
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For years, the national education debate has been dominated by arguments over spending, curriculum, school choice, and the role of teachers&#8217; unions. While politicians and education advocates continue to disagree over the best path forward, Arkansas is making the case that measurable academic improvement is possible through comprehensive reform rather than incremental change.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders believes her state&#8217;s recent education gains represent more than just a local success story. She argues they provide a practical roadmap that states across the country, regardless of political affiliation, should seriously consider.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The latest statewide testing results suggest Arkansas has achieved something many education systems have struggled to deliver: broad academic improvement across multiple subjects, grade levels, and student populations in just three years.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>A Comprehensive Reform Effort</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the Republican governor of Arkansas, signed the LEARNS Act into law in 2023 as one of the most sweeping education reforms in state history. Rather than focusing on a single policy change, the legislation sought to transform multiple aspects of the state&#8217;s education system simultaneously.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Speaking after the release of the newest statewide testing results, Sanders described the improvements as evidence that the state&#8217;s strategy is working.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">&#8220;The thing we&#8217;re most excited about is the fact that so many Arkansas students are doing better now than they would have been doing pre-LEARNS legislation,&#8221; Sanders said.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">She emphasized that the reforms were never intended to be about politics.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">&#8220;We want our kids to do well,&#8221; Sanders said. &#8220;We love the fact that kids in Arkansas are learning, that they&#8217;re moving up. The growth and achievement that we&#8217;re seeing from our kids is exactly what we want to happen.&#8221;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Rather than pointing to one specific reform, Sanders credited what she called &#8220;a comprehensive, aligned approach&#8221; that focuses on student achievement from multiple directions.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">&#8220;Not any one thing, but it&#8217;s the collective process of really transforming the way that we approach education,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Realizing that every single kid can learn when given the right environment, when given the right tools, and letting failure not be an option.&#8221;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>What Changed Under the LEARNS Act?</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The Arkansas reforms combined accountability measures with increased investment in teachers and students.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Among the most significant changes were:</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Higher Teacher Salaries</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The state raised the minimum teacher salary from $36,000 to $50,000. The increase was intended to attract more qualified teachers while improving retention throughout Arkansas.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Performance-Based Teacher Bonuses</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Rather than relying solely on seniority or years of service, Arkansas introduced bonuses tied to teacher performance. Supporters argue this rewards exceptional educators and encourages stronger classroom outcomes. Teacher&#8217;s Unions have been massively opposed to this.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Expanded Literacy Support</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The reforms placed renewed emphasis on reading instruction, particularly during the earliest grades when literacy skills have the greatest long-term impact on academic success.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>School Safety Investments</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The LEARNS Act included additional funding dedicated to improving school safety, reflecting the state&#8217;s belief that students learn best in secure environments.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Curriculum Restrictions</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The law prohibited classroom instruction involving critical race theory, gender identity instruction, sexual orientation instruction, and sexually explicit materials.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">These curriculum reforms have become some of the law&#8217;s most debated provisions, placing Arkansas squarely in the middle of the national discussion over what should and should not be taught in public schools.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>The Numbers Show Significant Improvement</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Supporters of the reforms argue that the strongest evidence comes not from political speeches but from student performance.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Arkansas public school students have shown substantial gains across nearly every major academic measurement.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Overall student proficiency reached 42.2 percent in 2026, compared with 36.9 percent just one year earlier.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Mathematics produced some of the most impressive improvements. Student proficiency climbed from 36.4 percent in 2024 to 44.2 percent in 2026.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Science scores followed a similar pattern, increasing from 35.6 percent to 44.0 percent during the same period.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">English language arts also improved steadily, rising from 33.8 percent in 2024 to 39.5 percent in 2026.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Perhaps just as important, the percentage of students performing at the lowest academic levels declined significantly. Those students dropped from an average of 27.3 percent in 2025 to 23.1 percent in 2026.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Third grade reading, often viewed as one of the strongest predictors of future academic success, also showed meaningful gains. Reading proficiency increased from 36 percent in 2024 to 43 percent in 2026.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The youngest students may provide the strongest evidence that the reforms are having an early impact.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Students in kindergarten through second grade, who have spent their entire education under the new system, exceeded 50 percent proficiency in nearly every grade and subject while continuing to improve.