School choice initiative provides empowers parents, provides accessibility to students

Making the decision to relocate is full of important factors, and for families, choosing a school system to entrust with their child’s education is arguably the most important. In Northwest Arkansas, the choice is made a little easier, because every school is held to an immensely high standard, and according to the above-average scores on standardized tests that NWA students continue to yield, evidently, schools are meeting standards.

“The heart of our work is that nearly 3,000 staff members are committed to taking care of not only the academic needs but also the whole child needs of our students so they may have great public school experience,” stated Dr. Jim Rollins, Superintendent of Springdale Public Schools.

Public school is the cornerstone of providing for the posterity of a town, which is why it is so crucial to nurturing not just a student’s mind, but their whole being and NWA districts know this to be true.

This mindset is why students who graduate from Northwest Arkansas high schools are better prepared for college than their peers, and it shows. “Scholarships for our senior classes have exceeded $20 million in each of the last four years, including nearly $27 million last year,” said Dr. Rollins, “that is a tribute to our students and is the highest total in the state of Arkansas.”

Not only are NWA students raking in the money for college, but many are also earning dual credits in advanced placement courses during their high school career. Advanced placement courses are offered in every public high school in Northwest Arkansas, giving students the opportunity to graduate with up to twenty college credits.

“Having our students college ready, career ready, is an enormous focus,” says Dr. Rollins. “In addition to the academic record of those who go to college, our educators are focused on student learning that allows those who want to enter the workforce after high school to be an asset to the business in our community.” Northwest Arkansas school districts are committed to forging students who will be prepared for any challenge that may come their way.

Every public school in Northwest Arkansas employs a common curriculum required by the Arkansas Department of education, but that does not mean that every student’s education is treated the same. On average, the student-to-teacher ratio in Northwest Arkansas schools is 14 to 1, which allows teachers the ability to really become familiar with each child’s individual needs. “Learning is personalized in each of our schools,” said Dr. Rollins, “our goal is for each of our students to have a personalized plan that will allow them to reach their promising future.”

On top of the competitive and compassionate public school districts, parents also have the option to send their child to a number of excellent charter and private schools in the area, thanks to the Arkansas school choice initiative. School choice empowers parents by allowing them to choose the school which will be the best fit for their child. With school choice, parents can apply for inter-district transfers to send their child to any public school, a charter school, or enroll their child in private school.

“The concept of school choice is that competition makes all school districts better,” said Dr. Rollins. In Northwest Arkansas, the success with school choice is evident in each of the highly competitive, high performing districts. “The Springdale School District is prepared to compete for every student and every family in our area,” continued Dr. Rollins; “the students of our district have achieved prominence on the local, state, and national level.”

Charter schools are publicly funded and part of their respective school districts, but operate with a level of autonomy independent of many of the regulations for the curriculum that are imposed on public schools. The increased independence which charter schools have is dependent upon their high yields in performance and accountability. Northwest Arkansas charter schools offer plenty of options for the diverse range of students they serve. At charter schools in the area, students have the ability to learn professional skills for their future, like construction, health, and medical occupations, information technology, industrial maintenance, and more.

Private schools operate independently of school districts and state regulations and are funded by tuition rather than taxpayer dollars, but that does not stop Northwest Arkansas’ private schools from delivering high test scores and adequately preparing students for the future. Many of the private schools in the region, including the largest, Shiloh Christian School, are religiously affiliated and provide students with an education in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ. There are also private schools that focus on a specific curriculum designed to prepare students for a future in specific fields, such as The New School in Fayetteville, which teaches a STEAM-based curriculum. A STEAM curriculum focuses on sciences, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.

To compete with these specialized STEAM schools, most public high schools in the area offer an EAST (Education Accelerated by Service and Technology) program, a largely self-driven curriculum in which students work with technology while at the same time helping their school and the community at large. Springdale schools are proud to be home to the largest EAST program not only in Arkansas but the nation as a whole.

Just this year alone, the EAST Initiative in Gentry Public Schools partnered with the University of Arkansas to utilize drones for their “Stream Team” project monitoring the health of the local Sager Springs. This project not only helps students learn lessons about earth science, water, and biology but also gives them the invaluable opportunity to receive training in using drones and other technology to assist in the observance of Sager Springs.

Northwest Arkansas is an area fortunate enough to be bursting with diversity and growing every day, and with less than 75% of the population identifying as white or Caucasian, it is vital that the school systems offer programs to celebrate diversity. Every public school in the district is certainly stellar at ensuring inclusion for their students of all races by providing strong, result-yielding English as a Second Language, or ESL, programs. Additionally, many schools offer Family Literacy programs to help assist parents who are learning English as a second language.

Schools in Northwest Arkansas don’t just celebrate diversity in the classroom; they also offer a plethora of extracurricular activities that allow students to engage in other cultures. For instance, many Springdale Elementary schools have “Stomp Clubs,” groups of students who engage in the music and culture native to the Pacific Islands.

Northwest Arkansas is full of excellent options for childhood education all the way from pre-kindergarten through the 12th grade and is only improving more with each passing year. “The last two years, the Springdale Public School district has led the state in the academic growth of its students,” said Dr. Rollins, and Springdale is not alone in this growth. Bentonville, Rogers, and Fayetteville school districts continuously deliver higher test scores and earn more scholarship money with each passing year, just as Springdale, which is the largest district in Arkansas.

With the school choice initiative in place, Northwest Arkansas is a cornucopia of accessibility for students of every demographic, from ESL to special education. Every student who enters the Northwest Arkansas school systems, whether public or private, will receive a personalized education to fit their needs and help them achieve the future of their dreams.

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