Russellville principal receives national award

Shavon Jackson, principal of Crawford Elementary School in the Russellville School District, was one of 10 principals in the nation to be named a Terrel H. Bell Award winner in 2020.

The Terrel H. Bell Award recognizes outstanding school leaders and the vital role they play in guiding students and schools to excellence, frequently under challenging circumstances. Principals are nominated by their school communities during the final stages of the National Blue Ribbon Schools application process.

Bobby E. Lester, director of federal programs for the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education, highlighted Jackson and the Bell Award along with other federal education awards at a recent meeting of the Arkansas Board of Education.

Jackson is a former high school teacher who has led the 350-pupil kindergarten-through-fourth grade Crawford Elementary since 2017. During her tenure, the school’s state-issued letter grade moved from a D to a B.

In addition to honors for the principal, Crawford Elementary is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a Blue Ribbon School for closing the achievement gap between subgroups of students.

That Blue Ribbon Award was announced in September for Crawford, as well as for Bernice Young Elementary School in the Springdale School District; Jefferson Elementary School in the Little Rock School District; Saint Joseph Catholic School in Fayetteville in the Diocese of Little Rock; and Eudora Elementary School in the Lakeside School District in Chicot County.