The U.S. Department of Education has approved Arkansas’ Returning Education to the States Waiver, along with the state’s application for Ed-Flex authority and amendments to its federal accountability plan, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ office announced.
The approvals give Arkansas greater flexibility to reduce unnecessary federal bureaucracy, streamline education funding, strengthen accountability and give local schools more authority to meet the needs of their students, according to a press release.
Under the Returning Education to the States Waiver, Arkansas will:
- Consolidate four federal funding streams, giving the state greater flexibility in how federal education dollars are used.
- Expand Alternative Fund Use Authority to additional rural school districts, allowing more local leaders to determine how federal funds are best spent.
- Support advanced students by simplifying accountability requirements for those who complete high school coursework before entering high school.
- Improve accountability by allowing students educated in alternative learning environments to be counted with their home school, creating a more accurate picture of long-term student outcomes.
Through the waiver, the Arkansas Department of Education can consolidate multiple federal funding streams, allowing the state to direct more resources toward student achievement instead of administrative requirements. The waiver also expands flexibility for rural school districts, supports accelerated learning opportunities for advanced students, and improves accountability by more accurately measuring long-term outcomes for students in alternative learning environments.
The approval allows Arkansas to continue aligning federal education programs with the state’s student-first approach by cutting red tape, expanding local flexibility, and strengthening accountability. It gives school districts greater freedom to invest resources where they’re needed most, supports students pursuing advanced coursework, and ensures the state’s accountability system more accurately reflects student success.
The Arkansas Department of Education’s announcement of the Returning Education to the States waiver proposal is available here. Arkansas’ full Returning Education to the States waiver submission is available here.
“Arkansas is doing exactly what returning education to the states is meant to accomplish: giving students a better shot at success by trusting the people closest to them,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “This flexibility not only prevents dollars from getting lost in bureaucracy — it opens real opportunities for Arkansas students who are ready to move ahead, strengthens schools that want to strategically leverage
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