Education

The Blytheville area has four public school systems and a community college.

Public Schools  

Armorel School District

Web Site: http://armorel.crsc.k12.ar.us/

Armorel School District has a current enrollment of 412 students in K-12. The district has 41 certified faculty members and 26 classified employees. Elementary classrooms are equipped with the Light Speed sound system. There is a complete computer lab in the elementary school. Both the Accelerated Reader and Accelerated Math programs are offered. Seventy-four percent of our fourth graders scored Proficient or Advanced in both Math and Literacy Benchmark exams, ranking among the top in the county. Gifted and Talented Programs are offered at all levels, as is our Special Services for those students with special challenges.

The district currently offers 48 units of credit in high school, with a fully certified staff. AP classes are offered in English and Math, and in 2004 AP classes in Science and American History will be added. The district also offers Accelerated Reader and Accelerated Math in grades 7-9. Additionally, the district offers concurrent credit courses with Arkansas Northeastern College. Armorel also offers Music and Drama, with both departments growing. In athletics, basketball is offered in grades 4-12, track in grades 7-12, and baseball and softball in grades 9-12.      

Blytheville School District

Web Site: blytheville.k12.ar.us

"Striving for Excellence" is the motto of the Blytheville School District. This excellence is achieved by a well-developed and enriched curriculum, outstanding teaching, administrative support, and the involvement of the parents and citizens of this community.

Parents are welcome participants in their children's educational needs.

All schools in the Blytheville School District have been awarded the highest possible accreditation by the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges. The district also meets stringent state standards.

The Blytheville School District consists of three levels of education.  The elementary level of education includes Blytheville Primary (grades K-2), Central Elementary (grades 3-4), and Blytheville Intermediate (grades 5-6). These schools also incorporate balanced literacy classrooms as well as a rounded curriculum. The curriculum is a team effort in instruction of core subjects while injecting music, physical education, library, and counseling. The Blytheville Intermediate School expands the curriculum offering band and art programs.

Computer laboratories are used in each school. The Early Childhood Connections, which emphasizes reading and writing skills serves the primary students, while the Instructional Microcomputer Project for Arkansas Classrooms serves the intermediate students. Keyboarding classes are provided for junior high students, and a multiplicity of computer courses in place for high school students.

The secondary system of Blytheville School District includes Blytheville Middle School (grades 7-8), Blytheville High School (grades 9-12), and Blytheville Charter School (grades 7-12). The team approach is utilized in the middle school. The high school exceeds the state 38-unit requirement for graduation. The high school has many specialized programs including building trades, business/marketing education, computer engineering, horticulture, and two foreign languages (French, & Spanish). The high school also offers advanced placement courses in all core subjects. Some of those courses include European History, Statistics, and Chemistry II. The secondary curriculum is also enhanced with a variety of athletic programs and fine arts. The Blytheville Charter School prepares students for continuing education, modern vocations, and citizenship that will lead to productive lives after secondary education is completed.

The Blytheville School District offers many other special programs in all levels of education. For further information on The Blytheville School District, please visit blytheville.k12.ar.us.

Gosnell School District No. 6
600 Hwy. 181, Gosnell, AR
HOME OF THE PIRATES
Web Site: http://pirates.crsc.k12.ar.us/links.htm

The mission of Gosnell Public Schools embodies the belief that each student will be provided an equal opportunity to reach his/her full potential in all curriculum areas. This is achieved by providing a program that allows for the maximum growth potential of the student emotionally, physically, socially, and academically. We believe that the total education of a student also encompasses a strong, positive self-concept combined with a solid knowledge of the curriculum and must be enriched with a firm foundation of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. We are committed to provide a safe and positive educational environment conducive to the development of all aspects of the student’s learning process. Our mission will provide the foundation for the success of the student in a rapidly changing technological society.

Accreditation

All of the Gosnell Schools are members of the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges. The Arkansas Department of Education reviewed Gosnell’s Arkansas Consolidated School Improvement Plan in 2002 and identified the Gosnell Schools as excellent in all areas in grades K-12. Our schools exceed the standards of the North Central Association and the Arkansas Department of Education.

