Teacher Center

Staff:  Phoebe Bailey, Teacher Center Coordinator

           Darlene Estes, Teacher Center Clerk

           Gina Stone, Teacher Center Clerk

The Teacher Center of the Southwest Arkansas Education Cooperative was established in 1984 to nurture and assist area teachers in three primary areas:

• Developing quality instructional classroom materials
• Professional Development
• Dissemination of media and media services

It was the task of the Teacher Center Coordinator and the Teacher Center Advisory Committee to plan and develop a center that would serve all K-12 teachers in these critical areas.

As the Teacher Center has evolved, so have the services. Teachers can call or email the Teacher Center at any time and receive assistance on a project, place an order for Ellison Cutouts, or to have instructional materials printed and delivered directly to their school. Four sets of Ellison dies and cutters rotate the year to all buildings through the delivery system. The staff of the Teacher Center provides one-on-one assistance to classroom teachers daily. Our doors are open to schools, daycare facilities, and the community to work on projects that benefit children.

The Teacher Center Advisory Committee continues to be instrumental in the development  and success of the Teacher Center. It is by their recommendation that new avenues of assistance are implemented to better assist teachers. Assistance is provided through:

• Instructional Packets                                     
• Idea and Theme Books                                                 
• Technical Assistance                                      
• Sale of Teacher Materials/Supplies         
• Poster Making                                                  
• Ellison Cutters and Dies
• Laminating Services       
• Printing (policy manuals, report cards)
• Bulletin Board Ideas and materials
• Curriculum Materials

A variety of programs are administered through the Teacher Center and the office of the Teacher Center Coordinator. Please read on to learn more about the range of services provided to teachers and schools in the Southwest Arkansas Education Cooperative.

The Teacher Center of the Southwest Arkansas Education Cooperative has one of the most extensive collections of Ellison Dies and Cutters in this part of the state. The Ellison Cutters and Dies allow teachers to use their creativity to enrich the education of students while saving time and producing a consistent product for the classroom use. Materials and supplies are available at the Co-op to make it easier for teachers to use the equipment in a timely, cost effective method. Teachers may call of send an order form to place an order. Many teachers enjoy coming to the Teacher Center to use the cutters and plan bulletin boards to develop instructional materials.

Examples of die sets:
Animal              63     Ocean                    22     Food             26
Letter Sets       17     Number Sets           8     Science        37
Weather           15     Bookmarks            19     Bird               21
Flowers            14     Transportation       12     Math             114

The total collection includes:

9 standard cutters                        4 travel sets (58 dies each)
3 Extra Large Cutters                  170 Extra Large Dies
1162 Large Dies                          20 Border Dies

     Supplies Include:
         Pop-Up Sponge
         Adhesive Magnet Sheets
         Static Cling Vinyl
         Poly Foam Sheets
         Decorative Scissors
         Magnetic Sheets

Professional Development is one of the cornerstones of the Teacher Center. The focus of all professional development is to provide administrators, teachers, and other district personnel quality, research-based leadership skills, technology, instructional strategies and other content skills to increase student achievement. These activities are funded through a variety of grants received by the Southwest Arkansas Education Cooperative.

The Teacher Center Coordinator is responsible for developing, planning, and scheduling professional development activities for educators in all districts served by the Co-op. Collaboration between the Co-op training team and the member districts is critical to providing timely training, based on district needs, as indicated in their school improvement plan. Training is offered at the Co-op and at school sites to accommodate districts and optimize facilities.

Our goal, through these programs, is to provide quality professional development training, primarily in the thirteen critical areas, as outlined by the Arkansas Department of Education. Trainings include topics such as: Classroom Walkthrough, Instructional Facilitator Training, Administrators' Institute, Brain based strategy trainings, Total Instructional Alignment and trainings on Professional Learning Communities.