Nearly three years have passed since Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and the Arkansas General Assembly enacted the LEARNS Act (Leading Education Advancement Reform Now Strategy), a sweeping education reform bill, a sweeping education reform bill and an early signature legislative achievement for the state’s first female governor. As Arkansas enters the new year, Arkansan families and the state workforce are beginning to experience the law’s impact, shifting the focus from passage to real-world performance.
One of the most debated provisions of the LEARNS Act is the third-grade reading requirement, which holds students back if they cannot read at grade level—a policy that raises essential ethical questions about fairness, accountability, and the philosophy of American education. In this article, I explore these questions with curiosity, examining what the law intends, what it accomplishes, and who bears the burden of its consequences.
LEARNS Act Breakdown…