Act 1229 of 2005 created the Arkansas Leadership Academy School Support Program through which the Arkansas Leadership Academy, in collaboration with the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE), shall provide support to applicable schools or school districts in School Improvement. Schools/districts in Year 1 or Year 2 of School Improvement may apply for services to be provided by the Arkansas Leadership Academy. Those services will include the following:
1. Build the leadership capacity of the school and district personnel;
2. Train a diverse school leadership team, including, but not limited to, the school principal and teachers;
3. Provide a cadre of highly-experienced, trained performance coaches to work in the school on a regular basis;
4. Work with the school, school district staff, school board members, parents, community members, and other stakeholders as necessary to provide a comprehensive support network.
Participating schools and the Arkansas Leadership Academy shall commit to continue participation in the program for no fewer than three (3) consecutive school years. Four schools from the Delta Region and a list of alternate schools will be selected by a modified random drawing from completed applications of those wishing to participate. The Delta Region will be defined as including the following counties: Arkansas, Ashley, Chicot, Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Desha, Drew, Greene, Jackson, Jefferson, Lee, Lincoln, Mississippi, Monroe, Phillips, Poinsett, Prairie, St. Francis, and Woodruff. It is desirable that at least one of the four schools is an elementary school and one is a high school. A review panel of practitioners will examine the applications and conduct the drawing process.
An informational briefing about the program and the school selection process will be held from 2:00 – 4:00 PM on February 21, 2007, at the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators (AAEA) located at 815 Bishop, Little Rock, AR 72202.
The attached School Support Program application must be received by the Arkansas Leadership Academy no later than March 9, 2007. If selected to participate, schools/districts must complete and return the attached Post Selection Information document before final admission to the School Support Program. The application and Post Selection Information document should be mailed to:
Dr. Beverly Elliott
Arkansas Leadership Academy
University of Arkansas, West Avenue Annex
346 N. West Avenue, Room 300
Fayetteville, AR 72701
For questions, please contact Dr. Elliott at 479-575-3030.