The Voices of Teach Plus
Arkansas
Monday, February 27, 2023
Guest Speakers Leron McAdoo (Teach Plus Arkansas alumni, veteran educator, and motivational speaker) and Lindsay Sobel (Teach Plus Chief of Policy, Planning & External Affairs) helped us kick off the new
year by providing dynamic, interactive sessions that helped Fellows refine personal and working group goals and prepare for the 94th General Assembly.
Policy Fellow Amanda Ladish calls on Arkansas’s newly elected Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders to put forth a plan that will keep schools safe from gun violence, and as the Arkansas legislative session commences under the state’s new governor. Read Here ->
Teach Plus Research Fellow and Policy Fellow Alum Iesha Green reflects on her first encounter with Governor Mike Huckabee and offers recommendations to his daughter, our current Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, on the current issues that matter most to her and her students. Read Here ->
"Our students' potential for a quality education and a better life hangs in the balance as teachers struggle with low pay & potentially better opportunities elsewhere. I know because I was one of those children, living below the poverty line & needing a good teacher to motivate me,” writes 9th-grade teacher and Teach Plus Arkansas Policy Fellow Emily Garrison in this powerful piece where she urges action on teacher compensation by the
General Assembly. Read Here ->
Teach Plus Arkansas Senior Fellows Juanita Harris (first grade teacher in Texarkana) and Perla Andrade (Instructional Facilitator in Little Rock) weigh in on the voucher and teacher pay conversation with Arkansas Times’ Austin
Bailey.
Teach Plus Arkansas Senior Leader Kendria Jones was recently highlighted by the Pine Bluff School District for her research on and work with social-emotional learning. Read Here -> (Edweek)
Ashley Rieske shares her thoughts about the impact of LEARNS on teachers with a local new station. Read Here -> (40/29 News)
Teach Plus Arkansas partnered with Teacher Retirement U to offer a free, one-hour financial literacy webinar to share some helpful information about Arkansas teacher retirement benefits. The webinar was held via Zoom on Monday, January 23rd.
Teach Plus Arkansas has partnered with Reimagine Arkansas to create a virtual space for educators to engage in meaningful dialogue with small groups of educators from around the state on various topics. We are still
looking for teachers to participate in our Educator Conversations for March and April. We would love your assistance in helping us get connected with teachers willing to participate. You can recommend a teacher or share the Education Conversation link with your teacher network.
#LoveTeachingWeek--Special Edition Educator Conversation
Teach Plus Arkansas Alumna Jessica Nadzam helped elevate teacher voice at the Education Policy Initiative Briefing for Legislators, where a primer on education in Arkansas and a brief synopsis of what the 90+ program partners (including Teach Plus Arkansas) are working toward were also presented. We are beyond proud of the work that she, and others, are doing to address concerns around how to create schools that are more conducive to learning and attractive to a high-quality, sustainable teacher workforce.
Our Executive Director and 2019 Arkansas Teacher of the Year Stacey James McAdoo spoke about the importance of standing up and showing up for teachers — especially during the upcoming legislative session. She also discussed the teacher-led policy recommendations from Teach Plus Arkansas Policy Fellows as it relates to: 1. Increasing the minimum starting teaching salary and compensating teachers for additional certifications and roles. 2. Having a bill or regulation passed that requires and funds mental health support, structures and interventions for students and staff. 3. Improving the teacher pipeline — increasing teacher diversity, mentorship, induction, and training. 4. Closing the pay gap disparity for early childhood educators by Increasing compensation and benefits.
Jacksonville North Pulaski School District's certified staff participated in an interactive workshop entitled "Your Voice Matters" led by Teach Plus staff, Fellows, alumni, and JNPSD's Equity Leadership Team.
2023 Advocacy Day at the Capitol
A group of Policy Fellows spent their Valentine's Day at the Capitol attending committee meetings and sharing their research and policy recommendations for improving early childhood education, teacher retention, and educator diversity, and addressing the mental health needs of students. We are so proud of these teacher leaders who met with legislators during the Day at the Capitol to discuss their action research and evidence-based, peer-reviewed policy recommendations on early childhood education, teacher recruitment and retention, increasing teacher diversity, and addressing the mental health needs of our students.
Senior Fellow Holly Howard facilitated a Northwest Arkansas Educators Meet Up that offered non-partisan updates on Arkansas education bills and advocacy tips for teachers.
Policy Fellow Phylicia Butler recently presented at the Arkansas All-State Music Conference. Her presentation was entitled “How to do a lot with a little in a General Music Education classroom.”
Executive Director Stacey McAdoo was a guest panelist on a webinar about the importance of teaching Black History throughout the year that was hosted by the Arkansas Public Policy Panel and moderated by Osyrus Bolly (Racial Equity Coordinator).
Our Senior Fellows organized and facilitated a session entitled “Use Your Teacher Voice” for network members and educators throughout the state where they showed them how to read and understand bills and shared strategies that will empower them to get involved in shaping and influencing local and state policies.
Click here to learn more about each Policy Fellow
In 2022, Teach Plus Arkansas Policy Fellows facilitated a series of roundtables with Early Childhood Education (ECE) professionals from across the state. This memo from the Teach Plus Arkansas ECE working group shares findings and recommendations for policymakers. Click here to read more.
Executive Director Stacey McAdoo, in collaboration with other members of the Arkansas Education Policy Initiative’s Policy in Practice Working Group, authored this document to serve as a resource about the PK-12 education landscape in Arkansas. Click here to learn general information about key education topics.
Interested in learning how the state can retain educators so that all students receive high-quality instruction from certified teachers, teacher leaders from the Retention working group interviewed teachers and reviewed literature on state and national data regarding teacher retention. In this brief, they present findings and recommendations for district and state-level policymakers on how to best retain educators in Arkansas’ classrooms. Click here to read the entire brief.
Kendria Jones, an 8th Grade ELA teacher at Jack Robey Jr. High, was named teacher of the month and was also recently recognized for the highest growth for students with STAR reading for the winter testing.
Amanda Ladish was appointed as department head for the English department at George Junior High School.
Phylicia Butler, a K-5th grade music teacher at Ridge Road Elementary, graduated in December with her Education Specialist (EdS.) from Arkansas State University.
Cara Maxwell, a Senior Policy Fellow and National Board Certified ECE educator at L.C. Knapp Elementary, recently added a SPED endorsement to her license.
Deidra Johnson, an 8th-grade science teacher at Stuttgart Junior High, was recently accepted into a graduate program in the College of Health Sciences at Jackson State University.
Arkansas’ 94th General Assembly
At the time of this writing, more than 70 bills have been signed into law since the session started in January. Visit Senate News and House News to stay up to date on what’s being filed or scheduled to be
placed on committee agendas. Share feedback and solution-oriented recommendations on key policy and practice issues that matter to you by staying in frequent contact with your elected officials. (Remember that policymakers are regular, real, and “very busy” people – so be personal, polite, and brief.)
Applications to join the 2023-2024 Cohort will open on Monday, March 27th. Be sure to follow our social media pages to find out about upcoming webinars and Q&A sessions related to the application process. You can also find out more information about the Teach Plus Arkansas Policy Fellowship by visiting teachplus.org
Join Our Network or Nominate Teachers to join by visiting our website at teachplus.org/AR or click below:
In case you missed our previous issues you can find them here!
For more information or to stay in the loop, visit our website, follow us on social media, or contact the Executive Director directly at smcadoo@teachplus.org.
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