ADE Summit 2026

TRIS exists because in Arkansas, two-thirds of youth will face at least one potentially traumatic event before adulthood and educators often see the impacts of those events on their campus. This presentation is an overview of the trainings, resources and supports TRIS offers to school staff to help them prepare, support and respond to traumatic events.
• At the end of this presentation the audience will walk away with access to trainings for school staff on how to help them become more trauma-informed and trauma responsive on their campus.
• Participants will gain knowledge on how to use the TRIS Crisis Support Toolkit in their school’s preparation and response to traumatic events.

This session provides an overview of LAUNCH for Students, a statewide student success planning framework. Participants will learn the purpose, key components, and expectations for implementation to support student achievement and postsecondary readiness.

This panel will explore hot topics, common challenges, and emerging
trends in behavior and mental health. Panelists will discuss how to
coordinate supports across systems, align behavior and mental
health practices, and use available resources to better support students.

Entering her 12th year with the Arkansas Division of Youth Services, Superintendent Cindy L. Willis brings over 22 years of educational leadership experience across Oklahoma and Arkansas. This session highlights the transformation of DYS education from non-standardized instructional models to a structured, accountability-driven system in which adjudicated youth now meet—and often exceed—academic growth expectations.
Participants will gain an inside look at DYS operations and educational practices, including:
• How youth enter custody and the average duration of placement.
• Integration of Virtual Arkansas and vocational programming within restrictive environments.
• Coordinating academics, behavior intervention, mental health services, and special education simultaneously.
• Breaking misconceptions about DYS students and building collaborative Education, Behavior, and Wellness plans aligned with DESE standards.

Chronic absenteeism is more than an attendance issue—it is a leading indicator of student disengagement, academic risk, and long-term outcomes. In Every Day Counts, participants will explore why consistent attendance matters and how schools and districts can move from reactive responses to proactive, systems-based solutions. This session introduces the newly released guidance document and walks attendees through its key components, including prevention strategies, early warning indicators, tiered interventions, and collaborative practices that strengthen school-family partnerships.

This session will provide an overview of the current health status of Arkansas public school students and highlight how districts can leverage key data sources, including the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), School Health Profiles, and Medicaid in the Schools reporting, to identify emerging needs and inform strategic decision-making.

Great schools are built on strong relationships—not just between teachers and students, but among staff, families, and communities. This keynote explores how cultivating connection at every level leads to more resilient, supportive learning environments.

When students have trauma, adversity, chaos, inconsistency (or any number of other things piled on top of that) it's very difficult for them to regulate their emotions. As a result, we need to be increasingly more skilled in our ability to de-escalate the moment and help our students return to a state of regulation. We're not offering quick fixes. We're offering the opportunity to learn how real change happens. In this one-hour preview of our 6-hour workshop, we will focus on the process of escalation and de-escalation. What is important for us to know in the moment? Let’s clarify our goals and put a few tools in our belts.

This session provides an overview of LAUNCH for Students, a statewide student success planning framework. Participants will learn the purpose, key components, and expectations for implementation to support student achievement and postsecondary readiness.