By John Lyon
Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK — The Obama administration has raised the bar for states applying for the next round of stimulus money for schools, and Arkansas education officials say they are rising to the challenge.
For the first round of stimulus funding, states merely had to show that they would spend the money according to the federal government’s guidelines, but for the second round the government wants states to show that they will use the money to improve education, said state Education Commissioner Tom Kimbrell.
“The sole purpose (of the first round) was to help ensure that jobs were saved and that jobs were created,” Kimbrell said. “I think now, with the second round, they’ve looked at it and probably said, ‘We need to make sure that not only are we doing those things but we’re also ensuring that schools are going to use this money to turn around student achievement.’”
Arkansas has received $466 million for schools under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which has provided more than $67 billion to schools nationwide. Information on how schools have used the money is available on the Web site of the Arkansas Office of Recovery and Reinvestment.
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has said another $11.5 billion is available for the nation’s schools. To receive more money, states must show that they are making progress in what Duncan has called the “four pillars” of education reform.
The pillars are: Adopting academic standards that prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace; building data systems that track students’ performance; recruiting and retaining effective teachers; and turning around low-achieving schools.
State education officials expect to receive $613 million eventually, not including competitive grants they plan to seek. President Obama has said $4.35 billion will be available through a competitive grant program called “Race to the Top.”
Based on guidelines in the Race to the Top application, Arkansas likely would receive between $60 million and $175 million, though the state can apply for more.
In its application, the state must present proposals for reform, explain why the proposals are worth funding and show how it will gauge their success.
“They want innovation,” said Heather Gage, director of policy for the state Department of Education. “They’re using Race to the Top, from my understanding, as a way to find out what will work.”
Before Arkansas submits its application, state education officials will embark on a listening tour of the state.
“What we’re trying to do is go around the state and truly listen to what people on the ground are thinking we should include in our Race to the Top application,” Gage said.
Officials will hold public meetings at Jonesboro High School on Monday, Henderson State University in Arkadelphia on Dec. 3, Northwest Arkansas Education Service Center in Farmington on Dec. 7, Southeast Arkansas Education Service Center in Monticello on Dec. 8, the Arkansas Activities Association in North Little Rock on Dec. 14 and Arkansas Tech University in Russellville on Dec. 15.
The meetings will be 4:30-6:30 p.m. except at Arkansas Tech University, where the meeting will be from 3-5 p.m.
“I wish we could do 100 of them, so we could get closer to the communities, but just with the limited time we have we’re not able to do that,” Gage said, noting that the deadline for applications is Jan. 19.
States that are not selected for the first group of Race to the Top grants will get one chance to apply again. The second deadline is June 1.
The state Supreme Court ruled in 2002 that Arkansas’ system of funding public education was unequal and inadequate. Education officials say sweeping reforms enacted since then have made Arkansas well-positioned to satisfy federal requirements to receive more stimulus funding.
Officials noted that earlier this year Education Week magazine ranked Arkansas 10th in the nation for teacher policies, and in 2007 the national organization Data Quality Campaign said Arkansas was one of only four states in the nation to have all 10 essential elements for a longitudinal data system, or a system that tracks students’ performance over time.
“Arkansas has one of the richest data systems, as far as student performance data points, of just about any state in the country,” Kimbrell said.
Other reforms include the Smart Core curriculum, which introduced tougher academic standards, and the Smart Accountability program for identifying schools that are struggling academically.
“I’d say we look pretty strong,” said Education Department spokeswoman Julie Thompson, but she added, “That’s not to say there’s not room for improvement. We’re excited about the use of these funds because we’ll be able to make those improvements, and there’s a lot that we want to do.
“It’s just like the stars have aligned for Arkansas,” she said.
——-
On the Net
www.recovery.arkansas.gov/ade/ade_index.html
www.arkansased.org
