News and Updates | July 2021
Conference registration opens July 15
Registration for the Student Focused Teacher Led conference opens July 15!

This two-day conference will feature some of the nation's leading educators, including Dr. Ruby Payne as the opening keynote speaker. Payne has given more than 4,000 speeches and presentations around the world. She is the author of "Emotional Poverty" and "A Framework for Understanding Poverty."

Payne will speak on the topic "Emotional Poverty in All Demographics."
Happy Independence Day!
The Reform Alliance Team is celebrating Independence Day at the Pops on the River event in Little Rock on July 4.

Come see us in the Pops Marketplace in the River Market Pavilions from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. and grab some fun free gifts!
Your feedback matters!
If you are a current recipient of the Succeed Scholarship, 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.

Thank you to everyone who has completed the survey! If you have not yet completed it, please click the button.
Celebrating Juneteenth in Arkansas
It was exciting to see communities coming together to celebrate freedom on Juneteenth! The Reform Alliance team joined the fun in Forrest City (to the left) and Pine Bluff (below).
COMING SOON ... The Reform Alliance will participate in Back-to-School events in Blytheville (Aug. 6), Fort Smith (Aug. 6 & 7), Pine Bluff (Aug. 7) and Jacksonville (Aug. 7). This will be a great chance to get to know more about us and get free school supplies!
Education News and Headlines
School choice set students up for success. It's time to make it national.
"These student-centric policies work because they focus on the needs of individuals. Government bureaucracies cannot focus on individual students because it’s simply not in its nature."
Image Source: USA Today
Image Source: Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Arkansas' child-welfare ranking up; education ranking falls in 2021 Kids Count
Arkansas ranked 39th out of states in the 2021 Kids Count by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a Baltimore-based research and advocacy group. Arkansas ranked 35th in education, down from 31st in 2020.
Supreme Court will review Maine school choice case
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a potentially landmark case challenging a Maine law regarding state tuition for religious school attendance.
Image Source: AP
Microschools: another option for AR students
Both as a parent of a child with autism and as a speech pathologist, Amanda Escue has seen the struggles families face when trying to force students to cope in a learning environment not suited to them. She and her husband, Jeremy, started the Lighthouse, and now true to its name, it stands as a beacon of hope to families with unique needs.
Faces of Freedom
These are the voices of Arkansas families who have benefited from Arkansas’s Succeed Scholarship Program:

"At this point, Brandon had already been diagnosed with Autism. He was making improvements, but he still did not speak (unless he was quoting Mikey Mouse). When it was time to start kindergarten, I went to the public school and talked to them about Brandon. He was going to have to go to a different school than the one we are zoned for, and his special education class would have 14 students in it. My son — who couldn't communicate or sit still for 3 seconds — would have been lost. Then I meet with the director of Compass Academy. Brandon was in a class of 5 students. He was able to receive all of his therapies including ABBA at school. His communication skills have exploded. He is starting to write his name and letters. This would not have been possible in a larger classroom at a public school. He is now in 1st grade and continues to thrive thanks to his Succeed Scholarship and Compass Academy. ... " - Sherrie, 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.