Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders didn’t just talk about fixing Arkansas’ schools during her 2022 campaign for governor of Arkansas, she made it her mission. As a mom and a Natural State native, she saw education as deeply personal. Her leadership to deliver bold, transformational change for families and kids in her state stands as a model for the nation.
On the campaign trail, Sanders made education freedom a top issue. Her website laid out her vision—centered around literacy, empowerment, accountability, readiness, networking, and safety (LEARNS), which promised to deliver more options for parents and fix Arkansas’ troubling reading proficiency rates. In speeches and campaign ads, she emphasized that families should pick their kids’ schools, not politicians.
She kept that promise, signing the LEARNS Act into law on March 8, 2023. The law puts parents in the driver’s seat with Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs), empowering families with up to $7,413 per student for private school, homeschooling, or other educational needs. Beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, every Arkansas kid will have this choice, no matter their family’s income or address.
Leading the LEARNS Act to passage required Gov. Sanders to build support with rural lawmakers. Public schools in their districts are often intertwined with community life, and critics were concerned that EFAs might divert funding. Sanders went to these communities to show that competition would improve schools rather than undermine them and EFAs would empower every family to design a flexible education if their kid needs it.
Her leadership and steadfast conviction for empowering families fueled the passage of LEARNS in just 16 days. She rallied parents and teachers across the state, shaking off critics who called her plan divisive.
The drive to enact LEARNS came from Sanders’ belief that incremental change was insufficient for Arkansas’ struggling education system. She rejected “tinkering” in favor of a bold overhaul, a stance that required her to unify a Republican-dominated legislature while deflecting criticism from defenders of the status quo.
Her administration’s proactive engagement with stakeholders, from parents to school boards, helped mitigate opposition, but the rapid legislative timeline and her unapologetic rhetoric underscored her determination to act decisively.
Arkansas stands as a leader in education freedom—not only championing a vision to fund every kid but to get past the lines that divide public education as well.
This year, Gov. Sanders and legislative leaders built on this success to enact another transformational policy for kids and families: universal public school access. Beginning next school year, every family can apply to attend any public school in the state. This bill alone helped propel Arkansas’ public school enrollment policy to one of the best in the nation.
Gov. Sanders’ education reform vision, anchored by the LEARNS Act, has revolutionized Arkansas’ education landscape by empowering every family. The immediate positive impact is evident. