education
States see record low unemployment across the U.S.
Across much of the country, the jobs market is as strong as it’s ever been, and Black women, young people and people with disabilities are among the workers benefiting, recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show. Twenty states reported an unemployment rate under 3% in April, while 15 states saw record lows, led by […]
A small Arkansas school district increased bus drivers’ pay by 19%. Will it fix the shortage?
Sheridan School District bus drivers have had a rough year. Two drivers and the bus driver coordinator resigned in March, effective at the end of the school year. That followed numerous other resignations since 2019. Drivers are retiring, seeking other jobs and quitting because of stress from disruptive student behavior and verbal abuse from parents. […]
Bus driver shortage in rural Arkansas district strands kids, angers parents
Nicole Haynes is exasperated by excuses from the Sheridan School District. A parent of two children in the district, Haynes lives in daily uncertainty. She never knows if the school bus her children ride will run on schedule. She sometimes receives an automated text alerting her at the last minute that the bus may be […]
Arkansas receives $1 million grant to support high-impact tutoring
Arkansas is one of five states awarded a $1 million grant to support high-impact tutoring for K-5 public school students in the upcoming academic year. The grant is awarded by the States Leading Recovery program at Accelerate, a national nonprofit organization “working to make effective tutoring a standard feature” of the school day, according to […]
Sanders plugs Arkansas LEARNS Act benefits before receptive Jonesboro audience
JONESBORO — Touting her new education overhaul during a town hall meeting in Jonesboro Monday evening, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said she expects Arkansas will soon lead the nation in elementary and high school education. “We’ll see significant changes,” she said to a crowd of about 120 in a small theater inside the Fowler Center […]
Arkansas attorney general rejects LEARNS Act referendum title
This story was updated at 4:25 p.m. Attorney General Tim Griffin on Monday rejected the ballot title submitted by a group pursuing a petition referendum to overturn the LEARNS Act, the expansive education law signed into law by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in March. The Arkansas Constitution allows citizens to, by petition, order the referendum […]
Arkansas governor touts major accomplishments of first 100 days
With her parents and many Arkansas legislative leaders watching Wednesday afternoon, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders reminded her audience that she “came here to shake things up.” With a spring breeze fluttering the flags behind her, Sanders spoke from a lectern set up outside the front doors of the Governor’s Mansion to mark her first 100 […]
Arkansas Delta school district becomes first to pursue transformation campus under LEARNS Act
The Arkansas State Board of Education voted Thursday to allow the Marvell-Elaine School District to avoid consolidation by becoming the state’s first “transformation campus.” Community members applauded the news, including Republican state Rep. Mark McElroy of Tillar, who started dancing and hugging his neighbors inside the Marvell-Elaine High School gym. McElroy said he was a […]
Arkansas lawmakers conclude work following approval of tax cuts, education legislation
From the state’s first female governor to an overhaul of the state’s education system, the 94th General Assembly brought unprecedented change to Arkansas. After three months of work, lawmakers adjourned Friday and plan to return on May 1 for the official end of the legislative session. “It started with a slow trot and ended with […]
Arkansas Senate panel OKs tweaked bill barring implicit bias training in schools
A state Senate committee on Wednesday approved a new version of the bill that aims to prohibit public schools and colleges from requiring employees to participate in implicit bias training. House Bill 1559 prohibits schools from taking “adverse employment action” against an employee who fails or refuses to participate in implicit bias training. The State […]
House panel dismisses bill that opponents argue would undo state’s computer science progress
Lawmakers rejected a bill concerning career and technical education on Tuesday amid concerns that the legislation eliminated a requirement for students to take a computer science course to graduate high school. Sen. Jim Dotson (R-Bentonville) told the House Education Committee Senate Bill 369 is the result of conversations with constituents regarding workforce education and some […]
Panel approves bill barring mandatory implicit bias training in schools
The House Education committee on Thursday advanced a proposal to prohibit public schools and state-supported higher education institutions from requiring employees to participate in implicit bias training. The State Board of Education also could not require the training for obtaining or renewing an educator license or for professional development. Sponsored by Rep. Mindy McAlindon (R-Centerton), […]