Arkansas test scores rose in 2026, but most students still aren’t proficient

Arkansas public school students scored proficient at higher rates on the 2026 state ATLAS exam than they did two years ago, results released this week show. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders pointed to the gains as evidence that her signature 2023 education law, Arkansas LEARNS, is working. The same results show that most Arkansas students still…

ByChris FultonJune 19, 20260Comments

Education Events Government News

Arkansas legislative leader displays little appetite for school voucher changes in run-up to session

The Republican leader of the Arkansas Senate refused to support capping spending on school vouchers Wednesday as lawmakers prepare to take up Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ request to spend up to $379 million on the Educational Freedom Account program. “We never talk about whether we spent too much for K-12. I will never talk about…

ByAinsley Platt, Arkansas AdvocateApril 3, 20260Comments

Education Government News

Arkansas panel advances plan to steer more funding to voucher program

An Arkansas lawmaker raised concerns Tuesday about how to fund the state’s school voucher program in the future after advancing a request for more money that would raise its cost this year to nearly $310 million. A Legislative Council subcommittee, on a closely divided voice vote, endorsed the request for an additional $32 million for…

ByAntoinette Grajeda, Arkansas AdvocateJanuary 15, 20260Comments

Education Government News People

Arkansas’ rising 3rd graders will be first to be held back under new literacy standards

Arkansas students entering the third grade at public schools and open enrollment charter schools this fall will be the first cohort to be retained if they don’t meet literacy expectations, a policy established by the 2023 LEARNS Act. “By the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year, if a public school student has not met the…

ByMary Hennigan, Arkansas AdvocateMay 20, 20250Comments

Elections Government News

Arkansas education group resubmits proposed 2026 ballot measure

The coalition backing an education-focused constitutional amendment for the 2026 ballot resubmitted its proposal Tuesday after its initial submission was rejected in August for failing to include the measure’s full text. A ballot question committee called For AR Kids is backing the proposed constitutional amendment, which would require public and private schools that receive state…

ByMHO Newsroom StaffSeptember 13, 20240Comments

Education Government News

Arkansas teacher pay increase closed rural funding gaps, study says

This story first appeared at The 74, a nonprofit news site covering education. Sign up for free newsletters from The 74 to get more like this in your inbox. Fueled by federal pandemic funds and an ultra-tight labor market, teacher pay in the United States has climbed steadily over the last few years. According to…

ByMHO Newsroom StaffAugust 21, 20240Comments

Education Government News

Federal judge denies stay in Arkansas LEARNS ‘indoctrination’ lawsuit

A federal judge on Monday denied a motion for a stay of proceedings pending an appeal in a case challenging the constitutionality of a section of the LEARNS Act that bans “indoctrination” in public schools. U.S. District Judge Lee Rudofsky last week granted in part and denied in part the plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary…

ByMHO Newsroom StaffMay 15, 20240Comments

Education Government News

Arkansas attorney general disputes claim LEARNS appeal is moot

Attorney General Tim Griffin asked the Arkansas Supreme Court to reject plaintiffs’ claims that the appeal of a lawsuit challenging the LEARNS Act’s effective date is moot and to reverse a lower court’s ruling. In a reply brief filed Friday, Griffin said the state’s high court should invoke the public-interest exception to mootness, reverse the…

ByMHO Newsroom StaffAugust 23, 20230Comments

Education Events Feature Government News

Sanders talks LEARNS mandate, being education Governor in Mountain Home town hall

While her political opponents may have narrowly found the signatures needed to place Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders LEARNS Act on the ballot next year, that didn’t stop the popular Governor from taking a victory lap to a crowd of 400 Mountain Home residents in a town hall Tuesday evening. Joined by Secretary of Education Jacob…

ByChris FultonAugust 3, 20230Comments

Education Feature Government News

Governor Sanders returning to Mountain Home for LEARNS town hall on Tuesday

She wasn’t joking when she said she loved Mountain Home! Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be returning to Mountain Home for a town hall discussion on the historic LEARNS education reform legislation that was passed during the 2023 legislative session. Sanders will be joined by Secretary of Education Jacob Olivia. The LEARNS Act, which…

ByChris FultonJuly 30, 20230Comments