Scaling Military Career Awareness: A Replicable Model for States
SESSION DATES & TIMES COMING IN AUGUST 2026
Audience Classification: Digital Learning Audience Expertise: Cutting-Edge - Future-focused innovators exploring bold, experimental, and emerging ideas shaping digital learning. Grade Level Focus: High Schools Does this session focus on a specific product? No – This session is focused on ideas, strategies, or practices, not a specific product or service.
Executive Director and Superintendent Virtual Arkansas Plumerville, Arkansas, United States
Abstract Description : Many states offer robust career pathways for students, yet military pathways are often underrepresented, leaving many learners without meaningful exposure to military career options, requirements, and opportunities. While JROTC is an outstanding program, it reaches a limited share of schools, creating an access gap that disproportionately impacts rural and smaller districts.
Participants will learn how Arkansas created a statewide, online military pathway accessible to any high school student, regardless of whether their local campus offers JROTC. The presenter will walk through the end-to-end development process, including how Virtual Arkansas partnered with the Arkansas National Guard and the Arkansas Division of Career and Technical Education to design the pathway and curriculum.
Participants will leave with a practical blueprint for replication, including strategies for cross-agency collaboration, course and pathway design, implementation planning, and stakeholder communication to ensure the military is represented as a high-quality career option within a modern career pathways ecosystem.
Learning Objectives:
Describe the key components and partnership structures used to design and launch a statewide, online military career pathway accessible to students without local JROTC programs.
Apply a practical framework for replicating a military career pathway in their own state, including strategies for cross-agency collaboration, course and pathway design, implementation planning, and stakeholder communication.
