The Lower Kuskokwim School District (LKSD) is the largest rural school district in Alaska with 27 schools, 350 teachers and about 4100 Yup'ik heritage students. The land mass of the District is about the size of West Virginia spreading along the Kuskokwim River and southwest coast of Alaska. Travel is by jet from Anchorage, and then by small planes, snowmobiles or boats from Bethel to the village sites.
LKSD supports instructional staff with a robust Professional Development program differentiated from whole group to individually selected courses. There is a New Teacher Mentor Program which includes Cultural Understanding, Learning about our Curriculum and SIOP Model, Classroom Management practices, and individualized feedback. Additional support for new-to-profession teachers is provided through the individualized BetterLessons model.