Arkansas
U.S.
Rank
Score:
72%
Grade:
C
Rank:
#28
Over time the state has become more friendly to helping charters succeed. State leaders aggressively seek applicants for cities like Little Rock, understanding that charters are a path to help students who are not being well-served.
Law passed: 1995
Most recently amended: 2019
Number of charter schools: 83
Number of charter students: 32,252
Cap on the number of schools allowed:? Yes, only 24 new “open-enrollment” charter schools are allowed each year
Virtual charters allowed? Yes, but only if they serve students from more than one district and can only be authorized by the state board.
AUTHORIZERS: The state department of education is the statewide authorizer and final authorizing body for all charters. Conversion charters schools must be authorized by both the local district and the state department. Open-enrollment charter schools are only authorized by the state department of education, but can be reviewed by the local district and/or the state board. There is no appeals process, but applicants can ask the state board to review decisions by authorizers.
GROWTH: The state department of education, the state board of education, or a combination of the two may grant no more than 24 open-enrollment charter schools. However, the cap can increase if the number of approved charters is within two of the existing cap of available charters, the cap automatically increases by five slots. In 2019, the state also expanded the potential for adult education charters to operate.
OPERATIONS: There is no blanket waiver from operational rules. Charters must negotiate with the state for all waivers.
EQUITY: Charter schools are to receive the same funding as traditional district schools, but are not eligible for local revenue from property taxes, which makes up more than a third of district school budgets. Additionally, conversion charters and open enrollment charters are funded differently; conversions are funded by the local district while open enrollment charters are funded by the state board and their budgets determined annually. There is no per-pupil facilities funding for any charter. School districts are required to report unused or underutilized facilities to the state and allow nearby charter schools the rights to buy or lease those facilities at market value.
Score:
Grade:
D
Rank:
#30
In April 2021, Governor Asa Hutchinson signed into law the state’s second education choice program, the Philanthropic Investment in Arkansas Kids tax-credit scholarship program and a small voucher program enacted in 2015 grew more than twofold in two years, from 178 students in 2018, to 427 students in 2020.
Law enacted: 2015- 2021
Number of programs: 2
Statewide Participation: 427
Types of programs: Voucher, Tax Credit Scholarship
Tax Credit Scholarship
Philanthropic Investment in Arkansas Kids Program
Senate Bill 630 was signed in April 2021, creating a new tax-credit scholarship program that has a cap of $2 million and is limited to 250 students per year. To be eligible, families must have an annual income less than or equal to 200% federal poverty level, and students must have previously attended a public school in Arkansas. The program will launch January 1, 2022.
Voucher
Succeed Scholarship Program
Launched in 2016, Arkansas’ Succeed Scholarship Program is the state’s first private school choice program. It provides scholarships to students with special needs that have an individualized education program (IEP) or individualized service plan (ISP), and also students in foster care. In April 2021, HB1446 expanded the program to include children of members in the U.S military. For student eligibility, there are no income limits and no enrollment cap for special needs students. For students in foster care, the cap is 20. The maximum voucher amount is $6,899.
Score:
Grade:
C
Rank:
#31
Effectiveness is not a factor in teacher compensation, though the state does meet or exceed teacher prep goals.
TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT: 77%
General Teacher Preparation 65%
Elementary Teacher Preparation 95%
Secondary Teacher Preparation 90%
Special Education Teacher Preparation 72%
Alternate Routes 95%
STAFFING AND SUPPORT: 62%
Hiring 60%
Retaining Effective Teachers 65%
TEACHER EVALUATION: 69%
TEACHER COMPENSATION: 75%
Score:
72%
Grade:
C
Rank:
#28
Over time the state has become more friendly to helping charters succeed. State leaders aggressively seek applicants for cities like Little Rock, understanding that charters are a path to help students who are not being well-served.
Law passed: 1995
Most recently amended: 2019
Number of charter schools: 83
Number of charter students: 32,252
Cap on the number of schools allowed:? Yes, only 24 new “open-enrollment” charter schools are allowed each year
Virtual charters allowed? Yes, but only if they serve students from more than one district and can only be authorized by the state board.
