Author: Steve Brawner

Steve Brawner

In The Land Of Sam, Bentonville Is Building For Rapid Growth

Home to Wal-Mart’s world headquarters and the distinctive Crystal Bridges Museum, Bentonville’s leaders are mapping a blueprint for opportunity.

NW Arkansas Fourth In Nation In Job Growth; Jonesboro Eleventh

The Northwest Arkansas metropolitan statistical area ranked fourth in nonfarm job growth in the nation in 2013, according to preliminary information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released Tuesday….

Brawner: State Government’s Spare Tire

Stephens Media columnist Steve Brawner provides options for what to do with the Lt. Governor’s office in the future. As a former staffer for Lt. Gov. Win Rockefeller, Branwer has…

Darr To Be Governor Tuesday Since Resignation Not Yet Official (UPDATED)

Lt. Governor Mark Darr may have announced his resignation, but with Gov. Mike Beebe out of state Tuesday, Darr will be acting as governor, and there’s some question as to…

Brawner: Dardanelle High Beats The State

Steve Brawner with our content partner, the Arkansas News Bureau, takes a deeper look at the academic success rate of the Dardanelle School District. By all accounts, it should be…

High Hopes For High-Deductible Plans

Health care reform may make insurance more accessible than affordable, but industry experts see a coming consumerism that could make a huge difference.

Arkansas Leading Country In Using Data In Schools

Arkansas is one of two states leading the nation in using data effectively to improve education, according to a report issued Tuesday by a group that advocates for such practices….

Teacher Of The Year Named In Surprise Ceremony

The 2014 Arkansas Teacher of the Year is Jonathan Crossley, an English language arts teacher at Palestine Wheatley High School in St. Francis County. Gov. Mike Beebe made the surprise…

Wild River Country Hoping For A Wild Winter

Wild River Country, the North Little Rock-based water park, isn’t usually associated with snowmen, snow tubing and s’mores. That will change this year when the park opens Wild Winter Country.

Attorney General Dustin McDaniel Announces Deal To End Deseg Case

The three Pulaski County school districts will receive three years’ worth of desegregation payments, plus another year of equal payments for academic facilities only, under an agreement reached between Attorney…

In Forum, Governor Candidates Differ On Vouchers, URT Issue

The state’s candidates for governor disagreed about vouchers for private schools Tuesday in a cordial forum about education issues at the Hot Springs Convention Center. Former U.S. Rep. Mike Ross,…

Teachers Awarded For Teaching Economics Lessons

Ten Arkansas teachers have received $1,000 cash prizes and a little recognition for incorporating economics principles into their teaching. The 2013 Bessie B. Moore Awards were presented by the nonprofit…

Arkansas Eighth-graders Show Slight Gain On Assessment Tests

Arkansas eighth-graders’ reading scores on the 2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress increased by 3 percent from 2011, while eighth grade math scores and fourth-grade reading and math scores changed…

Beth Anne Rankin Not Running For Congress In 2014

Beth Anne Rankin, who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in the Fourth Congressional District in 2010 and 2012, said today she is not running for Congress in 2014. Rankin lost the…

Charter School Debate Reflects Legislature-School Board Divide

Two political rallies in January illustrated two competing visions regarding the future of Arkansas schools. The State Board of Education is in the middle of that debate.

State School Board’s Role Unclear, But Important

Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part series about the State Board of Education. As the chairperson of the State Board of Education, Brenda Gullett is leading an…

Study: Teachers Must Shift Focus In Common Core

A majority of American English and reading teachers surveyed in 2012 said the new Common Core State Standards will improve student learning, but they must shift their focus to teaching…

Teacher Insurance Task Force To Meet Friday

The State and Public School and Health Insurance Program Legislative Task Force created during this past session will have its first meeting on Friday, according to the chair of the…

Speaker Carter Appoints Four To Insurance Task Force

Arkansas House Speaker Davy Carter has made his four appointments to the State and Public School and Health Insurance Program Legislative Task Force that was created during the special session….

Hearing To End Deseg Case Is Dec. 9, LRSD Offers To Settle

The state will begin a two-week trial Dec. 9 in U.S. District Judge Price Marshall’s court that Attorney General Dustin McDaniel hopes will “bring about a tangible end to the…