Many students have struggled to learn or stay engaged while not attending school in a traditional classroom during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a way to support students and families and reduce further learning loss, the Arkansas Department of Education has partnered with the state's Educational Renewal Zone programs and Graduation Alliance to launch ENGAGE Arkansas. It's free for families to participate.

The University of Arkansas ERZ program will take an active role in working with families across the state through individual school districts.

"As with any large initiative, we have hit the ground running," said Lindsey Swagerty, director of the U of A Educational Renewal Zone. "The response from schools has been tremendously positive, and I am proud of the work we are doing to provide immediate solutions."

The ENGAGE initiative will help school districts locate students who are falling behind, assess their needs and provide solutions to get them back on track. 

Swagerty said ERZ programs across the state had already been collaborating more often during the pandemic.

"As a result, we've become innovative thinkers and more in tune to the needs of our schools across the state," she said. "This has made us a valuable resource to our regions as well as our respective higher education institutions.

"We're 100% invested to this project as it provides the resources and support that our schools need right now," she said.

The partnership also includes the Arkansas Department of Human Services, which will provide additional wrap-around support for students and families. School districts have been invited to participate in one of several webinar sessions to learn more about the initiative.

Students in grades K-12 will receive academic coaching and counseling as well as other community resources. Graduation Alliance will reach out to students through phone calls, emails, text messages and more to get students started.

The program is free for school districts, but they must opt in. Parents can also sign up for the program.

Visit the ENGAGE Arkansas website for more information or contact Swagerty at lmswager@uark.edu.