PITAAS Program
Preparing Indigenous Teachers & Administrators for Alaska Schools
The Challenge: Alaska needs more Alaska Native teachers
- In Alaska schools, Alaska Natives make up 25% of the student body and less than 5% of the teaching force.
- In 2000, the University of Alaska Southeast created the PITAAS Program with the help of a federal grant to address this shortage of Alaska Native teachers.
- The PITAAS Program has grown to include many services designed to meet its goals: more Alaska Native teachers and administrators in Alaskan schools, preschool through high school.
The PITAAS Program can help you earn your teaching degree at the University of Alaska Southeast!
Students who are accepted to the program receive a scholarship that generally covers tuition, fees,books, and room and board at UAS for the entire program period (contingent upon continued grant funding). Students must be enrolled in an education degree program at UAS, have a minimum 2.5 GPA upon entry and maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA in order to continue receiving this scholarship.* The average annual award for full-time students in 2011-2012 school year was $7,500.
In order to receive a PITAAS scholarship, students must have college junior status and be admitted to one of the following degree programs at UAS: