The Public Education Foundation of Little Rock (PEF) initiatives relate to our goals of increasing student achievement, providing high quality professional development for teachers and administrators, and increasing the parental and community support for the Little Rock School District.

• 2010 Innovative Grant Goal: Send Every LR 7th Grader to "World of Pharaohs" Exhibit
• Innovative Idea Grants, 2002-2009, 142 Grants Awarded Totaling $437,650
• Working to Increase Graduation Rates Using Early Warning Indicators
• Project SOAR, 2004-2009, $1,050,000
• Academic Signing Day, 2005-2009: Priceless
• Teacher Achievement Program: Innovation in Education, 2004-2009, $800,000
• Ongoing Support Given to Teacher of the Year Ceremony, Computers for Kids, and Delta 4 Literacy Classic

In 2010, the Public Education Foundation will use Innovative Grant funds to send Little Rock 7th grade students and teachers to the Arkansas Art Centers' "World of the Pharaohs" Exhibit. It is our goal that every 7th grade student have the opportunity to see the exhibit firsthand and benefit from this exciting, content-rich, learning experience. We hope you will donate today, so that every 7th grade child will be able to attend!

On April 28, 2009, the Public Education Foundation of Little Rock provided its seventh year of Innovative Grants to teachers and principals in the Little Rock School District. The Little Rock School District continues to benefit from the leadership and generosity of the Public Education Foundation's board and donors as they gave $20,743 to fund the 2009 Innovative Education projects in the Little Rock School District. This represents a total of 142 student achievement projects, and $438,650 given by the Foundation specifically for Innovative Grants over the last seven years. It is a significant component of the 2.5 million-dollar total spent by the Foundation for all its projects in the Little Rock School District which support improving student achievement. Grant amounts ranged from $200 to $5,000, and all projects target student achievement or parent and community involvement initiatives.

Two teams of Public Education Foundation board members, donors, school board members, city board members, district personnel, and community volunteers traveled by school bus to the schools receiving grants. The teams SURPRISED the recipients in their classrooms with balloons and "checks." The Public Education Foundation's Innovative Idea Grant Program is made possible through strong public school support and the generosity of its donors. Joe Hilliard, PEF Board President noted, "Our donors represent all walks of life - individuals, families, corporations, and foundations - who recognize the impact public education makes on our community and economy. We should be very proud of our teachers who work so hard for our children every day. This is just one way we, as a Foundation, show our support and appreciation. "

In 2009, the PEF brought in experts from the Philadelphia Education Fund to share their work with the Little Rock School District, outlining data systems and interventions that directly help at-risk students and result in higher graduation rates. The PEF will continue to bring in national experts and model best practices for use in the Little Rock School District.

In 2009, the PEF contributed $50,000 toward the use of The Learning Institute and SOAR now used in all 42 Little Rock School District Schools. This tool provides formative assessment, model lessons, and national, state, and local student achievement results by district, school, class, and student. This student data is used to assist schools and teachers in evaluating past performances, highlighting successful practices, and identifying areas of student improvement.

The Learning Institute and SOAR builds and supports learning communities in schools that have a strong focus on data-driven instruction and targeted professional development for teachers. Funding for the Learning Institute and SOAR was provided through a powerful partnership of state and regional foundations and corporations such as the Trinity Foundation, Riggs Benevolent Trust, Entergy, Acxiom, Walton Family Foundation, Bank of America, and the Lisenne and Win Rockefeller Family.

All LRSD Students in grades 2-9 are tested quarterly on the skills outlined by the LRSD curriculum maps. The Learning Institute houses data from student tests and makes the data available to teachers and administrators. These 'spot checks' of student understanding completed while a student's knowledge is being formed will allow teachers to identify and address every individual student's needs. Quarterly Project SOAR testing helps prepare students for the annual Arkansas Benchmark Exams and nationally normed reference tests.

It is not unusual to see media coverage when high school athletes sign letters of intent to participate in college-level sports, but students who achieve academic success typically do not attract public recognition. The PEF, the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce, and Centennial Bank joined forces to host Academic Signing Day to showcase the success of 61 seniors from Little Rock's five public high schools. Many members of the Class of 2009 received significant academic awards and substantial scholarships, and a number of them will attend some of the nation's most prestigious universities. Academic Signing Day honors a select few of high-achieving students in the Little Rock School District. To qualify, all students honored must have a high level of academic achievement throughout their high school years and must have also been offered or received a significant academic scholarship at a major college or university. "Many times we save our highest tribute for those talented students who have excelled in athletic competition; however, this event rightly continues a tradition of showcasing those student champions who have excelled in the classroom," stated Bob Birch, Regional President for Centennial Bank.

Established the Teacher Achievement Program that rewarded teachers and staff for students' academic improvement. This program grew to include five LRSD schools and led to state-wide teacher incentive legislation. Schools across the state can now compete for state funds to support such programs. The PEF supports forming a LRSD Teacher Achievement Study Commission made up of teachers, parents, administrators, and community leaders to gain further input into the design of teacher incentive programs. The Achievement Challenge Pilot Project began at Meadowcliff Elementary School in 2004-2005 funded by a grant from the Hussman Foundation through the Public Education Foundation of Little Rock. For the 2005-2006 school year, the project was expanded to include Wakefield Elementary School and was funded by the Hussman Foundation. The Little Rock School District funded the cost of the incentives at Meadowcliff Elementary in the second year of the project.

Three more elementary schools - Mabelvale, Romine and Geyer Springs - were added for the 2006-2007 school year. The Achievement Challenge project for these three schools was funded by the Public Education Foundation of Little Rock with grants from the Hussman Foundation, the Walton Foundation and the Brown Foundation. The Little Rock School District is funding the incentives for both Meadowcliff and Wakefield.

Principals, teachers and staff members of five Little Rock School District elementary schools shared in $242,507 earned through the district's Achievement Challenge Pilot Project, a program begun in the 2004-2005 school year in conjunction with the Public Education Foundation of Little Rock. The Achievement Challenge project directly provides incentive payments for principals, teachers and school employees for academic gains that exceeded a typical year of progress made by students on a standardized test.

Overall, four of the five schools reported above average achievement gains in a nationally normed test ranging from 8.5 percent to 0.1 percent. The fifth school saw gains in some individual classes but the school average score dropped by 4.1 percent. The five schools are Meadowcliff, Wakefield, Mabelvale, Romine and Geyer Springs.

The PEF works to increase parental and community support for the Little Rock School District: Sponsored the LRSD Teacher of the Year Awards, Computers for Kids, the Delta 4 Literacy Classic, Superintendent Brown Bag Lunches, Community Education Forums, and participated at the state level on committees monitoring principal development, leadership, and student assessment and growth models.