The Arkansas Public School Resource Center (APSRC) is continually monitoring COVID-19 guidance issued by the Governor’s Office, the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) and Arkansas Department of Education (ADE). In an effort to keep our members informed, we will continue to provide updates as new information becomes available. COVID-19 Guidance & Resources Read More
Meet Our Team: Jeana Williams, Interim Director of Teaching & Learning
Jeana Williams came to work for the Arkansas Public School Resource Center (APSRC) in July 2017, and currently serves as the Interim Director of Teaching and Learning. Jeana and her team provide professional development and educational support for traditional and public charter schools. Q: What led you to choose a career in education? A: In my pre-Algebra class in junior high school, I realized that using letters in math equations made complete sense. I instantly understood the “why”. I also quickly realized that I was one of very few that grasped this concept, and I began helping my friends. I knew then, in the 7th grade, that I wanted to be a math teacher. Read More
APSRC Awarded Grant to Enroll High School Students in Swift Coding Program
The Arkansas Department of Education Division of Elementary and Secondary Education has provided the Arkansas Public School Resource Center (APSRC) with a grant to enroll up to 250 high school students in UPSKILL at A-State’s Swift Coding program for the 2020 fall semester at no cost to the student or the school. “We are proud to partner with Arkansas State University, the Arkansas Department of Education and the Governor Asa Hutchinson’s office to provide this groundbreaking opportunity for students to earn K-12 credits and 9 hours of concurrent college credit, while at the same time working toward industry certification,” APSRC Executive Director Scott Smith said. “Through this grant, we are able to provide Arkansas schools with a valuable resource to enhance their curriculum and improve… Read More
APSRC partners with Edlio to offer affordable and unique school websites
The Arkansas Public School Resource Center is delighted to announce a partnership with Edlio that will give Arkansas schools the opportunity to create and customize affordable websites designed to foster parent and community engagement. You must be an APSRC member to be eligible for discounted pricing! As an APSRC official partner, Edlio knows your school’s target market, stakeholders, and community. Websites are designed just for K-12 schools, and Edlio’s CMS is feature-rich, yet incredibly easy to use. A few of the top school CMS features include: Voice and text messaging School news alerts and announcements Customizable online forms with payments ADA-friendly tools built right into your school CMS Email subscriptions and newsletters Easy to update class and teacher pages For more information about Edlio’s services, please… Read More
APSRC now accepting enrollment forms for Digital Learning Grant
APSRC is now accepting enrollment forms for the newly awarded Digital Learning grant. This competitive ADE grant will allow us to expand availability, efficiency and quality of digital learning at a decreased cost to schools. It is our goal to provide quality digital courses to schools, empower students, and improve academic outcomes. Our focus will be on digital coursework designed for: Remediation and credit recovery shortage areas, foreign language and, career and technical education; core; and character education focusing on counselor resources. We believe that digital courses can become a tool to address students who need a student-centered learning model where the content, method, and pace of learning are differentiated based on the student’s level of readiness. We believe digital learning has the potential to accelerate… Read More
This Month with Scott … An interview with Senator Jim Hendren
In the February edition of This Month with Scott … APSRC Executive Director Scott Smith interviews Senator Jim Hendren, who not only sits on the Senate Education Committee but also serves as the Arkansas Senate President pro tempore for the 92nd General Assembly. During the interview, Scott and Senator Hendren discuss several education-related bills currently wending their way through the legislative session. Read More
U.S. Department of Education awards $23 million to APSRC
The Arkansas Public School Resource Center is pleased to announce that the U.S. Department of Education will award APSRC a $23 million-dollar grant that will go toward the accomplishment of three goals: To increase the number of high-quality charter schools and conversion charter schools with an emphasis on those that serve educationally disadvantaged students To improve student outcomes, particularly where educationally disadvantaged students are concerned To disseminate best practices APSRC will be responsible for allocating the funds to sub-grantee schools. Arkansas last received the Charter Schools Program (CSP) grant in 2011. Read More
Registration now open for 2018 APSRC Fall Conference!
The Arkansas Public School Resource Center’s annual Fall Conference is a statewide event with strands featuring breakout sessions for superintendents, administrators, teachers and school finance staff. This year, we’re also introducing three sessions for school IT techs! We’re pleased to announce that our 2018 keynote speaker is Michael Bonner, a second-grade teacher from North Carolina. October 3, 2018, Hot Springs Convention Center Registration is now open! Just click here! Interested in being a sponsor and/or exhibitor? Click here! To download the program, click here! Read More
This Month with Scott … An interview with ADE Commissioner Johnny Key
This Month with Scott… Interviews with TOY Courtney Cochran and SOY Jon Collins
In the March edition of This Month with Scott…, APSRC Executive Director Scott Smith interviews 2017-18 Teacher of the Year Courtney Cochran of Van Buren and 2018 Superintendent of the Year Jon Collins of West Memphis. Topics include the teacher shortage, ESSA and accountability, and school safety. To watch the full-length interviews with Courtney and Jon, just follow this link! Read More