Little Rock School District reviews first year of Promise Academy, expands behavior and autism supports with clinical partners

The Little Rock School District on June 26 reviewed the first year of Promise Academy and outlined expanded district behavior and autism supports that include on-site clinicians, new transition classrooms and professional development.

District leaders told the Board of Education that Promise Academy, an ADE day-school program that began this year at Stevens Elementary, served nine high-need students with intensive individualized instruction and social-emotional supports. Dr. Angelina Giles, who presented the Promise Academy review with Morgan Ewing, said the program recorded measurable gains in oral reading fluency and a marked drop in significant behavioral incidents by the end of the year.

The school-based team credited ongoing reassessment, a classroom "hub" for cooling-off and close coordination with related-service staff for the improvements. "By the second semester, we were really practicing restorative justice ... there were no significant incidents that resulted in suspensions," Giles said.

Separately, the district described plans for Wildcat Achievers, a new behavior/transition program that will operate out of Carver-Washington next school year. Lakita Weston (program administrator) and Angelica Carter (behavior program…