Human Trafficking: Who Are the Traffickers?

This course on human trafficking equips educators with essential knowledge to identify and respond to trafficking situations. It begins with an overview of human trafficking, defining it and distinguishing it from human smuggling, while highlighting its prevalence in places like Arkansas. The course emphasizes recognizing warning signs and outlines educators’ responsibilities in reporting suspected cases. It also delves into the complexities of trafficking, explaining that traffickers can be anyone, including family members, and explores various recruitment methods and stages of grooming and control. Finally, insights from experts provide a deeper understanding of traffickers’ operations and what educators should look for in their classrooms.

This course meets the human trafficking professional development requirements of ACA 6-17-710.

Building Resilient Classrooms: Recognizing and Responding to Bullying

Credit Hours: 2.0

Vendor: IDEAS

Bullying remains a significant concern in schools, affecting students' well-being and academic success. According to the Arkansas Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 16% of students reported being bullied on school campuses in 2021, and 18.4% experienced cyberbullying. While these numbers have remained steady or declined slightly, the issue persists and requires proactive intervention. This professional development course is designed to equip educators and school staff with the knowledge and tools necessary to prevent, identify, and respond to bullying effectively. Guided by the Arkansas Department of Education’s “Guidance on Bullying Prevention," participants will explore strategies to foster a safe and supportive learning environment.

Through interactive lessons and engaging video instruction hosted by Chris Kane, this course will cover how to recognize the signs of bullying and cyberbullying, understand school responsibilities in prevention, reporting, and response, and implement practical, school-wide bullying prevention strategies. Educators will also learn how to encourage collaboration among students, families, and school staff to create a united approach to bullying prevention. By the end of this course, participants will be better prepared to take an active role in ensuring that all students feel safe and supported in their school community.

Let's Talk About Mental Health: Building Strong Relationships for Student Well-Being

Credit Hours: 2.0

Vendor: ADE

The American Academy of Pediatrics and other organizations have recently declared that our need for mental health support has reached a crisis level. In the United States, emergency department visits for mental health emergencies, including suicide attempts, have been on the rise.  

Educators' responsibilities extend beyond teaching content. They play a crucial role in fostering a supportive environment where students' mental well-being can thrive. Because teachers see students every day, they are in the unique position of being able to advocate for students’ mental health needs.

In this course, teachers will explore practical strategies and insights to effectively recognize, understand, and respond to the mental health needs of their students. The goal of this course is to help teachers create classrooms where every student feels seen, heard, and supported, and to help recognize when a student might need to be directed toward mental health resources, including professional help.

This course meets the mental health component of ACA 6-17-708.

The Writing Revolution

Although educators know the importance of being able to write well, many teachers admittedly feel ill-prepared to effectively teach this skill to their students. In this brief overview, participants will hear from Dr. Dina Zoleo and Dr. Toni-Ann Vroom, as they present an introduction to the Hochman Method, created by Judith Hochman, founder of The Writing Revolution (TWR). 

The Hochman Method consists of a series of explicitly taught, evidence-based strategies that can be used across grade levels and subject areas to help students produce clear, unified, and structured writing. While this overview does not teach the components of the Hochman Method, it does address the importance of having a solid plan for teaching the skill of writing. The Writing Revolution recommends that educators intending to implement the Hochman Method enroll in and complete an introductory course to learn the method in its entirety.

After viewing this introductory overview, those who are interested in participating in a full TWR training should visit the Arkansas & TWR page linked at the bottom of this course under "Instructional Resources." There, educators can find more information about enrolling in a TWR course. 

Keeping Them in Play

Arkansas coaches and trainers have a profound impact on student athletes, and they have the privilege to coach and impact the lives of our student athletes. The responsibility to care for and look after the safety of students is one that should not be taken lightly. This course will serve to educate and instruct coaches and trainers on the best practices of caring for players’ safety. This course will provide guidance and instruction in the areas of communicable diseases, heat illnesses, concussions and head injuries, and sudden cardiac arrests.  In previous years, the courses for coaches were given at different times, but this course will combine all four areas for a more succinct approach to providing Arkansas coaches with the information necessary to better serve student athletes. 

This course meets the training requirements for coaches as set forth in ACA 6-18-708 and in support of ACA 6-18-710 and 6-18-713.

Human Trafficking: Who Are the Victims?

The U.S. Department of State estimates there are 27.6 victims of human trafficking at any given moment in the world. According to the Department of Homeland Security, “Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion in exchange for labor, services, or a commercial sex act.” The department also makes it clear that human trafficking can happen anywhere to anyone, even here in the United States, regardless of the victim’s age, race, gender, or nationality. 

Arkansas is not immune to the crime of human trafficking. Between 2007 and 2021, the Human Trafficking Hotline identified 557 cases of human trafficking in Arkansas which led to 1,492 victims identified. In 2021, the hotline received 270 contacts identifying 74 cases and 168 victims. In two years, (2019-2021) the Arkansas Child Abuse Hotline received 115 child sex trafficking reports and 10 child labor trafficking reports.

Recognizing the indicators and risk factors of human trafficking can help in the prevention and early detection of human trafficking. Our host, Alyson Courtney, asks the difficult questions from our experts Sergeant Matt Foster of the Arkansas Human Trafficking Council and Arkansas State Police, Gretchen Smelter from Into the Light, and Detective Jennifer Tarvin of the Saline County Sherrif's Office. They discuss important topics such as misconceptions, vulnerabilities, and indicators of human trafficking and its victims. 

This course meets the human trafficking professional development requirements of ACA 6-17-710.

Code of Ethics Part Ten: Testing Integrity

In part ten of Code of Ethics, host Chris Kane visits with Arkansas educators to discuss the topic of testing integrity. Participants in this course will view animated scenarios that illustrate how professional responsibilities, or the lack thereof, can impact students, teachers, and school districts. In addition, participants will hear discussions on the best practices to uphold as a professional educator.

Code of Ethics Part Nine: Professional Responsibilities II

In course nine of the Code of Ethics series, host Chris Kane sits down with a panel of educators to examine the role ethics play in teachers' behaviors and decision-making.  The panel will use Standard Two and Standard Four of the Arkansas Code of Ethics to guide them as they discuss a variety of scenarios. Participants in this course will view animated scenarios that illustrate how professional responsibilities, or the lack thereof, can impact students, teachers, and school districts. In addition, participants will hear discussions on the best practices to uphold as a professional educator.

Code of Ethics Part Eight: Effective Communication

In the eighth course from the Code of Ethics series, our host, Alyson Courtney, visits with Jamie Reed-Moss and Tom Cypert, both assistant principals in different school districts in Arkansas, to review two based-on-real-life scenarios in which educators have violated the Code of Ethics. The scenarios in this course will focus on the importance of timely, honest, and considerate communication. 

Code of Ethics Part Seven: An Educator's Influence

In the seventh course from the Code of Ethics series, our host, Alyson Courtney, visits with Jamie Reed-Moss and Tom Cypert, both assistant principals in different school districts in Arkansas, to review two based-on-real-life scenarios in which educators have violated the Code of Ethics. The scenarios in these videos will focus on the tremendous influence that educators have on their students and on the communities in which they serve.