DC Accepted Papers Paper:
The Alaskan Teacher Shortage: Challenges with Recruitment and Retention in Rural Schools
*Names in bold indicate Presenter
This literature review unpacks the role of both Alaska’s remote setting and cultural strain between Native Alaskans and non-native educators on the state’s difficulty with teacher recruitment and retention in its rural schools. During the 1980s, the teacher shortage exacerbated when oil production from the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline declined and local economies deteriorated. Many out-of-state educators recruited to teach in Alaska returned to the lower 48 states, which resulted in employment gaps that currently persist in rural schools (McDiarmid et al., 2002). District leaders struggle to recruit graduates from out-of-state teacher preparation programs, yet leaders also struggle to recruit educators trained in-state as well. Furthermore, new hires typically leave their positions within a couple years of initial employment (McDiarmid et al., 2002; Peterson, 2019). This literature review identified that physical and social isolation were major contributors as to why the demand for teachers in Alaska remains high. Both Alaska’s rural setting and cultural strain between Native Alaskans and non-native educators were contributing factors to this isolation. Features of the rural setting such as mountainous terrain, widespread ice, and harsh climate contribute to physical isolation (Adams & Woods, 2015). Forty percent of the state’s population lives “in the bush”, meaning that their villages are not connected the established road system (e.g., Munsch & Boylan, 2008). Challenging travel conditions restrict a teacher’s ability to access shopping centers and maintain connections with previous family and community networks (e.g., DeFeo et al., 2018). Furthermore, secluded Alaskan environments have implications for school conditions in Native villages. Faculty contend with sub-par school infrastructure in high-poverty remote schools, and consequently, classrooms lack climate control and the resources needed to supplement students’ learning (e.g., Kaden et al., 2016). A new hire may be solely responsible for teaching amongst multi-grade classes as a result of small staff (e.g., Adams & Woods, 2015). Moreover, non-native teachers’ limited understanding of the Native Alaskan culture adds to their social isolation from both community members and colleagues. Educators must consciously socialize with villagers to overcome the expectation that newcomers will soon leave the community. As school faculty members, teachers are poorly prepared to deliver a culturally responsive curriculum, which contributes to stress and polarization from Native students and professional colleagues (e.g., Jester & Fickel, 2013). Based on the literature review findings, this paper makes recommendations for policy such as mandated participation in induction programs that introduce potential hires to rural living, formal mentorship opportunities for newly hired educators, and requirements that all out-of-state teachers to complete multicultural coursework at an approved Alaskan university.
