early childhood education

children getting off a school bus

Arkansas education department accepting early childhood lead organization applications

BY: - August 25, 2023

The Arkansas Department of Education is accepting applications for local early childhood lead organizations, a provision of the LEARNS Act that’s designed to facilitate the administration of a unified early childhood and education system. The LEARNS Act stipulates that ADE appoint and partner with local organizations that “will serve as the formal state-local implementation partners […]

Early childhood development specialist picked for Arkansas State Board of Education

BY: - August 4, 2023

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Friday made her second appointment to the Arkansas State Board of Education — an early childhood expert from Little Rock.  Sanders tapped her longtime friend and fellow Central High grad Leigh Keener to the board. Keener taught in the Little Rock School District and now runs an early childhood education […]

Novella Humphrey, Rep. Julie Mayberry

Panel approves removing limit on transfer cap for pre-k alum

BY: - February 8, 2023

(This story was updated Feb. 8, 2023 to reflect passage of the bill by the House.) The Arkansas House of Representatives passed on Wednesday  a bill that will remove a cap on school choice transfers when a student has attended pre-K in a nonresident school district. Sponsored by Rep. Julie Mayberry (R-Hensley), House Bill 1185 […]

Arkansas Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva (second from right) lists some of the priorities in the executive order signed Wednesday by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (right). The order was the second in Sanders' first two days in office to focus on Arkansas' education system. (Photo by Hunter Field/Arkansas Advocate)

Sanders signs wide-ranging executive order on education, promises bill ‘very soon’

BY: - January 11, 2023

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders continued to detail her education agenda Wednesday, her second day as governor of Arkansas, by signing an executive order covering a variety of issues, including literacy, school choice and early childhood education. Sanders called the order “a comprehensive approach [to] education that we want to parallel” with a single bill that […]