LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Sept. 20, 2021) – The Arkansas State Teachers Association (ASTA), Bright Futures USA, The Reform Alliance (TRA) and the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) are hosting an education conference at City Center in Little Rock on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.
Teachers, administrators, counselors and other education professionals are invited to register at https://sftl.me/conference/ for the Student Focused Teacher Led conference. Registration costs $100.
Keynote speakers include author and educator Ruby Payne, former Razorback basketball player and coach Sidney Moncrief, education expert Tammy Pawlowski and podcaster Kevin Hunt. Molly Hudgens, school counselor and Congressional Medal of Honor Citizens Honor recipient; Chelsey Moore, coordinator of engagement at DESE; Scott Poland, co-director of the Suicide and Violence Prevention Office at Nova Southeastern University, and CJ Huff, co-founder of Bright Futures USA, will lead breakout sessions.
“The conference will equip educators to address some of the most pressing topics in education today, like social emotional learning, violence prevention and overcoming poverty barriers,” TRA Managing Director Emmy Henley said. “We believe every educator will leave with a clear picture of what it really means to be student focused.”
ABOUT BRIGHT FUTURES USA: Bright Futures USA is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing communities together to focus on the success of children. This grassroots movement uses the Bright Futures framework to engage businesses, human service agencies, faith-based organizations, and parent groups within communities to meet the needs of children so every child can be successful, now and in the future.
ABOUT THE ARKANSAS STATE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION: As a state chapter of the Association of American Educators (AAE), the Arkansas State Teachers Association (ASTA) is a statewide non-union, professional educators’ organization, advancing the profession by offering a modern approach to teacher representation and educational advocacy, as well as promoting professionalism, collaboration and excellence without a partisan agenda.
ABOUT THE REFORM ALLIANCE: The Reform Alliance (TRA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring every K-12 student in Arkansas has equal access to a world-class education. The Reform Alliance is proud to manage the Succeed Scholarship at no cost to the State of Arkansas. Even small expenses like the cost of mailing checks to schools are paid for by a private foundation grant. Free educational resources and more information about The Reform Alliance are available at thereformalliance.org.
ABOUT THE DIVISION OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION: The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is a division of the Arkansas Department of Education which provides leadership, support and service to schools, districts and communities so every student graduates prepared for college, career, and community engagement.