Education

Organizers of the inaugural Joyful Teaching Conference, set for Oct. 3 at the Fayetteville Public Library, discuss why joy belongs in the classroom and how teachers can find it.

UofA education reform researchers Harry Patrinos and Kristen Scott discuss their new book, the LEARNS Act, school choice, early literacy and what it will take for Arkansas students to rebound.

A new Economic Policy Institute report puts the teacher pay gap at 25%. Economist Sylvia Allegretto talks with Ozarks at Large about how the gap widened since the 1990s.

Easterseals Arkansas opens a new K-12 academy in Little Rock, expanding education and support services for students with developmental disabilities across the state.

Clinton School graduate Enrique Carbone found Arkansas public universities award credit for AP, concurrent enrollment courses inconsistently, with no state standard for how scores translate.

After ProPublica's report on abuse at a voucher-funded school, Nicole Carey of Arkansas Advocates outlines reforms she says would close gaps in child safety oversight.

A Walton Family Foundation report shows Northwest Arkansas schools are expanding high-demand career pathways, though some districts still lack equal access to those programs.

The American Library Association awarded Franklin County Library $65,000 for its literacy program, funding tutors, a driving simulator and hot spot lending in Ozark.

A University of Arkansas study finds the gap between top and bottom-performing students has widened for two decades, with the trend starting well before the pandemic.

UofA researchers Josh McGee and Gema Zamarro discuss Arkansas teacher retention rates, job satisfaction, student behavior challenges, and what the LEARNS Act has meant for the profession.