was conducted by online education website , a resource for individuals pursuing a career in teaching. The study placed 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 School of Education among the 35 best to receive an undergraduate degree in the west south central region of the country, comprising institutions in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas.

Among the highlights of the program, the study cited the school鈥檚 student success rate with a 94 percent passing rate on the Praxis II, a test that measures the knowledge and skills one needs to become a certified teacher. The passing rate is among the best in the country. 

The study also noted that the School of Education offers online and on-campus courses for undergraduate teaching programs in elementary and special education, and offers middle education degree paths in social studies, language arts, mathematics, and science.聽

糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 School of Education is built on a foundation of success, providing students with knowledge to teach K-12, and higher education, as well as preparing students for educational leadership roles. 

鈥淲e are honored to be recognized as one of the top bachelor’s-level teaching programs in the country,鈥� said Dr. Rachel Eells, Windgate endowed director of the School of Education. 鈥淭his distinction reflects the dedication of our faculty, the strength of our curriculum, and our deep commitment to preparing exceptional educators who will make a lasting impact in classrooms across Arkansas and beyond.鈥�

The program also offers graduate-level courses with three licensure programs and five graduate certificate programs that will help enhance teaching skills with concentrations in curriculum and instruction, gifted and talented education, reading, and information systems technology education.

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Molly and Hudson Trusty, married education majors from Benton, are spending their senior year at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock participating in an innovative pilot teacher residency program between 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock and partner school districts Jacksonville North Pulaski School District and Little Rock School District.

鈥淚t鈥檚 awesome to be in the classroom,鈥� Molly said. 鈥淚 am learning a lot about classroom management, for I get to experience it first hand and put the practices I鈥檝e learned in school to action. We have both already independently taught lessons in the classrooms. I am very fortunate and blessed to be selected and realize it鈥檚 a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.鈥�

The Trustys are both completing their residencies at in Little Rock with Molly in kindergarten and Hudson in third grade.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an awesome experience,鈥� Molly said. 鈥淲e get to carpool every morning to Forest Heights. Kindergarten and third grade have lunches at the same time, so we have our lunch breaks together. At the end of the day, we can鈥檛 stop talking because there is so much that we relate to and so much that we can talk about.鈥�

In lieu of traditional student teaching, Hudson and Molly will spend the entire academic year in the same classroom with their experienced teacher mentors, Sheila Vinson and Lynn Hanson, learning all the tricks of the trade, and receive weekly mentoring from their site coordinator, Kenya Brooks, who works with teacher residents working in Little Rock School District.

鈥淲e are learning so much by being able to be at the same school all day all week long. It鈥檚 amazing to be in the classroom,鈥� Hudson said, adding that working together has allowed them to become closer in a way that most couples will never understand.

鈥淲hen most couples get home and tell each other about their days, they try to understand, but they may not totally understand what it is like,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e can both understand where we are coming from and give each other advice since we are both on the exact same career path.鈥�

Dr. Rachel Eells, Windgate Foundation Endowed Director of the School of Education at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, said it’s inspiring to see how students like the Trustys embody the mission of the School of Education.

鈥淭he Trustys are providing a wonderful example of why we are so honored to do this work,鈥� Eells said. 鈥淭he School of Education is committed to improving the community and the lives of our community members. Molly and Hudson are pursuing careers that will better the lives of Arkansas children and also better their shared life together by providing solid incomes for important work.鈥�

Love at First Sight

Hudson and Molly met in the seventh grade while attending a career development class at Bryant Middle School. Molly was a cheerleader and wanted to become a nurse. Hudson was a football player and wanted to become a pediatrician.

鈥淚 always thought he was different, in a good way,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e was the type of guy that stood out in a crowd by radiating such positive and kind energy.鈥�

The couple started dating in 10th grade on Feb. 7, 2018. They dated all through high school and both worked at the Boys and Girls Club of Bryant together. They enjoyed making a difference in the lives of kids, and that is when they decided they wanted to become teachers.

