past EdRising Alaska student and now continues her journey with EdRising Alaska as an educator in her hometown of Kotzebue. Marjorie’s positivity and advocacy of the EdRising Program is reflected in her advice to students: “Keep working toward your goals so you can be a positive role model to the next generation! Whatever those goals might be, show the younger students around you that no matter where you come from, you can achieve great things!”

If you, your school district, or someone you know might benefit from Educators Rising, or if you would like to learn more, or have a comment or concern, please contact our offices. We are here to help grow and nurture the next generation of educators. Please email us at: uaf-edrisingak@alaska.edu or visit our website at

As we begin our 18th year mentoring early career teachers across Alaska, ASMP has much to celebrate.

This year, our cadre of 11 full-release mentors are serving 115 teachers who live across the state of Alaska. We are thrilled to be partnering with the Department of Education and Early Development (DEED), Alaska Staff Development Network and seventeen districts who were able to cost-share with us. Our mentors excel at providing continuous, individual support for teachers.

This school year, mentors have returned with renewed dedication to Alaska’s teachers and students. Committed to their own professional development, they are studying Elena Aguilar’s Coaching for Equity book to understand how conversations can disrupt educational equities.

We are excited to collaborate with our early career teachers, using teaching and coaching cycles to dig into standards based lesson planning and analyze student learning. We observe instruction using indicators of optimal learning environments that the teachers choose.

ASMP is constantly adapting to our ever-changing educational landscape. When we are not there in person, we use powerful and sustainable methods to collaborate with teachers and observe classrooms via remote, secure means. Innovation, flexibility, resilience, and growth mindsets are the hallmark of

mentors as they support teachers to provide instruction in culturally responsive ways. Our high-leverage tools help facilitate teacher growth and reflection. We are ready for this school year and hope to meet many of you!

We would like to hear from you. This ever-changing landscape provides new opportunities for partnership and collaboration. What resources can ASMP help you provide? What is your vision for your early career teachers? Do you have building-wide professional development needs? Perhaps we can team with you.

Cathy McIntyre is in her 3rd year teaching in the dual language program in Tuntutuliak, where she was born & raised. Cathy had an ASMP mentor her first 2 years. Photo: Cheryl Childers.

Please contact us with ideas, suggestions, and needs. We are here for you. Program Manager: Sue McIntosh (907) 590-7490 or email.

Find out more on our website.

Mark Your Calendars!

Alaska Teacher Placement has scheduled the Spring Teacher Job Fairs. We are planning in-person events, with a virtual back-up plan if needed.

• Anchorage Educator Expo: March 18-19, 2022 Hotel Captain Cook
• Oregon ATP hosted Teacher Job Fair: March 30, 2022
• Minnesota ATP hosted Teacher Job Fair: April 12, 2022

Lower Kuskokwim representatives at a past ATP hosted Job Fair assist potential future personnel with questions about their district. Photo: Yuri Bult-Ito.

Please check our website for more details and to learn more about our program.

ATP is active on social media and you may find recent updates there as well. Follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/AlaskaTeacher) and Twitter (UA/ATP). You can find all our past virtual chats with Alaska school districts on Facebook.

Representatives from Kodiak and Lower Yukon School Districts assist fair-goers. Photo: Yuri Bult-Ito.

These archived chats answer many questions about our districts and teaching and living in Alaska. Virtual chats have been viewed thousands of times by teachers thinking about moving to Alaska. Additionally, these chats are wonderful opportunities for school districts to highlight their communities and their schools.

Alaska Teacher Placement staff is busy visiting college campuses across the United States, sharing the joys and challenges of living and working in our amazing Alaskan schools. Covid-19 has added to the state’s retention and recruitment challenges this past year and a half, making our work and partnerships even more important.

You can see our recruiting schedule and more, at www.alaskateacher.org, or for more information, email us.

Teacher Ambassadors Sharing Knowledge (TASK) fosters cultural exchange between Hawaiian and rural Alaskan teachers. Teachers in both Alaska and Hawai‘i collaborate remotely on place-based culturally relevant science lessons. Due to the Coronavirus pandemic TASK shifted from in-person workshops to virtual learning which allow teachers to continue to collaborate with their peers and learn from experts in STEM and cultural education.

TASK Hawai’i teachers gather for a virtual drone workshop to collaborate with their Nome partners and share arial views of landscapes, vegetation patterns and habitats. Photo: Nānākuli-Wai’anae Complex Area teachers.

This past spring TASK hosted a series of virtual Hawai’i and Alaska based virtual workshops including a multi-day drone and curriculum design workshops. Teachers used program provided drones to help inspire novel place-based lesson development during a time of increased virtual education. Participating teachers were licensed and trained on how to safely fly and record footage in their communities. Teachers then worked virtually with curriculum development specialist Kapono

Ciotti and collaborated with peer teachers to develop place-based units.

These units will allow students to virtually access parts of their community that would otherwise be inaccessible due to COVID restrictions, logistic complexity, or safety concerns. Unit topics covered ideas such as locating culturally important plant species used in traditional Hawaiian culture, mapping local berry picking sites, and measuring sea ice expansion or retreat amongst many other exciting ideas. Additional virtual workshops included the history of aviation in Alaska by Bill Tweet and Rick Thoman’s presentation on the changing environment in Northwest Alaska TASK is excited to continue collaborations with Nome City Schools in Alaska and the Nānākuli-Wai’anae Complex Area in Hawai’i in developing workshops and supporting place-based curriculum for students and teachers in both states.

Find out more on our TASK website

Hawai’i teachers operate a drone during their virtual workshop. Photo: Nānākuli-Wai’anae Complex Area teachers.