Sen. Argue to Assess State Educational System After Lake View Lawsuit

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – State Sen. Jim Argue, D-Little Rock, will speak about “Lake View and Beyond” at a daylong conference April 22 in Little Rock examining the current status of Arkansas public education.

Argue will give the keynote address at 1 p.m. at the Peabody Hotel during the University of Arkansas conference called “Adequacy Achieved … Now What? The State of Education in Arkansas, 2008.”

The Office for Education Policy, which is based in the College of Education and Health Professions, is sponsoring the event, which will feature educational researchers, state lawmakers and educators to address various aspects of the state’s educational system following the 2002 Arkansas Supreme Court ruling that the education funding system was unconstitutional. As a result of the court ruling, the Arkansas General Assembly enacted comprehensive legislation to modify the funding formula, increase teacher pay, improve facilities and impose an extensive standardized testing program.

Gary Ritter, associate professor and director of the Office for Education Policy, and others in the office have worked for several years with various Arkansas lawmakers. During this time, the researchers also worked with school finance consultants Lawrence O. Picus and Allan Odden to assess spending by school districts in Arkansas and help with the creation of a new school funding formula.

“We are thrilled to be able to provide a forum for Sen. Argue, who has been heavily involved in the improvements in Arkansas K-12 education over the past decade, to reflect upon the changes and give his advice as to where we should move in the future,” Ritter said.

The conference takes place in the Riverview Room at the Peabody Hotel. Lunch will be served during Argue’s address. The conference is free and open to the public, but registration is required by contacting Brent Riffel, deputy director of the office, at (479) 575-3773 or oep@uark.edu.  

The rest of the day’s schedule:

“How Are Arkansas Schools Doing?” 9:30 to 11 a.m.

• “How Are Arkansas Students Performing?” Keith Nitta, Clinton School for Public Policy
• “How Much Are Arkansas Schools Spending?” Joshua Barnett, University of Arkansas
• “What is the State of Improvement in Arkansas School Facilities?” State Sen. Shane Broadway, D-Bryant

“Emerging Reforms in Arkansas” 11:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

• “Teacher Pay Initiatives: Performance Pay for Teachers,” Karen Carter, Meadowcliff Elementary School, Little Rock
• “Teacher Mentoring Initiatives: The Teacher Advancement Program,” Jason Culbertson, South Carolina Department of Education
• “Leadership Initiatives: The Arkansas Leadership Academy,” Beverly Elliott, University of Arkansas
• “School-Wide Initiatives: The Learning Institute,” Joel Rush, The Learning Institute, Hot Springs

“Where Do We Go From Here?” 2:15 to 4 p.m.

• Roundtable session with moderator Gary Ritter and panelists state Sen. Steve Bryles, D-Blytheville; Sandra Stotsky, University of Arkansas; Roy Brooks, e-STEM Public Charter School; and Mitchell Holifield, Arkansas State University