The Arkansas Professional Educator Pathway (ArPEP) is an affordable, two-year, work-based alternative preparation program that enables college graduates and career changers with a bachelor’s degree or higher to earn a standard Arkansas teaching license. ArPEP helps meet Arkansas’s growing need for qualified teachers by preparing candidates to build supportive classroom communities, design standards-aligned lesson plans, implement evidence-based instructional strategies, and use assessment data to advance student learning.

The Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) seeks proposals from Arkansas Institutions of Higher Education (IHE), Arkansas Education Service Cooperatives, and approved vendors to host one or more ArPEP delivery sites for a five-year period beginning July 1, 2027. All Arkansas Educational Service Cooperatives, two or four-year colleges/universities, and approved vendors in partnership with Arkansas Educational Service Cooperatives are eligible to apply.

Submission Deadline: Submissions must be received no later than November 6, 2026, 11:59 p.m.

Applicants must email the completed RFP packet to:

Danielle Jackson, Grants Coordinator, at danielle.jackson@ade.arkansas.gov.

Anticipated timeline of ArPEP Program Delivery determination process:

• RFP packets are due to DESE by November 6, 2026, 11:59 p.m.
•  Awarded sites will be notified no later than January 4, 2027.
•  If you have questions about the RFP for the ArPEP Program Delivery, please contact Holly Morado at 501-683-0169 or at holly.morado@ade.arkansas.gov.

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