Springdale, 4 others accept education initiative
SPRINGDALE — The state’s second-largest school district will play a role in accomplishing a goal of Arkansas becoming a leading state in education, a leader for Forward Arkansas said Wednesday.
“We really have to change the way we’re looking at education,” said Cory Biggs, associate director of Forward Arkansas. “We have to come together. You guys are going to play a crucial role.”
Biggs said he intends for Forward Arkansas to support and share with the rest of the state the work already happening in Springdale, including with pre-kindergarten, programs for families of different cultural and language backgrounds, and the district’s focus on preparing all students for college and careers.
Springdale is among five communities from across the state chosen to lead in the implementation of the organization’s plan — A New Vision for Arkansas — intended to make sure every student graduates from high school prepared for college and the workplace. The other communities are Batesville, Crossett, Marianna and Pea Ridge.
Springdale Superintendent Jim Rollins’ vision for 23,000 children in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade in the district is built from work to teach all students, graduate all students and to make sure they are ready for careers, college, to compete and to innovate.
Rollins said the efforts to teach all students have required the district to stretch and have pushed the district toward a focus on providing children a personalized education, he said. Accomplishing that vision requires partnerships within the community and now with Forward Arkansas.
Rollins wants all students to know they can accomplish their goals, whether that means pursuing a rich career in the trades or a rich education in college or both, he said.
“If you give children a challenge, if you give them a supportive nurturing environment, if you let them understand and experience the fact that they can actually do the work, what may have been daunting for them actually becomes comfortable,” Rollins said.
Forward Arkansas was established through a two-year partnership among the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, Walton Family Foundation and state Board of Education. The project involved visits to all 75 counties and the input of nearly 8,500 residents, Biggs said.
The seven focus areas are providing high quality pre-kindergarten programs, instruction that equips students with the knowledge and skills necessary for college and careers, classrooms taught by talented educators, programs that go beyond the classroom to help families, education leaders who make decisions based on student needs, support for schools in academic distress, and systems and policies for supporting student success, according to the Forward Arkansas website.
Forward Arkansas is especially interested in Springdale’s work in pre-kindergarten and with providing students with options for college and careers, including through its new Don Tyson School of Innovation, where high school students complete courses at their own pace and where technology allows for learning at any time and from any place.