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2026-2027 Update

Brenda Ragan, State Advisor

brenda.ragan@ade.arkansas.gov

Arkansas Department of Education/Division of Career & Technical Education

3 Capitol Mall

LIttle Rock, AR 72201

501-683-6453 office

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Educators Rising is a Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) that enhances student learning and development in the Pre-Educator and Early Childhood Pathway.

Their mission is to inspire and grow current and rising educators to become community leaders and advocates for high quality education.

The vision for Educators Rising is to eliminate the teacher shortage by reimagining educator pathways.

What is Educators Rising?

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Why Should Students Join?

  • Build leadership and teaching skills
  • Explore education careers
  • Compete at state and national conferences
  • Apply for scholarships
  • Connect with future educators
  • Serve as a State Officer or Ambassador
  • Prepare for a future career in education

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Arkansas Educators Rising

State Officers

2026-2027

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Membership at a Glance

  • Membership numbers
  • State Conference participation
  • National Competitors
  • Membership growth

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Membership

Students

590

Advisors

70

Total Membership

660

Total Number of Chapters

59

2025-2026 Arkansas Membership

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State Conference

Students

244

Advisors

32

Total Participation

276

Total Number of Chapters

56

2025-2026 State Conference

Thank you

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Congratulations to Our

National Competitors

    • 34 Competitors
    • 1 First place at the Collegiate level
    • 1 Second Place
    • 4 students placed as Top 10 Finalists
    • 1 student received a White Ribbon
    • 1 Arkansas chapter placed in Top 10 for Outstanding Chapter

More than 3,300 aspiring educators, teacher leaders, and education advocates from across the nation gathered in Portland, Oregon, June 20–23 for the 2026 Educators Rising National Conference.

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Membership Growth

Student Membership

383 students in 24-25 590 in 25-26

+207 students 54% Growth

Advisor Membership

63 Advisors in 24-25 70 in 25-26

+7 Advisors 11% Growth

Total Membership

445 Members 660 in 25-26

+215 Members 48% Growth

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  • Making Waves in Education State Theme
  • Arkansas Ambassador Program
  • New Chapter Starter Kit
  • Competition Readiness Series

What’s New for 2026-2027?

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Arkansas Ambassador Program

Applications due September

1st.

Link to apply!

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Resources Include:

    • Starting a chapter
    • Membership recruitment
    • Officer elections
    • Meeting plans
    • Competition preparation
    • Teacher leader guidance

New Chapter Starter Kit

Coming Fall 2026

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Student Competition Readiness Series

Topics:

    • Choosing Competitions
    • Reading Rubrics 101
    • Interview Skills
    • Presentation Skills
    • Practice Sessions
    • Individual Feedback

Recorded sessions available statewide.

Hosted by Kylie Turbeville

University of Arkansas Chapter President

Placed 1st in the Educators Rising Moment competition at Nationals.

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    • Eligibility
    • Membership/Dues
    • Register/Renew Chapter
    • Add Students
    • Teacher Leader Resources

How to Get Started

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To be eligible for membership, students must be enrolled in or have previously taken courses supported by the Pre-Educator or Early Childhood Education pathway.

Eligibility

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Yearly Dues = $25

National - $15

State - $10

Membership

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First Step:

    • Create your profile in the EdRising Membership Portal.
    • Join as a Teacher Leader under the Educators Rising Middle and High School option.
    • On the Your Organization Information screen, select your school to affiliate your chapter.
    • Once approved as a Teacher Leader, you can add students and other Teacher Leaders. At the beginning of the year, this may take a day or two.

How to Register/Renew Your Chapter

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How to Add Student Members

Click the image above to link to printable instructions for your students.

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Resources Include:

    • Membership & Administration
    • Teacher Leader Handbook & Orientation
    • Planning for National Conference
    • Professional Development Resources
    • Opportunities for Students

Teacher Leader Resources

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    • Fall Leadership Conference
    • State Conference
    • Calendar
    • National Conference
    • Competitions & Contests
    • Rules & Rubrics
    • Curriculum Resources
    • Contact Us

Events & Opportunities

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Mark Your Calendar

Fall Leadership Conference

October 14, 2026

ARVA, Little Rock

$35 (includes lunch)

Bring up to 8 student leaders/officers and 2 advisors to be trained in leadership, competitions, impromptu speaking, time management and so much more!

