1. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas Goals for Education Challenge to Lead: Arkansas 2006 Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board

2. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas Themes: Challenge to Lead Goals  Transitions Pre-K to elementary school Middle grades to high school High school to college and careers  Closing the achievement gaps Race/ethnicity and gender Geography Income  Education systems Aligned curricula/assessments Data from schools and colleges linked Accountability to the public

3. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas Actual and Projected Changes Public Elementary and Secondary Enrollment Source: SREB Fact Book on Higher Education, 2003 and 2005 State Profile U.S. AR SREB

4. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas State Profile Children Ages 18 and Younger in Poverty 2003 Sources: U.S. Census Bureau and the Annie E. Casey Foundation

5. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas State Profile Percent of Students Approved for a Free or Reduced-Price Lunch 1990 and 2004 Increase in percent, 1990-2004 Percent, 1990 44% 51% 56% Sources: U.S. Census Bureau and the National School Lunch Program

6. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas United States State Profile Arkansas Source: Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education Racial/Ethnic Proportions Public High School Graduates

7. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas First-Grade Readiness Children in Poverty Compared With Children in Prekindergarten Programs 2005 200% or more100% to 199%Less than 100% MD DE Sources: U.S. Head Start Bureau and the National Institute for Early Education Research

8. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas Achievement in the Early Grades Increases in NAEP Scale Scores Fourth-Grade Reading 1998 to 2005 Source: National Center for Education Statistics Significant increases 1998 data not available DE MD

9. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas Achievement in the Early Grades NAEP Fourth-Grade Reading Results 2005 Source: National Center for Education Statistics U.S. AR SREB

10. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas Achievement in the Early Grades NAEP Fourth-Grade Reading Results Percent Scoring At or Above Basic by Race/Ethnicity Source: National Center for Education Statistics Hispanic: no scores reported in 2005 for 1998.

11. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas Achievement in the Early Grades NAEP Fourth-Grade Reading Results Percent Scoring At or Above Basic Level by School Location, 2005 Source: National Center for Education Statistics U.S. AR SREB

12. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas Achievement in the Middle Grades NAEP Eighth-Grade Mathematics Results 2005 Source: National Center for Education Statistics U.S. AR SREB

13. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas Achievement in the Middle Grades NAEP Eighth-Grade Mathematics Results Basic and Above by Race/Ethnicity Source: National Center for Education Statistics Hispanic: no scores reported in 2005 for 2000.

14. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas Achievement in the Middle Grades NAEP Eighth-Grade Mathematics Results Percent Scoring At or Above Basic Level Free and Reduced-Price Lunch, 2005 Source: National Center for Education Statistics U.S. AR SREB

15. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas Achievement in the Middle Grades Eighth-Grade Students on Track for College-Prep Math in High School, 2005 Source: National Center for Education Statistics 70% 69% 89% 59% Pre-algebra Algebra I or higher

16. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas Four-Year Graduation Rate From High School 2004 Source: National Center for Education Statistics U.S. Graduation Rate: 75% High School Graduation Updated 9/2006

17. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas High School Graduation Source: Urban Institute Graduation Rates by Race and Gender 2003 U.S.AR

18. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas College and Career Readiness Algebra I, II and geometry Algebra I and geometry Not specified Sources: State departments of education Math Courses Required for College-Prep Diploma DE * MD * * * * * * State has one standard diploma and does not specify a distinct college-prep diploma; courses indicated are for the standard diploma. *

19. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas Number of Career Courses Required in State’s Career Pathway College and Career Readiness No pathway defined One course Three or more courses MD Sources: State departments of education DE

20. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas College and Career Readiness 10% or fewer11% to 22%23% or more U.S. 23% SREB 24% Source: Advanced Placement Report to the Nation, 2006 Percent of Graduating Seniors Taking At Least One AP Exam 2005 MD DE

21. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas College and Career Readiness Source: ACT Inc. Seniors Taking the ACT Assessment and Completing ACT’s Recommended Core Curriculum U.S. AR

22. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas Source: ACT Inc. College and Career Readiness Average Composite ACT Scores

23. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas College and Career Readiness Average Composite ACT Scores by Race/Ethnicity Source: ACT Inc.

24. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas Adult Literacy and Job Training 25- to 44-Year-Olds Without High School Credentials Enrolled in Adult Education 2000 Sources: U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Education

25. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas Adult Literacy and Job Training Source: American Council on Education Adults 18 to 24 Adults 50 and older Adults 25 to 49 Youth 16 and 17 20% 25% 54% 1% GED Awards by Age, 2004 Number of Awards in AR: 6,133 Pass Rates: U.S. 61% SREB 63% AR 81%

26. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas Postsecondary Certificates & Degrees Estimated College Enrollment Rates of Recent High School Graduates Source: National Center for Education Statistics U.S. AR SREB

27. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas Postsecondary Certificates & Degrees Adults With Bachelor’s Degrees or Higher 2000 Source: SREB Fact Book on Higher Education, 2003 and 2005

28. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas Postsecondary Certificates & Degrees Affordability Gap, 2004 Tax Credit $1,500 Expected Family Contribution $2,250 Pell Grant $4,050 Gap fillers State grants Merit aid Extra job Cost cuts Sources: SREB-State Data Exchange and National Center for Education Statistics $8,570 Needed for annual tuition/fees, room/board at Arkansas public four-year institutions Gap $3,770 Gap $3,020 SEOG - $750 Pell Grant $1,800

29. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas School Performance Standards Percent At or Above Standards Fourth-Grade Reading 2005 2003 2005 State standards NAEP Basic Proficient Arkansas AR U.S. AR U.S. 62% 60% 62% 28% 30% 52% 63% 62% 30% 30% Sources: Arkansas Department of Education and National Center for Education Statistics

30. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas School Performance Standards Percent At or Above Standards Eighth-Grade Mathematics 2005 2003 2005 State standards NAEP Basic Proficient Arkansas AR U.S. AR U.S. 22% 58% 67% 19% 27% 34% 64% 68% 22% 28% Sources: Arkansas Department of Education and National Center for Education Statistics

31. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas School Performance Standards Schools in Need of Improvement No Child Left Behind Arkansas, 2005 Year 1: School choice 72 Schools Year 2: Extra services 144 Schools Year 3: Corrective action 40 Schools Year 4: Plan to restructure 4 Schools Arkansas had 1,118 public elementary and secondary schools in 2005. Source: Arkansas Department of Education

32. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas School Leadership No Progress Little Progress Some Progress Promising Progress Substantial Progress Rating: 2002 2006 Indicators Recruit and select future school leaders Redesign leadership programs to emphasize curriculum, instruction and student learning Develop programs with school-based experiences that prepare participants to lead school improvement Base professional-level licensure on improved school and classroom practices Create alternative pathways to initial licensure Provide training and support for leadership teams in low-performing schools Source: SREB Learning-centered Leadership Program

33. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas Qualified Teachers NA – Not available Secondary Mathematics Teachers Certified in Mathematics, 2004 Source: Council of Chief State School Officers

34. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas Source: American Federation of Teachers Average Salaries of Beginning Teachers 2004 VA $32,437 U.S. $31,704 SREB $30,052 AR $26,129 TX $32,741 OK $29,473 MO $28,938 TN $30,449 MS $28,106 LA $29,655 Qualified Teachers

35. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas Average Salaries of Full-Time Instructional Faculty at Public Colleges and Universities 2005 College and University Accountability Source: SREB Data Library U.S. AR SREB

36. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas College and University Accountability Six-Year Graduation Rates in 2004 for First-Time Freshmen Who Entered Public Four-Year Colleges and Universities in Fall 1998 Source: SREB-State Data Exchange

37. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas College and University Accountability Sources: SREB Fact Book on Higher Education, 2005, and SREB Data Library Graduate Degrees Awarded in Sciences and Technologies Public and Private Colleges and Universities 276 366 Doctoral Master’s

38. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas Ninth-Grade Bulge, 2004 Source: National Center for Education Statistics For every 100 eighth-graders in Arkansas in 2003, there were 3 MORE ninth-graders in 2004. Education System That is Aligned

39. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas Education System That is Accountable K-12 Funding Changes 1999 to 2003 Sources: National Center for Education Statistics and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

40. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas Education System That is Accountable Enrollment and Funding Changes Public Four-Year Colleges and Universities 2001 to 2005 Source: SREB-State Data Exchange SREBAR

41. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas Maryland Education System That is Accountable Enrollment and Funding Changes Public Two-Year Colleges, 2001 to 2005 Source: SREB-State Data Exchange SREBAR

42. Challenge to Lead Southern Regional Education Board Arkansas Progress in Building the 10 Essential Elements for a Student Data System 2005 4 to 56 to 7 8 to 10 Elements Source: National Center for Educational Accountability, August 2005 Survey Education System That is Accountable 1 to 3 MD DE