I am a Term Assistant Professor of Special Education in the College of Education. I have an M.Ed. from Wilmington University in Special Education.  I am currently pursuing an Interdisciplinary Ph.D. from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

My experience in Special Education started over 15 years ago when I was offered a position as a Life Skills Teacher while I completed my student teaching.  The school was a private school, on the grounds of a monastery, for kids ages 5-21 with significant disabilities.  I fell in love with the students and went on to teach kids with autism and other significant disabilities in a variety of settings from co-teaching in the general education classroom to self-contained settings in five different states. 

After leaving the classroom, I went to work for Louisiana State University in the Human Development Center on a statewide autism project.  I was able to work in classrooms with teachers all over the state who were supporting students with autism and provide professional development for the district teams.  Towards the end of the project, I was offered a position here in Alaska at Special Education Service Agency (SESA) as the coordinator of the Alaska Autism Resource Center.  My husband and I packed up our two sons and two dogs to drive 4400 miles from Louisiana to Alaska. 

Once here, I spent five years traveling to remote areas of the state, providing training and support to Alaskans supporting individuals with autism and two years in the Anchorage School District as the Program Manager of the Title VII Indian Education Program. 

While I moved to Alaska with two children, I now have seven ages 3-16.  My husband and I have been foster parents for eleven years and adopted our four daughters through the Alaska foster care system.  Three of our daughters are diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder along with a variety of mental health diagnosis due to the trauma they experienced during their early development.  My children have taught me to view education from both sides, as a teacher and a parent.  This experience is what I hope to be able to pass on to you.

I maintain an Alaska Professional Teaching Certificate as a special education teacher (K-6).  I teach undergraduate and graduate courses including, for example, Human Development & Learning (EDSE A212), Autism: Communication and Social Disorders (EDSE A633), Differentiation of Instruction Across School and Community Settings (EDSE A635), Inclusive Teaching and Learning in Content Area Classrooms (EDSE A637), and Advanced Internship in Special Education: Elementary & Secondary (EDSE A695). My research interests are focused on the overrepresentation of Alaska Native students within special education programs, culturally responsive practice, and family-school collaborations.  

Contact Information

• Email: kpjames@alaska.edu
• Office: PSB 222D
• Phone: 907-786-4867