An Alaskan Strategy

I was reading the latest NEA magazine and came across a very interesting strategy being implemented in Alaska. As most people know, Alaska often has trouble filling "bush positions" or teaching jobs out in the sticks. They often only have one highly qualified teacher for several hundred students. An even bigger problem arises when you try to get these kids into class on the numerous days that they are snowed in. Most the students live a substantial distance from the school and the adverse conditions make it that much harder to attend. Alaska has come up with an alternative. The teacher leads class across a web broadcast, where he or she can see all the students signed in and they can see the teacher. At the remote sites there is usually an adult present to manage classroom behavior. At any given time, the highly qualified teacher could be teaching well over a hundred students. Although this circumstance is not optimal, it seems like a legitimate alternative to missing class half of the days of the school year. Also, it allows the school districts who struggle with hiring to abide by the stipulations of NCLB.