Chronic absenteeism – defined as students missing 10 percent or more of the school year for any reason – is a big problem in Arkansas. Time lost in the classroom has a direct impact on students’ academic progress, especially reading proficiency. The Arkansas Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (AR-GLR) and Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families […]

Recent tax cuts haven’t helped struggling parents make ends meet. Instead, they have hurt public investments that Arkansas kids and their parents need to succeed. Personal income tax cuts mean less revenue for quality schools where kids can learn, fewer social workers to protect them in cases of abuse and neglect, fewer community programs to […]

The next legislative session is just around the corner, and we already know there will be efforts to make major cuts to personal income taxes in Arkansas. Are those big tax cut ideas good for kids and families in our state? Not if you ask economic experts, and certainly not if you look at what […]

Helping working Arkansas families grow their assets will build a stronger middle class and a healthier economy, which benefits us all. Our state has come a long way in making it easier for all Arkansans to build assets, but we need to continue to make smart policy choices that encourage asset building in our communities. Assets are not just […]

If we rebuild our tax code in a way that works for everyone, we can afford to make public investments that will contribute to the common good. Unfortunately, recent tax cuts have put more money in the pockets of those at the top and less in the pockets of everyone else. The revenue we lost […]

Despite claims to the contrary, personal income tax cuts don’t help small businesses grow. Business owners hire when there is increased demand, regardless of what the tax rates are. In Arkansas, the majority of firms are small businesses (96.6 percent) who don’t have enough income to justify major hiring decisions based on small marginal tax rate […]

Arkansas serves nearly 56,000 students through special education programs. The state constitution guarantees every child access to the advantages and opportunities of free, public education. It also charges the legislature with adopting all suitable means to make it happen. This means that the state and its school districts have a responsibility to meet the needs of every student — including those with […]

States should think twice before enacting big personal income tax cuts. Despite the claims of tax-cut proponents, low tax rates aren’t associated with economic prosperity, and are more likely to lead to budget problems. Most major studies over the past 15 years have shown that personal income tax cuts don’t cause economic growth. If someone […]

Every year, the Annie E. Casey Foundation releases the Kids Count Data Book, a comprehensive, 50-state look at child welfare. This year, Arkansas made gains in economic well-being, but we lost ground in health, becoming one of the bottom five states in that category. What would it take for Arkansas to climb all the way up […]

In a special session beginning later this week, Gov. Hutchinson and Arkansas lawmakers will make decisions on how to fund Arkansas’s highways, many of which are in dire need of repairs. Gov. Hutchinson’s proposal for highway funding works in the short term but creates major budget issues over the long term. In the first year, […]