Alaska's educator apprenticeship program wins permanent federal approval

The U.S. Department of Labor on Wednesday granted permanent approval to an Alaska program that takes a different tack on the state's stubborn teacher shortage. Instead of recruiting teachers from the Lower 48 — who often leave within a few years, especially in the rural districts that need them most — the Educator Registered Apprenticeship program trains people already rooted in Alaska's communities to become certified teachers, and aims to keep them there.

The draw is that they don't have to leave to do it. Paraprofessionals and other local recruits earn a wage while working toward certification, without moving hundreds of miles to attend a university full time — a real barrier in a state where the nearest campus can be a plane ride away.

It's catching on fast. The program started in January 2025 with five apprentices and has 96 enrolled for this fall, across grade levels, special education, and even a principal track, spread over 13 school districts. The need is stark: lawmakers have described rural classrooms run by uncertified substitutes, single-digit proficiency rates, and the state's highest teacher turnover — often in the same districts.

It's still small; 96 apprentices won't erase a shortage that size on their own. But unlike teachers recruited from outside, these are people who are already home — and the whole idea is that they'll stay.