鈥淜endall Burton was a great kid,鈥� said Williams, who鈥檚 built close relationships with all of his players, but especially this affable teen. 鈥淚 would let him date my daughter, you know, that type of kid. I always tell everybody he was the coach鈥檚 son.鈥�

Shaketa Simmons, Burton鈥檚 mother, said Kendall felt the same way: 鈥淗e loved Coach Williams. He would always say, 鈥楥oach Williams got our back. He would do anything for us.鈥欌��

Williams, who understands the grinding poverty that can lead some students astray, has always encouraged his players not to squander the opportunity they鈥檝e earned through sports. But he had struggled in recent weeks to relate that message: Burton was a clean-cut kid who stayed out of trouble and still, his future was taken from him.

Burton鈥檚 death devastated the coach and now he found himself summoning the young man, who he picked up every morning before practice, to help keep his teammates on track amid their sorrow.

鈥淚 tell them, 鈥榊ou have to carry on, fight hard to be that person you are because your friend is looking at you,鈥欌�� Williams said. 鈥溾�楬e鈥檚 clapping from heaven.鈥欌�� 

Boys to men 

A former Pine Bluff football player himself, Willliams, now 40, helped lead some of the most storied teams in the country, including the one belonging to Duncanville High School just outside Dallas: They won in the last two years and were in the nation. 

But no matter where he worked, he kept an eye on his football roots. He knew Pine Bluff players had talent, but somehow that wasn鈥檛 translating into college offers. Williams eventually discovered why: Some didn鈥檛 have the grades and none got the exposure they deserved.

Upon taking the coaching job in 2022, Williams immediately installed an academic-focused program: Players would practice in the morning and sit for study hall and tutoring in the afternoon. They would also participate in a character-building program 鈥� another of the coach鈥檚 initiatives 鈥� where they might learn to tie a tie or talk to a judge to better understand the criminal justice system.

鈥淔rom Day One, I knew I needed to do something to try to change their grades,鈥� Williams said. 

For the sophomores, juniors and seniors, he built each player鈥檚 social media profile on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and alerted the recruiters he鈥檚 worked with through the years.

鈥淥nce I started sending those things out, it started drawing attention to a lot of the great athletes we have,鈥� he said. 

Among them: Jonathan Goins Jr., 17, and Landon Holcomb, 18, who both committed to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff at the Feb. 7 signing. Chandler Laurent, 18, and who has earned a 4.1 GPA, will play for Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. Makyrin Goodwin, also 18, is headed to Henderson State University in Arkadelphia. All received full or partial athletic or academic scholarships. 

Goodwin, who plays both right and left tackle 鈥� really anything on the offensive line,  is looking forward to the next chapter of his life and thanked his coach for the progress he鈥檚 made until now. 

鈥淗e is the best coach I ever had,鈥� Goodwin said of Williams. 鈥淗e makes sure we do good in school and everything. He鈥檒l just call and check on you sometimes.鈥� 

Williams himself was an excellent running back 鈥� potential NFL material 鈥� but didn鈥檛 end up making it that far, in part, he said, because his high school coaches, whom he adored, weren鈥檛 focused on recruiting. So, he said, he did not have a shot at a big-time college. Instead, he attended Paul Quinn College in Dallas on a partial football scholarship. 

And that鈥檚 why, when he became a coach himself, he prioritized recruiting, getting his players on the right schools鈥� radar and making sure they had the grades to be NCAA eligible, which for Division I schools means a GPA of 2.3 or higher in their core classes and 2.2 or better for Division II.

Coach Williams is a godsend and he has a heart for children. Not just sports. I said children. And under his tutelage, they become men.

Principal, Ronnieus Thompson

Principal Ronnieus Thompson appreciates Williams鈥檚 hard-earned connections and partnerships with colleges and universities. Four of his senior players have been given scholarship offers at DI colleges this school year, including Goins and Holcomb.

 Two others penned national letters of intent in December 鈥� both to the highly regarded University of Missouri, part of the powerhouse Southeastern Conference and this year. Headed to Mizzou are Courtney Crutchfield, a four-star athlete who was the No. 1 high school football player in the state and number 11th in the nation under Williams鈥檚 leadership, and three-star athlete, Austyn Dendy, 17, who is ranked fourth in Arkansas. 

Bringing the total headed to college to eight, cornerback Perrea Little signed with DIII Centenary College of Louisiana just this week and wide receiver Marquez Brentley Jr. accepted an academic scholarship to the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

鈥淐oach Williams is a godsend and he has a heart for children,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淣ot just sports. I said children. And under his tutelage, they become men.鈥�

鈥楾he person I am today鈥�

The coach describes himself as strict. He doesn鈥檛 mind adding some bass to his voice to deliver a point on the field and players who arrive late to 6 a.m. practice will find themselves pushing a 45-pound plate 100 yards before moving on to exhaustive drills.

In his softer moments, he talks to them about family trouble, girl problems and how they sometimes can鈥檛 wash their clothes at home because the power has been cut off. In that case, Williams invites them to use the school鈥檚 washer and dryer. 

鈥淚鈥檝e been poor,鈥� he tells them. 鈥淚 know how it feels to wake up and there鈥檚 roaches in your food or maggots in your rice: You haven鈥檛 been through anything that I haven’t been through. But success comes from being a powerful young man and being able to fight through adversity.鈥�

Sometimes, when Williams was a young boy, his own family would lose electricity and the three kids and their parents would all sleep together in the same room to keep warm. And it wasn鈥檛 uncommon for him to look out the window, he said, to see his parents picking up cans on the side of the road to afford a 49-cent pack of hot dogs.

鈥淚f we were going to play baseball, my mom would go out and search every thrift store to try to find us a glove,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t may have been old but, you know, we made the best out of it. It helped make me into the person I am today.鈥�

Emmanuel Hudson, 16, and a defensive tackle, said the coach always comes through for him. He鈥檚 given the teen food when he鈥檚 hungry and, most recently, a dress shirt for a formal school event: Many come from a small collection Williams keeps in his office in case such a need arises. 

鈥淗e鈥檚 just been so good in my life,鈥� Hudson said. 鈥淟ike a stepfather, for real.鈥�

It鈥檚 the type of support that鈥檚 helped him through the loss of his friend, Kendall Burton, who was shot dead Jan. 12 at an intersection close to his grandmother鈥檚 house. 

The investigation into Burton’s death remains open and Pine Bluff police did not respond to a request last week for an update. Earlier, department spokesman David DeFoor told 蜜桃影视 police had a suspect in mind but not enough evidence to make an arrest. The department was asking for the public鈥檚 help, offering up to a $10,000 reward for information that leads to a conviction.

Simmons credits the entire team for being such a positive part of her son鈥檚 life, which was marked by a grave struggle long before he was gunned down: A growth on Burton鈥檚 neck when he was 8 was diagnosed as Hodgkin鈥檚 lymphoma. 

鈥淭hose are his brothers,鈥� Simmons said of his fellow players.

Sitting in her son鈥檚 bedroom, which she鈥檚 turned into a memorial, his pictures and jerseys hung up on the walls, Simmons said it鈥檚 the family鈥檚 deep sense of faith that she leans on now that her son is gone. As a child battling cancer, Burton would tell his mother not to worry, that, 鈥淕od got me.鈥�

鈥淲hen I think about my boy 鈥� I just want to cry, I just want to let loose,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut most of the time I can鈥檛 because the spirit comes to me and says, 鈥楴o, I got Kendall.鈥� When I hear that, I鈥檓 like, 鈥極K, OK, I hear you.鈥欌��

The new model students 

Williams鈥檚 father, Micheal Sr., a minister of music, drove a school bus for Pine Bluff for 20 years and had numerous jobs after that. He eventually became a preacher who also sang and played piano at a local church and nearby prison. At one point, he owned a used car lot in Pine Bluff, but his generosity undermined his efforts: A customer with a particularly heart-wrenching story might walk away with a free vehicle, his son said.

His father never saw Williams play when he was younger because he was always working. Now, he never misses a game: He broadcasts them on Facebook. Williams鈥檚 mother, Pamela, who became a nurse, remains her son鈥檚 biggest fan. Hers is often the loudest voice cheering from the stands. And her son鈥檚 spare supply of dress shirts and the like often comes from her, the result of Pamela Williams regularly bargain hunting for those in need. 

