News Source
EXCERPT:
School choice is better for students and families, but teacher unions stand in the way.
FOX News reports:
Arkansas students outperform national average after universal school choice expansion, governor says
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders pointed to emerging results as evidence that the state’s universal school choice program is bolstering student outcomes after a new report indicated students participating in the program scored above the national average in math and English following the overhaul.
“In every single subject, last year we saw a 20% increase for our student performance,” Sanders said Tuesday.
“Arkansas is investing in education where it matters, and it’s paying off, and we’re seeing a big difference.”
Discussing the initiative on “Fox & Friends,” the Republican governor credited Arkansas’ Education Freedom Account program with giving families more control over their children’s education while pairing universal school choice with increased investments in public schools, teacher pay and literacy programs.
Sanders said that under the program, eligible families receive roughly $8,000 per student each school year to help pay for private school tuition, charter schools or homeschooling, while the state simultaneously increased funding for public schools and salaries for more than 12,000 educators.