Here’s one superintendent’s blueprint for academic innovation

Before Superintendent Jeremy Owoh agrees to any vendor contract, potential partners must commit to proving tailored solutions that “bend and blend” to meet his district’s unique requirements.

“We’re very candid and upfront from the very beginning,” says Owoh, who leads Arkansas’s Jacksonville North Pulaski School District.

Otherwise, he’s not afraid to shift gears when a partnership isn’t working, a process he calls “action research.” The practice is simple: Plan, do, check and evaluate.

“We’re assessing everything that we do,” he says.

For example, Owoh terminated “a great, positive partnership” after three years because it didn’t produce results.

“We look at our intervention data, behavior and attendance, and drill down to cause and effect,” he explains.

Owoh gets feedback from his educators to analyze data that drives early conversations with potential partners.

Vendors must also undergo a multi-tiered vetting process involving the superintendent, the assistant superintendent for teaching and learning and curriculum specialists before reaching school campuses.

He refuses to compromise on the district’s goals or values to meet a vendor’s expectations. This mindset guided his choice of a math curriculum.

“That partner came to the table and said, ‘It’s not cookie-cutter. It’s not one-size-fits-all,'” Owoh says. “We have those types of conversations from the very beginning.”

This year marks the school district’s 10th anniversary. For Owoh, it’s a reminder to stay rooted in the community’s original goal of funneling prepared graduates into for two- and four-year colleges, the workforce and the military.

During his tenure, participation in CTE academies has grown steadily.

The district campus features several specialized facilities, including a student-operated restaurant, three automotive bays, a cybersecurity range, a medical lab, a JROTC unit and a bank branch.

Reflecting on the last five years with the district, Owoh, who was just named Arkansas’s 2027 Superintendent of the Year, credits administrators and staff who are committed to creating meaningful, lived experiences for scholars.

“It’s the result of having a really great team,” he says. “I have a great group of students and staff members, so I’m the lucky guy.”