IMPACT Arkansas Fellowship Seeking Applications Before Jan. 1 Deadline

Photo by Heidi Wells

Amanda Swift, right, talks with one of the other IMPACT Arkansas Fellows during training last summer.

Fellows of a new University of Arkansas educational leadership initiative called IMPACT Arkansas are working hard to make sure the program lives up to its name.

"We are seeing positive gains with our current Fellows as they are learning to lead," said Chris Johnson, director of outreach for IMPACT Arkansas Fellowship. The program is seeking applicants for the second group of Fellows. The online application is due by Jan. 1.

The first group of Fellows began the program in July. It prepares future administrators in low-income schools throughout Arkansas. Fellows receive a master's degree in educational leadership at no cost upon completion of the 15-month program. They take online U of A courses while also participating in the Arkansas Leadership Academy's Teacher Leader Institute. The educational leadership degree program, Arkansas Leadership Academy and IMPACT Arkansas Fellowship are all based in the College of Education and Health Professions at the U of A.

"The Fellows experience a unique tripod of support not offered by other programs," said Janet Penner-Williams, associate dean and coordinator of IMPACT Arkansas Fellowship.

The opportunity to immediately apply what they learn in coursework sets this program apart from a traditional educational leadership program where students may not apply the learning until the end of the course in an internship, she said.

"Just as pre-service teachers need practical experiences in the schools from the beginning of their teacher-preparation program, educational leaders need practical experiences in school leadership from the beginning of their educational leadership program," Penner-Williams said.

Secondly, Erika McMahan, director of support for the program, provides coaching for the Fellows, and thirdly, the Arkansas Leadership Academy provides leadership training that is unique, she said.

"Finally, the Fellows have the peers in their cohort to support them when they encounter a challenge," Penner-Williams said. "The support will not stop at the end of the 15 months since IMPACT plans to monitor and continue to provide support as these leaders take on an official leadership role in high-poverty schools. The College of Education and Health Professions is proud to offer this program with the support of the Walton Family Foundation to prepare future leaders for high-poverty schools in Arkansas."

Amanda Swift, one of the first group of Fellows, said she heard about the program from her principal after Johnson called her school about it.

"I didn't want to do a traditional master's degree in educational leadership because I was nervous about being put out on my own unprepared," Swift said.

Heather Blockett, a teacher at Western Hills Elementary School in Little Rock, first met Swift when Swift began teaching in Little Rock several years ago. Blockett served as Swift's mentor then; now, Swift, a literacy specialist with the district, is mentoring Blockett through Swift's internship with the school district.

Swift has helped Blockett implement small-group reading instruction in her classroom, Johnson said.

Blockett said Swift provides professional development to the entire staff as well as at individual grade levels in the area of literacy. Swift has shown insight and leadership in ways both helpful and necessary to work toward positive student achievement, Blockett said.

"I have noticed an increase in Amanda's ability to think about staff morale and what may be some factors affecting it," Blockett said. "If it were possible, Amanda has increased her focus on students even more since the start of the school year."

Applicants for IMPACT Arkansas must have three years of teaching experience and work in a school in which at least 70 percent of students qualify for free or reduced price lunch. Fellows must commit to staying in their district for three years.

John Bacon, program consulting director, said applicants must have exhibited leadership qualities.

"We aren't looking for people who want to just get a master's degree. We're looking for people who are excited about the challenge that this unique experience will provide in helping them become high quality leaders for the schools of the future," Bacon said.

For Swift, the experience has changed her perspective significantly. In the past, she took on some leadership roles when asked, but she didn't reflect on the experiences in a deliberate way to evaluate the purpose and benefit.

"Now that I'm in the program, I think about how I can help teachers and, more importantly, how does this affect the success of students," Swift said. "The cool thing about our courses is that, where before we did theoretical case studies, they are not theoretical now. I can reflect on the things that I'm doing in my school and talk about the work with my principal. I look at data in a totally different manner and I evaluate curriculum in a more systematic way."

The online delivery of coursework has resulted in a tightly knit group of Fellows, although they work in schools around the state, Swift said.

"We have really formed a bond," she said. "I call or text someone about something I'm not sure about. That may be one of the best things about the program. We are all in different places but we offer support for one another."

IMPACT Arkansas staff support has also been vital, she said.

"The design of the program is awesome," Swift said.