In The News

A steady drenching rain prompted several schools to announce closings on Thursday night. The primary concern was transporting students from areas where flash flooding is likely to remain a concern on Friday and throughout the weekend. Read More

The State Board of Education on Thursday approved a civics exam prepared by the Arkansas Department of Education in response to legislation passed during the 2017 legislative session. Act 478 mandates that in order to graduate, high school students must pass the civics portion of the naturalization test used by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. This requirement also applies to adults seeking their GEDs. It will become effective in the 2018-19 school year. Read More

Deemed a “STEM Star” by the Milken Family Foundation, North Little Rock Middle School teacher Dawn McLain on Thursday received the $25,000 Milken Educator Award. Read More

The Arkansas Department of Education announced Tuesday that its ESSA proposal has been approved, which means it will be implemented in the 2018-19 school year. The approval follows 18 months of input from stakeholders and educators from across the state.   Read More

LITTLE ROCK – The Arkansas State Board of Education on Thursday voted to approve the last batch of waivers sought by school districts seeking to maintain their current calendar schedules.  Members agreed to let the Little Rock School District and Pulaski County Special School District join the rest of the state’s school districts in starting the 2018-19 school year on August 13 instead of August 20. At Thursday’s meeting, Arkansas Parks and Tourism Director Kane Webb testified before the board that in the past years, an “early creep of the school start calendar has slowly eroded summers” for businesses and agencies dependent upon the dollars spent by vacationing families.  Read More