The Educational Alliance is an ad hoc committee of GFPB, Inc. (Go Forward Pine Bluff) and consists of representatives from the education sectors within the City of Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The Alliance’s purpose is to implement the L.E.A.P. (Leadership, Education, Accountability, Pipeline) initiative as recommended by the Education Pillar of Go Forward Pine Bluff. The

The Teach Pine Bluff initiative is a result of partnerships with higher education institutions to supply the three school districts with certified graduates. The three Pine Bluff school districts are: Pine Bluff School District, Watson Chapel School District and Dollarway School District. The Superintendents of the Educational Alliance seek to recruit new and retain currently

As part of the public-private partnership between the City of Pine Bluff and Go Forward Pine Bluff, the private dollars raised from the business community are designated for the L.E.A.P. strategies. Go Forward Pine Bluff has earmarked $690,000.00 over three years for Teach Pine Bluff. These dollars will finance master’s degrees for a minimum of

Teachers interested in Teach Pine Bluff must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and be licensed to teach in the State of Arkansas. All certified teachers are encouraged to apply immediately. The application is on the Go Forward Pine Bluff website under the Teach Pine Bluff tab (www.goforwardpinebluff.com/TeachPineBluff). Completed applications should

The Educational Alliance is committed to encouraging degreed individuals to pursue non-traditional licensure. There are currently resources through the State Department of Education and Title II funds that support teachers as they work to increase the number of licensed teachers. As a long-term solution, the districts are working to implement the Teacher Cadet program which

Go Forward Pine Bluff recognizes that many teachers currently hold master’s degrees and therefore the above incentive does not apply. A second master’s degree is optional but must be in the content area in which the applicant teaches. The Arkansas River Education Service Cooperative (ARESC) offers training for teachers aspiring to become nationally certified. Subsequently,

All awards are subject to applicants completing the above requirements, availability of funding, and signing of a contract attesting to policies and procedures of the award. Any recipient of the funds from Go Forward Pine Bluff as part of the Teach Pine Bluff Initiative must commit to residing in the city limits of Pine Bluff,