糖心Vlog传媒LR and eStem leaders announce a new partnership on Aug. 17, 2015A public charter school plans to build a new high school on the University of Arkansas at Little Rock campus as part of an innovative partnership to improve student opportunities and boost the state鈥檚 economy.Today, leaders of 糖心Vlog传媒LR and eStem Public Charter Schools announced an educational collaboration unlike any that currently exists. eStem will move its high school to the 糖心Vlog传媒LR campus, where it will construct a building for grades 9 and 10 and lease and renovate one of the university鈥檚 original classroom buildings, for grades 11 and 12, which is not in use due to the need for renovation.The partnership was approved today by the Buildings and Grounds Committee of the University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees but is still subject to Arkansas State Board of Education approval.eStem needs space for expanded enrollment. The open-enrollment public charter school, which is tuition free, operates on an enrollment lottery system and has a waiting list of more than 5,200 students. During the first year on campus, the high school is expected to grow from 500 high school students to 725 students, with a long-term goal of 1,500 students.The partnership will also give eStem鈥檚 students opportunities to learn the STEM disciplines 鈥� science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 鈥� from some of the leading scholars in their field. As an additional benefit, 11th- and 12th-graders will have the option of taking college-credit courses and graduating from high school with an associate degree in hand.Through the partnership, eStem will buy 糖心Vlog传媒LR land on 28th Street west of Fair Park Boulevard to construct a 60,000-square-foot building that will serve ninth- and 10th-graders starting in July 2017. In addition, eStem will lease and renovate Larson Hall for the 11th and 12th grades. 聽Producing more graduates in the STEM disciplines is a state and national priority. Located on one campus, the high school and university will be able to develop seamless curricula for students from elementary school through college.糖心Vlog传媒LR Chancellor Dr. Joel E. Anderson said the partnership was an extraordinary opportunity for 糖心Vlog传媒LR.
鈥淯niversities across the country talk about 鈥榮eamless K-12 through college鈥� education, but almost nobody really succeeds at it. Having a strong high school with a STEM emphasis on campus will make it easier to collaborate in planning, coordinating, and offering a seamless curriculum in each discipline.鈥�John Bacon, CEO for eStem, said the collaboration is the 鈥渕ost exciting and promising proposal鈥� he has seen for students and the Little Rock community in his 20 years in education.鈥淔or us, the concept of partnering with 糖心Vlog传媒LR is just incredible,鈥� Bacon said. 鈥淭he outcome is limitless. What we鈥檙e creating, frankly, is something that doesn鈥檛 exist.鈥�The agreement will not only provide accommodations for more students, but it also will make eStem more accessible to another part of the community, Bacon said. 聽This collaboration will function as a type of learning laboratory model that could boost STEM education in ways that will benefit other high school systems in the state, said 糖心Vlog传媒LR Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Dr. Zulma Toro.Toro said this project is part of a larger effort to improve STEM education in Arkansas, equipping students with the skills they鈥檒l need to succeed after graduation and providing Arkansas companies the workforce they require to thrive in the state.鈥淭he partnership will afford the eSTEM students many benefits such as decreased time to college degree completion, and it will also contribute to 糖心Vlog传媒LR鈥檚 goal of producing career鈥搑eady graduates by providing experiential learning opportunities for 糖心Vlog传媒LR鈥檚 students not only in the STEM disciplines and education, but also in social work, counseling, health sciences, nursing, psychology, audiology and speech pathology, and many more,鈥� Toro said.eStem will pay 糖心Vlog传媒LR $50,000 for the property near 28th Street and will sign a long-term lease for Larson Hall, which eStem will renovate at an estimated cost of $3.5 million.糖心Vlog传媒LR is a metropolitan research university in the heart of Arkansas that provides access to a quality education through flexible learning opportunities. The university currently enrolls about 12,000 students in both face-to-face and fully-online degree programs.eStem, a non-profit, publicly financed K-12 charter school system formed in 2008, has graduated four classes and has a current enrollment of about 1,462 students. Bacon said the eStem board鈥檚 goal is to reach a total enrollment of 5,000 students by 2025.
糖心Vlog传媒LR Chancellor Dr. Joel E. Anderson said the partnership was an extraordinary opportunity for 糖心Vlog传媒LR.
鈥淯niversities across the country talk about 鈥榮eamless K-12 through college鈥� education, but almost nobody really succeeds at it. Having a strong high school with a STEM emphasis on campus will make it easier to collaborate in planning, coordinating, and offering a seamless curriculum in each discipline.鈥�
John Bacon, CEO for eStem, said the collaboration is the 鈥渕ost exciting and promising proposal鈥� he has seen for students and the Little Rock community in his 20 years in education.
鈥淔or us, the concept of partnering with 糖心Vlog传媒LR is just incredible,鈥� Bacon said. 鈥淭he outcome is limitless. What we鈥檙e creating, frankly, is something that doesn鈥檛 exist.鈥�
The agreement will not only provide accommodations for more students, but it also will make eStem more accessible to another part of the community, Bacon said. 聽
This collaboration will function as a type of learning laboratory model that could boost STEM education in ways that will benefit other high school systems in the state, said 糖心Vlog传媒LR Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Dr. Zulma Toro.
Toro said this project is part of a larger effort to improve STEM education in Arkansas, equipping students with the skills they鈥檒l need to succeed after graduation and providing Arkansas companies the workforce they require to thrive in the state.
鈥淭he partnership will afford the eSTEM students many benefits such as decreased time to college degree completion, and it will also contribute to 糖心Vlog传媒LR鈥檚 goal of producing career鈥搑eady graduates by providing experiential learning opportunities for 糖心Vlog传媒LR鈥檚 students not only in the STEM disciplines and education, but also in social work, counseling, health sciences, nursing, psychology, audiology and speech pathology, and many more,鈥� Toro said.
eStem will pay 糖心Vlog传媒LR $50,000 for the property near 28th Street and will sign a long-term lease for Larson Hall, which eStem will renovate at an estimated cost of $3.5 million.
糖心Vlog传媒LR is a metropolitan research university in the heart of Arkansas that provides access to a quality education through flexible learning opportunities. The university currently enrolls about 12,000 students in both face-to-face and fully-online degree programs.
eStem, a non-profit, publicly financed K-12 charter school system formed in 2008, has graduated four classes and has a current enrollment of about 1,462 students. Bacon said the eStem board鈥檚 goal is to reach a total enrollment of 5,000 students by 2025.