Gosnell Elementary School has a graded instructional program involving children from kindergarten through sixth grade. Grades K-5 are modified self-contained with specialized classes in music, art, P.E., library, and guidance. Grade 6 is departmentalized. Title 1, resource room, self-contained, speech, and GATE classes are provided for students with specific needs and abilities. Various opportunities are available to students, which expand the basic academic instruction and provide for various abilities of the students. Such opportunities include: Student Advisory Council, Citizen of the Month, B.U.G. Club, President’s Education Awards Program, Science Fair, Odyssey of the Mind, Spelling Bee, Art Fair, basketball program, and IMPAC Computer Labs.

Secondary

Gosnell Secondary School serves grades seven through twelve. Grades seven and eight and grades nine through twelve are assigned to separate buildings. The curriculum offers a variety of college preparatory, business, fine arts, and physical education courses. Opportunities are available in music (instrumental and choral), art, computer, vocational, and school-to-work courses. For those students with special needs or special abilities, the school provides Gifted and Talented, resource, self-contained resource, and speech pathology classes. Advanced Placement courses are available in calculus, physics, and English IV. A variety of extracurricular activities provide students with opportunities to develop socially and to become responsible citizens. The Peer Counselors, D.A.R.E, and Smart Choices programs are offered through cooperation of the city of Gosnell. Our greatest asset is the student body. Our students are well-disciplined, happy young people with a positive attitude toward education. They have won three different state championships in varsity athletics. New students are welcomed!

Staff Development

All certified employees are currently receiving inservice that helps Gosnell Schools meet the standards and goals of the Arkansas Consolidated School Improvement Plan. All certified employees exceed minimum required hours of inservice training each school year. Our teachers meet the highest certification standards of the Arkansas Department of Education and the North Central Association.

Testing

Students in grades K-11 are given either a norm referenced or a criterion-referenced test each year. Juniors and seniors have access to the ACT and PSAT exams. We also have special tutoring summer sessions to assist seniors with the ACT.

The regular meeting of the Board of Education is the last Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. in the administration building.

Gosnell Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, age, national origin, or qualified handicap.    

KIPP Delta Public Schools

KIPP Blytheville College Preparatory School opened in summer 2010 with its first class of fifth graders and will add additional grade levels each year until it serves grades 5-8. KIPP Blytheville is part of the national network of KIPP schools: free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public schools with a track record of preparing students in underserved communities for success in college and in life. There are 99 KIPP schools serving over 21,000 students nationwide. KIPP Blytheville is part of KIPP Delta Public Schools, which also includes an elementary, middle, and high school in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas. As an open-enrollment charter, any student willing to uphold the Commitment to Excellence is eligible to attend KIPP Blytheville.

The mission of KIPP Blytheville is to empower our students to develop the essential knowledge, skills, and character traits to pursue a college education and a life of value, joy, and integrity. We have a team that is dedicated to doing whatever it takes to help students be successful. We have a longer school day, and hold classes two Saturdays per month and for three weeks in the summer. At each grade-level, students learn specific values such as hard work, kindness, responsibility, and integrity. Students at KIPP Blytheville both strengthen their foundation in reading, math, and science and develop their skills in subjects beyond the core curriculum, such as art, music, physical education and archeology. Through the arts, extra-curricular activities, sports, and monthly field lessons, students are exposed to a breadth of experiences that will empower them to attend the college or university of their choice and find success there and beyond.

KIPP Blytheville College Preparatory School inspires college-bound scholars to value learning and to work hard. Students develop proficiency on and exceed grade-level standards while independently exploring questions about the world. KIPP Blytheville provides opportunities for all students to pursue their passions, develop expertise in what they care most about, and use their knowledge to exercise responsibility in their community, country, and world. KIPP Blytheville offers the students of northeast Arkansas an education that focuses on both character and academics. The common thread uniting every student at KIPP is tour dedication to “Work hard” and “Be nice”.

Higher Education

The residents of the Greater Blytheville Area area place a great value on higher education. Aspiring students have wonderful educational opportunities through Arkansas Northeastern College, which is based in Blytheville, but hosts locations throughout Northeast Arkansas. ANC www.anc.edu has a variety of innovative programs that service local high schools, local industry and the college offers some four-year programs in conjunction with other state universities.

Blytheville is also located near several communities that host institutions of higher learning for those who want to further pursue a degree of interest.