Arkansas Initiative
The Arkansas - 21C Network Web Site promotes an initiative between the Yale School of the 21st Century Program and Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation in Arkansas. The ultimate goal of the Arkansas 21C Network is to ensure that more children and families throughout the state have the benefit of high-quality preschool and other 21C program services in their communities. Lessons from the Arkansas 21C Network will hopefully inspire changes in the funding priorities on the part of Arkansas state leaders and position Arkansas as a leader among other states. As other states make decisions about how to best support young children and families, they can look to Arkansas for their experience and direction.
Program Description
Arkansas and the School of the 21st Century (21C) have a long history. The first 21C site in the state, Paragould’s School of the 21st Century, was established in 1992. In the mid-1990s, other schools in Arkansas expressed an interest in the program, and in 1997 the Yale Center for Child Development and Social Policy started working on a statewide presence in Arkansas with the Arkansas Department of Education. Additionally, the Ross Foundation has made a substantial investment in the Arkadelphia school district to enable district-wide implementation and outreach to the wider community.
Seeing 21C as a means to address the early care and education needs of all children in Arkansas, the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation initiated a five-year partnership with Yale University to support the development of a statewide 21C Network, beginning in the fall of 2001.
“We know that children have opportunities for optimal development and learning when they participate in high-quality early childhood programs, engage in constructive activities during after-school hours, have access to preventive health services, and have parents who are involved with their education,” said Dr. Sybil Hampton, President of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. “21C schools provide these needed services. Our partnership with Yale University is an investment in the future of Arkansas and will ensure that communities throughout the state have the necessary resources to establish these valuable programs.”
The initiative is seen as a model for other locales interested in statewide implementation, as well as an example to other philanthropic organizations of an effective way to address the early care and education needs of children.
Thanks to the generous support of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, financial assistance will be available through the Yale Center for Child Development and Social Policy. 21C schools in Arkansas will also be able to participate in statewide training activities and will receive on-site technical assistance.
Another aspect of the project will be an evaluation, which Yale will conduct, to document the benefits of 21C to Arkansas children and families. Another major goal will be to identify the characteristics that contribute to successful school-based early care and education programs, which is a topic of current interest to educators and policymakers in Arkansas and nationwide.
General 21C Materials
These are materials that can be downloaded directly from the parent 21C Site.
Arkansas 21C Materials
The Schools of the 21st Century in Arkansas (flyer)
Schools across Arkansas are implementing the School of the 21st Century Program, a school-based or school-linked model providing services and programs -- such as home visitations, all day early care and education, before-, after-school, and vacation care, and more -- to families with children from birth to age 12. This flyer describes 21C and its implementation in Arkansas.
Download a free copy. This is a large file, so it may take a large amount of time, depending on your connection speed.
Making a Difference Together: Schools of the 21st Century in Arkansas (brochure)
For the past few years, 21C has been growing in Arkansas, thanks to local interest, encouragement from state agencies, and financial support from some local foundations. A new brochure describes the current 23 programs and their implementation the 21C components.
Download a free copy. This is a large file, so it may take a large amount of time, depending on your connection speed.
Making a Difference Together: Schools of the 21st Century in Arkansas (video)
For the past few years, 21C has been growing in Arkansas, thanks to local interest, encouragement from state agencies, and financial support from some local foundations. This 17 minute video highlights implementation of 21C in four communities in Arkansas.
Free. Please specify preferred type (VHS or DVD) in order.
A Framework for Understanding Poverty, Ruby K. Payne, Ph.D.
This book has been chosen as the book for the Arkansas group. The summaries of each chapter can be found below.
Chapter One: Definitions and Resources
Chapter Two: The Role of Language and Story
Chapter Three: Hidden Rules Among Classes
Chapter Four: Characteristics of Generational Poverty
Chapter Five: Role Models and Emotional Resources
John Maxwell’s The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player
This book has been chosen as the book for the Arkansas group. The summaries of each chapter can be found below.
Chapter Eleven: Mission-Conscious
Chapter Fourteen: Self-Improving
Arkansas 21C Program Evaluation
The Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation is supporting a state-wide implementation of 21C in Arkansas. This generous support has enabled over 30 communities – involving more than 100 schools – to implement 21C and has also enabled us to assist schools in implementation as well as evaluate the effort/ to evaluate the effort. Evaluation studies in Arkansas include documewntation of the program’s’ implementation and growth over time and the impact on participating students, families, schools and communities.
We are now in the fourth year of evaluation and will soon be publishing some of the findings of our evaluation - so keep checking back for more information and updates!
For more information on this project download the latest executive summary.