Sankofa founder urges LRSD to study microschool model after large NWEA gains

Ayesha Green, founder of Sankofa Learning Academy, presented the micro-school model to the Little Rock School District board and invited board members to visit the school and review data supporting the program.

Green described Sankofa’s model — two mixed-age classrooms serving 21 kindergarten-through-6th grade students, small learning communities, early intervention, culturally responsive instruction, and strong family partnerships. She told the board that on the NWEA MAP assessment Sankofa students’ reading proficiency rose from 31 percent in the fall to 69 percent by spring, and that math proficiency increased from 11 percent to 53 percent during the year. "By spring, we increased that to 69 percent," she said while summarizing the school's results.

Multiple parents and community members gave public testimony earlier in the meeting about Sankofa’s impact on their children’s reading and math scores and social development. The administration said Sankofa is part of the district’s information-gathering under Project EDGE (an Arkansas Department of Education initiative) and that the district will have a Project EDGE briefing in September to explore microschool options, funding models and design parameters.

Board members asked about translating Sankofa’s custom curriculum to state-standard tests and capacity if a model were expanded. Green and staff said NWEA measures growth and is adaptive, while the state's ATLAS test is grade-level specific; the administration said Project EDGE and ADE guidance will help work through funding and operational questions.