AUTHORIZERS: The state department of education is the statewide authorizer and final authorizing body for all charters. Conversion charters schools must be authorized by both the local district and the state department. Open-enrollment charter schools are only authorized by the state department of education, but can be reviewed by the local district and/or the state board. There is no appeals process, but applicants can ask the state board to review decisions by authorizers.
GROWTH: The state department of education, the state board of education, or a combination of the two may grant no more than 24 open-enrollment charter schools. However, the cap can increase if the number of approved charters is within two of the existing cap of available charters, the cap automatically increases by five slots. In 2019, the state also expanded the potential for adult education charters to operate.
OPERATIONS: There is no blanket waiver from operational rules. Charters must negotiate with the state for all waivers.
EQUITY: Charter schools are to receive the same funding as traditional district schools, but are not eligible for local revenue from property taxes, which makes up more than a third of district school budgets. Additionally, conversion charters and open enrollment charters are funded differently; conversions are funded by the local district while open enrollment charters are funded by the state board and their budgets determined annually. There is no per-pupil facilities funding for any charter. School districts are required to report unused or underutilized facilities to the state and allow nearby charter schools the rights to buy or lease those facilities at market value.
Score:
Grade:
D
Rank:
#30
In April 2021, Governor Asa Hutchinson signed into law the state’s second education choice program, the Philanthropic Investment in Arkansas Kids tax-credit scholarship program and a small voucher program enacted in 2015 grew more than twofold in two years, from 178 students in 2018, to 427 students in 2020.
Law enacted: 2015- 2021
Number of programs: 2
Statewide Participation: 427
Types of programs: Voucher, Tax Credit Scholarship
Tax Credit Scholarship
Philanthropic Investment in Arkansas Kids Program
Senate Bill 630 was signed in April 2021, creating a new tax-credit scholarship program that has a cap of $2 million and is limited to 250 students per year. To be eligible, families must have an annual income less than or equal to 200% federal poverty level, and students must have previously attended a public school in Arkansas. The program will launch January 1, 2022.
Voucher
Succeed Scholarship Program
Launched in 2016, Arkansas’ Succeed Scholarship Program is the state’s first private school choice program. It provides scholarships to students with special needs that have an individualized education program (IEP) or individualized service plan (ISP), and also students in foster care. In April 2021, HB1446 expanded the program to include children of members in the U.S military. For student eligibility, there are no income limits and no enrollment cap for special needs students. For students in foster care, the cap is 20. The maximum voucher amount is $6,899.
Score:
Grade:
C
Rank:
#31
Effectiveness is not a factor in teacher compensation, though the state does meet or exceed teacher prep goals.
TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT: 77%
General Teacher Preparation 65%
Elementary Teacher Preparation 95%
Secondary Teacher Preparation 90%
Special Education Teacher Preparation 72%
Alternate Routes 95%
STAFFING AND SUPPORT: 62%
Hiring 60%
Retaining Effective Teachers 65%
TEACHER EVALUATION: 69%
TEACHER COMPENSATION: 75%
Score:
Grade:
B
Rank:
#11
In 2013, legislators implemented an act to provide digital learning opportunities in public schools, which expanded digital learning opportunities to all public school students, and removed any pre existing barriers.
The Arkansas Department of Education developed The Digital Learning Spectrum to help schools provide online learning, more information on this found here.
Virtual Arkansas is a K-12 statewide virtual school that opened in 2013, serving 250 districts and over 40,000 students. Virtual Arkansas does not grant diplomas, but serves as a program to supplement public school student’s education.
The state also provides digital learning support to educators. Connect 2 Digital is a platform that delivers blended professional development courses in various subjects including blended learning, math, state testing, digital summer training, and computer science. Team Digitalis a group of experts that “provides ongoing support to school districts during the planning, implementation, and evaluation of digital courses, professional development sessions, and blended or online learning environments at district, regional, and state levels.”
Arkansas’ Wynne Public Schools District is a part of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools, giving digital learning opportunities to over 2,600 students in the state. The League of Innovative Schools is a network of school leaders in 114 districts in 34 states that aim to enhance and scale digital learning opportunities for students across the nation.