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Since 2024, student proficiency has increased by more than seven percentage points across all grades and subjects. Even compared with 2025 alone, statewide proficiency increased by more than five percentage points.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>A Different Philosophy</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Sanders argues that Arkansas&#8217; success stems from refusing to accept poor outcomes as inevitable.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Instead of lowering expectations, the state sought to raise standards while providing schools with additional support and resources.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">&#8220;We know that raising the bar, providing those resources and support for our students, for our teachers, for our superintendents makes a difference,&#8221; Sanders said.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">&#8220;We&#8217;ve got a recipe here that&#8217;s working and absolutely hope it not only changes the conversation but frankly changes the system, changes the culture and education.&#8221;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The governor believes educational success should transcend partisan politics.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">&#8220;I&#8217;m hopeful absolutely that red states will use what we&#8217;re doing here as a blueprint, but I also hope that blue states will look at the success that you&#8217;re seeing in places like Arkansas, Mississippi and others and try to follow suit because we want all kids to do well,&#8221; Sanders said.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">&#8220;Seeing kids achieve and do better and be successful, that&#8217;s not a red state or blue state issue. That&#8217;s something everybody should care about.&#8221;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>A Different Approach Than Many Teachers&#8217; Unions Favor</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Several elements of Arkansas&#8217; reforms run counter to positions often advocated by national teachers&#8217; unions.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Performance-based compensation replaces systems based primarily on longevity.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Curriculum restrictions establish statewide limits on certain classroom subjects.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The reforms emphasize measurable academic outcomes and accountability while pairing those expectations with higher teacher pay and additional instructional support.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Supporters argue these policies create stronger incentives for classroom success while maintaining clear academic priorities.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Critics have questioned many conservative education reforms nationally, particularly those involving curriculum restrictions and performance-based evaluations.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Sanders, however, argues that Arkansas&#8217; latest test scores demonstrate that the state&#8217;s approach deserves serious consideration regardless of political ideology.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Education Leaders See Validation</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Arkansas education officials say the gains reflect years of coordinated effort involving teachers, administrators, parents, and policymakers.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Jacob Oliva, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Education, described the results as confirmation that the comprehensive strategy is paying off.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">&#8220;The LEARNS Act was a bold, innovative, and comprehensive approach to improve education,&#8221; Oliva said.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">&#8220;It was built on research, urgency, and the desperate need for change.&#8221;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">He credited collaboration throughout the education system.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">&#8220;These scores prove that listening to teachers, administrators, and parents wasn&#8217;t just valuable but also essential. The plan is working. Arkansas students are reading, learning, and benefitting.&#8221;</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>Could Arkansas Become a National Model?</strong></p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Education reform has long been marked by competing philosophies about funding, curriculum, accountability, and school governance. Arkansas is now presenting a real-world case study that will likely receive increasing attention as other states search for ways to improve student performance.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The state&#8217;s strategy did not rely on a single policy or isolated initiative. Instead, it combined higher teacher salaries, performance incentives, expanded literacy efforts, school safety investments, curriculum reforms, and an emphasis on measurable academic achievement into one coordinated effort.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Whether other states ultimately adopt the same combination of policies remains to be seen. But Arkansas has strengthened its argument with something that often proves difficult to dispute: improving test scores across multiple subjects, grade levels, and student populations.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">For supporters, the message is straightforward. If Arkansas can produce measurable gains in a relatively short period by raising expectations while fundamentally restructuring its education system, other states may have less reason to argue over theories and more reason to examine results.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As Sanders sees it, the goal extends beyond state politics.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The objective is not simply to improve Arkansas schools, but to demonstrate that comprehensive reform can produce measurable academic gains and provide a blueprint that any state willing to challenge conventional thinking might choose to follow.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"><strong>PB Editor: </strong> Teacher&#8217;s unions have been opposed to measurements of any kind, a willfully destructive policy, since if you don&#8217;t measure outcomes then you inevitably fail.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One thing that is not included that needs to be (and may be an informal policy), teachers who consistently fail at improving student learning should be fired. There is no point in paying more to the same teachers who are failing &#8211; fired that bad ones and hire better ones with the higher salary.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph"></p>

Sarah Sanders’ Education Blueprint Paying Off in Arkansas
