The Academies of Central Arkansas is a joint transformation of the high school experience for all scholars in the Jacksonville North Pulaski, Little Rock, North Little Rock and Pulaski County Special School Districts. The goal of the Academies is to bring relevance and rigor to our classrooms that aligns with a scholar’s post-secondary plans. In doing so, we create graduates who are prepared for what comes next – no matter if that next step includes college or post-secondary training, entry into the workforce or enlistment. Our graduates will be active participants in their own learning journey, benefiting from the systems and structures in place to support them along that path.

Academies offer students small learning communities within the larger, comprehensive high school campuses. These small learning communities (SLCs) create a personalized learning environment where students in each academy share the same teachers, guidance counselors, administrators, and academy coaches. Teachers within the academy model have weekly meetings where they meet to plan lessons across the curriculum, so that core content classes can be taught through the lens of the academy they are enrolled in. They will also this shared planning time to monitor individual student outcomes and implement interventions to ensure all students succeed academically and socially.

Partnerships with local businesses provide hands-on, authentic learning experiences for scholars in the academy that they have partnered with. Students have the opportunity to hear from guest speakers, participate in industry tours and visits, have access to a career mentor and job shadowing opportunities, have the opportunity to earn concurrent college credit and industry-recognized credentials, and to participate in a senior capstone project or an internship – all because of the strategic partnerships with local businesses that are developed within the academy model.