Bandwidth: “100% of students in Arkansas can access the Internet at speeds of 100 kbps per student, and many students are connected at higher speeds.”
While Arkansas has moderate personalized learning activity, there is not a full state effort. The Schools of Innovation program promotes personalized learning by giving schools the flexibility to experiment with new models of teaching and learning. In the 2019-2020 school year, there were 3 approved Schools of Innovation.
Additionally, the Opportunity Culture Pilot expanded to a statewide initiative that uses new roles such as Multi- Classroom Leadership to enhance personalized learning teaching skills and individualize instruction. Opportunity Culture is expanding to four other school districts in 2020-2021 school year.
The state of Arkansas reacted quickly to the COVID-19 pandemic, calling for all schools to continue instruction through alternative methods of instruction (AMI) learning early in the pandemic. The state issued “Alternative Methods of Instruction” guidelines March 20 and worked to empower districts and school leaders to create plans for continued instruction.
“ADE is working closely with Arkansas educators, including members of local school boards, administrators, and teachers, to ensure that school districts have adequate support to continue AMI delivery through the remainder of the school year,” state Education Secretary Johnny Key said.
The state’s Division of Elementary and Secondary Education partnered with Arkansas PBS television to deliver grade-level instructional content instead of regular daytime programming. This partnership with Arkansas PBS television especially helped provide education opportunities for families with limited or no internet bandwidth at home. In order to address this technology resource gap, Governor Hutchinson announced a $10 million plan to provide devices and internet access at no cost for students.
Arkansas continues their plan to reopen schools on time for in-person instruction later than their traditional start date in August.
Fast Facts
4th Grade Math Proficiency:
8th Grade Math Proficiency:
12th Grade Math Proficiency:
4th Grade Reading Proficiency:
8th Grade Reading Proficiency:
12th Grade Reading Proficiency:
Graduation Rate:
Average SAT Score:
Average ACT Score:
Public School Enrollment:
Percent Enrolled in Charter Schools:
Average Student Funding:
Score:
Grade:
B
Rank:
#11
In 2013, legislators implemented an act to provide digital learning opportunities in public schools, which expanded digital learning opportunities to all public school students, and removed any pre existing barriers.
The Arkansas Department of Education developed The Digital Learning Spectrum to help schools provide online learning, more information on this found here.
Virtual Arkansas is a K-12 statewide virtual school that opened in 2013, serving 250 districts and over 40,000 students. Virtual Arkansas does not grant diplomas, but serves as a program to supplement public school student’s education.
The state also provides digital learning support to educators. Connect 2 Digital is a platform that delivers blended professional development courses in various subjects including blended learning, math, state testing, digital summer training, and computer science. Team Digitalis a group of experts that “provides ongoing support to school districts during the planning, implementation, and evaluation of digital courses, professional development sessions, and blended or online learning environments at district, regional, and state levels.”
Arkansas’ Wynne Public Schools District is a part of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools, giving digital learning opportunities to over 2,600 students in the state. The League of Innovative Schools is a network of school leaders in 114 districts in 34 states that aim to enhance and scale digital learning opportunities for students across the nation.
Bandwidth: “100% of students in Arkansas can access the Internet at speeds of 100 kbps per student, and many students are connected at higher speeds.”
While Arkansas has moderate personalized learning activity, there is not a full state effort. The Schools of Innovation program promotes personalized learning by giving schools the flexibility to experiment with new models of teaching and learning. In the 2019-2020 school year, there were 3 approved Schools of Innovation.
Additionally, the Opportunity Culture Pilot expanded to a statewide initiative that uses new roles such as Multi- Classroom Leadership to enhance personalized learning teaching skills and individualize instruction. Opportunity Culture is expanding to four other school districts in 2020-2021 school year.
The state of Arkansas reacted quickly to the COVID-19 pandemic, calling for all schools to continue instruction through alternative methods of instruction (AMI) learning early in the pandemic. The state issued “Alternative Methods of Instruction” guidelines March 20 and worked to empower districts and school leaders to create plans for continued instruction.
