Clinton School Team to Begin Surveying Teachers
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Arkansas Teacher Corps is partnering with the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service (UACS) to host a team of three first-year students in the school’s Master of Public Service degree program during the 2022-23 school year. Clinton School students complete Arkansas-focused public service projects in partnership with public agencies, community initiatives, academic ventures, and nonprofit organizations across the state while also completing first-semester coursework on topics such as program planning and development, field research, and communication. Read more about the 22-23 practicum projects here.
The ATC/UACS Practicum Team is researching teacher recruitment, retention, and attrition factors in Arkansas with an emphasis on four ATC partner districts: Blytheville, Forrest City, Helena-West Helena, and Pine Bluff. The team will be collecting data this spring through a combination of online surveys, in-person focus groups, and individual interviews. These interactions will help inform best practices and build the foundation for the "Grow-Your-Own Playbook" that UACS and ATC are partnering to curate. More information about the survey, focus groups, and interviews will be shared in January.
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10 Selected for 2023 Cohort After 1st Deadline
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ATC staff recently completed the selection process for our first application deadline of the year. For the Nov 1 expedited deadline, we received 33 applications, interviewed 19 applicants, and accepted 10 fellows for the 2023 cohort. These fellows are working on certification in elementary education, middle school math, middle school social studies, high school social studies, secondary life science, and secondary physical science.
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Survey Assesses ATC Students’ SEL Readiness
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A recent survey of students taught by Arkansas Teacher Corps fellows found that students’ self-reported grit has increased since September 2021 when the fall survey was last administered and grit was rated the overall lowest. Students again rated self-management and instruction as the highest overall with little change from before. However, students also indicated a decrease in growth mindset, or the belief that a person's intelligence and abilities can be improved through new learning, challenge, and practice.
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ATC Staff Visit Fayetteville Campus, Celebrate COEHP 25-Year Anniversary, Meet with Dean Kate
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Arkansas Teacher Corps staff, all of whom live and work remotely throughout central and eastern Arkansas, visited the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville on December 12-13 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the College of Education and Health Profession's (COEHP) name change. While on campus, the team met with interim COEHP Dean Kate Mamiseishvili and Dr. David Christian, COEHP associate professor of counselor education and supervision, about a potential partnership to support ATC fellows' mental health and holistic wellness. The team also heard updates about the Office for Education Policy and the Arkansas education policy landscape from ATC faculty director and OEP executive director Dr. Sarah McKenzie.
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Fellows Focus on Equity, Lesson Planning at 2nd PD
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On Saturday, November 12, Arkansas Teacher Corps fellows and staff met at Chicot Elementary in Little Rock for the second "All Corps" professional development of the 2022-23 year. The all-day event began with equity in the morning, followed by content-specific development and a rousing lesson planning competition after lunch. Overall, 89% of fellows felt that the PD empowered them to facilitate ATC's mission of excellent, equitable education, and 86% felt they have the ongoing support from ATC they need to be successful.
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Ide Promoted to Teacher Development Director
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Long-time ATC fellow and staff member Kendra Ide was recently promoted to the role of Teacher Development Director. In this role, Kendra will be responsible for coordinating the planning and facilitation of professional development for ATC fellows throughout the school year, in addition to supporting the team with fellow coaching, summer institute, and fellow licensure. Kendra was a 2016 fellow and taught English at Forrest City High School before joining ATC as a Teacher Development Manager coaching ATC fellows in 2019. She has previously served as both mentor and director of coaching for the summer institute, and she recently earned an M.Ed. in adult and lifelong learning from the University of Arkansas.
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2nd Application Deadline for 2023 Cohort is Jan 1
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Arkansas Teacher Corps is now accepting applications for the 2023 Cohort. Applicants will be considered for admission after each of three deadlines: November 1, January 1, and March 1. Successful applicants will begin training in summer 2023. Interested individuals must submit an application online through our new portal that will now allow applicants to save their progress and request up to three official recommendations.
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Spring 2023 Teach to Lead Summit:
Raising the Bar: In Pursuit of Equitable Opportunities Through Expanded Student Experiences and the Diversifying of the Educator Pipeline
In-Person Convening: March 10-12, 2023 – Atlanta, Georgia
Register Here by 1/6/23
There is growing demand to address the post-pandemic needs of students and educators. Students’ NAEP scores have seen the worst decline in two decades, more teachers are choosing to leave the profession, and fewer candidates are entering teacher preparation programs. States, regions, and school districts are designing innovative ways to support the needs of students and staff, to attract and retain effective and diverse educators, and to strengthen systems and practices that improve academic outcomes for all students.
Teach to Lead is committed to lifting up educators and is excited to announce a Spring 2023 Teach to Lead Summit. We are seeking dynamic teams to undertake projects that support educators in academic recovery and raising the bar for every student; increase teacher collaboration time to improve student learning experiences; support a culture of educator wellness and belonging; or strengthen and diversify the educator workforce.
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Investing in What We Value: Teach Plus Arkansas Fellows Make Recommendations for Retaining Quality Educators in the State of Arkansas
Read the Brief Here
We are a group of Teach Plus Arkansas Policy Fellows and classroom teachers with a combined seventy-one years of experience in seven districts across the state. As veteran teachers, we were particularly interested in learning how the state can retain educators in our classrooms because we recognize the importance of all students receiving high-quality instruction from certified teachers. To better understand the attrition problem, we interviewed teachers in our state and reviewed literature on state and national data regarding teacher retention. In this brief, we present our findings from this research and recommendation for district and state-level policymakers on how to best retain educators in Arkansas’ classrooms.
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Upcoming Events & Important Dates
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Jan 1 -- Second Application Deadline
Jan 23-26 -- Fellow Monthly Workshops (Jan)
Feb 11 -- Fellow All Corps PD #3
Feb 20-23 -- Fellow Monthly Workshops (Feb)
Mar 1 -- Third Application Deadline
Mar 27-Apr 28 -- Spring Fellow TESS Evaluation Window
April 3-7 -- Fellow Monthly Workshops (April)
April 15 -- Fellow All Corps PD #4
May 1-5 -- Fellow Monthly Workshops (May)
May 20 -- End-of-Year Celebration
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