Grade/Subject: Pre – Kindergarten
Ages of Students Served: 4-5 year olds
District: Springdale Public Schools
Cara Maxwell is a 2026 Teach Plus National Teacher Policy Cabinet Member and an elementary educator at L.C. Knapp Elementary in Springdale, Arkansas. She has served in a variety of leadership roles focused on supporting whole-child development, including as a Site Lead and member of the curriculum development team.
In addition to her teaching role, Cara previously served on the district’s Pre-K guiding coalition. In 2024, she was named L.C. Knapp Elementary’s Teacher of the Year and was a Senior Fellow for Teach Plus Arkansas from 2022 through 2025. Cara also received her National Board Certification in 2019, maintained her certification in 2024, holds a Master Teacher designation for the State of Arkansas, and has served as the Springdale Education Association building representative since 2018.
Cara earned her Bachelor of Science in Health and Physical Education from the University of Arkansas at Monticello, her Master of Arts in Teaching in Early Education from Harding University, a Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages certification from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and a K–6 Special Education endorsement from Harding University.
