NOME, Alaska — About 16 percent of teachers in Nome turn over every decade. In the Bering Strait School District (BSSD), the turnover rate is even higher: 28 percent.
According to Nome Superintendent Shawn Arnold, part of the problem is that so few rural educators are homegrown.
“A disproportionate number of teachers trained outside Alaska are hired to teach in Alaska’s rural schools,” he said. “These are the teachers coming up from the Lower 48. Many are new to the teaching profession, they’re just starting out their careers, and they’re unprepared for the cultural competence for living in a rural Alaska Native village.”
That’s why Nome Public Schools is helping to restart the Future Educators of Alaska. The program died five years ago, due to lack of funding, but the University of Alaska Fairbanks is bringing it back with a new federal grant.
The program aims to get Alaska students interested in education careers, specifically opportunities in their home state. Hopefully, Arnold said the program will also combat what he calls a “critical shortage of Alaska Native educators.”
“The number one factor for teachers leaving is distance from family,” he said. “If your family is here in the community, you may not leave.”
The initiative will support Future Educator clubs at Nome-Beltz Jr/Sr High, 15 schools in BSSD, and more around the Northwest Arctic Borough School District.
Each club will give high school students the chance to explore potential career paths in teaching. Activities will include tutoring younger students, meeting with education mentors, and attending local school board meetings.
At Nome-Beltz, Arnold said the club will start next school year. Junior and senior high school students will also be able to take long-distance education courses for college credit through the University of Alaska Southeast.
