Arkansas is lucky to have an unapologetic governor. In 2023, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed Arkansas LEARNS to transform Arkansas' education system from top to bottom, from implementing high-quality early learning to raising teacher salaries to empowering parents to adding resources to struggling schools. Three years later, those investments are paying off: 2026 statewide testing results show that student performance is on the rise significantly in every subject and every grade level--a historic result.

I'm often asked about the biggest change LEARNS made, and like to say that it simply provided clarity and alignment. We have always had outstanding teachers and leaders, but they were working in a crumbling system. We know all too well that bad systems beat good people every time. That bad system has since been replaced by a robust, fully comprehensive, overhauled system of improvement. A key part of that is Arkansas' new assessment system, the ATLAS exam, implemented for the first time three years ago that aligns testing, teaching, and outcomes.

As LEARNS has come into effect, I've walked through hallways and witnessed something new and special: rigorous high-impact tutoring, literacy coaching based on........

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