鈥淪he taught me the gift of giving,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淭hey both did.鈥�

It was that sense of wanting to give back and improve the lives and prospects of young people that drew him home. It鈥檚 a notion shared by many: Williams arrived in a city already working hard to bring about positive change. It opened an enviable in 2019 and has plans to long-neglected parts of the community, including historic buildings. But perhaps the most life-changing moment for Pine Bluff students will come when the district breaks ground on a new, state-of-the-art high school, replacing a decades-old facility with roofing so decrepit that it rains inside classrooms and hallways. 

鈥淭he right work is being done,鈥� said Thompson, the principal. 鈥淗ave we made it all the way there? Of course not. But we are taking those steps in the right direction.鈥�

Thompson credits the coach for being a critical part of this effort, adding that his reach extends well beyond the field: When students struggle in other areas of their life, he鈥檒l call upon their teachers and counselors for help. 

鈥淲e don鈥檛 have trouble with the athletes anymore,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淭hey used to be some of the biggest knuckleheads. Now, they鈥檙e model students and that鈥檚 the way it should be. I鈥檓 glad that he鈥檚 here.鈥�

Micah Holmstrom, a 10th- and 12th-grade English teacher, said Williams鈥檚 mandatory study hall has allowed him to chase down students who were missing assignments or who needed extra help.

鈥淚 knew exactly where they were,鈥� Holmstrom said, adding Williams鈥檚 emphasis on academics made his work even easier. 鈥淭hose guys are so comfortable with him and it鈥檚 in a place that鈥檚 a familiar environment: They鈥檙e more willing to sit and hack through some of the difficult stuff than in class.鈥�

Frank Lyles, a math teacher, uses the time to teach kids about complex topics they didn鈥檛  understand in class, including parabolas, a U-shape curve whose contours students can find in their own game: Every ball they throw follows a similar arc, illustrating his lesson. 

Parents, too, credit Williams for helping their children stay focused. Nicole Dendy, whose son, Austyn, will pursue veterinary studies at Mizzou, said football is her son鈥檚 drive. 

鈥淔ootball motivates him,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o, whatever it takes to get him on the field, that鈥檚 what he鈥檚 going to do.鈥�

Hudson, the defensive tackle, helped prepare the gymnasium for the college signing day in Februrary. He was overjoyed to see older players recognized for their athletic and academic success.

鈥淐oach Will and the other coaching staff have been hard on us to put the work in,鈥� he said. 鈥淗e said, from Day One, whatever we want, we鈥檝e got to earn. So, I feel like we earned it and that鈥檚 why we got it.鈥�

]]> /article/how-black-educators-in-americas-fastest-shrinking-city-reimagine-teacher-pipelines/ Wed, 08 May 2024 16:30:00 +0000 /?post_type=article&p=725308 Pine Bluff, Arkansas

When TyKesha and Dedrick Cross met in fifth grade, neither of them could have known that decades later they鈥檇 be married and working as dedicated educators serving kids that look like them in .

In Pine Bluff, Arkansas, people see education as a way out. Many of the Cross鈥檚 classmates moved on to nearby Little Rock, to Texas.

Their city has changed drastically over the last decade, its population dwindling from 49,000 to between 2010 and 2020. Businesses left alongside residents, leaving rusting signs and boarded windows in what once was a thriving . Two main school districts consolidated; school buildings remain vacant.

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But for educators who鈥檝e stayed to hold down the fort like the Crosses, there鈥檚 no question why Pine Bluff is still, as TyKesha calls it, a 鈥渄iamond in the rough,鈥� where they鈥檝e raised their own and their neighbors鈥� children. 

鈥淭he community and the kids we serve is why we stick around. This is home,鈥� said Dedrick, now an assistant principal at James Matthew Elementary. 鈥淩earing these students and trying to have them beat the odds is what keeps us in this area.鈥澛�

The Cross鈥檚 spirit is not unique. Countless local educators and leaders, retired and early career, reared in Pine Bluff or not, share it and are beginning to see signs that stronger schools are not wishful thinking.

In a sprint to make schools families can trust, Pine Bluff is learning what it takes to build up their core: a strong educator workforce.  

Educators are quick to point to the : Quality teachers are the most important factor for student success. Local alternative and traditional university preparation programs are making teaching more financially and emotionally sustainable 鈥� expanding class offerings, child care or mental health grants. Programs are leaning into grow-your-own models, too, recruiting locals who understand students鈥� lived experiences to teach and lead schools. 

The momentum to revitalize has never been stronger. The district has regained control after a state takeover. The district’s new superintendent is committed to making the community a part of changes. A pandemic, local gun violence and new statewide investments have lit a fire for better quality education. 

While many rural schools nationwide face persistent challenges in staffing schools, Pine Bluff offers a different story, starting the 2023-24 school year 99% staffed. 

Pine Bluff鈥檚 educators admit there鈥檚 much more to be done, like ensuring training matches what teachers are struggling with, most recently student behavior and discipline. 

And superintendent Jennifer Barbaree is not one to sugar coat. 

鈥淪ystematically, our academic achievement is very poor. Classroom instruction is not where it needs to be. We have parents telling us that, we have community members telling us that,鈥� Barbaree said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a process 鈥� We鈥檙e not going to go from an F school from the last 10 years to suddenly an A school.鈥� 

Though many were skeptical at first, when a white woman from out of town took the reins, Dedrick thinks it is fading. 鈥淲e needed somebody with some vision and some transparency.鈥�  

The Crosses remember their first meeting with Barbaree fondly. Her frankness was the 鈥渂reath of fresh air鈥� Dedrick had been yearning for, especially from administrators. 

鈥淪he said, I’m gonna tell you, we ain’t got no money,鈥� Dedrick recalled.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 exactly how she said it, ebonics and all,鈥� TyKesha added, smiling. 

TyKesha is hopeful for the future 鈥� in their small but mighty district of about 3,300, 鈥渓ove and untapped potential,鈥� are abundant. 

She and Dedrick know intimately why investing in educators, particularly Black educators and those who reflect the student body鈥檚 demographic, is critical for student success. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 a process 鈥� We鈥檙e not going to go from an F school from the last 10 years to suddenly an A school.鈥� 

Jennifer Barbaree, Pine Bluff Superintendent

After surviving a gunshot wound to the head and becoming pregnant by her senior year, it was an educator who knocked on her grandparent鈥檚 door and urged TyKesha to come back and finish high school. The same person recruited her to become an educator two decades later. 

Now a 9th grade business teacher, TyKesha introduces the next generation of homeowners and entrepreneurs to the pillars of marketing and finance. Her family members were some of the first free Black farmers in Arkansas, to this day running one of Pine Bluff鈥檚 oldest businesses and local favorite for fried catfish: . 

Before teaching, she and Dedrick had careers in banking, real estate and counseling, and job offers out of state. But instead of joining the thousands who have left their hometown, they forged new careers in education. 

Having worked for a decade as a parole and substance abuse counselor, Dedrick knows the range of experiences children have in Pine Bluff, too. Some, he said, have been in survival mode since they were ten. Passing through the front door of one student鈥檚 home, he stepped on a dirt floor. 

Knowing what students go home to has reinforced their decision to stay and make their schools a safe haven for the next generations. Dedrick, now in his first year as an administrator after eight years teaching, has one rule for James

Madison Elementary鈥檚 teachers: that they get to know their students and not holler at them. They get enough of that, he said. 

The couple still wrestle with big questions, like how to curb the gun violence that claimed the lives of one of their students and nearly a child a month last school year. But, Dedrick said, 鈥渋t keeps tugging on us to make that impact here.鈥�

He鈥檚 not alone in his dedication and optimism. More and more, signs show Pine Bluff is rising to strengthen schools鈥� core.

Pathways to bring in more local talent are growing. This fall, more candidates than ever applied to the same 3-year preparation program the Crosses completed: Arkansas Teacher Corps. The partnership with the University of Arkansas provides community members, many already working in schools as paraprofessionals or substitutes, a path to being licensed. 

The district re-assessed all uncertified or emergency certified teachers to ensure they were completing preparation programs or exams. Those without adequate progress by the end of last school year were let go.

