Little Rock, AR, August 12, 2024—Teach Plus, a national teacher leadership organization, has selected a diverse group of 31 educators from around Arkansas for its 2024-2025 Policy Fellowship. In this fourth cohort, the Fellows will continue to focus on a range of issues of importance to Arkansas’ students and communities, including but not limited to improving evidence-based instruction and centering the whole child.
“Since Teach Plus Arkansas’ inaugural cohort in 2021, our teacher leaders have consistently fought to improve education in Arkansas and increase opportunities for students,” said Stacey McAdoo, Executive Director of Teach Plus Arkansas. “They’ve advocated for early literacy needs and for higher educator salaries and the recruitment and retention of a diverse teaching staff. Through delivering numerous testimonies, writing student-centered op-eds, and participating in initiatives like the One Million Teachers of Color (1MToC), Teach Plus and Teach Plus teacher leaders continue to strive for educational progress and student success.”
Policy Fellow Amanda Dunn of West Memphis said, “This is the beginning of my 17th year as an educator; I chose to be a part of this fellowship because I hope to take on more leadership roles in my own district while simultaneously impacting educational policy statewide on a broader scale. I aim to leverage my experiences to advocate for mental health awareness among Arkansas’ students and teachers.”
This year’s cohort includes two Arkansas State Teacher of the Year Finalists, six local or district Teachers of the Year, five National Board Certified educators, two LEAD Professional Educator designees, several Personnel Policy Committee members, an Oscar Washington Educator of the Year, and an Arkansas Scholastic Press Association Adviser of the Year. Notably, 56% of the Teach Plus Arkansas Policy Fellows identify as teachers of color—compared to only 11.8% statewide—making the cohort more reflective of the diverse student population in Arkansas’ public schools, which is about 42%. Representing various settings across the state, including traditional public schools, preschool centers, public charter schools, and virtual academies, Policy Fellows teach a wide range of subjects and grade levels, with experience ranging from 2 to 30 years.
“I applied to Teach Plus my first year to educate myself on how education policy works and how to best advocate for my students, colleagues, and even myself. I am returning this year as a Senior Fellow because I want to continue to expand my understanding of advocacy and work with other teachers that are on the same learning journey. The reality of education is that there are many policies and decisions being made that do not always support what is best for Arkansas’ children. My goal is to help amplify teacher voices in driving change that supports the whole child in order for our youth to be successful and well-rounded citizens of our state,” said Yvette Townsend of Lincoln Middle School in Northwest Arkansas.
The 2024-2025 Teach Plus Arkansas Policy Fellows are:
- Anthony Bland, Little Rock Central High School, Little Rock School District
- Rakeem Block, LISA Academy West Elementary School, LISA Academy Public Charter Schools
- Lydia Collins, AMS Little Rock, Academies of Math and Science
- Gwendolyn Critton, Forest Heights STEM Academy, Little Rock School District
- Amanda Dunn, Academies of West Memphis, West Memphis School District
- Jennifer Ekeanyanwu, Carver STEAM Magnet Elementary School, Little Rock School District
- Nicole Franklin, Orr Elementary School, Fort Smith School District
- Sarah Galvez, Virtual Arkansas, Arkansas Virtual Academy
- Amy Griffin, Sallie Cone Preschool, Conway School District
- Devin Guillory, Pine Bluff High School, Pine Bluff School District
- Samantha Harp, Westside Elementary School, Rogers School District
- Mari Hayes, Rogers Heritage High School, Rogers School District
- Alisa Kindsfater, Mt. Vernon-Enola High School, Mt. Vernon/Enola School District
- Melanie Madkin, eStem Elementary School, eStem Public Charter School
- Angela Mattingly, Alma Intermediate School, Alma School District
- Tyler McBride, Lincoln Middle School, Lincoln School District
- Katy Moore, Bentonville West High School, Bentonville School District
- Karen Moss-Newburn, Ridge Road Elementary School, North Little Rock School District
- Ashley Pointer, Ramay Junior High School, Fayetteville School District
- Cameron Simpkins, Fayetteville High School, Fayetteville School District
- Kimberly Trotter, JA Fair K-8 Prep School, Little Rock School District
- Kimberly Washington, Horace Mann Magnet Middle School, Little Rock School District
- Jessica Wiley, Morrilton Intermediate School, South Conway County School District
- Karen Wilson, Mayflower Elementary School, Mayflower School District
- Andrew Young, Woodland Junior High School, Fayetteville School District
The 2024-2025 Teach Plus Arkansas Senior Policy Fellows are:
- Freda Calloway, Arkansas Teacher Corps, Arkansas Teacher Corps
- Tiffaney Lewis, Forest Heights S.T.E.M. Academy, Little Rock School District
- Cara Maxwell, L.C. Knapp PreK, Springdale School District
- Samanatha Mitchell, Mayflower High School, Mayflower School District
- Patricia Swinton, Forrest City High School, Forrest City School District
- Yvette Townsend, Lincoln Middle School, Lincoln School District
If interested in interviewing Executive Director Stacey McAdoo or any of the Fellows, please contact Kelly Pearce at kpearce@teachplus.org or 928-925-9236.
About Teach Plus
Teach Plus is dedicated to the mission of empowering excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that advance equity, opportunity, and student success. In pursuing our mission, Teach Plus is guided by our Student Opportunity Mandate: All students should have the opportunity to achieve their potential in an education system defined by its commitment to equity, its responsiveness to individual needs, and its ability to prepare students for postsecondary success. Since 2009, Teach Plus has developed thousands of teacher leaders across the country to exercise their leadership in shaping education policy and improving teaching and learning for students. https://teachplus.org/ar