“ADE is working closely with Arkansas educators, including members of local school boards, administrators, and teachers, to ensure that school districts have adequate support to continue AMI delivery through the remainder of the school year,” state Education Secretary Johnny Key said.
The state’s Division of Elementary and Secondary Education partnered with Arkansas PBS television to deliver grade-level instructional content instead of regular daytime programming. This partnership with Arkansas PBS television especially helped provide education opportunities for families with limited or no internet bandwidth at home. In order to address this technology resource gap, Governor Hutchinson announced a $10 million plan to provide devices and internet access at no cost for students.
Arkansas continues their plan to reopen schools on time for in-person instruction later than their traditional start date in August.
4th Grade Math Proficiency:
8th Grade Math Proficiency:
12th Grade Math Proficiency:
4th Grade Reading Proficiency:
8th Grade Reading Proficiency:
12th Grade Reading Proficiency:
Graduation Rate:
Average SAT Score:
Average ACT Score:
Public School Enrollment:
Percent Enrolled in Charter Schools:
Average Student Funding:
Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R)
First term begins in 2023 (two-term limit)
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders made it very clear where she stood with regard to parent power when she said, “I will champion good schools and good teachers, but also offer more choices to parents of kids in failing schools,” she continued. “Every child must have the opportunity of a quality education–and no child should ever be trapped in a life of poverty and despair.” Hopefully a future Parent Power Champion will drive home record reform in Arkansas.
Both the House and Senate have slowly but surely made strides on enacting or expanding new programs to give families the access to education they need. While progress is good, there is much left to be done, including lifting the cap on charters, removing regulations on charter schools, and expanding both private school choice programs so more students can access opportunity. As Senator Jonathan Dismang said in shepherding the small new choice program, “Experiences matter; situations matter; opportunities matter.”
The Arkansas constitution does not contain a Blaine Amendment, but it does contain a Compelled Support Clause, and “while receiving little judicial attention, does not forbid religiously neutral school choice programs, provided funds allotted for the public schools are not used.” (Institute for Justice)
Arkansas keeps themselves accountable by making school data transparent. School report cards are accessible and easy to find with one click from the Arkansas DOE homepage. School report cards are user-friendly, providing parents with clear, relevant and comprehensive data. Data includes student performance, achievement, demographics, college readiness, graduation rate, teacher quality and more. There is a compare school/district function which is helpful to parents as well.
Another plus is that Educational Options are highlighted on the main page with an easy link to see all choice programs available, including charter schools, home school, schools of innovation, and school choice.
School board elections are not held during the general election cycle, which means there is usually a lower voter turnout rate, giving parents less power to have their voices heard.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R)
First term begins in 2023 (two-term limit)
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders made it very clear where she stood with regard to parent power when she said, “I will champion good schools and good teachers, but also offer more choices to parents of kids in failing schools,” she continued. “Every child must have the opportunity of a quality education–and no child should ever be trapped in a life of poverty and despair.” Hopefully a future Parent Power Champion will drive home record reform in Arkansas.
Both the House and Senate have slowly but surely made strides on enacting or expanding new programs to give families the access to education they need. While progress is good, there is much left to be done, including lifting the cap on charters, removing regulations on charter schools, and expanding both private school choice programs so more students can access opportunity. As Senator Jonathan Dismang said in shepherding the small new choice program, “Experiences matter; situations matter; opportunities matter.”
The Arkansas constitution does not contain a Blaine Amendment, but it does contain a Compelled Support Clause, and “while receiving little judicial attention, does not forbid religiously neutral school choice programs, provided funds allotted for the public schools are not used.” (Institute for Justice)
Arkansas keeps themselves accountable by making school data transparent. School report cards are accessible and easy to find with one click from the Arkansas DOE homepage. School report cards are user-friendly, providing parents with clear, relevant and comprehensive data. Data includes student performance, achievement, demographics, college readiness, graduation rate, teacher quality and more. There is a compare school/district function which is helpful to parents as well.
Another plus is that Educational Options are highlighted on the main page with an easy link to see all choice programs available, including charter schools, home school, schools of innovation, and school choice.
School board elections are not held during the general election cycle, which means there is usually a lower voter turnout rate, giving parents less power to have their voices heard.