Arkansas Policy Foundation

05/05/2023

"Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and state legislators have developed an ambitious reform package to empower students and families, incentivize teachers, and provide an adequate, equitable and efficient education system, as required by legal decisions and the Arkansas Constitution."

The education of Arkansas children should be a preeminent issue in today's society. School choice can greatly impact a child's education for the better and subsequently improve the economy as a whole. Read about Governor Sanders' related LEARNS plan and the growth of school choice here https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2023/feb/27/market-growing/

05/05/2023

"A broad-based coalition of Arkansans have distributed more than 13,000 dictionaries to third grade public school students, a charitable coverage rate of nearly 28%, or eighth best in the nation. The coalition includes service clubs such as Rotary International, nonprofit organizations, businesses, librarians, literacy specialists, teachers and women’s groups. The aim: improve reading comprehension by third grade, a goal shared by groups such as Aspire Arkansas."

The latest from APF's executive director Greg Kaza. Read more at https://talkbusiness.net/2023/03/a-top-10-arkansas-metric/

05/05/2023

"[S]chool choice is expanding nationally. The movement is going away from narrowly targeted school voucher scholarships serving students with disabilities and low-income students, and is going toward universal or close-to-universal accessibility with flexible education savings accounts that parents can use to cover other expenses such as tutoring, technology, therapies and textbooks."

Continue reading at https://talkbusiness.net/2023/02/experts-studies-offer-variety-of-results-for-school-choice-models/

10/14/2020

"There are additional ways to expand medical care for Arkansans. One is to allow licensed nurse practitioners a broader scope of practice. Yet another is to allow licensed professionals including physicians to volunteer across state lines."

The latest from APF's Executive Director Greg Kaza.

Covid-19 has led to increased demand for medical services. The economic response--increasing the supply of services--has taken various forms. One example: Gov. Asa Hutchinson has signed executive orders that expand telemedicine options and provide immunity to certain emergency responders.

07/20/2020

There are more than 85,000 students in the Arkansas K-12 school choice market.

Charter schools. Home schools. Private schools. Public school choice.

http://arkansaspolicyfoundation.org/

07/20/2020

The School Choice Market in Faulkner County

Education markets exist in Faulkner County

07/15/2020

"State's jobless rate decreases to 9.5%"
June 20, 2020

Employment picked up in Arkansas in May, following the national trend as the statewide jobless rate dropped to 9.5%, according to statistics released Friday.

07/15/2020

"Hope For Future: Past Can Inform Outlook"

June 12, 2020

The divisive events of 2020 and the uncertainty they bring have left some of my brothers and sisters of Generation Z feeling disenfranchised and empty-handed compared to older counterparts. Fear and worry can be sensed, even through mask-covered faces. There are questions about the future. Yet we ca...

07/14/2020

"Most postwar recessions did not exceed 10 months"

May 10, 2020

The recent national payroll employment report for April, which showed a decline of 20.5 million jobs and a 14.7% unemployment provides additional evidence a recession is underway. Coupled with peaks...

05/05/2020

Early this century, Arkansas policymakers advanced an educational experiment: a K-12 virtual school for at-home students. Today, school choice has reemerged as COVID-19 has forced all to learn at home.

05/04/2020

ICYMI: Should government compete with the private sector?

The University of Arkansas' recent decision to negotiate with bookseller Barnes & Noble to manage its Fayetteville bookstore is welcome news. The action raises the question: Should government compete with

02/11/2020

"Greg Kaza, economist and director of the Arkansas Policy Foundation, said the December figures show that Arkansas is doing better than some neighbor states in this ongoing economic expansion"

Arkansas’ jobless rate was 3.6% in December, unchanged from November, and below the 3.7% in December 2018. Year-over-year, the state economy added 16,396 jobs, a 1.25% increase according to data...