Common Core in Arkansas, illustrated
A group of minority, middle- and low-income parents met in Star City early in June. The subject was Common Core. Most of the parents knew very little about it. Schools throughout the state have done a poor job...
Investments in health, education paying off for Arkansas kids
Arkansas made gains in health coverage and education over the last year, but the child poverty rate went up to 29 percent. Those ups and downs are consistent with national trends, according to the 25th edition KIDS COUNT Data...
Juneteenth – Freedom through education
Today is Juneteenth, a day to celebrate the promise of freedom to black children and families throughout the United States. Though the freedom we celebrate today was provided by the Emancipation Proclamation more than 150 years ago, we still...
AACF statement on Common Core State Standards
Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families (AACF) supports the adoption of Common Core State Standards. Setting high, clear, and consistent expectations for student learning is essential to improving educational outcomes for all Arkansas students and closing racial and socio-economic...
Covering the bases on Common Core
Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families (AACF) is releasing three documents aimed at helping low-income parents understand Common Core State Standards (Common Core). The documents are written in family-friendly language that is more easily understood by non-education professionals. One...
How to “fix” schools in academic distress
In a challenging editorial this morning, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette called on our state to begin widely publishing the results of academic success, or lack thereof, classroom-by-classroom. The suggestion would be to make this the next step in academic accountability,...
Speaking up for adequate education
Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families (AACF) was one of eight groups invited to testify before the House and Senate Education Committees Monday to share its strategy for providing an adequate education for all Arkansas children. The need for...
Annual pre-K report underlines need for more funding
According to the National Institute for Early Education Research’s annual report, total pre-K enrollment in Arkansas followed a national trend in 2013, declining slightly. The state ranks 14th for 4-year-old enrollment, reaching 33 percent of those eligible.* Last...
Giving thanks to Arkansas moms
There are a quarter of a million working moms in Arkansas who, just like your mom, deserve thanks for the sacrifices they make for their kids. As a state we’ve made huge strides to help working moms support...
Broadband is an educational adequacy issue
The battle for broadband in our schools is on. Broadband is the fiber cabling that allows schools to connect to the internet, to the Arkansas Department of Education and to have enough bandwidth in their schools to run administrative...