More Local Schools Getting Help to Address Teacher Shortages

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas Teacher Corps at the University of Arkansas announced its third group of Fellows, who will start a three-year teaching commitment next month. The 22 Fellows complete six weeks of intensive training this week in El Dorado and will begin teaching in high-need schools in south, central and northeast Arkansas in August.

The newest fellowship recipients will be honored at a reception July 10 in El Dorado.

Arkansas Teacher Corps is currently working in Clarendon, Dermott, Dollarway, Forrest City, El Dorado, Hope, KIPP-Delta, Lighthouse Academies-Jacksonville, Prescott, Pulaski County Special and Texarkana. The latest class of Fellows will also be teaching in Blytheville, the Lakeside School District in Lake Village, the Lee County School District, the McGehee School District and the Osceola School District.

Arkansas Teacher Corps will have more than 50 Fellows teaching in the upcoming school year. Three of the Fellows have received teacher of the year honors at their schools.

Each Fellow will receive a $15,000 stipend, paid over three years, in addition to their teaching salary from the school district that hires them. The program also provides ongoing development for each Fellow throughout the school year for the entirety of the program.

The program was established by the College of Education and Health Professions in 2013 to address teacher shortages in high-need districts. District officials have said it’s difficult to find enough qualified candidates to teach in subjects such as mathematics and science especially in low socioeconomic areas of the state.

Gary Ritter, holder of the Twenty-First Century Chair in Education Policy, developed the program with Tom Smith, dean of the College of Education and Health Professions, and Benton Brown, executive director of Arkansas Teacher Corps. Ritter serves as faculty director of the program.

Arkansas Teacher Corps has the support of the Arkansas Department of Education and collaborates with school districts and community organizations. Funding for the program has been made available through collaboration between the College of Education and Health Professions, the Walton Family Foundation, the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, and the Women’s Giving Circle at the University of Arkansas. The program is also supported by individual donors through the Arkansas Teacher Corps Society.

Fellows, hometowns, educational background

• Rachel Allen, Gowen, Oklahoma, bachelor’s degree, fine arts, Northeastern Oklahoma State, 2008
• Travis Altemeier, Springdale, bachelor’s degree, renewable energy, John Brown University, 2015
• Isabel Anderson, Durham, North Carolina, bachelor’s degree, psychology, Hendrix College, 2013
• Margot Michelle Anderson, Lansing, Kansas, bachelor’s degree, English, University of Arkansas, 2015
• Micah Borges, Tampa, Florida, bachelor’s degree, communication disorders, University of Arkansas, 2011
• Kayla Bryant, Arkansas City, Arkansas, bachelor’s degree, English, Arkansas State University, 2014
• Jason Curlin, Arkadelphia, master’s degree, English, University of Arkansas, 2015
• J. Mary Fox, Jermyn, Pennsylvania, doctorate, literature, University of Notre Dame, 2014
• Philip Gardner, Kingston, bachelor’s degree, history, University of Arkansas, 2015
• Taylor Gilbreth, Fort Smith, bachelor’s degree, history, University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, 2015
• Sherah Dreanne Grant, Jacksonville, master’s degree, operations management, University of Arkansas, 2014
• Eleazar Herrera, Springdale, bachelor’s degree, criminal justice, University of Arkansas, 2013
• Aaron Jackson, Dierks, master’s degree, biblical counseling, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2014
• Jarren Jefferson, Pine Bluff, bachelor’s degree, physical education and recreation, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, 2014
• Logan Mahar, Van Buren, bachelor’s degree, biochemistry, Arkansas Tech University, 2014
• Miverva Pineda, Russellville, bachelor’s degree, English, Arkansas Tech University, 2014
• Jason Riggs, Muleshoe, Texas, bachelor’s degree, social science and history, Rogers State University, 2013
• Chrystal Seawood, Forrest City, bachelor’s degree, digital art and design, Henderson State University, 2008
• Carla Smith, Little Rock, bachelor’s degree, English, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 2014
• Jared Swenson, Carrollton, Texas, bachelor’s degree, biology, Rhodes College, 2012
• Celeste Thornton, Pine Bluff, bachelor’s degree, Spanish and anthropology, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, 2014
• Christina Turner, Clarendon, bachelor’s degree, English, University of Phoenix, 2014

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.