ATC executive director Brandon Lucius joined Dr. Malachi Nichols (Director of Data and Strategy at Forward Arkansas) and Dr. Kristen Weeden (Reach University’s Director of Apprenticeship and Technical Assistance) at the 2024 Southern Regional Education Board Making Schools Work Conference in Nashville, TN on July 11 to celebrate Arkansas’ progress in addressing teacher shortages and help other educators learn how to implement similar strategies in their states. More than 3,000 educators from around the country attended the conference to learn from each other and discover best practices. It was an honor to be included in this presentation on how Arkansas is becoming a national leader in teacher recruitment and retention.