Overview

 Empowerment
  • Empower parents with more choices, so no child is ever trapped in a failing school and lifetime in poverty, and curriculum transparency through innovation and online resources.

Nearly one in three Arkansas students attend schools rated “D” or “F” — a number that is even higher for students of color. Every Arkansan deserves access to transparent information about the public schools in their community, and every family deserves access to the best possible school options for their children.

Commitments 

In order to pave the way for strong charter operators to thrive in Arkansas, ADE commits to:

  • Streamline charter application processes: Create more transparent charter approval and renewal processes through streamlined applications and a standard performance agreement that codifies expectations.
  • Improve charter policies: Work with the State Board of Education to revise charter policy to codify the more transparent charter application process, tie charter renewal and expansion decisions to performance criteria, and remove barriers for high quality out-of-state charter operators to open in Arkansas.

In order to deliver a school and district accountability system that meets these expectations as Arkansas implements the LEARNS Act, ADE commits to: 

  • Strengthen the system that measures how schools and districts are performing: Ensure the accountability system signals excellence aligned to LEARNS, integrates learning in kindergarten through postsecondary, and produces results that drive improvement and transparency by launching and facilitating a three-phase timeline to implement an updated accountability system, if desired by stakeholders and the legislature, by the 2024-2025 school year.