** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** WHILE ALASKA IS THE LARGEST STATE GEOGRAPHICALLY IN THE UNITED STATES, IT ALSO HAS THE FEWEST MILES OF PAVED ROAD. 86% OF ALASKA'S COMMUNITIES AND ABOUT 30% OF THE STATE'S POPULATION ARE CONNECTED TO OTHER COMMUNITIES IN THE STATE THROUGH A NETWORK OF RIVERS, COASTLINE, AND AIRPORTS AS THE ROADS GO, SO ALSO GOES ACCESS TO TELECOMMUNICATIONS, ACCESS TO THE INTERNET, AND THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE LIVE TRAINING LOCALLY. LACK OF ACCESS TO INFRASTRUCTURE IN RURAL COMMUNITIES PLACE ALASKAN EDUCATORS AT AN EXTREME DISADVANTAGE DUE TO A VARIETY OF TRAVEL, COMMUNICATION, AND LOGISTICAL CHALLENGES. MANY PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN ALASKA VILLAGES WILL LIKELY USE TRADITIONAL FOOD GATHERING (SUBSISTENCE) AS THEIR MAIN ECONOMIC ACTIVITY. IN GENERAL, RURAL ALASKAN SCHOOLS HAVE HIGHER DROPOUT RATES, LOWER GRADUATION RATES, AND PERFORM AT A LOWER LEVEL OF STANDARDIZED TEST SCORES COMPARED TO URBAN ALASKANS.THE STRUCTURE OF SMALL AND RURAL SCHOOLS MEANS THAT MANY EDUCATORS MUST TEACH OUTSIDE OF THEIR AREAOF CONTENT PREPARATION. OVER 48% PERCENT OF ALASKA'S 487 PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAVE FEWER THAN 50 STUDENTS. CERTIFIED TEACHERS WORKING IN ALASKA'S RURAL AND REMOTE SCHOOLS TYPICALLY TEACH TO MULTIPLE GRADE LEVELS AT THE SAME TIME AND TEACH IN MULTIPLE DISCIPLINES EACH DAY, MEANING THAT MANY TEACHERS IN RURAL ALASKA ROUTINELY TEACH IN FIELDS THAT THEY ARE NOT ACADEMICALLY PREPARED TO TEACH PER EVERY STUDENT SUCCEEDS ACT STANDARDS. MANY OF THE RURAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN ALASKA COVER A GEOGRAPHICAL AREA SIMILAR IN SIZE TO A MEDIUM-SIZED STATE SUCH AS PENNSYLVANIA OR OREGON. SCHOOL DISTRICT CENTRAL OFFICES ARE LOCATED IN LARGER RURAL COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE POPULATIONS BETWEEN 2,200 TO 6,300 AND HIGH SCHOOL ENROLLMENTS BETWEEN 140 TO 500 STUDENTS. RURAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS ALSO SUPPORT SCHOOLS IN SEVERAL VILLAGES THAT HAVE POPULATIONS FROM 100 TO 500 PEOPLE WITH K-12 ENROLLMENTS AS LOW AS 10 STUDENTS. THE SCHOOL IS USUALLY THE LARGEST BUILDING IN REMOTE VILLAGES AND IT HOUSES THE ENTIRE K-12 OPERATION; THE MODERN EQUIVALENT TO THE ONE-ROOM SCHOOLHOUSE.RURAL ALASKA'S TEACHERS AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS NEED HIGH QUALITY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND CURRICULAR RESOURCES TO STRENGTHEN PLACE-BASED TEACHING NOT ONLY IN THE SENSE OF A FITTING CURRICULUM BUT ALSO A PEDAGOGY . THIS PD SHOULD PROVIDE TEACHERS WITH BOTH CLASSROOM AND OUTDOOR LEARNING MATERIALS AND ACTIVITIES CENTERING THE VALUE AND RELATIONSHIP WITH LOCAL PLACES AND COMMUNITIES. RURAL ALASKAN TEACHERS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO TEACH OUTSIDE OF THEIR CONTENT AREAS, CAN BENEFIT FROM EXCITING AND ENERGETIC PDS WHERE THEY COLLABORATIVELY DEVELOP IDEAS AND DESIGNS FOR HOW TO INCORPORATE PLACE-BASED TEACHING AND HOW TO HONOR INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE THROUGHOUT THEIR STEM INSTRUCTION. IN ADDITION, THE ECONOMY IN ALASKA IS PREDOMINANTLY INVOLVED WITH NATURAL RESOURCES EITHER THROUGH MINING, OIL PRODUCTION, FISHERIES, OR NATURAL RESOURCE-BASED TOURISM. CURRENTLY, MOST OF THE JOBS IN RESOURCE PRODUCTION AND MANAGEMENT BYPASS THE LOCAL EC,ONOMYAND EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES IN NATURAL RESOURCES TAUGHT AT THE COMMUNITY HIGH SCHOOL ARE NOT AIMED AT PREPARING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO FILL LOCAL EMPLOYMENT NEEDS THAT WILL HELP FILL THIS RURAL ALASKA SKILLS GAP.THE ALASKA K-12 NATURAL RESOURCE AND AGRICULTURE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT SEEKS TO INCREASE INCLUSION OF PLACE-BASED AGRI-SCIENCE LESSONS IN ALASKA SCHOOLS BY HELPING CERTIFIED TEACHERS, MANY OF WHOM ARE TEACHING OUTSIDE OF THEIR QUALIFIED DISCIPLINE, TO BE BETTER PREPARED AS BOTH PRACTITIONERS AND TEACHERS OF NATURAL RESOURCE AND AGRICULTURE CONTENT AREAS. THIS WILL BE DONE THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT AND DELIVERY OF WEEK-LONG IMMERSIVE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING FOR ALASKA K-12 TEACHERS. THESE COURSES WILL INTRODUCE SUBJECT SPECIFIC CONTENT IN SEVERAL AGRICULTURAL AND NATURAL RESOURCE AREAS INCLUDING ETHNOBOTANY, MARINE ECOLOGY, NATURAL RESOURCES, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, AND RESILIENT FOOD SYSTEMS. TEACHERS WILL SPEND A WEEK IMMERSED IN PLACE-BASED EDUCATIONAND DEVELOP TECHNIQUES TO DELIVER CULTURALLY-RELEVANT LESSONS IN THE AGRI-SCIENCES.THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS FOR TEACHERS TO RETURN TO THEIR CLASSROOM WITH KNOWLEDGE OF AGRI-SCIENCE CONTENT AND CAREERS AND THAT THEY INCORPORATE THIS INTO THEIR CLASSROOM TEACHING. IN THIS WAY, THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INDIRECTLY WILL TOUCH MANY K-12 STUDENTS THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF ALASKA AND WILL PROVIDE POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR THESE K-12 STUDENTS TO PURSUE EDUCATION AND CAREERS IN THE AGRI-SCIENCES.