Mission

K-12 Outreach advocates for statewide quality education and learning for all Alaska’s students, teachers and district personnel. We facilitate best practices classroom instruction including place-based culturally relevant data driven content. We offer support, guidance and resources for Pre-K through college educational communities working towards teacher recruitment and retention. Through collaboration and dialogue with stakeholders we achieve excellence in education at the University, District and local levels.   

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 with Alaska School Districts to advance Alaska's teaching profession. Programs are designed to attract, place, and retain high quality teachers. Beginning with students in Alaskan K-12 classrooms, Educators Rising (formerly Future Educators of Alaska) 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. The Alaska Statewide Mentor Project gives new teachers the ongoing support they need to be successful in the classroom. Also, grant funded curriculum projects such as REACH, provide place-based science curriculum to Native Alaska students and their teachers.

K-12 Outreach programs work with school districts and external educational stakeholders to provide a full circle of support for the teaching profession in order to bring out the best in each and every Alaskan student. In addition to program support, K-12 Outreach also coordinates the University for Alaska’s School’s Report to the State of Alaska (PDF).