FAYETTEVILLE- Jessica Gray, an Agriculture Education teacher at Paris High School, was recently selected as an IMPACT Arkansas Principal Fellow. IMPACT is a University of Arkansas-based program that has been building leadership capacity in high-needs, rural schools across the state for nearly a decade.
“I am excited to participate in the IMPACT Arkansas Fellowship program to help me reflect on myself and as a teacher leader,” said Gray, who has worked in education for 17 years. “I hope to gain more leadership abilities and how to think outside of the box when it comes to education and leadership.”
The selection process for the eighth cohort of fellows was highly competitive. The 19 new members met for the first time this summer to begin an intensive leadership institute. They spent time bonding as a cohort and taking the first steps of the 18-month program. IMPACT fellows, who earn a master’s degree in educational leadership from the U of A, have gone on to become instructional facilitators, assistant principals or principals. The program has proven successful as a teacher-leader pipeline for the highest needs schools in the state.
The educators chosen for the latest IMPACT cohort hail from 10 Arkansas school districts and 16 schools that are new to the program. “Our footprint now includes more than half the high-poverty districts in the state,” said IMPACT Executive Director John Bacon. “We are excited to welcome this impressive group of future leaders for Arkansas schools serving high percentages of economically disadvantaged students.”
IMPACT graduates commit to staying in their current school for two years. Nearly 100% remain in Arkansas schools, and 81% remain in high-poverty schools.
“Hiring and supporting a highly qualified school leader is the single most important thing a school district can do to move the needle forward for school culture, student achievement, the desirability of the workplace and building more positive relationships with the community,” said John Pijanowski, the original creator of the program and principal investigator at the U of A.
Note to Our Readers: The previous story was sourced directly and in its entirety from the University of Arkansas, College of Education, Shannon Magsam, Director of Communications.
