Sanders’ Schools Overhaul Shocks Critics

Arkansas just proved that when schools stop pushing critical race theory and gender politics and get back to the basics, student test scores jump.

Story Snapshot

Arkansas statewide test scores climbed from about one-third of students proficient to just over two-fifths after the LEARNS reforms.
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and state leaders tied the turnaround to a simple idea: focus on reading, math, and real accountability, not ideology.^[3]
The LEARNS Act raised teacher pay, toughened literacy standards, expanded school choice, and set out to end classroom indoctrination.^[2]
Even with gains, less than half of students are on grade level, so the fight to fix years of failed “woke” education is far from over.^[3]

Arkansas Test Scores Rise After Back-to-Basics Reforms

Arkansas students are finally moving in the right direction after years of flat scores and falling expectations. State officials reported that overall proficiency on the new ATLAS statewide tests rose from about thirty five percent in twenty twenty four to roughly forty two percent in twenty twenty six.^[3] Math and science scores climbed into the mid forties, while English language arts moved close to forty percent proficient.^[3] Third grade reading, a key early benchmark, rose from roughly one third of students on grade level to more than two fifths.^[3]

These may not sound like huge numbers, but they matter. Before these reforms, Arkansas lagged badly, with barely a third of young children reading at grade level.^[2] Many parents watched their kids fall behind while schools chased trendy theories and “equity” slogans. Now, for the first time in years, more Arkansas children can read, write, and do math at the standard their grade demands.^[3] In a time when many states still report lower scores than a decade ago, bucking that national slide is a real signal.^[10]

What the LEARNS Act Changed in Arkansas Classrooms

The Arkansas LEARNS Act, signed in twenty twenty three, was a full overhaul of how the state runs its schools.^[2] Lawmakers boosted starting teacher pay to fifty thousand dollars a year, one of the highest levels in the region, and built new programs to help train and keep strong teachers.^[2]^[5] The law poured resources into reading, funding literacy coaches, stronger phonics based materials, and early screening so struggling students could be helped before they failed a grade.^[3]

LEARNS also reshaped what and how students are taught. The state committed to “high quality instructional materials” tied to the science of reading, and redesigned its accountability system so parents and teachers get clearer information on progress.^[3] According to Arkansas education officials, assessments no longer show up once a year as a surprise. Instead, schools use checks starting in kindergarten, and parents can see results quickly enough to push for help when it still counts.^[3] That kind of simple feedback loop fits what many conservative parents have demanded for years.

Banning Indoctrination and Refocusing on Core Subjects

From day one, Governor Sanders made clear that Arkansas classrooms would not be used to shame children for their race or push radical gender ideas.^[3]^[5] She signed an executive order barring critical race theory “indoctrination” and directing the education department to scrub materials that promote discriminatory ideas.^[5] Later, the LEARNS Act folded this stance into state law by banning critical race theory and lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades.^[4]

INSPIRATIONAL: Arkansas Governor Sarah Sanders Announces Big Gains in Test Scores After Schools Ban Critical Race Theory and Gender Nonsense to Focus on the Basics

Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas has announced that the state is making big gains in…

— Sergeant News Network (@sgtnewsnetwork) June 20, 2026

At the same time, Sanders called on schools to “get back to teaching reading, writing, math, and science,” and to see students first as children of God and American citizens, not as competing victim groups.^[3] For many Arkansas families, that message matched what they had seen at school board meetings across the country. They were tired of activist lesson plans and wanted discipline, phonics, and times tables. The new test gains arrived after these cultural and academic course corrections rolled out together across the state.^[1]

Why the Gains Matter—and What They Do Not Prove Yet

Supporters of LEARNS argue that Arkansas now offers a blueprint for other conservative states. The package joined school choice, strong teacher pay, reading reforms, and bans on ideologically driven content under one roof, and scores went up soon after.^[2]^[6]^[8] In a national climate where many districts still struggle to climb back from pandemic losses, any state that can raise proficiency by seven points in two years will draw attention.^[10] It shows that serious, disciplined reform can move the needle.

At the same time, honest conservatives should recognize what the data can and cannot show. State officials have mainly credited clearer standards, faster assessment feedback, and early reading intervention as the direct drivers of the gains, not only the bans on critical race theory or gender lessons.^[3]^[4] No independent study has yet separated which part of LEARNS did what, or measured the exact impact of the culture war provisions.^[1]^[2] And with just forty two percent of students on grade level, Arkansas is only partway up a long hill.^[3] The real test will be whether sticking with back to basics teaching, school choice, and firm limits on classroom ideology can keep lifting scores year after year while defending parents’ rights and American values.