And Barbaree鈥檚 candor has shifted how the district has built partnerships with traditional university preparation programs. With a doctorate in the science of reading, she鈥檚 started asking: what textbooks are you using in your reading foundations courses?

鈥淲e need to do a better job partnering with universities and saying,鈥� she said, 鈥渨hat do your teacher prep courses look like? How does that meet the needs of what we need in our districts?鈥�

Kimberley Davis feels the Pine Bluff difference. Dean of the education college at University of Arkansas Pine Bluff, the local HBCU, Davis is no stranger to teacher preparation, having worked at four other universities.

She and Barbaree are on a texting basis. This is what she calls her first 鈥渢rue partnership鈥� with a K-12 district. 

鈥淲e need them, and they need us,鈥� Davis said.

Recruitment for rural realities 

Eyes are on Arkansas鈥檚 teacher workforce in part because of the state鈥檚 2023 LEARNS Act, which boosted the salary floor from $36,000 to $50,000, requiring all teachers complete a yearlong residency guided by a mentor. 

鈥淸LEARNS] was a huge wake up call 鈥� It disrupted the status quo enough that now people are trying something different,鈥� said Brandon Lucius, Arkansas Teacher Corps鈥檚 executive director.  

Instead of recruiting far and wide, local preparation programs are now leaning into a grow-your-own approach to help capture community members working in and around schools, local leaders like the Crosses. 

Offering social-emotional support from the start of teacher preparation has made the difference for educators like TyKesha. Between her network of Arkansas Teacher Corps alumni, local mentors, and tools learned through ATC including yoga certification, she鈥檚 feeling a 鈥渇ive year fire,鈥� not an itch to leave as many do by this milestone. 

More day classes, hybrid offerings and a free multi-day bootcamp for required licensure exams has become the norm at the local HBCU to ensure candidates graduate classroom ready. 

The district is switching things up, too, recruiting at the state鈥檚 flagship public university in Fayetteville and keeping a close feedback loop with local ones. Job posts in key subject areas stay open all year, in anticipation of vacancies. A teacher cadet program helps interested high schoolers matriculate into education classes at local colleges. 

Before its historic population decline, Pine Bluff鈥檚 teacher pool were mostly white graduates from traditional 4-year programs. Now, they usually come out of programs bringing career changers, parents and community members to the classroom through shorter, and more affordable teaching residencies like Arkansas Teacher Corps.

After embracing the grow-your-own model, the district鈥檚 pool flipped to nearly 75% parents of color, 97% first generation college graduates and older career shifters. The program now offers a $2,500 stipend; candidates can apply for grants for mental health services, child care, or personal computers. 

A similar transformation is happening in the administrator pipeline. 

鈥淲e鈥檙e saying we don’t want to drop someone in and hope that they stick,鈥� said IMPACT Arkansas director John Bacon. The 18-month fellowship prepares teachers to become administrators in low-income districts, heavily subsidizing a masters in educational leadership.

鈥楾he time has always been now鈥� 

To ensure Pine Bluff鈥檚 educators can stay in the field for the long haul, rising and longstanding teacher leaders name two needs: mentorship and social-emotional support. 

Burnout is the common culprit for departures or a dip in teaching quality 鈥� combinations of financial strain, frustration with student behavior that grew more concerning during COVID, and grief from trauma in the community. 

Local teachers in training have heard tales of Mattie Collins, one of Pine Bluff High School鈥檚 revered history teachers known for her firm but fair approach.  

She, like many informal mentors reared in Pine Bluff before and after her, was never interested in waiting for local or state leadership to catch up to the investment she saw as critical 鈥� teachers.

鈥淲ell, the time has always been now to Ms. Collins,鈥� said Collins, who retired after 35 years and now leads a nonprofit for youth to explore STEM careers and prepare for the ACT. 

Her solution to some of the burnout and behavior concerns is relatively simple: have good lesson plans that keep everyone engaged, and make sure that young people know their teacher respects them. 

鈥淚t’s a two way street. It’s not just, respect Ms. Collins cause she’s the older person in the room. It鈥檚 that Ms. Collins respects you and thinks you’re great and wants you to do your best. They’ll do anything for you if they know that you really care.鈥�

That pedagogy lives on in the classroom through her former students turned teachers like Kendra Jones. The type to 鈥渟natch you up,鈥� in a caring way. 

Alongside classics, she uses literature she knows will keep attention and speak to what students care about. Dear Martin and Dear Justyce, two books focused on the experiences of young Black teens experiencing police brutality and navigating the justice system, are on the syllabus this semester. 

But even the beloved Jones has had thoughts about leaving, perhaps to be an administrator and make bigger waves or earn more. To sustain her family, she鈥檚 done hair and meal prepping on the side. 

Many Pine Bluff teachers work multiple jobs. Though LEARNS boosted the floor for teachers, it didn鈥檛 bake in funding or planning to level set pay for more experienced educators. With a master鈥檚, Jones now makes the same as a first year teacher. Once she finishes her doctorate, she鈥檇 only see about a $3,000 increase annually.

On top of it all, Pine Bluff is a community in grieving. 

Jones went to five student funerals last year alone. In the back of her classroom shines a framed photo of one student, murdered six days after his birthday, a gift from his mother. 

鈥淚 look at the crime rate. I look at how our babies are being taken from us,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 things like that that make you say I can鈥檛 do this.鈥� 

In those moments, she calls on her mentors. 鈥淏ut then you have people that have been here who also had those opportunities to leave like Ms. Collins and Mattie Glover and Virginia Hines. They’re retired and could be at home on the beach, but they’re still advocating.鈥�

So is Jones, who has a reputation as the 鈥渢rouble teacher鈥� for making noise on behalf of students. When people speak ill of Pine Bluff, she鈥檚 quick to remind them where their roots are. 

鈥淪omebody’s got to say something because right now what we need for our kids is not what it should be,鈥� said Jones. 鈥溾�� I know what it could be and I have positive aspirations that greater is coming.鈥�

To TyKesha, who teaches down the hall, the common denominator that anchors her, Jones and Pine Bluff鈥檚 鈥渃ommunity of fighters” is love. 

Many of her students grew up in the same projects she did. Her classes start in the dark 鈥� a few minutes of free time with overhead lights off: listen to a song, watch a game, just pause for a moment. The only sound is the slow drip of water from a decorative fountain on her desk. 

As students settled in one morning, Cross asked for a weather report 鈥� a social-emotional check-in learned from the Arkansas Teacher Corps. She鈥檒l never forget one response: 鈥渁cid rain,鈥� with things falling from the sky. The phrase raised red flags for Cross, her innate sense of familiarity with her community鈥檚 challenges kicking in. 

She quickly emailed the student鈥檚 counselor, then the principal: their class was headed outside. 

Chalk in hand, students took turns writing on the sidewalk: 鈥測ou鈥檙e not alone,鈥� and 鈥測esterday is not ours to recover but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.鈥� 

It wasn鈥檛 until later the student whose response sparked the activity shared what was on his mind that day鈥�  he had thoughts of taking his own life. The activity gave him encouragement, he said, and opened the door to talking more about his life with Cross and his counselor. 

For Cross, the incident confirmed why she became a teacher  in the first place 鈥� to  make schools the safe haven they were for her growing up. It鈥檚 a stark reminder, too, of the impact of investing in teacher development, to develop talent whose radar would go off like hers did that day. 

鈥淲hy do people stay here? That鈥檚 why,鈥� Cross said tearfully. 鈥淭o know that something I did, passed on to me from a program 鈥� I could have left and went to another big town or city and found another bank to work for, probably made $200,000. But I wouldn’t have been here for that day.鈥�

]]> /article/the-trauma-in-the-room-youth-violence-weighs-heavily-on-pine-bluff-schools/ Tue, 07 May 2024 19:01:00 +0000 /?post_type=article&p=725299 Eric Walden makes a lot of school visits near the end of the academic year, just as the weather turns warmer and the promise of summer vacation beckons.

That鈥檚 when the kids in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, start getting into more fights 鈥� or, as he puts it, when 鈥渂usiness is booming.鈥� Walden is the assistant chief juvenile officer of the local circuit court, charged with overseeing the probation of minor offenders across two counties. He also helps lead the city鈥檚 , a program designed to curb feuds in schools and neighborhoods before they take a deadly turn.

He and his colleagues keep a busy docket in Pine Bluff, a community of about 40,000 nestled in the Arkansas Delta. A stunning number of its residents are , but the city鈥檚 abiding concern the last few years has been crime. Multiple analyses have named it one of the most dangerous places in the United States, with murder rates than the national average, and a tragically high share of the violence .

The wave seemed to crest in 2021. That year saw a record 30 homicides, including that of a 15-year-old boy inside Watson Chapel Junior High School. The building has , its students relocated while awaiting the construction of a new campus. But Walden said the killing, and dozens like it over the past few years, have shaken young people in ways he can sense during trips to classrooms.   

鈥淲hen we bring it up, we can feel the trauma in the room,鈥� Walden said. 鈥淲e know it鈥檚 hard: You were at school with Billy just the other day, and now he’s gone. Maybe you know the kid who killed him, and now one is locked up and the other is deceased.鈥�

Little by little, Pine Bluff is in danger of being hollowed out, with that one out of every eight inhabitants either died or left town between 2010 and 2020. A number of factors are driving them away, from the area鈥檚 relative lack of economic opportunity to its generally poor school performance. But among them is the specter of death hanging over middle and high schoolers. 

As Superintendent Jennifer Barbaree told 蜜桃影视鈥檚 Linda Jacobson, without more trust that children will be safe in district schools, 鈥渘obody’s going to send their kid here, and we’ll never raise our enrollment.鈥�

Both in Pine Bluff and across the United States, education authorities fear that pre-COVID levels of learning can鈥檛 be restored until schools are made safer, with stronger relationships and more trust between students and faculty. Those fears are supported by a wealth of research showing that violence in schools is closely tied to lower academic achievement and life prospects. Students exposed to chaotic behavior, whether inside or outside of school, tend to learn less than their peers in well-ordered environments, and negative perceptions of school environment lead to lower attendance. 

Worry among families has clearly risen since the pandemic. In , 38 percent of American parents 鈥� down somewhat since 2022, but higher than any other period in the last two decades 鈥� said they were anxious about their children鈥檚 physical safety in school. Researcher Jennifer DePaoli said that while mass shootings like those in Uvalde and Parkland receive disproportionate attention in national news, the bulk of school safety problems stem from much less sensational causes.

The conversation about school safety largely comes up after school shootings, and that really diminishes the acts of violence that students typically experience in schools.

Jennifer DePaoli, Learning Policy Institute

“The conversation about school safety largely comes up after school shootings, and that really diminishes the acts of violence that students typically experience in schools,鈥� DePaoli told 蜜桃影视. 鈥淭he bullying and threatening behavior really do make students feel unsafe on a day-to-day basis.鈥�

A changing gang culture

Walden has an unusually keen understanding of those everyday safety problems. He first moved to Arkansas two decades ago, at age 18, after a troubled childhood in Nevada and Kansas. He鈥檇 been involved with gangs as a teenager, even facing adult charges while still a juvenile. 

鈥淚 came to Pine Bluff to get out of trouble,鈥� he said, mingling a note of irony with real appreciation.

We see a lot of that, kids getting put on virtual, because they鈥檙e trying to prevent situations from happening.

Eric Walden, juvenile officer

Hoping to stop local kids from making the same mistakes, Walden signed on as a youth mentor while attending the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. He has been involved in the juvenile justice realm ever since, coordinating grants and working as a training officer before assuming his current role as the assistant chief of staff at the . When he鈥檚 not supervising a dozen probation officers, he ministers to the faithful as associate pastor at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church. 

Walden said the complexion of youth crime has changed significantly, and for the worse, throughout his career. He attributes that transformation in part to the nationwide evolution of so-called 鈥�,鈥� decentralized cliques of young men engaged in criminal acts with little planning or hierarchy. Where conflict in cities like Pine Bluff was foundational groups like the Crips or Gangster Disciples, Walden said involved the killing of a young man by an acquaintance who鈥檇 recently appeared alongside him in a YouTube music video.

“I’d give anything to get back the kids we were seeing 10 years ago because you knew what you were getting then,鈥� he remarked. 鈥淭he kids we’re dealing with now, there’s no regard for adults or teachers. It doesn’t matter if you’re best friends, there’s a good chance you’ll get harmed.” 

The 鈥� an idea developed in the 1990s by celebrated criminologist David Kennedy and road-tested in an array of high-crime cities 鈥� to widespread concern. But it will also take a coordinated effort with state and law enforcement agencies to suppress the gang violence problems in central Arkansas. In a single five-day span last July, the city saw four homicides of victims . 

Erika Evans serves as the president of the Pine Bluff High School Parent-Teacher Organization. She said she was glad that her daughter attended local public schools and that her two older sons graduated as honor students. But safety issues needed to be taken seriously by everyone in the city, she added.

To have some of my children's classmates killed, that's a grave concern for me. We have to make sure that if we see something, we say something.

Erika Evans, Pine Bluff High School Parent-Teacher Organization

鈥淭o have some of my children’s classmates killed, that’s a grave concern for me,鈥� Evans said. 鈥淲e have to make sure that if we see something, we say something. It’s a community effort, and you can’t just say, ‘It’s not going to happen to me.’鈥�

鈥楢lways looking over my shoulder鈥�

As in other cities, most violence in Pine Bluff occurs outside of school. But too often, parents complain, it has spilled into classrooms and hallways as well. 

When students returned from summer vacation in fall 2021 for their first year of full-time, in-person schooling since the start of the pandemic, tore through Pine Bluff High School. Some victims said they were chased through the halls by groups of their classmates. 

Such incidents may not grip to the same degree as the school shooting at Watson Chapel Junior High, but they meaningfully impede learning for the affected kids. The high school was after one 2021 fight, and Walden said that in one district he works in, it wasn鈥檛 uncommon for administrators to proactively send home students they believe to be instigators, or even targets, of violence. 

鈥淚f they get wind that a kid might be getting into it with somebody 鈥� even if the kid was a victim because he was threatened 鈥� they’d tell him not to come to school,鈥� he observed. 鈥淲e see a lot of that, kids getting put on virtual, because they’re trying to prevent situations from happening.”

Results from social science suggest a connection between the fear of in-school violence and poor academic results. Some of the most compelling evidence comes from New York City, where used survey responses from over 340,000 middle schoolers to chart a clear connection between feelings of physical threat in school and lower standardized test scores; the academic harm was greatest in cases where students reported staying home from school because of safety concerns.

Data from other cities point to similar trends. A on perceived safety in Chicago Public Schools found that large numbers of both students and staffers worried about being victimized in school buildings 鈥� especially in areas where fewer adults congregated 鈥� and that schools enrolling larger proportions of low-performing students were more likely to see safety problems. Another , this one based in Philadelphia, showed that the closure of underperforming schools led to a substantial decrease in crime in the surrounding neighborhoods.

Economist Matthew Steinberg, an author of both papers, said it was hard to identify a direct causal relationship because of the nature of the population enrolled in failing schools: largely disadvantaged students who are more likely to be exposed to poverty and instability at home. 

One needs only to have eyes and ears and to have lived in the world to know that if someone feels unsafe, it affects their ability to focus.

Matthew Steinberg, Accelerate

Still, he added, it was undeniable that in schools with greater behavioral challenges, teaching and learning are often subordinated to the need for classroom management.

鈥淥ne needs only to have eyes and ears and to have lived in the world to know that if someone feels unsafe, it affects their ability to focus,鈥� Steinberg said. 鈥淚f I’m a kid in school, and I’m always looking over my shoulder, how does that support my learning?”

Those sentiments were echoed by Stanley Ellis, director of education at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ Institute for Digital Health & Innovation. Last fall, the institute from the U.S. Department of Justice to combat youth violence through partnerships between the Pine Bluff School District and several community and faith-based organizations. The funds target at-risk students for services and train school employees in trauma-informed education. 

Pine Bluff has a very rich, storied history 鈥� a good history. We want students to be contributors to that history, and we need to reduce violence so they can be around to do that.

Stanley Ellis, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Ellis identified social media as a particular conduit of stress between peers, through which bullying and conflict are carried over from school to the wider community. 

“It travels with you from school to the house,鈥� Ellis said. 鈥淵ou can’t concentrate in class because you’re trying to respond to the negative stuff that’s been said about you or your friends or your family members.”

Recalling a 鈥榬ich, storied history鈥�

A native of the Arkansas Delta, Ellis said that Pine Bluff鈥檚 reputation as a place of crime and disorder was belied by its much older record of achievement. 

Freed slaves during and after the Civil War, establishing businesses and occasionally winning local office. Opportunity surged through the mid-20th century with the growth of employment in the and paper industries. While the emergent African American population there was also subjected to during and after Reconstruction, he said, young people were inheritors of a legacy of uplift.

鈥淧ine Bluff has a very rich, storied history 鈥� a good history,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e want students to be contributors to that history, and we need to reduce violence so they can be around to do that.”

Sources agreed, however, that if the city is going to see a revival, it will have to stem the departure of its inhabitants, more than 10,000 of whom left over the last 14 years. One of the keys to that turnaround will be better academic performance from a school system that has recently posted some of the .

Many parents cheered last fall when the school district after years under state supervision. The handover is seen as a reflection of better financial management and real, if modest, growth in student performance.

Now Evans and other parents are looking forward to 2026, when to complete a new high school. Besides offering an upgrade in overall facilities, it is hoped that a new campus will offer new safety features 鈥� the existing campus, spread across multiple structures, is too diffuse for administrators and school resource officers to oversee, parents have complained 鈥� that will relieve students鈥� and teachers鈥� fears about disruptive behavior. 

Evans, who to raise funds for the new building, said she hoped a renewed commitment to education would not only improve public schools, but also reset people鈥檚 expectations of what is possible in Pine Bluff.

鈥淲hen we’ve been out discussing the building of a new high school, we saw the community enthralled,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey were happy to see a brand-new school, and when you bring a new school, the mindset shifts: Here is an opportunity for improvement.鈥� 

]]> /article/pine-bluffs-friendship-schools-bring-hope-to-the-city-no-one-wanted-to-touch/ Tue, 07 May 2024 17:01:00 +0000 /?post_type=article&p=725304 Pine Bluff, Arkansas

Passersby can be forgiven for mistaking Friendship Aspire Academy for a place of worship: One of the elementary school鈥檚 main buildings is actually a repurposed church, a towering, 鈥�60s-era cast concrete sanctuary complete with a pipe organ tucked into an old choir loft.

The architecture suits the tiny elementary school on South Hazel Street, which has taken on a kind of spiritual significance for families since it opened six years ago. The first of seven charter schools here either taken over or built from the ground up by the Washington, D.C.-based , the school has quietly earned a position of trust in a community whose schools often mirror the city鈥檚 decline.

From 2010 to 2020, Pine Bluff鈥檚 population fell 12.5%, the largest drop in any metropolitan area in the U.S. Meanwhile the district lost nearly 2,000 students, or about 41% of its enrollment, according to .

But in just six years, Friendship Aspire Academy has jumped to the top of the ranks of elementary schools, not only in the city but the state, thanks in large part to fully staffed before- and after-care programs, wraparound services like tutoring, a packed calendar of family events and a rigorous, literacy- and math-focused curriculum. 

In Pine Bluff, that鈥檚 enough to persuade many families to give it a try. The school now has a lengthy waiting list, and last year Friendship opened a second elementary school downtown.

Kimberly Davis, dean of the School of Education at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff , said the school is 鈥渞eally changing the outlook on education鈥� in the city. 鈥淵ou look at Friendship, you go into the school, it’s like, 鈥楢m I still in Pine Bluff?鈥欌��

Observers like Davis say the new Friendship schools, while educating just a fraction of local students, have become the de facto alternative to the district as the only charter schools in town. And they鈥檙e helping to restore faith in a city that was once a highly educated, prosperous Black metropolis. 

Davis should know: Relocating here in June 2022, after a nine-year tenure as a professor of special education at Arkansas State University, she recalled, 鈥淧eople were like, ‘Why are you going to Pine Bluff?’ I said, ‘You don’t see what I see. I see potential. And where there is potential, that could be success.’鈥�

鈥楨very kid here has a voice鈥�

For parent Kazmira Davis (no relation to Kimberly), the moment she knew her kids belonged at the school was in 2018, when her daughter sat for skills tests as one of the school鈥檚 first kindergartners. She tested in the second- and third-grade levels in reading and math, respectively. Since then, Davis said, she鈥檚 always tested at least a year above grade level. 鈥淪he hasn’t been stagnant since.鈥�

Our kids have an environment where they feel like they matter. Every kid here has a voice.

Kazmira Davis, Pine Bluff parent

Nor have her two younger siblings, who are also testing above grade level.

鈥淥ur kids have an environment where they feel like they matter,鈥� said Davis, who runs a tutoring and college counseling business. 鈥淓very kid here has a voice.鈥�

The approach amounts to what she calls 鈥淕o mode,鈥� a constant challenge to both students and teachers to push the limits of what鈥檚 possible.

Ten-year-old Kylie, Davis鈥檚 oldest at the school, is now a fifth-grader. She pointed out that she has earned straight A鈥檚 since kindergarten and has no plans to earn anything less than A鈥檚 going forward. “I like the teachers and I have a lot of friends there,鈥� she said.  

She wants to go into clothing design and has already created two shirts for her family鈥檚 Christian-oriented clothing line. She said teachers focus a lot on helping students figure out what they need to be successful once they graduate. 

“Some days in school, they’ll ask you what you want to do when you grow up, and then we’ll have an essay that we have to write,鈥� she said.

Rebecca Newby, one of the school鈥檚 academy directors 鈥� a job equivalent to an assistant principal 鈥� grew up in Pine Bluff and was educated in a district that was long ago swallowed up during one of many rounds of consolidations. In four years, she attended five high schools. She graduated from Pine Bluff High School in 2013, and taught for four years in the nearby district, remembering that the only times parents were invited on campus were for orientation and parent-teacher conferences, she said. 鈥淎nd those were required days.鈥� 

At Friendship Aspire, parent nights are packed, she said. 鈥淵ou can’t even get down the street鈥� because of all the cars parked along the school鈥檚 fence-lined street.

Perhaps most importantly, she and others said, students here, about 98% of whom are Black, are immersed 鈥� often for the first time 鈥� in teaching by well-trained Black instructors, which research shows can have many benefits. In March, researchers at the University of California and the University of North Carolina that Black boys, especially from low-income families, are less likely to be referred for special education when they have Black teachers. 

Many of Friendship Aspire鈥檚 teachers grew up here and were trained at the local branch of the University of Arkansas, an historically Black university. Overall, about 90% of Friendship Aspire staffers are Black.

鈥淚 do see it as a long-standing change agent that Pine Bluff has needed for a long time,鈥� said Newby.  

鈥楢n exporter of talent鈥�

Many see Friendship Aspire and its sister schools as part of a long-term, perhaps even multi-generational, effort to restore Pine Bluff to its former glory as a haven for well-educated, prosperous families. 

But even as the school radiates a contagious, productive energy, it can hardly make up for the loss that so clearly lies at the heart of this community.

Each morning, Mary Ann Lee turns the key to her storefront cafe, Indigo Blue, on a quiet side street off Pine Bluff鈥檚 once prosperous Main Street. Originally a dress shop built in 1883, the renovated building now features Instagram-worthy high ceilings and stylish, comfortable seating that wouldn鈥檛 be out of place in a college-town cafe. Jazz plays on the stereo and historic civil rights memorabilia, lovingly collected over decades by Lee herself, cover virtually every wall. At the back of the room, an eclectic assortment of books, mostly from Lee鈥檚 personal collection, comprise what amounts to an ad-hoc used bookstore. 

But as cozy and inviting as Indigo Blue is, the shop looks out onto abandoned storefronts in nearly every direction. A cake shop opened next door a few years ago, and an engraver now operates on the other side of Lee鈥檚 cafe, but these few establishments, plus one or two nearby, amount to the largest concentration of functioning businesses for blocks.

It wasn鈥檛 always this way.

