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Education Early Childhood Education FACT: Every dollar spent on quality preschool education can provide a return of up to eleven dollars! In addition to the tremendous return on investment, the 12 Care funded classrooms provides nearly 250 low income children in Gravette, Decatur, Springdale, and Siloam Springs with a sound preschool experience. As a result these children are:
New Arrival Center The Springdale Public schools serves nearly 17,500 students including more than 7000 students who are considered to be English Language Learners (ELL). In 2007 a group of 53 teachers who worked directly in the New Arrival Center classrooms developed a curriculum that is both meaningful for students and closely aligned with the Arkansas Curriculum Frameworks. After piloting the new curriculum in every NAC across the district students are showing:
Extended Learning Current research indicates that the differences in students’ achievement can be attributed to the different opportunities that children experience during the time they are out of school. Whether it is learning Spanish; going to a Space Camp; studying the arts; or getting a jump start on Kindergarten, nearly 1,000 students each year from Bentonville, Springdale and Siloam Springs are engaged in a variety of after school and summer learning activities that will keep these kids excited and coming back for more. Middle Level Literacy CHALLENGE: Research tells us access to books is the most critical component of a successful reading program. But during summer months many children are unable to get to a library due to lack of transportation, distance or hazardous pedestrian crossings.
International Baccalaureate Programme The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) Diploma Programme provides students with intellectual challenges and promotes the ideals of international understanding and cooperation – but it also helps prepare them for life after high school... "Not only has IB helped beef up my college application, what I’ve learned has helped me to become who I am today. And I happen to really like me! IB will continue to help me as I go on to college and out into the ‘big people world' ". --Senior IBO student at Springdale High School Not only is an IB Diploma is recognized by many colleges and universities world wide as the pinnacle in high school achievement, but those students who possess an IB Diploma are recruited by some of the nation’s most prestigious colleges. In 2008, eight IB graduates from Springdale High School were offered more than $887,000 in college scholarships. High School Graduation Paso A Paso Arkansas ranks 49th among the 50 states in percentage of adults over age 25 with a bachelor's degree or higher. Although the state's number of college graduates has increased nearly six percent in the past 15 years, Arkansas is still less likely than the national average to send high school graduates to college. In Northwest Arkansas, students from non-English speaking families participate in college at less than half the rate of other students. Not only are these students often less academically prepared for college success, they also tend to test more frequently into developmental courses and have a much more difficult time securing financial aid. Paso A Paso a Hispanic outreach program, is largely responsible for reversing this trend. Since 2006, when the program was implemented, the number of Hispanic students who graduate from Springdale High School and subsequently enroll at NWACC has increased by more that 600 percent. Bentonville High School Nationally, the ninth grade year is recognized as the most critical time for students to begin to lay the foundation for success in the later grades. Furthermore, ninth grade is often the year when students first experience intense academic rigor and are held accountable for their own learning. Unfortunately, for many it is also the year with the highest failure rates, and the time that most students decide to drop out of school. Since implementing the Freshman Learning Center in 2006, 2,431 students have gained the skills and confidence for high school success. This has resulted in a 1.3 percent decrease in the number of students who drop out of BHS each year. Springdale High School Poor attendance and failing grades during the sophomore year have traditionally been the most common reasons students do not graduate from Springdale High School. Since implementing the Sophomore Center in 2006, 10th grade attendance has improved to more than 95 percent, while the number of students who fail English or Biology has decreased by 25 percent.
Immigration A critical issue confronting Northwest Arkansas is how to effectively deal with language and communication issues when more than 10 percent of the local community members speak a language other than English. According to the 2000 census report, Northwest Arkansas had the fasted growing Hispanic population in Arkansas, experiencing a staggering 1000 percent increase in just ten years. To help these new neighbors become functional members of their new culture, local partners offer a variety of no-cost training that include:
Health and Health Education Why wait until grades fall? Economic, social, behavioral, and emotional factors affect a child's functioning long before grades tell us something is wrong. School-based Early Prevention and Intervention
Students are connected to resources they and their families nee - food, glasses, clothing, medical care. Additionally they receive mental health services right at their school. Anger management, social skills, withdrawn behavior, negotiating transitions, and mentoring are some of the supports provided. For the right children, play therapy is as effective as spending time with a psychotherapist. Appropriate children lead play sessions with specially trained adult friends. Prenatal Pathways Each year, 1300 under- and un-insured women in Benton and Washington counties receive culturally appropriate prenatal care at Community Clinic.
Any pregnant woman or mother fighting
Babies are born full term, have normal birth weight, and are born free of any substance in their bodies. Under our Prevention of Chronic Disease Initiative, Kids for Health has their interactive curriculum —all 55 lessons— at every elementary school in:
Kids for Health curriculum meets state mandated requirements School Based Nutrition Program Chewyville is not your usual sleepy little cyber-town. It is the home of Chewy Cafe, an ever-changing world of exciting recipes, tasty nutritional information, and whacky characters who keep the place hopping. 6500 students in 13 schools (and more in the immediate future) participate in this innovative nutrition/cooking program.
Students gain confidence in preparing food, they pressure their families to purchase and prepare healthier foods, and they better understand why health foods are so important Get up and get moving!
We are helping to change the culture from one that mostly values top performing athletes the sidelines to a culture that stresses individual fitness, satisfaction with physical movement, and progress made toward individual fitness goals. Note: we were there as a girl with visual impairment rode her very first bike (an oversized tricycle) and a young man with visual impairment joined his classmates for the first time as they traversed the climbing wall (he could feel his way across.) The Bi-lingual Nursing Education Initiative recruits, educate, and retains nurses from ethnic minority populations who are U.S. citizens or legal, permanent residents.
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are Foundation makes strategic grants, which deliberately connects winning strategies, strong partners, and grantmaking dollars to yield favorable outcomes. Grants are focused in the areas of :
SOLUTION: Sara Ford, J.O. Kelly Middle School principal, loads her car with books and delivers them to students and families in elementary school parking lots at designated times each week during the summer.
The activities provided through our School-based Fitness Program can be challenging and rewarding to all 4,000 kids—regardless of their competitive or athletic ability.