Airola to Represent Arkansas on Regional Advisory Board

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Denise Airola

Denise Airola, director of the Office of Innovation for Education at the University of Arkansas, has been appointed to the South Central Comprehensive Center Regional Advisory Board.

Tom Kimbrell, Arkansas commissioner of education, appointed Airola to the board with approval of Gov. Mike Beebe. She will represent Arkansas at the center, which is based in the University of Oklahoma's College of Education. It is one of 15 regional, technical assistance comprehensive centers funded by the U.S. Department of Education.

The center's primary goal is to work closely with the state education agencies of Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico and Oklahoma to build their capacities to help districts and schools meet the requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and to improve education outcomes for all students.

The board meets annually to provide input and guidance on the development of strategies aimed at improving education in the region. A board meeting to be combined with that of the board of the Central Comprehensive Center that serves Colorado, Kansas and Missouri is scheduled for Aug. 19 and 20 in Norman, Okla.

The Office of Innovation for Education was established in the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas earlier this year to help schools find and use innovative strategies and technologies to improve educational access and opportunities with the goal of improved educational outcomes for Arkansas students.