State Conference

February 18, 2027

ATU

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Arkansas Educators Rising

2026-2027

Calendar

w/ Dates & Deadlines

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Arkansas Educators Rising

2027 National Conference

June 17-20, 2027 in Columbus, Ohio

at the Greater Columbus Convention Center

Learn about what Columbus has to offer attendees by visiting Educators Rising’s Experience Columbus microsite.

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Competitions

    • Job Interview
    • Lesson Planning and Delivery - Arts
    • Lesson Planning and Delivery - CTE
    • Lesson Planning and Delivery- CDA/Early Childhood Education
    • Lesson Planning and Delivery - Humanities
    • Lesson Planning and Delivery - Professional Development
    • Lesson Planning and Delivery - Spanish
    • Lesson Planning and Delivery - STEM
    • Outstanding Chapter (team)
    • Public Service Announcement - Teacher Recruitment (team)
    • Public Speaking
    • Researching Learning Challenges (team)

    • Children's Literature K-3
    • Children's Literature K-3 Spanish
    • Children's Literature Pre-K
    • Children's Literature Pre-K Spanish
    • Children’s Literature Higher Ed
    • Creative Lecture (TED Talk)
    • *NEW* Designing the Future of High School
    • Educators Rising Leadership Award
    • Educators Rising Moment
    • Educators Rising Moment Spanish
    • Ethical Dilemma (team)
    • Exploring Education Administration Careers
    • Exploring Non-Core Subject Teaching Careers
    • Exploring Support Services Careers
    • Inside Our Schools Presentation (team)
    • Inside Our Schools Presentation Spanish (team)

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Contests

    • Interactive Bulletin Board Elementary Classroom

• Interactive Bulletin Board Middle/High School Classroom

  • *NEW* Learning Space Challenge - Elementary

• Project Visualize Service Project

• Teacher-Created Materials

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Competitions vs. Contests

    • Design Project & Prepare for Judges
    • Rubric Grading
    • Ranked among competitors
    • Only the top 3 receive medals or trophies
    • Only top 10 places recognized
    • Design Project & Prepare for Judges
    • Rubric Grading
    • Ribbon based on scores as follows:

Blue (97-100), Red (93-96), White (90-92)

    • Multiple students can receive top scores

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Eligibility

    • Students must be paid Active-level student members of Educators Rising by February 1st of the year in which they are competing for Nationals and November 1st for State.

Students may only compete in one competitive event.

For contests: Teacher leaders may enter up to two entries (individual or dual) per school in each event per division.

For competitions: Teacher leaders may enter up to two entries per school in each individual event per division and one team for team events per division. Competitions/contests that are marked as individual or dual will be considered individual events for this purpose.

    • For contests, you must compete in a state-level event in order to be eligible to compete at the Educators Rising National Conference. Only entries scoring 97-100 will be eligible to advance to nationals

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Click above to link to all competition and contest information.

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Competition Dress Code

    • Slacks, Pants, and Suit Pants

Similar to Dockers. Dressy capris, and nice looking synthetic dress pants are acceptable. Inappropriate slacks or pants include: jeans with holes, sweatpants, exercise pants, shorts of any kind, leggings, and spandex.

    • Skirts, Dresses, and Skirted Suits Casual dresses, skirts, and skirts that are split at or below the knee are acceptable. The length of the dress and skirt should be comfortable for sitting in public. Mini skirts, skorts, sundresses, and spaghetti-strap dresses are inappropriate.

    • Hat and Head Coverings Hats are not appropriate inside the building. Head covers required for religious purposes or to honor cultural traditions are allowed.

    • Shirts, Tops, Blouses, and Jackets

Casual shirts, dress shirts, sweaters, tops, blazers, and polo shirts are acceptable. Educators Rising polo shirts are encouraged. Inappropriate attire includes tank tops; midriff tops; shirts with political messaging and/or potentially offensive terms, logos, pictures, cartoons, or slogans; halter tops; tops with bare shoulders; sweatshirts; and t-shirts unless worn under another blouse, shirt, jacket, or dress.

    • Shoes and Footwear Conservative athletic or walking shoes, loafers, clogs, sneakers, boots, flats, dress heels, and leather deck-type shoes are acceptable. Flashy athletic shoes, thongs, flip flops, and slippers are not acceptable.

All competitors are expected to dress in business casual attire when competing.

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Curriculum Resources for your Classroom

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Connect with Us

#educatorsrising

#arkansas_edrising