Just a century ago, the scholar and civil rights pioneer W.E.B. Dubois surveyed the city and found that Pine Bluff had the fourth largest concentration of Black wealth in America. In 1900, a city directory listed 235 Black businesses. 

In 1913, the 23-mile-long , the first concrete road in the South, opened here, reaching about halfway to Little Rock. Drivers would actually ship their cars in by rail to drive on the bump-free, high-tech road.

For generations, a passenger railway station greeted visitors in the center of downtown, as did the magnificent six-story neoclassical and a .

In the late 1950s, Lee, the cafe owner, recalled, 鈥淧ine Bluff used to be 鈥榯he thing,鈥欌�� a bustling little city with department stores, movie theaters, amusements, a horse racing track and an annual carnival. 鈥淵ou couldn鈥檛 even walk on the sidewalks, there鈥檇 be so many people,鈥� she recalled.

The city now has exactly zero movie theaters. The streetcar, department stores and amusements are all long gone. Rail service ended in 1968 and the Pines closed in 1970.

After the loss of much of the domestic cotton industry, as well as decades of disinvestment from manufacturers and government, families moved away, abandoning not just businesses but homes. Block after block of crumbling buildings now haunt the quiet streets. The city鈥檚 population has never exceeded its 1970s census numbers. 

Lee, who attended city schools, remembered that teachers pushed her and other Black students to excel 鈥渂ecause integration was coming and we needed to show that we could compete, and that we can learn just like any other kid.鈥�

She left town in the late 1970s, and would go on to a long career promoting human rights and civil rights in Michigan, first with Detroit鈥檚 city government and later as a leader of the state NAACP. In that sense, she鈥檚 like a lot of Pine Bluff residents who took their good educations and got out.

Over the past century or more, the city has seen a diaspora of smart people leave and, in many cases, never return, said local historian Lori Walker Guelache. They included , co-founder of the National Urban League, and businessman , who founded Tulsa鈥檚 Greenwood district, otherwise known as 鈥�.鈥�

鈥淲e’ve done a great job of cultivating talent historically, but we haven’t done a great job of creating pathways for them to come back,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd so I guess you can say we’ve been an exporter of talent.鈥�

鈥榃e found it鈥檚 a great city鈥�

Those losses have eased somewhat in recent years, she and others said, with small upticks in population for most age brackets 鈥� except two: children, as well as adults aged 35 to 44. 鈥淪o basically young families,鈥� Walker Guelache said. 

That reality, among others, drew Friendship to the region. It now runs 11 schools statewide. Already the operator of half a dozen well-respected charter schools in Washington, D.C., it came here in 2018 at the invitation of the Bentonville-based Walton Family Foundation, which admired its work creating a pipeline of Black teachers 鈥� especially Black male teachers 鈥� in D.C., said Kim Davis, a senior advisor who leads Walton鈥檚 work in the Arkansas and Mississippi Delta. 

鈥淭hey’re really good at not only saying, 鈥楬ey, we think that there is a talented person at the beginning of their career, but we also have a development program for those individuals,鈥欌�� he said. 

Davis also said Friendship鈥檚 willingness and ability to partner with the local University of Arkansas campus was critical to attracting more Black teachers to schools here. 

But the decision on where to invest was up to Friendship, said Phong Tran, its southern regional superintendent. 鈥淧ine Bluff has always been the city that no one wanted to touch,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut we found that it’s a great city.鈥�

In many educators鈥� eyes, Friendship Aspire and the six other network schools 鈥� they include the new downtown elementary school and a new middle/high school 鈥� are leading the push to keep families here. Through its strategic takeovers and new openings, Friendship has quietly built a group of schools that nearly matches the number of remaining district schools, with plans to continue expanding.

A lot of what Friendship has done is to simply offer families a peek into what high-quality schools do, said Friendship Aspire Principal Jherrithan Dukes. Though not a Pine Bluff native, he attended college here at the University of Arkansas and worked at charter and traditional public schools in Little Rock before arriving in the fall of 2020.

Newby, the academic director, said Friendship鈥檚 policy to offer free before- and after-care from the beginning showed that it understood the community. 鈥淲e have working parents that need the support,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd so we offer that free,鈥� an anomaly in the city.

It doesn鈥檛 hurt that the Friendship schools offer nationally recognized curricula that are raising literacy and math skills in ways that other local schools have struggled to do, said Davis, the University of Arkansas dean.

In the most recent state achievement tests, no district-run school earned a grade ; just 19.4% of third-graders districtwide proved 鈥渞eady鈥� or exceeding standards in math and 15.4% in reading. 

At Friendship Aspire, a different trend is beginning to take shape: 75.9% of students scored 鈥渞eady鈥� or exceeding standards in math and 33.3% in reading, scores high enough to earn the school a respectable 70.7% rating, a solid C.

When Friendship expanded last year, one show of support was to build the new elementary school in the heart of downtown, partnering with the local public library, which was renovating its downtown building. 

鈥淲hen you want to revitalize a city, what better place to build a school than downtown?鈥� said Tran, the regional superintendent. 鈥淭here are a lot of parents who come to work downtown. So where are they going to drop their kids?鈥�

For Pine Bluff, that comes with fraught considerations. The city ranks as one of the least safe in the U.S., with more than a dozen teens killed since 2020. So when they designed the new school, architects included a large outdoor space surrounded on all four sides by classrooms to keep students from having to leave the school鈥檚 confines to play outside. 

Kay鈥橪eah King, 12, a sixth-grader at Friendship STEM Academy, said she thinks a lot about safety, and worries about school shootings, which are often on the news. She鈥檚 glad the school, like Friendship Aspire Academy, which she also attended, keeps its doors locked all day. 鈥淥n every door that’s on the outside and in the office, you have to have a key code to get in,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd you can’t get in without it. You can鈥檛 get in through those doors without being let in.鈥� 

Best in the state

Dukes said many of his students鈥� parents vividly remember the substandard education they got in Pine Bluff just a few years ago 鈥� and don鈥檛 want a repeat experience with their kids. 

As a result, they fiercely support the school, organizing events such as the annual 鈥淭runk or Treat,鈥� a Halloween tradition in which they park cars outside the school and essentially recreate house-to-house trick-or-treating for students who may not be able to do it otherwise. Several parents said the city鈥檚 violent crime rate makes them think twice about letting their kids go house-to-house each October.

The school is tidy and orderly. On a recent morning, Dukes patrolled the halls, reminding students to cross their arms in front of them as they pass between classrooms to keep their hands to themselves.

Davis, the Arkansas dean, said her students, teachers in training, push to work at Friendship Aspire and the other network schools, lured by their energy. In a sense, she said, salaries have become less important due to a that raised public school teachers’ minimum salaries from $36,000 to at least $50,000. That puts the burden on schools to support teachers in other ways. 

People were like, 'Why are you going to Pine Bluff?' I said, 'You don't see what I see. I see potential.

Kimberly Davis, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff

Last fall, Friendship brought in the D.C. coaching firm , which provides literacy coaches to work with small groups of students. The Arkansas Public Schools Resource Center also provides tutors and helps teachers pace lessons. And the school partnered with the Detroit-based Center for Strategic Leadership, which helps teachers improve math instruction and provides retention bonuses for those who stick around. 

More importantly, Friendship is offering what many here never got during their K-12 schooling: a plethora of well-trained Black educators. 

Countless adults here can recount the experience of attending school with mostly Black classmates but mostly white teachers. 鈥淕rowing up, the majority of my teachers did not look like me,鈥� said Friendship Aspire Academy Director Brianna Reynolds, who began here as a kindergarten teacher in 2018. 

Growing up, the majority of my teachers did not look like me.

Brianna Reynolds, Friendship Aspire Academy Director

In many years, she said, her only Black teacher was her home economics teacher.

From kindergarten on up, Dukes and others said, Friendship principals prioritize hiring Black teachers. At the new Friendship high school, they comprise half of Principal Anitra Rogers鈥� staff. She recounted literally praying to God to provide the campus with the teachers it needed, 鈥減referably with Black men.鈥�

The result is a small but growing set of schools that are quietly changing people鈥檚 minds about the city, said Reynolds one recent morning. 鈥淚t changes the narrative.鈥� 

As if to underscore the change, that morning as he chatted with Reynolds and other staffers in his office, Dukes received a flat cardboard parcel in the day鈥檚 mail. He sliced it open to reveal a gleaming glass plaque: Friendship Aspire had been named a U.S. News & World Report 鈥�.鈥� The magazine, which ranks schools and colleges nationwide, named Friendship Aspire the 28th-best elementary school in Arkansas and its No. 1 charter elementary school.

