MonticelloLive

The Arkansas Department of Education and the University of Arkansas at Monticello will host the Southeast Arkansas Education Forum November 8-9 in the John F. Gibson University Center on the UAM campus. The forum will address the critical need for teachers and the economic impact of education in the southern and eastern regions of the state

The forum will include a District Recruitment Model Workshop on November 8 from 1 to 4 p.m., an Education Partners Reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., and an Education Career Fair on November 9 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Christina Villareal of the Office of Teacher Recruitment and Retention for the Arkansas Department of Education will lead the recruitment workshop. She will be assisted by Shirley Billingsley, assistant superintendent for the El Dorado School District. The workshop will provide recruiters from high priority school districts with resources and instruction to assist them in recruiting and retaining qualified teachers for their districts.

The Education Partners Reception will bring together southeast Arkansas educators and school district administrators with business, civic and community leaders to discuss the problems facing education in the region. "This will provide a wonderful opportunity for educators and business leaders to develop partnerships and look for ways to meet the challenges facing public school education in this region of the state," said Dr. Peggy Doss, dean of the UAM School of Education. "We’re facing a teacher shortage in the eastern and southern regions of Arkansas and we’ve got to find ways to attract and retain high quality teachers to these areas."

The Education Career Fair is designed to assist the region’s high priority school districts in the recruitment of licensed teachers and administrators for hard-to-fill vacancies in their districts.  Colleges and universities, community colleges, and school districts will have booths to disseminate information about teaching careers and opportunities for attaining degrees in teacher education.

The Southeast Arkansas Education Forum is being sponsored by the Arkansas Department of Education, the UAM School of Education, and the Educational Renewal Zone. For more information, contact the UAM School of Education at (870) 460-1062 or the Arkansas Department of Education at (501) 682-5535.