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Facing the Facts About Arkansas EducationWritten by:
Research and Technical Support:
In cooperation with Children's Research Center
Arkansas does not compete well with other states in the field of education. For decades, the state has floated at or near the bottom of most education-related rankings. Many of the key indices of Arkansas' educational status and progress are included in this report. "That is not news," you may respond. "We've known most of those facts for decades." Our point, precisely. Dramatic news typically calls people to action. Dire circumstances often elicit emotions such as anguish, outrage, and indignation. In Arkansas, the response remains at the level of acceptance, resignation, and regret. About 450,000 students, in grades K-12 are enrolled in Arkansas public schools. The people determine the kind of education these students receive. Arkansas adults, from Texarkana to Blytheville and from Gentry to Eudora, influence and shape the quality of the education available to our children. We should realize that teachers, administrators, state education leaders, politicians, and other professionals are largely a reflection of the educational expectations of the people of Arkansas. Those 450,000 school age children experience the education system that we 1.9 million adults provide. Whether it is good or bad, excellent or dismal, Arkansas' education system is of our own making. It is our product. Over time, a shared tolerance for what is acceptable in education has shaped the quality and tone of Arkansas education. As a result, it is now our collective education ethic that plagues us. We have come to accept the unacceptable. No one but Arkansans are responsible. No other state can make it better or worse. Unless the people of Arkansas establish new education priorities, rankings such as the one shown in Chart 1 will prevail. We can begin with four essential education questions: (1) What do we want for our children and our state? (2) Are we satisfied with the quality of education currently provided by Arkansas' school districts? (3) If we are not satisfied, what are we willing to do to achieve the quality of education we desire? And, (4) what are the economic, political, and social barriers to achieving what we want? Answering those questions is the first step in establishing the kind of education system that will best serve all of us. Without serious attention to those questions, Arkansans are left with stale educational habits, an array of vested interests, and an education ship adrift with hundreds of thousands of young people. Our children trust us to meet their needs. If we do not ask and answer those basic questions, we have failed them. One way to find out what we want for education is to look out of our Arkansas windows and see what is going on next door and across the nation. There are 49 other states engaged in the same effort to educate young people. Six of those states border Arkansas. From an Arkansas perspective, the big picture on U.S. education can be summed up in two sentences: Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi take turns for having the most discouraging education statistics, with states such as Hawaii, Alabama, and South Carolina close by. The rest of the states seem to be in a different league. Certainly, there is always an unusual ranking that finds one of the bottom-tier states up near the middle of the pack, but it is not the norm. Little is gained by clinging to one promising statistic while the balance of indicators paint a dim picture. Historically, Arkansans have sheepishly joked about the state's educational status in the nation. The catchphrase, "Thank God for Mississippi," might have been funny for a while, but now, even Mississippi cannot always protect us from last place. Comparisons with the nation, such as the ACT composite scores shown in Chart 2, rarely show Arkansas in a good light. More importantly, it is not the specific ranking of educational indices that is of most concern, but the entrenched habit of ending up in the bottom quartile of almost every list. When national rankings are examined, Arkansas is usually forty-something out of fifty in reports and assessments of educational (and often economic) quality. To some extent, Arkansans have come to expect this position on the charts; and therein lies the problem. For too long, Arkansans have simply aspired to move from 49th to the lower forties in teacher salaries or student achievement. What about climbing, in key assessments of education quality, from 49th to 17th, or 9th? When asked that question, far too many Arkansas adults respond with, "Well, that is not going to happen," or "That is not possible." We are inevitably reminded that "Arkansas is a poor state." With this attitude, Arkansans are losing the ability to imagine their students and institutions as academic leaders. With this attitude, we risk marginalizing ourselves. So, why do students in some states achieve so much more in school? Are children in Connecticut, Minnesota and North Carolina naturally smarter than Arkansas children? Do young people in Arkansas have less ability? Few people would embrace those suggestions. If we believe that our Arkansas children have the same intrinsic potential that all other children do, then the issue is the educational process (in the largest sense), not the precious raw material. The question becomes, "What steps must be taken to educate our children - both at home and at school - in order to join the leading states?" It boils down to what we as residents of Arkansas expect of education and of our children. Each spring, when Arkansas high school graduates cross the stage to get their diplomas, adults should be able to look them in the eye and say, "We provided you with the best education possible." Right now, we cannot say that we provided the best in the nation, the region, or even among bordering states. Is that acceptable? The following pages place the facts, numbers, and rankings about Arkansas education at the reader's fingertips. It is not good news. This information comes from a range of sources, but the message is consistent - our students and our education system can do considerably better. As parents, educators, and business leaders, we have a responsibility to face these facts and make decisions. Facts such as these always reflect the past and the present. It is the future that offers a chance to change. What do we want for our children? What are we Arkansans willing to risk for the benefit of our children? And what cliches about Arkansas education are we willing to hold up to the light and then discard? Are we willing to begin coloring outside the lines in the quest for the best possible schools? The Arkansas Business & Education Alliance has published this report not to lay blame, not to point fingers, and not to look for excuses. We produced this report to call attention to a situation that cannot continue. We produced this report to enlist the support of the banker, the insurance agent, the teacher, the parent, the politician, and all other citizens of the state. We seek Arkansans who are willing to risk a little time and a little effort in working for a quality first-class education. Earlier in this report, we used the term "education ethic." To us, it means the collective attitude people have about the importance and value of education. Arkansas needs an improved, if not a new education ethic. As a state, we should elevate the value we place on teachers, schools, and students. We must elevate the importance we place on learning, knowledge, and educational achievement. Formulas for better education abound, but below is the boiled down, basic recipe for an education system that is successful:
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