Arkansas Honors 23 Top Educators in Inaugural Excellence in Teaching Fellowship

The Arkansas Excellence in Teaching Fellowship program celebrates some of our state’s greatest educators. The nine-month program, which launched in summer 2025, is intended to uplift educators who receive merit pay and make clearer to the public what great teaching looks like and how it is celebrated.

Selected teachers participate in a series of virtual convenings to improve their practice, increase understanding of the state’s Merit Teacher Incentive Fund, and raise public awareness of the teaching profession. Fellows also receive training and support so they can engage in a range of public-facing activities focused on sharing their experience with a broader audience. Participants benefit from professional learning, networking, and collaboration and receive a $1,500 stipend.

For 2025, the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) selected 23 high-performing educators from across the state to participate in the inaugural fellowship program:

The two teachers who were selected in the local area were

• Tiffany Moore, a math teacher at Spring Hill High School in Hope.
• Ginny Schwope, a 3rd-grade math and science teacher at Nashville Primary School in Nashville.