2026 AAEA Summer Conference

Many states, including Arkansas, offer robust career pathways for students, yet military pathways are often underrepresented, leaving large numbers of learners without meaningful exposure to military career options, requirements, awareness, and opportunities. While JROTC is an outstanding program, it reaches a limited share of schools, creating an access gap that disproportionately impacts rural and smaller districts.

In this session, participants will learn how Arkansas created a statewide, online military pathway designed to be accessible to any high school student regardless of whether their local campus offers JROTC.

Participants will leave with a practical blueprint for how to provide access to the Arkansas Military Service and Security Pathway, including using their own local teacher.

This co‑presented session tells the authentic story of a school district once designated as F‑rated and the deliberate leadership actions that set it on a new trajectory toward improvement and sustainability. Through the combined perspectives of a sitting superintendent and a state leadership development coach, participants will examine how clear vision, disciplined systems, and aligned leadership practices can drive meaningful change—even under intense accountability pressure.

Meaningful access begins when educators take ownership of their growth and commit to systems that support all learners. This session explores how high schools can build practices that ensure students with lower cognitive abilities have authentic access to general education environments, while also ensuring students ready for enrichment have opportunities to stretch, challenge themselves, and excel. Participants will learn practical strategies for preparing all educators and staff, implementing grading practices that reflect growth and opportunity, and designing master schedules that expand access.
Attendees will leave with actionable ideas to strengthen collaboration, build staff confidence and ownership, and create a culture where every student and educator can grow and succeed.

School leaders often recognize the importance of using data to guide instruction, but many struggle with building systems that consistently translate data into improved student outcomes. This session will focus on how instructional leaders can design and implement structures that support teacher collaboration, data-driven decision making, and targeted intervention in both middle and high school settings.

Participants will explore practical strategies for creating effective instructional leadership teams, implementing short data cycles, strengthening RTI systems, and coaching teachers to respond to student learning needs. The session will include real examples of how these systems were implemented to increase student growth, strengthen instruction, and improve overall academic performance.

Attendees will leave with actionable ideas and leadership strategies they can immediately apply in their own middle or high school to build strong instructional systems and drive student success.

* These systems were used to support a school improvement effort that increased overall student performance, letter grade from a C to a B and strengthened instructional alignment across departments.