School Support and Programs

Education Renewal Zones Initiative

The ERZ is a multiyear Pre-K-16 initiative funded by the state of Arkansas to help improve public school performance and student academic achievement. This is a collaborative effort between renewal zone partners, including the Arkansas Department of Education’s Division of ERZ, institutions of higher education (IHEs), regional education service cooperatives (ESCs), other technical assistance provider entities, schools, and participating communities. ERZ partnerships across the state are working to:

  • Improve educational management strategies
  • Take advantage of economies of scale by concentrating and coordinating resources and technical assistance
  • Maximize the use of distance learning technology to improve the performance of the state’s most academically distressed public schools

The concepts behind Education Renewal Zones are:

Collaboration:
Partners collaborate effectively to promote a shared vision and economies of scale.
Community and Parent Involvement:
Systems are in place for parents and community to be active partners in the academic work of students and the school.
Distance Learning:
Partners effectively use distance-learning technology for professional development and course delivery.
Faculty Sharing:
Partners share faculty to meet staffing needs.
Mentoring:
IHEs and ESCs offer novice and veteran teachers and school leaders sustained job-embedded professional development and mentoring opportunities.
Professional Development:
IHEs and ESCs offer novice and veteran teachers and leaders ongoing, seamless professional development.
Recruitment and Retention:
Recruitment and retention systems are in place to support novice and veteran teachers.
Teacher Preparation Programs:
IHEs redesign teacher preparation programs to integrate and implement state and national initiatives/requirements.

Mission Statement

The mission of the ERZ initiative is to collaborate with Pre-K-16 educators, students, families, and their supporting communities in order to combine efforts to improve achievement and learning experiences for all students.

Mentoring

For information about the Arkansas Department of Education Teacher Mentoring Program, contact Maureen Harness at 501-683-4382 or Kristi Ratliff at 501-683-4382. Each Regional ERZ has teacher mentoring available. Please go the regional ERZ partnership Web site that serves your area.

Regional ERZ Partnerships

ERZ of the Month - May

Southeast ERZ has been doing some incredible work with their partners this month. Visit their Web site to see the innovative and exciting programs in which they are helping Arkansas's students.

For more information, please contact:

Estelle Matthis, Director of Education Renewal Zones and Scholastic Audit
Arkansas Department of Education
Scholastic Audit
4 Capitol Mall, Room 205-B
Mail Slot 6
Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: 501-682-4468
Fax: 501-683-5609