GET INSPIRED & GET GOING.

Dr. Sadie Mitchell has devoted her career to the education of children for the past 40 years. She graduated from Henderson State University where she was most recently named Alumni of the Year. Dr. Mitchell received her Master’s in Educational Leadership from University of Central Arkansas and her Doctorate in Educational Leadership and a Specialist Degree in Special Education from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock where she was also named Alumni of the Year.

She is an experienced school and central office administrator. As a LRSD employee, Dr. Mitchell served as a teacher, principal and central office member under various titles which included;

• Assistant Superintendent for PreK-6 Elementary Schools, Magnet Schools

• Associate Superintendent for PreK-12, Athletics, Safety and Security, Magnet Schools

• Associate Superintendent for PreK-5 and Curriculum

• Deputy Superintendent K-5 and Early Childhood

She was a teacher at Forest Park Elementary and Assistant Principal at Rockefeller Elementary where she was given the responsibility to transform the district’s only Early Childhood Center. Her experience at Rockefeller perfectly aligned with her recommendation to add Pre K classrooms to 35 elementary schools in the District. This was prior to the existence of the Arkansas Better Chance Grant.

Dr. Mitchell was a successful elementary principal taking the lowest achieving school (Cloverdale Elementary) in the district to the top ten highest achieving schools. Because of her achievement, she was offered a challenge to transform two low achieving schools (Ish and King) that would be consolidated. With support from her supervisors and a dream team that she hired, she was again successful moving King Magnet School to one of the top ten highest achieving elementary schools. After a successful career at King Magnet School, she was promoted to central office as the Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Schools and ultimately becoming Deputy Superintendent.

As Assistant Superintendent for the LRSD, Dr. Mitchell also served on the committee to create magnet schools. Those magnet schools are still thriving and excelling. She has taken the lead in being awarded for local, state and federal grants including a 12 million dollar MSAP (Magnet Schools Assistant Planning) Grant.

She represented the LRSD on the Magnet Review Committee for 20 years. This committee made all major decisions regarding the six Stipulation Magnet Schools; overseeing magnet school budgets, programs, student and teacher assignments, policies and operations that served North Little Rock, PCSSD, Little Rock School District and a representative from the State Department. Dr. Mitchell was recommended by the MRC Board members to serve as President for over 10 years. A pivotal turning point in her career was serving on the Desegregation Team and as a primary witness in the case that led to Unitary Status for the District. While serving as a witness, she was afforded the opportunity to travel with the team to the Eight Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis.

She served as the lead Administrator/Project Manager for LRSD in building and transformation projects such as Meadowcliff, Chicot and Wakefield all after fire damage. Other projects that Dr. Mitchell led included the construction of King, Stephens, Fair Park Early Childhood Center, Roberts Elementary, Forest Heights STEM Academy, Geyer Springs Gifted and Talented Academy, Chicot Early Childhood Center and Pinnacle View Middle School. She is most proud of two schools that received Blue Ribbon Status: Forest Park Elementary and Roberts Elementary.

Upon her retirement, she had hired, mentored and trained all of the elementary principals in the LRSD since starting her central office career as an Elementary Assistant Superintendent. Dr. Mitchell retired as Deputy Superintendent after a rich and rewarding 40 year career in education which included 25 years at central office.

She has received numerous awards including the Lifetime PTA Award, National Reading Recovery Teacher Leader of the Year Award, and the Outstanding Leadership and Service Award, to name a few. Since retirement, she has received the prestigious John H. Johnson Award for exemplary leadership.

Although she made many contributions as a central office leader, her first passion in education was teaching where she left an impact on the lives of many children. Many of those children who are now adults have praised Dr. Mitchell’s leadership skills since her retirement.

Chelsea Clinton still praises her for being the woman who made the greatest impact in her life as she expressed on a popular talk show called The View. Chelsea has also lifted Dr. Mitchell up in her book, It’s Your World: Get Informed, Get Inspired & Get Going? She was most recently named one of the Top Gutsy Women in America by Chelsea and Hillary Clinton.

Dr. Mitchell is serving as a consultant to the Little Rock School District to assist in transforming schools to K-8 schools and enhancing magnet programs.

Dr. Sadie Mitchell is a member of Second Baptist Church, John Barrow. She is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta, Incorporated. She is the wife of Bernard Mitchell for 40 years and the mother of Tiffany Mitchell, LR Central High School graduate.