For years, I have been writing about the decline of public education in the United States.The political power of teachers unions led to bloated budgets as schools pursued ideological agendas over educational advancements.
Despite massive budgets, scores of students in major cities have continued to plummet or remain at the same dismal levels.Now, Arkansas has shown what is possible if officials put education first.Scores in the state have soared after the implementation of reforms that many of us have advocated for years.
It also shows that state governments, not the federal government, are critical to reversing our slide in educational performance as the administration moves toward eliminating the Department of Education.Arkansas implemented a new program and testing protocol called the "Arkansas Teaching, Learning and Assessment System," or ATLAS, with a mix of higher pay for teachers, performance-based bonuses and a voucher system for families.The result has been increasing proficiency scores across every major area between 2024 and 2026, with mathematics increasing from 36.4% to 44.2%, science from 35.6% to 44% and English language arts from 33.8% to 39.5%.Overall proficiency increased from 36.9% last year to 42.2% in 2026LINDA MCMAHON: PARENTS TOLD ME SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS LESS RED TAPE, STRONGER RESULTSArkansas Gov.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders attends an event on natural disaster preparedness with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House on June 10, 2025, in Washington, D.C.(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)Republican Gov.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders heralded the success of the LEARNS Act, a 2023 law that made sweeping changes to the state’s education system.The use of the voucher system has been fiercely opposed by the teachers unions.The decline of our educational standards has led me to change my view of vouchers.I was long skeptical of voucher systems because of that commitment to public education.
Decades ago, my parents helped create ...