ACSA showcases classroom innovations and outlines recruitment push as Alaska faces teacher shortages

The Alaska Council of School Administrators on Wednesday presented classroom success stories and workforce strategies at a legislature-hosted lunch-and-learn, urging broader use of targeted recruitment, credentialing and local supports as districts confront a statewide teacher shortage.

Sam Jordan, grants director for the council, opened a slide presentation and described an eight-year-old ACSA blog that curates more than 200 educator-written stories across Alaska. "If something resonates with you, dig into the actual whole story," he said, pointing attendees to QR codes and handouts for each profile.

The session threaded local classroom examples with workforce planning. Jordan highlighted a science unit in the Alaska Gateway School District that uses blueberry pH testing to connect subsistence practices with lab science, a Yukon-Koyukuk project that rewrote math lessons around local fish-wheel examples, and a Cordova classroom that brings mariculture and kelp farming into lessons to show local career paths.

Jennifer Schmitz, director of the Alaska Educator Retention and Recruitment Center (a division of ACSA), said the group is amplifying these stories to improve recruitment. "We kicked off a marketing campaign to share some of the great things happening and we have a new website," she said, adding that the center plans job fairs and outreach aimed at graduates and out-of-state candidates.

Schmitz said ACSA tracks the scale of international hires and supports for them. "We currently have 573 teachers working on visas," she said, and in some districts international hires make up as much as 60% of staff. She described programs that help new and visa teachers acclimate, including a professional-development class run through the Alaska Staff Development Network and a "Lend a Hand" club focused on special-education induction.

On immigration constraints, Schmitz told attendees that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services guidance prevents placing J-1 cultural-exchange teachers in many rural, remote positions; ACSA is working to convert some J-1 teachers to H-1B status where possible. "Some of them unfortunately have to go home for a two-year residency at the end," she said, and ACSA meets regularly with visa teachers to advise on travel and immigration timing.

Speakers also emphasized alternative certification and microcredentials as ways to enlarge the pipeline. Jordan and others described microcredentials as short, skills-focused courses that can be braided with in-person instruction and apprenticeships so professionals (for example engineers) can be recognized for technical skills while learning classroom management.

Lisa Paradis, executive director of ACSA, outlined wraparound services ACSA provides, including mentoring for early-career superintendents, the Alaska School Leadership Academy for principals, and BELLA (Building Education Leaders for Alaska) to cultivate new leaders.

The event closed with a reminder of the shortage confronting districts: the host said presenters reported 345 vacancies on the first day of school and noted instances where classrooms had long-term substitute coverage. The presentation also promoted upcoming activities, including a job fair aimed at recent in-state graduates and a statewide student art show.

No formal votes or motions were taken at the session; presenters described programs, policy recommendations and ongoing work rather than seeking immediate legislative action.