1. Who is eligible for the next RAPPS Cohort?

Aspiring principals who are nominated by a superintendent of a RAPPS partner district are eligible. The new cohort, which begins during the summer of 2010, will accommodate 15-20 students, admitted to the Educational Leadership Program and UAA, and who are ready to begin the core classes in the program. Continuing graduate students, those who have already begun the program, are also eligible for nomination. Alaska Natives are encouraged to apply.

2. Once an aspiring principal is nominated, what does he/she do to formalize participation in RAPPS?

The aspiring principal will be contacted by a UAA professor and helped in the admission process to UAA and the Educational Leadership Department. The aspiring principal has the responsibility for completing admission forms and paying the $60 UAA admission fee.  Continuing graduate students will be contacted as soon as the nomination is received.

3. When do the credit courses begin?

Coursework begins during the summer of 2011 for those students who are admitted to the Educational Leadership Department.

4. Will the RAPPS Program pay the full costs of coursework?

The grant provides a scholarship for two courses per academic year.  If districts can provide financial support to their nominees, scholarships could be increased and aspiring principals could complete the EDL program more quickly.  RAPPS participants will earn up to six credits during the summer program.  Summer tuition will be covered by the RAPPS grant.

5. What is the summer institute?  Is it required?

The summer institute is the official launching of the 3rd RAPPS Cohort. It will be held June 1-4.  The purposes of the summer institute are: 1) Develop coherence in the new cohort; 2) Introduce faculty and RAPPS team members who will be supporting the cohort; 3) Begin networking among aspiring principals; 4) Introduce the academic program for the type B certificate; and 5) Celebrate the beginning of a new program designed to serve rural districts of Alaska. Students will meet instructors, be assigned to study groups, coached as they begin their first assignments, and helped to use the technology for distance delivery throughout the remainder of the summer.  Content for the courses in the program will be centered on the needs of rural, high-poverty districts and research-based practices to address those needs.

All RAPPS sponsored students are required to attend the full institute.  Aspiring principals will earn up to six credits during the summer program.  Tuition will be covered by the RAPPS grant.  Credit courses will begin with the Summer Institute.

6. Can nominated teachers begin the program early? I want to take a course next spring.

Aspiring principals who meet admission requirements for UAA and the Educational Leadership Department may enroll in credit classes during spring semester.  Required research courses are highly recommended for early birds, since the core classes will be completed together with other cohort members. RAPPS scholarships will not be available during the spring semester.

7. What is the cost of a course?

Graduate tuition in 2009 was $301 per credit hour, plus fees. Tuition for a three credit class was $903.

8.  What about aspiring principals who have already begun the principal preparation program at UAA?  Can they join the RAPPS project?

Continuing graduate students in the principal preparation program who are nominated by their superintendent are eligible to join the RAPPS Program. The students must be admitted students to UAA and the Educational Leadership Program, and have a grade point average of at least 3.0.  These aspiring principals will be invited to attend the summer institute with all other RAPPS Program participants.

9. What if a teacher cannot complete the core classes as scheduled for the cohort? I will miss the second semester of the cohort due to an exchange program, for example.

If a teacher begins the core classes with the cohort but cannot complete the sequence of classes, the teacher may “stop out” and join the next cohort to complete the missed class(es).

10. When will I be assigned a AACP coach?  How will I be expected to work with the coach?

A coach from the Alaska Administrator Coaching Project will be assigned to each aspiring principal at the beginning of the internship. The coach will stay with the aspiring principal through the internship, and if the intern begins as a principal, the coach will continue through the first two years as principal. The coach is expected to make two field visits per semester, and keep in touch by phone and email.

11. Does the coach have anything to do with the core classes?

Coaches and professors work as a team to support aspiring and beginning principals. Coaches collaborate with professors to ensure that core classes are relevant and rigorous, and that core class content is reinforced through coaching.