Students and teachers at LISA Academy North Middle-High School rely on Jaime Garcia’s calming and supportive presence to help advance student achievement to new heights. As the dean of academics, Garcia oversees curriculum alignment, instructional coaching, state assessment coordination, and data analysis of student performance. Leading with a solution-oriented, data-driven mindset—drawn from his experience as a math instructional coach and secondary math teacher—Garcia mentors teachers, observes classes, guides professional learning community (PLC) implementation, and develops leaders through enrichment programs and structured support.
With an aptitude for math, Garcia’s ability to take the “fear factor” out of the subject for students has served him well. He implemented a math mentorship program that benefits students across several grades: in small groups, middle school students grow their confidence and math skills with the help of senior class mentors, who enjoy early release Fridays for their participation. Garcia encourages students to flex their math muscles outside of the classroom, whether through the school’s career readiness leadership program (CRLP) in math or on the school’s MathCounts team, which he has led to compete in consecutive state competitions. During his tenure at LISA Academy, Garcia served on the instructional leadership team (ILT) and on curriculum development committees, while leading professional development sessions and sharing his peer mentorship program at conferences.
Garcia is a welcoming resource at LISA Academy for all students and their families. His ability to communicate with Spanish-speakers has been instrumental to unlocking student success and parent engagement for the school’s growing Hispanic population. Garcia is also a Handle With Care behavior management team member at the school.
Garcia earned a Bachelor of Science in mathematics in 2012 from the University of Arkansas at Monticello and a Master of Science in applied mathematics in 2015 from the University of Central Arkansas.
Press Release: Arkansas Educator Honored With Milken Educator Award—and $25,000—for Innovative Leadership and Dedication to Student Success
