ADE Briefs

A new Data Quality Campaign report released today finds that Arkansas places second among states for taking the necessary steps to ensure that longitudinal data systems are used to improve student outcomes and system‐wide performance. The results are based on a survey of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. This is [...]

Due to the icy weather that is forecast to include snow later today, the Arkansas Department of Education is closed today. If you need to reach Dr. Kimbrell or others, please do so by e-mail. Thanks, and be careful out there! Posted by JJT.

Click here to watch Dr. Kimbrell’s weekly address as he discusses the impact of the state’s budget cuts on education and ADE’s recent release of the grade inflation report. Posted by JJT.

With the forecast for inclement weather later this week, this is a reminder that school administrators no longer are asked to report school closings to the Arkansas Department of Education, as they have in the past. Posted by JJT.

In a recent report by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools entitled “How State Charter Laws Rank Against the New Model Public Charter School Law,” Arkansas placed 15th among the 40 states with charter school laws. The analysis ranked state’s according to a list of 20 major components, each of which contained sub-components. the [...]

Hot Springs: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding was announced at the perfect time for Lakeside School District in Garland County. “We already had plans drawn up for a major renovation when the ARRA money became available,” Assistant Superintendent Rick McLaughlin said. The school district didn’t waste any time. The $1.1 million renovation, completed this [...]

Arkansas joined 40 other states in submitting its Race to the Top application to the U.S. Department of Education. Jan. 19 was the deadline for applications to be submitted. This competitive grant process allows states to apply for a piece of a $4.3 billion appropriation in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to allow progressive [...]

Watch Dr. Tom W. Kimbrell, commissioner of education, talk about the Quality Counts report and the state’s Race to the Top application. Kimbrell also recognizes Decatur and Greenland School Districts for being removed from their fiscal distress classification. Video: Jan. 21, 2010 – WMV Posted by DT.

National education expert Charlotte Danielson was in Russellville last week to consult with the Teacher Evaluation Task Force as they continued development of a common evaluation instrument for teachers. The work of this task force, which began in the summer of 2009, is also being incorporated into the state’s Race to the Top application, which [...]

Today, the State Board of Education approved both the removal of conditions imposed upon the open-enrollment charter of Urban Collegiate Public Charter School for Young Men and the creation of a review team to look at future charter applications and current charter agreements. At its meeting of December 19, 2009, the State Board of Education [...]