Education Innovation Rally 2025

Heritage speakers frequently have characteristics that differ from those of second language learners and thus require different pedagogical approaches. This talk covers questions such as these: What are some typical linguistic, affective, and academic profiles of heritage speakers?  How can we determine appropriate curricular goals, instructional approaches, and placement procedures? And what can instructors do when a separate heritage speaker course is not possible and a classroom contains a mix of “apples” and “oranges”? The goal is to best serve the linguistic and affective needs of heritage speakers.

In our session, we will present our self-paced Envision program, which we offer for grades 6-8 at Lonoke Middle School. Envision is a teacher-guided program that puts students in the driver's seat of their education. Teachers are here to guide, hold students accountable, and assist as needed.
To be successful in Envision, students must be self-motivated learners who can work independently. Students progress through the program using a grade-level pacing guide as a tool, at a pace that allows them to master the content. They may demonstrate mastery before their peers or may need a few extra class days to master a particular skill. Either way, students have access to collaborate with their peers and teachers as they master the content and then move on to the next skill.
A major benefit of the Envision program is its accessibility. Students receive a login to the website, where they can access all of their materials. Since it’s an online platform, students can log in from any computer, anywhere, at any time. Each student is assigned a mentor who meets with them at least once per week to discuss goals, progress, programs of study, pacing, and any support they may need.To facilitate the process, all students will explore possible career options and create a career plan. 
Flex Days are something our students look forward to and work towards. Students who are working at or ahead of pace can attend essential classes such as art, PE, band, EAST, etc. This allows them to focus more deeply on their essential classes and produce projects that interest them or relate to potential career paths.
We would also like to present the growth our students demonstrate over the course of the year. Many students in the program experience growth of up to two grade levels, as they are able to move at their own pace and challenge themselves.
Students will be joining us during our presentation. Here is what they have to say about our Envision program:
“The Envision program has helped me understand things better than I would in a traditional classroom. It has also allowed me to work at my own pace and redo assignments I struggled with. Some opportunities that have opened up for me include the chance to improve my grades and have free time to focus on work for other classes once I finish my Envision tasks. My learning has improved because I can better understand lessons and revisit any videos or past assignments if I’m struggling with something. My motivation continues to improve, and I’m not only learning more but also developing greater independence!”

As a lower elementary school (grades PreK-2) in its 2nd year implementation of Thrive AR - PBIS, I endeavor to share the progress we are having since it's implementation.

Teaching is more stressful than ever, with national and Arkansas statistics showing rising burnout, high turnover, and growing emotional strain. One innovative resource to help--not solve--this challenge is the Arkansas Teacher Support
Helpline, a confidential service where teachers and school staff can talk through stress "in the moment" with a peer with lived teaching experience trained in compassionate listening. This workshop explores why talking it out works and will demonstrate through roleplay how an ATSH peer listener may respond to an audience-selected situation.

Heritage speakers are increasingly common in Spanish classrooms around the U.S. After reviewing some common profiles of heritage speakers and how are they linguistically and affectively different from second language students, we will examine why it is important for us to center our instruction in language arts to the greatest extent that students’ proficiency allows. The goal is for our Spanish programs to center the needs of heritage speakers and lead to their personal, academic, and linguistic development in ways that support social justice. We will examine several textbook activities to see how they can best be supportive of students' language arts development