As he scanned the plaque, colleagues cheered. Dukes beamed, saying repeatedly, 鈥淭here it is. There it is.鈥� He held it up to pose for photos. 鈥淭here it is.鈥�

鈥榃e’re raising a great generation of students鈥�

Meanwhile, in downtown Pine Bluff, small signs of life are beginning to peek through. A new aquatic center, proposed in 2011, finally opened in 2019. The historic hotel鈥檚 owner to a nonprofit named Pine Bluff Rising, which plans to revitalize it.

And Lee, the cafe owner, is now thinking about renovating the second story of her building to create a loft apartment for her retirement. Forever busy scheduling speakers at the cafe and working with other building owners on downtown preservation projects, she鈥檚 excited about the new possibilities. 

Each morning, she looks out her renovated storefront windows and across West Barraque Street onto a block of three abandoned, brick-wrapped buildings. Their owner says he鈥檚 finally ready to renovate them, with plans for an ice cream shop, loft apartments and a martini bar.

But all of these efforts, locals said, need families to stick around.

Friendship continues to explore new schools and new takeovers, even as the State Board of Education last fall to return full local control of Pine Bluff schools to the district. State officials will continue monitoring the district鈥檚 academic and fiscal performance for another year.

For his part, Dukes, the elementary school principal, is cautiously optimistic 鈥� and patient. He believes real change in the city may take years.

鈥淚 feel like once these kids get older and get grown and come back to this community, we’re going to see a real take-off in the city,鈥� he said. He鈥檚 not actually sure he鈥檒l be around to see it, but he鈥檚 convinced a rebirth is at hand. 鈥淚 feel like we’re raising a great generation of students.鈥�

Disclosure: Walton Family Foundation provides financial support to 蜜桃影视. The foundation also provided early financial support to the Friendship Education Foundation to set up a charter network in Pine Bluff.

]]> /article/dont-believe-the-haters-pine-bluff-is-changing-and-students-are-part-of-it/ Mon, 06 May 2024 19:01:00 +0000 /?post_type=article&p=726089 Pine Bluff, Arkansas

I am the product of a single-parent household. My mother is a God-fearing woman who raised me in the church. She鈥檚 always taught me to be thankful for what I have and to strive to make my community a better place.

While I have a strong love for social media, I must admit it has not made the world the kind of place my mom raised me to envision. Some have used it to negatively portray my home town of Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Based on TikTok and Instagram, you鈥檇 think that crime and crumbling infrastructure are problems unique to us, and not a challenge throughout the United States.

That negative spin may tell part of the story. But it鈥檚 far from the complete picture. It leaves out how residents, particularly students, are working to turn the community around.

My mother made sure I followed the rules, got a good education and stayed safe. But I saw bullying up close when I was in the 9^th grade. Worst of all, I was robbed one morning while walking to school. I lost my phone, my wallet, but most importantly, my sense of security. At Pine Bluff High School, I witnessed students being disrespectful to each other and not accepting people鈥檚 individual differences. I also have friends who got involved in fights. Some lost their lives to violence.

I wanted to prevent others from experiencing what I did. When I was elected president of the Pine Bluff High Student Council in the fall of 2023, I formed a  with the Arkansas Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission to host events on our campus to deter bullying and bring a sense of family to the high school. Students signed agreements to work together and to tell security personnel, their teachers or the principal if someone was being disrespectful or talking about hurting someone. I am happy to say it worked. Some students became friends; others faced disciplinary actions. 

It has been a year of many revelations. Last summer, I was selected to attend , a camp in Conway, Arkansas, that focuses on leadership and civic engagement. My time there awakened me to something my mother tried to shield me from 鈥� namely, that I had little exposure to people of different cultures. As a young Black male from Pine Bluff, whose school population is around 97% African American, I loved the opportunity to meet more white and Asian students from all over Arkansas. 

But the experience also revealed that many of my new friends had far more exposure to technology than we do in our poor school district 鈥� technology like AI, flying drones and robots. In Pine Bluff, we have an after-school program that touches on these subjects, but it would be great to have it offered in school every day.

I am excited that our community is building a , with modern technology and learning spaces that can offer courses in AI and computer programming. I will be in college when the new school is built, but it makes me optimistic for the young scholars who will be attending the best high school in Arkansas in a beautiful, new state-of-the-art building. While my school is already tops in sports 鈥� number one in the state in basketball for the second consecutive year and 2023 5A champions in   鈥� I鈥檓 hopeful that one day the Pine Bluff School District will be number one in academics as well.

After COVID-19, some of us, including myself, fell a bit behind academically, especially in math. Most of us hated virtual learning and sometimes did not pay attention to our teachers. Owning up to the problem, the district鈥檚 and newly appointed school board have introduced academic programs and partnered with community groups to help us catch up. For example, there will be  starting next year. I believe this is going to help scholars increase their retention and knowledge, thus improving test scores. I am proud to say that ACT scores and academics in general are going up. 

I know the doubters are wrong because change is in our bones. Pine Bluff enjoys such a rich history. I am most proud of the fact that, a Pine Bluff attorney, helped to desegregate the University of Arkansas School of Law. I am so impressed that he represented the the Black students who walked into Central High School in 1957, and also served as counsel with Thurgood Marshall, who later became the first Black justice of the United States Supreme Court. 

Branton鈥檚 historical accomplishments inspire me to become an attorney. I want to come back to Pine Bluff and make a positive impact in my community, bringing fresh ideas and helping students from single-parent homes understand that they can be successful in life. I plan to be a positive role model for kids who look like me. 

]]> /article/we-want-our-kids-back-to-entice-families-pine-bluff-looks-to-its-schools/ Mon, 06 May 2024 17:01:00 +0000 /?post_type=article&p=725224 Pine Bluff, Arkansas

Born and raised in this once-vibrant manufacturing hub along the Arkansas River, Sederick Rice likens his troubled hometown to a popular blues song 鈥� 鈥淵ou鈥檝e Got to Hurt Before You Heal.鈥�

Pine Bluff has seen more than its share of pain in recent years. With the 2020 U.S. Census, the community about 40 miles southeast of Little Rock earned the unwelcome distinction of being the in the U.S., losing over 12% of its population in a decade. 

At the time, its school district was under state control, deemed unable to provide students a quality education and manage its fiscal affairs as enrollment plummeted. Businesses and families had long since fled, leaving behind a collection of abandoned buildings and boarded-up houses that even some locals compare to 鈥淭he Walking Dead.鈥�

But newcomers and long-time residents now say they鈥檙e starting to feel a fragile sense of hope. Big-name brands like Marriott and Chick-fil-A set up shop in town. The district regained authority over its schools. And in August, voters approved a tax increase to replace its run-down high school.

鈥淚t鈥檚 like surgery,鈥� said Rice, who teaches biology at the local state university. 鈥淲e’re still in the early stages of our recovery.鈥�

Rice is part of that renewal. He leads the predominantly Black district鈥檚 first local school board since 2018. He cheered and applauded with a crowd at the Pine Bluff Convention Center in September when the Arkansas State Board of Education to return the 3,300-student district back to local control. 

The changes come as a piece of 2023 state legislation called the LEARNS Act raises teachers鈥� starting pay from $36,000 to $50,000 and requires third graders to be proficient readers before they can advance. Those changes address two of the district鈥檚 greatest challenges 鈥� finding qualified teachers and ensuring students can read. 

But leaders know it鈥檚 going to take a lot more than the promise of reform to convince families to choose Pine Bluff. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 important that we continue to show improvement in our schools if our city is going to grow and thrive,鈥� said Mayor Shirley Washington, a former Pine Bluff teacher and principal.

Her office sits amid the columns and archways of a 1960s-era office complex liken to a 鈥渕odernized classical temple.鈥� The setting evokes the city鈥檚 prosperous past, when large paper mills and parts manufacturers invited job candidates from out of state to visit.

