Source: Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, 11/99; Quest for Better Teachers, Grading the States

 Alaska's teacher-quality system exhibits an unfortunate combination:

Subject-matter exams are required by some teacher- prep programs, but not by the state itself. Nor does the state require academic content area majors or place real restrictions on teaching out-of-field. (State officials understandably note the difficulty of staffing Alaska's sparsely populated rural districts with fully credentialed instructors in every field.) It's odd, then, that no robust alternative certification programs are in operation to offer help. One such entry path exists, but it's the kind that requires the ultimate completion of an approved teacher education program. As a result, very few individuals have utilized this route. Tenure for principals and teachers can't help but make the situation worse.