Charter taps Durand as academic chief

Kevin K. Durand has been hired as the chief academic officer of the Arkansas Military and First Responders Academy, an open-enrollment charter school scheduled to open in August in Little Rock, school organizers have announced.

Most recently, Durand was the principal of Lisa Academy West Middle School in Little Rock. Before his four years in the role, he was dean of academics, district testing coordinator and a math coach for a total of nine years. He has written books in philosophy, popular culture studies, ethics, and business over his career.

Durand has a Ph.D from the University of Oklahoma, and he holds a master’s in business administration as well as a certificate in school management and leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Harvard Business School. Additionally, he has undergraduate degrees in curriculum and instruction, and math education.

Durand began his education career as a substitute teacher. He then went on to teach math and science on the high school level after having obtained his undergraduate degree in 1990.

“Dr. Durand is going to be a great asset to our team, the school, and all of our students,” said Arkansas Military and First Responders Academy commandant Lt. Col. Jason Smedley.

The new charter school is planned for a 23-acre site at 10710 Interstate 30 in southwest Little Rock. The tuition-free public charter high school will open to 140 ninth graders this year and expand one grade per year.

Arkansas Military and First Responders Academy will feature a college preparatory curriculum with an emphasis on pre-engineering and computer coding — all within a Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps framework.