UA Little Rock, SAU obtain $3.6 million from Ahead Arkansas to extend trainer workforce

As a part of its Educator Preparation Program (EPP) Design Collaborative, Ahead Arkansas introduced the recipients of its section II implementation grants – Southern Arkansas College (SAU) in Magnolia and the College of Arkansas at Little Rock (UA Little Rock).

With cumulative funding of $3.6 million over the subsequent three years, which incorporates direct funding to the colleges and complete ongoing technical help from professional companions, the colleges’ objectives are to extend the amount, high quality and variety of Arkansas’s trainer workforce.

“We’re very excited to help SAU and UA Little Rock. They developed daring, modern plans for transformation and have the potential to dramatically impression the trainer pipeline within the areas they serve in addition to the state extra broadly,” mentioned Ben Kutylo, government director of Ahead Arkansas.

“The selections had been troublesome. Total, we had been humbled by the dedication, engagement and onerous work of all eight taking part universities over the past 12 months of the Design Collaborative. It exceeded our expectations. Subsequently, to take care of the momentum, we’re committing to a further two years of the Collaborative and sit up for supporting the transformative work that may proceed,” Kutylo added.

In keeping with a information launch, the plans for SAU and UA Little Rock concentrate on rising the quantity and variety of candidates getting into and graduating from their packages and remodeling the whole expertise for trainer candidates to be extra practice-based, so academics are prepared for his or her lecture rooms on day one.

A few of the improvements throughout the plans embrace:

Yr-long paid “residencies” the place candidates spend a 12 months working in a companion faculty as a trainer or paraprofessional whereas nonetheless in coaching and with help from devoted mentor academics.

Ongoing and collaborative partnerships with native districts to raised perceive the evolving wants of Okay-12 college students and inform the transformation of the college packages.

Capturing knowledge on trainer candidates and graduates of their first 5 years within the occupation to help steady enchancment.

Ahead Arkansas was established in 2014 with grants from the Winthrop Rockefeller Basis and Walton Household Basis with the purpose of enhancing outcomes for all college students.