ENGAGE Arkansas

ADE and Graduation Alliance logos

ENGAGE Arkansas: Attendance and Re-engagement Initiative

Due to the coronavirus pandemic and shifts in instruction, many students have struggled to adjust and remain engaged in learning. To help districts re-engage students during this critical time, the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) is excited to partner with the state’s Education Renewal Zones (ERZs) and Graduation Alliance to launch the ENGAGE Arkansas attendance and re-engagement initiative at no cost to districts. The initiative’s support will greatly benefit districts by reducing the workload on identifying, locating, and re-engaging students, allowing them instead to focus on providing necessary educational supports to students both in-person and virtually.

This partnership, which also includes the Arkansas Department of Human Services, will provide additional wrap-around support for students and families. The partners will determine how the pandemic has affected student enrollment and create strategies to find “no show” students, identify “at risk” students who are disengaged, and help keep students continuously engaged in learning. 

Statewide Community Resources Portal

The Arkansas Department of Education has launched the Statewide Community Resources Portal, a website that connects schools and communities with much-needed information about available support services around the state.

To access the portal, go to Statewide Community Resources Portal.

Additional Resources

Resource Toolkit Site: https://www.engagearkansas.com/

Press Conference Presentation Featuring ERZs (PPTX)

Informational Webinar Recording

ADE and Graduation Alliance hosted 30-minute informational webinars to provide more information about the initiative (announced in Commissioner's Memo COM-21-035). Districts are encouraged to view the following recording:

  1. Informational webinar session, October 12, 2020

Social and Emotional Learning Programs

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. To  learn more, go to Social and Emotional Learning Programs.

For more information, please contact:

Dr. Missy Walley, Director of Special Projects
Arkansas Department  of Education
Division of Elementary and Secondary Education
Four Capitol Mall
Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: 501-682-4988