They attended the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College together and later transferred to 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock as Trojan Transfer students. They got married in 2021 without the traditional engagement story.

鈥淲e never proposed to each other,鈥� Molly said. 鈥淚t was the end of May 2021, exactly one year after high school graduation, and we said, 鈥楬ey, let鈥檚 get married!鈥� Three weeks later, we got married at a little church with our family. I wouldn鈥檛 have had it any other way.鈥�

The Trustys are taking on the challenge of the classroom together as they blend their passion for education and their partnership in life to make a difference in the lives of their students. Now they will both graduate in May 2025 with Bachelor of Science degrees in Education and a fantastic start to their teaching careers by participating in 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 teacher residency program, sponsored by a grant from Forward Arkansas. Both of the Trustys love teaching at Forest Heights, and they hope to be teaching there together a year from now.

鈥淭he staff has been so welcoming and helpful,鈥� Molly said. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 recommend Forest Heights enough.鈥�

Hudson, meanwhile, has an even deeper connection to the school.

鈥淔orest Heights is the best school we鈥檝e ever been at,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y Grandma Hunt went to elementary school there and even walked there as a kid. Now the most exciting part of my day is being able to work down the hall from my wife.鈥�

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Special guests included Bill Stovall III, former speaker of the Arkansas House of Representatives, Jodie Mahony III, son of the late Sen. Jodie Mahony II, and representatives of the Arkansas Department of Education. Stovall described Mahony as a fierce defender of education.

鈥淥ver the years, he was so relentless as we worked on education,鈥� Stovall said. 鈥淎fter he passed advanced placement, he was a protector of it. He was always the one that fiercely defended advancement placement. The last opportunity I had to speak to Jodie was the day before Thanksgiving 2009, not knowing that I wouldn鈥檛 get to speak to him again. I learned a great deal from Jodie. I considered him a friend, and he was a unique character for sure.鈥�

糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock鈥檚 Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education is named after the late Jodie Mahony II, a longtime member of the Arkansas House of Representatives and Arkansas Senate who championed many improvements in public education. Sen. Mahony was pivotal in establishing ACT 881, which established the Arkansas Advanced Placement Incentive Program Act.

鈥淭hirty years ago, Jodie Mahony II considered it an emergency that teachers did not have training for the College Board Advanced Placement courses,鈥� said Dr. Ann Robinson, director of the Jodie Mahony Center, one of only 20 centers in the U.S.. The history of Jodie Mahony II and advanced placement in Arkansas is rich and lengthy. He believed in rigorous education for students and in supporting teachers to provide it.鈥�

The AP program from College Board gives high school students the opportunity to pursue college-level studies and to receive advanced placement and/or credit upon entering university, along with an appropriate score on an AP exam, thereby saving Arkansas families time and money on college.

鈥淭he 30th anniversary celebrates an important milestone: recognizing what has been at the core of every Advanced Placement Summer Institute for 30 years,鈥� said Lori Delk, advanced placement professional development associate. 鈥淭hat is bringing together teachers from around the state to get the best training they can receive in teaching AP courses, and thereby raising the level of rigor in Arkansas classrooms.鈥�

This summer, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock hosted more than 750 teachers during three sessions in June and July. These included 545 Arkansas public and charter school teachers, 11 private school teachers, and 198 teachers from out of state. AP classes covered English Language, English Literature, Calculus, U.S. History, World History, Human Geography, Biology, Chemistry, Statistics, Computer Science, Psychology, European History, Art and Design, Physics, Spanish, Environmental Science, and U.S. Government.

