Arkansas

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Facts at a Glance

Use the Education Counts Database to find more detailed state information, ranks, comparisons across states, national statistics and more.
Governor:Mike Beebe
Commissioner of Education:Tom W. Kimbrell
Quality Counts state grade:B-
Pre-K-12 enrollment:482,114
Number of school districts:258
Number of public schools:1,110
Number of public school teachers:34,273
Unadjusted education spending per student:$9,281
Percent minority students:35.2%
Percent of students eligible for free/reduced price lunch:60.5%
Percent of students with disabilities:13.5%
Percent of English-language learners:6.5%
NAEP Mathematics 2011 percent proficient
4th grade math:37.3%
8th grade math:29.3%
NAEP Reading 2011 percent proficient
4th grade reading:30.1%
8th grade reading:27.8%

Teacher Employment Information

See information on Arkansas's certification requirements, salary information, and other teacher-employment data.

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Copyright 1988, Editorial So, with the approval of the local school board, students at the Monticello Occupational Education Center are set to begin work on a 4,000 square-foot office building.
October 5, 1988 - Education Week
Following an incident in which a black high-school tennis player was not allowed to play a match at an all-white country club, the Forrest City, Ark., school board has voted to fire employees who disobey the board's racial-equality rules

Teresa Whitfield, a visiting tennis player from Earle High School in Earle, Ark., was sent to play her match at a city tennis court by Charles Bowlin, coach of the Forrest City High School team, because she is black.

May 25, 1988 - Education Week
One of the first and most acrimonious legal disputes over the issue of competency tests for practicing teachers ended this month when the Arkansas affiliate of the National Education Association withdrew a federal lawsuit seeking to halt the state's testing program.
November 25, 1987 - Education Week
Despite mounting fiscal problems in the state, public education in Arkansas is slated to receive nearly $200 million more during the 1987-89 budget cycle than was appropriated during the current biennium.
April 24, 1987 - Education Week
Chicago--The Governor of Arkansas strongly defended his state's controversial teacher-competency examination here last week during a debate with the president of the American Federation of Teachers and a prominent education researcher.

Speaking during a session at the American Educational Research Association's annual meeting here, Gov. Bill Clinton discounted criticism leveled against the teacher-testing requirement as "purely academic."

April 10, 1985 - Education Week
While a threatened boycott of the new test required of Arkansas teachers failed to materialize last week, state police were investigating allegations that copies of the controversial examination were leaked in advance.
April 3, 1985 - Education Week
The Arkansas Senate this month defeated, 20 to 14, a bill that would have repealed the state's controversial teacher-testing law.

The bill, which would have replaced the testing requirements with a more elaborate evaluation scheme, had been approved by the House, 67 to 31.

March 20, 1985 - Education Week
The Arkansas State Board of Education late last month unanimously approved new academic standards, culminating a year-long effort by Gov. Bill Clinton, the state's Educational Standards Committee, and the Arkansas legislature to formulate school reforms.
March 14, 1984 - Education Week
Little Rock--Gov. Bill Clinton of Arkansas last week proposed raising taxes by more than $150 million to pay for major improvements in the state's public schools and colleges, and called a special session of the legislature to consider his plan.
September 28, 1983 - Education Week

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