It鈥檚 important that we continue to show improvement in our schools if our city is going to grow and thrive.

Pine Bluff Mayor Shirley Washington

鈥淏efore they made a final decision to accept that job and move, they would send the mother,鈥� said Washington, who led Cheney Elementary, one of four schools the district has closed since 2015. 鈥淚 visited with many mothers who came out to the school to see if that was an environment that they would trust.鈥�

鈥楤aby steps鈥� 

For now, the community looks to Superintendent Jennifer Barbaree to restore a sense of confidence. A former state official who oversaw improvement efforts in at least six failing districts, she was well acquainted with Pine Bluff鈥檚 struggles when the state appointed her as interim chief in January of 2023. At the time, only 15% of third graders read on grade level, and at some schools, half of the teachers were unlicensed. 

With a approved by the board in February, she believes improving the district鈥檚 financial health and sprucing up aging facilities will prompt families to give their schools a second look. 

鈥淲e want our kids back,鈥� she said. 

To address teacher quality, she cut 70 positions 鈥� all staff members who lacked proper credentials 鈥� and sent some instructional coaches back to teach in the classroom. She also created top-level jobs to support principals and ensure teachers follow the curriculum. With these moves in place, she鈥檚 hoping for a 3 percentage point increase in reading scores by the end of the school year. 

But before addressing instruction, Barbaree had to ensure parents their children weren鈥檛 risking their lives just to come to school. Pine Bluff not only topped the declining-population list; it as one of the least safe cities in the U.S. More than a between 10 and 19 have been victims of homicides since 2020.

鈥淭here were nine students murdered by gun violence within nine months,鈥� Barbaree said. 鈥淚t was almost a student a month.鈥�

Pine Bluff High School was . Its open design, with multiple buildings connected by outdoor walkways, was meant to evoke a college campus. But the sprawling layout proved to be a security risk that four armed guards couldn鈥檛 handle. Students routinely cut class and walked off site; trespassers weren鈥檛 stopped. After broke out in October 2021, the district closed the school for a day. The following spring, the school went on lockdown after suspects fired shots in a parking lot outside a classroom building. 

When Barbaree took charge, staff had no schedule assigning them to supervise walkways and other common areas. 鈥淓verywhere you looked, you just saw kids; you didn鈥檛 see adults,鈥� she said.

Now, there鈥檚 a schedule, and 10 officers patrol the property. One of Barbaree鈥檚 first moves was to construct a fence around the entire school. Some residents called it an 鈥渆yesore,鈥� she said, but Erika Evans, president of the high school鈥檚 parent association, isn鈥檛 worried about aesthetics. 

鈥淭he one thing I don鈥檛 ever want to hear again is my daughter calling me crying because she鈥檚 scared,鈥� said Evans, whose youngest was in ninth grade during the lockdown. 

Evans, a career development teacher in Little Rock, is also one of the district鈥檚 biggest boosters. She led the campaign for a tax increase to build the new high school, even though her daughter will have graduated by the time it opens. She鈥檚 optimistic that a modern facility, with space for performing arts and the latest career and technical equipment, will inspire students and spur development. 

鈥淲e know nothing is overnight,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ut it鈥檚 baby steps.鈥�

鈥極n the rise鈥�

On a recent Tuesday evening, Evans gathered with Rice, City Councilwoman LaTisha Brunson and Mattie Collins, a retired Pine Bluff teacher, at a modern, downtown space called The Generator. Students meet at the facility, where Collins runs a weekly college and career readiness program, to learn from local professionals about jobs in aviation, health care and engineering. Go Forward Pine Bluff, an economic development initiative, renovated the 1937 building that once housed a community center and jewelry store. The organization also worked with the mayor to build a new and land the city鈥檚 first Chick-fil-A franchise. 

The question is whether jobs and new attractions like a will entice families with school-age children 鈥� and whether parents will take a chance on a district with five F-rated schools. The sixth, a junior high, has a D rating. 

Brunson, who describes herself as a proud Pine Bluff High graduate, is the type of parent the district hopes to win over. In 2018, she left Bentonville, about 260 miles north, and returned to her hometown for a human resources job at the local University of Arkansas campus. She won her seat on the city council in 2022 and is working to bring a to the east side of town.

But after hearing 鈥渉orror stories鈥� about teacher shortages, she opted to enroll her two children in the neighboring White Hall district. She hopes they鈥檒l eventually attend Pine Bluff schools, which she describes as 鈥渙n the rise to greatness.鈥� 

鈥楩illing rooftops鈥�

Other families settling in Pine Bluff choose charter schools, a trend that initially troubled the mayor, who once ran the local teachers union. Though she still thinks charters 鈥渃herry pick鈥� high-achieving students, she changed her outlook when she saw that giving families meaningful options made them more likely to stay. 

鈥淎s mayor, you’re looking at filling rooftops and keeping those rooftops full,鈥� she said. 鈥淢any times people are moving because 鈥� they can’t find the school that’s offering the quality education that they’re looking for.鈥� 

Washington supported the state鈥檚 move to take over the district. Not only were leaders failing students academically, they couldn鈥檛 . For years, they added staff even as enrollment fell. At the time of the takeover, they were late on the light bill and could barely make payroll. 

鈥淲e were our own worst enemy,鈥� said Henry Dabner, a former board member. He blamed 鈥渢oo much in-house fighting鈥� and hostility to receiving help from outside experts for 鈥渁 tainted culture.鈥�

In 2022, in a gradual transition back to local control, a special committee that included state leaders and Pine Bluff residents chose the current seven-member school board. Elections resume this fall, initially with just one seat up for a vote. 

State officials are watching closely to see if Barbaree pushes the academic needle forward. As chief, she鈥檚 accountable for reaching academic targets at each of the district鈥檚 six schools 鈥� another provision of the LEARNS Act. 

鈥淭he scores are still low,鈥� Stacy Smith, deputy commissioner at the Arkansas Department of Education, in August. Last year, 19% of Pine Bluff鈥檚 third graders met or exceeded standards in math, compared with 54% statewide. In English language arts, 15% of students were proficient or above. The statewide average was 39%. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e not where they’re supposed to be,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淏ut the foundation has been laid for them to actually start focusing on the right stuff.鈥� 

Despite the recent push, some residents remain skeptical of the district鈥檚 ability to right itself.

鈥淧ine Bluff has a long history of electing poor leadership. I hope that ends and we do a better job,鈥漵aid Chris Hart, CEO of Central Moloney Inc., a welding company that sponsors a basketball tournament and offers workforce training to high school students. Nevertheless, he wished the superintendent well.

鈥淚 commend anybody willing to swim upstream.鈥� 

鈥榃hat about something for us?鈥�

When it comes to recent efforts to clean up the city, students are among the least impressed. outside Pine Bluff High in 2022 following the death of a student and complained that teens lack safe, positive ways to spend their time after school.

Brooklynn Blanks, a 10th grader, pointed to the casino the Quapaw Nation opened on the southeast side of town in 2020.

鈥淲hat about something for us?鈥� she asked. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got to go all the way to Little Rock just to go to an arcade or to go shopping.鈥� 

Brooklynn finds inspiration in her meetings with SOAR, Students of Achievement and Responsibility, a mentoring program that meets on the fourth floor of a large Methodist church downtown. Michael Garlington, a dean at a charter school in Little Rock, runs the program. He tutored while attending the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and now recruits other college students to do the same. 

On a Monday night in December, SOAR鈥檚 teens opened their daily session with an affirmation: 鈥淚 won鈥檛 be like anyone else. I will push myself, better myself and elevate myself.鈥�

They snacked on cookies and fine-tuned essays on improving their community 鈥� work that earned four of them a trip to Washington, D.C., this month as part of a competition sponsored by 4-H, the youth development organization.

SOAR, Brooklynn said, pushed her out of her shell. 

鈥淲hen I come here, I get happy. I bloom,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 want to do more because of what they say they can help me do. They see a lot of potential.鈥�

Students like Brooklynn remind Barbaree of what鈥檚 at stake in Pine Bluff. 

鈥淚f the community doesn鈥檛 trust us, nobody’s going to send their kid here, and we’ll never raise our enrollment,鈥� she said. 鈥漌e’ll never be able to provide the education that we need.鈥�

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