Mike Poore, longtime Arkansas educator and now EVP at Education Partners, joins Free Arkansas for a deep dive into the current state of K-12 education. We explore how Arkansas has made progress in national rankings, what’s working (like early literacy initiatives), and where gaps remain—from teacher recruitment to school safety. Poore offers thoughtful insights on how policy, business partnerships, and community support can help move the state forward.
🎙️ In this episode:
Arkansas' climb from 48th to 38th in national education rankings
📈 The science of reading and why it’s transforming literacy instruction
📚 Early childhood education as workforce and brain development strategy
🧠 School choice, vouchers, and the future of public vs. private accountability
🔁 Attracting—and keeping—great teachers in the Natural State
👩🏫 The growing importance of financial literacy and career-readiness courses
💵🔧 Classroom cell phone bans, AI in schools, and how tech can help or hurt
🎒📵 School safety, the Centegix alert system, and what makes a campus "persistently unsafe" 🚨
💬 Favorite quote: “We’ve moved up 10 spots in the past decade… but what’s it going to take to move up 10 more?”