Engagement MATtERS Arkansas
Engagement updates for the families, schools and communities of Arkansas
august 2022
ARSUMMERSTAGE.ORG students are triple-threats in theater, singing, dancing, and acting in their summer camp program.
Ozark Natural Science Center's Project Wet 'n Wild: Plugged Into Nature outdoor science education camp got school age kids near Huntsville, Arkansas, exploring in a cool kind of way.
Ft. Smith's Community School of the Arts Pop, Rock, & All That Jazz Camp.
STEAM-Y SUMMER
DESE's enrichment grants administered by the Gifted/Talented unit help spread the love of Science-Technology-Engineering-Arts-Mathematics (STEAM) to students all over the state during the summer months. The Academic Enrichment for Gifted/Talented in Summer (AEGIS) program served approximately 300 students.
Despite the heat, happy campers and commuters from grades 8 through 12 were able to escape the summer doldrums by taking deeper dives into popular experience-based learning opportunities such as:
Exploring spelunking in Arkansas caves and learning field and forest biology concepts and techniques
Composing music, acting, and learning photographic techniques
Investigating toxicology, microscopy, and forensic crime scene techniques
Participating in the state's first Japanese language program
Performing musical stylings in jazz, pop, and rock
...and more. Through the AEGIS grant program, there were nine (9) offerings this summer.
Arkansas School for Math, Sciences and the Arts biomedical summer camp students show off their vials.
Every summer brings fascinating learning opportunities throughout the state. Make sure you are in the know and tee up opportunities for your students each summer; visit DESE's Gifted & Talented Enrichment site.
pastors on patrol
The Pine Bluff Faith Community Ministerial Alliance served 500 educators during their back-to-school professional development event on August 17. During the school year, volunteers from the Pastors on Patrol group partner with Fellowship of Christian Athletes coaches in the schools to provide student counseling, mentorship, and support, shepherded by community leader Rev. Jesse C. Turner.
crossett means business when it comes to growth rates
Students in the primary grades are leveling up when it comes to math proficiency and reading progress scores at Crossett Elementary in southeast Arkansas! According to Assistant Superintendent Barbara Garner, the increases in math and reading growth they have seen for students in the Reflex and Lexia programs provide evidence that targeted curriculum and methods that incorporate techniques, fun and rewards for students can swing those academic growth figures, and send student learning in the right direction!
Crossett's achievements in addressing learning loss from the pandemic were publicized in the Crossett News Observer newspaper old-school-style this summer for all the district's schools, in addition to being shared with families through other modes of communication. A full-page newspaper ad still helps good news travel fast in some of our small Arkansas towns, and we thank Crossett for sharing their good news with us!
vilonia and metro pathways pave the way for careers
Women in construction, Certified Nurse Aides, automotive technicians, welders, cooks and culinary arts whizzes...if there's a skill, there's a way. A way into the future, that is.
These are just a few of the high-demand fields and technical trades that students at Vilonia Pathways Academy and Little Rock's Metropolitan Career Tech offer. Such programs throughout the sate are growing thanks to their systems for training, hands-on labs, mentoring and apprenticeships that give students real-world experience in preparation for future jobs.
Metro told us their enrollment had doubled this fall, compared to last year, in part because of increased word-of-mouth but also as an outgrowth of the effects of the pandemic. Vilonia's partnership with UA Little Rock's construction management program allows students the option to complete an associate's degree while in high school or use their high school credits to enroll and complete the four-year, bachelor's degree. These are just a few of the career and technical programs available to Arkansas students.
Learn more:
calling all tutors!
The Arkansas Department of Education and the Office of Education Renewal Zones announced the launch of the Arkansas Tutoring Corps (ATC) in an effort to serve the academic needs of students across the state this past year. The Arkansas Tutoring Corps was created to address learning loss in response to Act 912 of 2021. Since that time the ATC has built a statewide network of over 500 active tutors.
The tutors have cleared all background checks required by teacher licensure and have completed many hours of professional development through the Arkansas Ideas Portal, Really Great Reading and Zearn Math Curriculums.
Schools can connect with tutors in their area through the Engage Arkansas Community Resources Database: https://adedata.arkansas.gov/scr
Photo above: These are a few of the teachers among many at Mt. Ida who have answered the call to complete the ATC training and join hundreds of educators and non-licensed personnel who are also going through the rigorous training.
eligibility in child nutrition programs:
help get the word out!
Districts across the state have three (3) different options when administering their meal programs in Arkansas schools. For those districts administering Provision 2 and Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), getting the word out that meals are available at no charge is fantastic marketing to encourage students to eat breakfast and lunch throughout the school year. For those districts practicing standard counting and claiming, the collection of free and reduced meal applications is crucial to ensure students that are eligible receive meals once the application is approved.
Parents should contact their local school district to learn more about the meal programs offered in their district. Districts can use the Child Nutrition resource center to engage with their families and promote meal programs with media posts, flyers, and signage!
dese news nuggets
counseling for military families
Free Arkansas Military and Family Life Counseling services are available for students and families who may want non-medical counseling, information, or workshops to support military family health and wellbeing. To look for a licensed counselor near you, or to learn more about the services that are available, visit Military and Family Support Center's website, or the Military and Family Life Counseling Program site.
*Original art from book designed by military teens for military teens, BLOOM’s Field Guide to the Military Teen, which discusses a number of issues related to military life.
KICK OFF THE new reading year
The current issue of the RISE Newsletter provides tips and tricks to help families start the school year off on the right foot! Check out page 4 and participate in the Back-to-School School Supply Scavenger Hunt.
"RISE" stands for "Reading Intervention Starts Early" and instruction is based on the science of reading, which includes broad consensus within the scientific community on how children learn to read, what causes reading difficulties, the essential components of effective reading instruction, and how to prevent reading difficulties.
what's the deal with "ESSER III-ARP"...?
Following the distribution of American Rescue Plan (ARP ESSER III) Funds, DESE has published a breakdown of how school districts are using their pandemic relief dollars on the ESSER Transparency Dashboard Portal.
The ESSER funding dashboard provides the public an opportunity to access information about how much of the funds have been used so far to improve student learning, address lost learning opportunities, support students’ mental health and wellbeing, and more. On the Dashboard Portal, choose the dropdown "Select Program" to view expenses by fund type, then click on "Select Entity" to view your district, in particular.
Districts report having taken such measures as adding staff like literacy and math interventionists, launching a mobile hands-on learning lab, and more.
Image credit: Norstat
support for the whole child under section 504
Students with disabilities may struggle in more than just academics. Schools can help students who struggle to access the school environment in any way. When that struggle is, or is suspected to be, caused by a mental or physical impairment, schools are required to evaluate the student for protection and support under Section 504. This includes mental health issues that have risen because of COVID-19. Schools have a duty to seek out students needing these supports and parents can request this evaluation from school staff, such as a teacher, counselor, or administrator.
If your child lost learning because of the impairment, the district is also required to consider whether additional supports need to be given beyond the typical school day. Each district also has a Section 504 coordinator who can help.
For more information:
Equity Assistance Center: Section 504 (website)
EAC Section 504: Access Protected (video)
play and learn: easy as "a-b-c"
Research tells us children are born learning. They learn through play and by experience. The higher the quality of play and experiences, the better prepared children will be for kindergarten.
Are you looking for an Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) pre-k program for your three- or four-year-old? Search the Arkansas Department of Human Services for licensed child care providers to locate an ABC program in your community.