Arkansas Co-Teaching Project

Debbie Fleming is the Director of the Arkansas Co-Teaching Project.  As the director, she works closely with the Arkansas Department of Education, Special Education Unit to provide co-teaching professional development support to schools and districts in Arkansas.  She coordinates professional development, on-site consultation, and technical assistance for teachers and administrators across the state. Debbie’s work focuses on using different types of instructional strategies to meet students’ unique learning needs. She also serves as the director the state’s Boundless Learning Co-Teaching initiative, a professional development partnership with Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Technology in Education, which provides a blended co-teaching professional development to schools in Arkansas.

Debbie received her BSE from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas and her MSE from Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. In her more than thirty years in education, Debbie has taught in classrooms ranging from kindergarten through high school. She participated in the development of the Arkansas Math Matrix, and led the Literacy Learning Progressions state initiative. The Math Matrix and the Literacy Learning Progressions received national recognition and continue to be used by educators across the United States.

debbie.fleming@arkansas.gov

Debbie Byers is the Special Education Co-Teaching Consultant for the Arkansas Co-Teaching Project. In 1999, Debbie B. received her Bachelor’s in Elementary Education from Henderson State University.  From the beginning of her career, Debbie has served as a teacher of students with disabilities; these positions kindled her passion for teaching students who need additional supports to grow academically and socially.

In 2006, she returned to Henderson State University, where she earned a Master’s Degree in Education - Curriculum and Instruction, with an emphasis on English Language Learners.  Her efforts to implement co-teaching in her school earned her the 2010 Teacher of the Year for Hot Springs High School. Debbie believes that all students have the right to a quality education, regardless of ability; to that end, she earned her Educational Specialist degree in Leadership – Special Education Director, from Arkansas State University.

debbie.byers@arkansas.gov