News and Updates | April 2021
April is Autism Awareness Month!
For students on the autism spectrum, school can be a scary and overwhelming place. For Payton's family, a public school meant a lot of tear-filled car rides and a parent who never slept. Thankfully, Payton and NeShon found a solution that worked.

Many of you know that struggle all too well; don't give up! We support you, not just this month, but all year long. We will continue fight to give you options and to #SaveARstudents!
The Succeed Scholarship is under attack, again.
In a recent letter to members of the General Assembly, several organizations have manipulated data from BLR’s Biennial Report and sited the displeasure of "many parents" in order to request that Succeed Scholarship Program be ended.

We felt it imperative to respond to this attempt at shutting down a program serving hundreds of Arkansas’s most vulnerable children. 

If you are a recipient of this program, it is vital that you and your family share your stories and successes.  We survey families every year to ensure the program is meeting your children's educational needs. Please click the button below to complete the survey. Want to do more? Keep reading below on how you can share via video or contact us for more ways to help!
Share your story via Storyvine!
The Reform Alliance has partnered with Storyvine to capture the stories of our community.

We invite you to help spread the message about the importance of education options by creating a video using the Storyvine app.

The sample video to the side is from Virginia Walden Ford, a Little Rock native who inspired the movie "Miss Virginia."
We hope you will take the opportunity to share your story as well! The app is fun and easy to use, but if you need a little boost of confidence to get you started, click here to contact us to enroll in a training! If you are ready to roll on your own, click the button below.
April is the perfect month to support military children
April is also Month of the Military Child, and this April, the legislature has the chance to improve opportunities for military children.

HB1446, which would expand the Succeed Scholarship to include students from military families, has passed the Arkansas House of Representatives and will now go to the Senate Education Committee.

Rep. David Ray and Sen. Jane English are sponsors for the bill, which would expand eligibility for the Succeed Scholarship to children of active duty military and national guard members, as well as children of those killed in the line of duty.

"At TRA, we honor the service of our military personnel and the sacrifices they make for our country - giving up their comfort, safety and sometimes even their lives," said TRA Managing Director Emmy Henley. "We should show our support by helping military families face the unique challenges they encounter in education."
Succeed Scholarship renewals are open!
This is for families with students currently enrolled in the Succeed Scholarship Program who want to stay in the program. You can complete the renewal electronically at https://bit.ly/311jvhv from April 5 to April 23.

Need help? Complete the certification form and email it to us at info@thereformalliance.org. We will submit it for you! Also, be on the lookout for an email from us about the annual parent survey. It's coming soon! Click the button below to get the renewal form.
Public school choice deadline is near
Families can apply for students to attend a public school outside of the district in which they reside under the Public School Choice Act of 2015. This is called an interdistrict transfer.

Families can also request a transfer to a different school within the same school district; this is called a intradistrict transfer. The deadline for applying for both types of public school transfers is May 1!
It's time to honor your 2021 graduates!
If you have a student graduating this year, we would love to help you celebrate with a special graduation announcement!

This is not restricted to Succeed Scholarship graduates. We will share your message to graduates on our social media pages and/or on our website.
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Education News and Headlines
School choice advances in U.S.
"The pandemic has been a revelation for many Americans about union control of public schools that refuse to reopen. That awakening is helping to spur some welcome reform progress as several state legislatures are moving to expand school choice."
Educational freedom benefits all students - even public school students
The typical objection to educational freedom rests on the supposed negative effect of school choice on public schools. But the weight of the evidence shows that the introduction of school voucher programs has a positive effect on public students’ test scores and other metrics of student wellbeing. A recent study supports this conclusion and demonstrates the benefits that accrue to all students when voucher programs are scaled up and have time to grow.
Education bills of interest to our grassroots network
  • SB89 - Changes the IEP requirements for the Succeed Scholarship and establishes a lottery program for selection if applications exceed available scholarships.
  • HB1446 - Opens the Succeed Scholarship to all children of active duty military members.
  • SB25 - Schools do not have to count a student for the 3% cap of public school choice if a student has gone to the district for preschool.
  • HB1237 - Schools would have an option to provide virtual options permanently. The school year would be amended to not start before the Monday before Labor Day, and schools would have the option to implement an alternate school calendar. 
  • HB1464: Provides a mechanism for parents to bring their concerns over instructional material and activities in the classroom to the district/school administration.
  • HB1610: Requires reporting the use of restraints as a manner of discipline and to require training in disciplinary methods. 
  • HB1840: Gives income tax credits for donations to a scholarship fund for Medical school students
Arkansas Succeed Scholarship
These are the voices of Arkansas families who have benefited from Arkansas’s Succeed Scholarship Program:

"Both of our sweet boys have special needs. We like our public school system and all they have to offer, but our boys needed something different. This scholarship has changed their lives in such a positive way, and their parents. Both are excelling academically and socially in ways they weren’t before. We are so very appreciative and thankful for this scholarship!" - Emily, Succeed Scholarship parent.
The Reform Alliance is proud to manage the Succeed Scholarship at no cost to the State of Arkansas. Even small expenses like the cost of mailing checks to schools are paid for by a private foundation grant. 
We are a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring every K-12 student in Arkansas has equal access to a world class education. Our mission is to create a network of parent and community leaders so every policy decision and every conversation about education starts and ends with how it impacts our kids.