鈥淲e feel so fortunate to work with our esteemed colleagues in the Jodie Mahony Center and support gifted education in Arkansas,鈥� said Dr. Rachel Eells, Windgate Foundation Endowed Director of the School of Education at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. 鈥淭hank you to all our educators for lending your expertise to high schoolers and committing to lifelong learning, building intellectual capital in your community, and challenging your students and yourselves. Thank you for taking some time to make yourself a better learner so your students will become better learners.鈥�

In the past 15 years, the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Advanced Placement Summer Institute has trained more than 12,000 teachers. During the week, consultants serve as summer institute faculty, sharing best teaching practices for instructing high school students who are taking advanced placement courses. The training includes 30 hours of instruction, and participating teachers receive professional development credit for their work.

The AP Summer Institute is supported by a grant from the Arkansas Department of Education. The grant enables 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock to provide Arkansas public school teachers who teach AP with funding to cover the cost of registration.

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The $3.5 million gift from the Windgate Foundation is designed to support the transformation of teacher education at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock in its quest to become a premier provider of teachers in the state.

Eells brings with her over a decade of leadership experience in higher education where she has served as a faculty member, department chair, dean, and vice president. She has developed new college programs, led during a college restructuring, and has extensive knowledge of accreditation, assessment, and compliance processes.

Her research takes an interdisciplinary approach that focuses on leadership, innovation, psychology, and education.

She was also recently named by Soir茅e Magazine as part of the 2024 Class of Women to Watch.

鈥淒r. Eells has just finished leading the pilot year of the Forward Arkansas funded teacher residency program in partnership with Jacksonville North Pulaski School District and Little Rock School District,鈥� said Dr. Sarah Beth Estes, dean of the , where the School of Education is housed. 鈥淲e are elated to have her in the director position to continue the transformation of our educator preparation program in the School of Education.鈥�

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She is one of 39 local movers and shakers who are making a big impact in business, philanthropy, and in the community.

鈥淭his has been a tremendous honor,鈥� Eells stated. 鈥淚 attended the launch party in June, and I got to meet a bunch of other honorees and women from previous classes. It鈥檚 been so wonderful to connect with so many brilliant women who are excelling in their field and looking to make a difference in the community.鈥�

Eells has been making an impact on education in central Arkansas for many years. After beginning her teaching career in Little Rock as a teacher of special education, art, and gifted and talented education at Christ Lutheran Church, she later moved to Chicago to earn a Ph.D. in educational psychology from Loyola University Chicago. Her career moved to higher education, when she worked at Concordia University Chicago and Concordia College New York.

After moving back to Arkansas, Eells returned to her alma mater in 2022, serving as a visiting assistant professor and then interim director of the School of Education at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. In her leadership role, she is overseeing the implementation of a new teacher residency program, funded by a grant from Forward Arkansas, with both Jacksonville North Pulaski School District and Little Rock School District. The goal of the program is to produce high-quality, highly trained teachers who are ready for their classrooms on day one.

鈥淲e just completed the pilot year of a noteworthy paid residency model sponsored by the Forward Arkansas Grant,鈥� Eells said. 鈥淣ow we are expanding the residency model and having conversations with other school districts about the benefits of having paid residencies programs in their schools. We are also welcoming four new faculty members this fall, so this is an exciting time of growth and development for the School of Education.鈥�

Eells is also highly involved in the community and serves on the Christian Education Parish Council at St. Margaret鈥檚 Episcopal Church and is helping to revitalize The Public Theatre with her husband, Brandon Eells. They live in Little Rock and have a daughter Lucinda, who is a rising senior at Parkview Arts Science Magnet High School and is  attending Governor鈥檚 School this summer.

Eells is looking forward to helping transform education programs in Arkansas to better prepare future teachers to be day-one ready for their teaching careers.

鈥淚 had my first teaching job out of college right here in Little Rock,鈥� Eells said. 鈥淚 started my career as a teacher in Arkansas. It’s been delightful to come back, work at my alma mater, and see kids that I taught before who are now grown up and doing amazing things. I am proud of our work to improve education in Arkansas. It feels good to be able to give back and make some positive changes.鈥�

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