Jacksonville North Pulaski School District Partners with the PEER Network to Support
Teachers & Leaders
[Jacksonville, AR] - The Jacksonville North Pulaski School District is taking additional steps to provide support to teachers and school leaders at a time when teacher shortages persist. The PEER network is a partnership between the Arkansas Public School Resource Center (APSRC) and the Crowley’s Ridge Educational Service Cooperative (CRESC) designed to help partner schools recruit, develop, and retain diverse and highly qualified staff using distributed leadership.
The PEER network is funded by the federal Teacher and School Leader (TSL) grant, which was awarded to APSRC in the fall of 2021. Through the PEER network, partner schools receive
training, coaching, and job-embedded support. Partner schools also receive personalized performance management to ensure schools, school leaders, and teacher leaders meet or exceed their goals.
“I am so honored that Taylor Elementary has been selected to participate in the PEER Networkalong with other schools throughout the state,” said Principal Brandy Howell. “This honor will assist mine and the district's efforts in ensuring that all scholars at Taylor Elementary have a highly qualified and effective teacher. I am excited and I look forward to seeing the positive results this initiative will offer.”
The PEER network employs a Performance Based Compensation System (PBCS) that provides incentives to schools when they meet their goals. The incentive structure is based on a holistic view of schools that includes student achievement and growth, the development of teacher leaders, the support of school leaders, and the utilization of recruitment and retention strategies to establish and maintain a diverse and highly qualified staff. The mission of the PEER network is to meet the unique needs of rural Arkansas schools and build capacity by empowering teacher leaders in a learning community.