Oliva to headline policy conference
Jacob Oliva, Arkansas' newly named education secretary and commissioner of the state Division of Elementary and Secondary Education, will be the keynote speaker at the University of Arkansas Office for Education Policy's spring conference.
The conference will be from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Feb. 16 at the Heifer International headquarters in Little Rock.
Among the topics to be featured at the conference are Arkansas' teacher pipeline, and career and technical education.
There is no cost to attend, but space is limited. Registration must be received by Feb 8.
More information and access to registration is at the following site: https://bit.ly/3wjJOzh.
Charter schools get awards for diversity
Leaders of eStem Charter High School in Little Rock and Maumelle Charter High School in North Little Rock send word that their schools have earned the College Board Advanced Placement Computer Science Female Diversity Awards for achieving high female representation in Advanced Placement Computer Science courses.
Schools honored with the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award have expanded girls' access in AP Computer Science courses.
More than 1,100 institutions achieved either 50% or higher female representation in one of the two AP Computer Science courses or a percentage of the female Computer Science exam-takers meeting or exceeding that of the school's female population during the 2021-22 school year.
In 2022, eStem High School was one of 209 recognized in the category of AP Computer Science A. AP Computer Science A students learn to design and implement computer programs that solve problems relevant to today's society.
Maumelle Charter High School was one of 832 recognized in the category of AP Computer Science Principles that introduces students to foundational concepts.
Essay deadline set for 'Ideas Matter'
Jan. 31 is the submission deadline for the annual "Ideas Matter" essay contest sponsored by the Clinton Foundation for high school juniors and seniors.
The focus of this year's contest -- which carries a $2,500 college scholarship as the top prize -- is exploration of efforts to advance women's equality.
Essays must be a minimum of 1,500 words and should:
• Identify a challenge or obstacle to women's equality.
• Explain the history of the challenge or obstacle.
• Propose a solution.
• Outline a strategy for putting the solution into action.
Essays of no more than 1,500 words must be submitted to: www.clintonpresidentialcenter.org/ideasmatteressay.
Hope cooperative granted over $4M
The Southwest Arkansas Education Cooperative in Hope is the recipient of a $4,043,639 grant from the U.S. Department of Education's School Based Mental Health Services Grant Program.
The education services cooperative will use the funding through 2027 to support its member public school districts in Miller, Hempstead, Nevada and Lafayette counties.
The grant's purpose is to increase the number of credentialed mental health service providers providing school-based mental health services to students.
The multiyear grant will enable the cooperative to hire and retain a staff of eight professionals with backgrounds in social work, counseling and behavior. The team will implement trauma informed care and administer assessments while ensuring that all schools in the cooperative will have access to therapists, case managers and social workers.
To deliver immediate support, the cooperative will use e-therapy and other online tools -- including the HELPme app -- while the team is being recruited and trained. This will allow services to connect children in crisis with resources without delay.
"We are thrilled to be able to offer this service to our districts," cooperative Director Phoebe Bailey said. "I feel that this is a model for improving mental health support in our corner of the state. I see our short term goal to be reducing outburst and violent events on campus with the long term vision of improving mental health for children and having a positive impact on school climate."
Southwest Arkansas Education Cooperative was among 102 applicants across the country awarded funds as a part of the grant program.