by - June 18, 2026 4:23 pm
Average public school student proficiency levels across all subjects have increased from 35% in 2024 to 42.2% this spring, Gov. Sarah Sanders and Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva announced Thursday…
by - April 13, 2026 6:36 pm
Three years into the implementation of the LEARNS Act, Arkansas educators are bracing for a new reading proficiency requirement that takes effect this year and will determine which third graders…
by - October 16, 2024 4:33 pm
Almost 65% of Arkansas parents favored restricting student cell phones in schools in a poll commissioned by the national school reform group ExcelinEd. In other education news, the Arkansas Department…
by - September 1, 2024 1:02 pm
What’s the state of the state in education? Schools are implementing Gov. Sarah Sanders’ LEARNS Act. Legislators are performing the biennial adequacy study that will determine school funding amounts for…
by - December 21, 2023 4:38 pm
A coalition has submitted a proposed amendment to the Arkansas Constitution that would require private schools receiving state funds to meet public school state standards. It also would obligate the…
by - December 12, 2023 2:31 pm
A quarter of registered voters in Arkansas with K-12 students living in their homes said they would change their children’s learning environment if provided state funding for non-public school options….
by - October 12, 2023 12:43 pm
The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled Thursday (Oct. 12) that state lawmakers did not violate the Constitution by voting on the LEARNS Act’s emergency clause at the same time they voted…
by - August 4, 2023 3:05 pm
The group attempting to advance a referendum to repeal the LEARNS Act fell at least 978 signatures short in its effort, Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston said in a…
by - August 1, 2023 12:56 pm
A day after saying it had failed to collect enough signatures to qualify its referendum for the ballot, the anti-LEARNS Act group Citizens for Arkansas Public Education and Students (CAPES)…
by - July 31, 2023 11:54 am
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with new information. The referendum effort to repeal the LEARNS Act, Gov. Sarah Sanders’ education reform law, fell less than 500 signatures short…
by - July 29, 2023 8:54 am
Eighty-four Arkansas private educational providers have been approved by the state Department of Education to accept students qualifying for education freedom accounts through the LEARNS Act. Most schools are faith-based,…
by - July 19, 2023 6:11 pm
Gov. Sarah Sanders on Wednesday (July 19) appointed Cory Cox to the Arkansas Supreme Court for the LEARNS Act case that recently appointed Justice Cody Hiland recused from. Hiland announced…
by - June 30, 2023 2:04 pm
Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Herb Wright on Friday (June 30) ruled that the Arkansas LEARNS Act cannot go into effect until Aug. 1. The ruling, if it stands, could…
by - June 15, 2023 10:48 am
The Arkansas Supreme Court ended a restraining order against the LEARNS Act, Gov. Sarah Sanders’ signature education law, but the case will continue to be litigated. In a 5-2 vote…
by - June 5, 2023 5:03 pm
The third time may be a charm for a group wanting to repeal the LEARNS Act, but Attorney General Tim Griffin has warned that their lengthy ballot title could be…
by - June 2, 2023 3:56 pm
The Arkansas Supreme Court on Friday (June 2) denied a motion to block a temporary restraining order against the LEARNS Act, but has granted an expedited hearing requiring the parties…
by - May 30, 2023 4:26 pm
Attorney General Tim Griffin filed Tuesday (May 30) an emergency motion for the Arkansas Supreme Court to stay and expedite an appeal of a circuit judge’s ruling that suspended the…
by - May 26, 2023 4:39 pm
A Pulaski County judge issued a temporary restraining order late Friday (May 26) on the LEARNS Act, Gov. Sarah Sanders’ signature education bill, which is being litigated over whether or…
by - May 11, 2023 8:52 pm
A second effort to place a citizen’s referendum on the ballot to repeal the LEARNS Act, Gov. Sarah Sanders’ signature education bill, has been rejected by Arkansas Attorney General Tim…
by - May 8, 2023 7:43 pm
Gov. Sarah Sanders signature education law, the LEARNS Act, received a court challenge on Monday (May 8) from a group of Marvell parents opposed to the State Board of Education’s…
