Smart Points
In 2008 for the first time, more than 50 percent of students at
each tested grade level scored proficient or above on all
Arkansas Benchmark Exams.
The 2008 edition of Education Week's Quality Counts
ranked Arkansas' public education system 8th in the country, and
2nd in terms of policies for teacher quality.
In
a June, 2007, editorial, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret
Spellings wrote, "States that have shown true leadership, such
as Arkansas and Massachusetts, can inspire others to act."
Schools
Number of schools, as of Jan. 20, 2009: