Campus Talk: Johnny Key Confirmation Only Item On Education Board Agenda

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JOHNNY KEY CONFIRMATION ONLY ITEM ON EDUCATION BOARD AGENDA
The state board of Education has only one item on its Wednesday meeting agenda: the consideration of Johnny Key as Commissioner of Education.

The education panel meets at 10:15 at the Arkansas Department of Education auditorium on Wednesday, March 25 to consider Key’s appointment.

Key, a former State Senator who steered the Senate Education Committee, was nominated for the post by Gov. Asa Hutchinson earlier this month. Act 525 of this legislative session changed the requirements for the Education Commissioner to a bachelor’s degree and allows for indirect education experience as a policymaker.

Previously, the education commissioner was required to have a master’s degree and 10 years of experience in teaching, five of which must have been in an administrative or supervisory position.

The Education Board is made up of former Gov. Mike Beebe appointees. Expect the board to quickly go into executive session to quiz Key, but the vote on whether or not to approve him is expected to be made in the public session.

AT WHITE HOUSE SCIENCE FAIR, OBAMA PLEDGES $240 MILLION FOR STEM
At Monday’s 2015 White House Science Fair, President Obama announced over $240 million in new private-sector commitments to improve STEM education. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Read more on how that money will be distributed at this link.

WIRED MAGAZINE FEATURES ARKANSAS’ COMPUTER CODING EFFORT
Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s signature campaign platform policy to push for computer coding in high schools is garnering national attention from the high-tech magazine, Wired. State legislators passed a law, as part of Hutchinson’s legislative package, to mandate computer coding be taught in high schools and charter schools across Arkansas. Wired magazine profiles the governor’s plan and highlights how Arkansas may set the curve for the rest of the nation on this front.

EAST CONFERENCE IN HOT SPRINGS DRAWS NATIONAL AUDIENCE
Last week, the National EAST conference met in Hot Springs to recognize the work of students from around the country. EAST – which teaches Environmental and Spatial Technology – is a project-based, service-learning oriented program that works with students gain insight into their own abilities to acquire and use information and gain valuable problem-solving experience.

Since its inception in 1996, the EAST model has expanded to over 220 schools in five states (Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania). It started with one class in Greenbrier, Arkansas. There were a lot of Arkansas winners at the conference. Read more about them here.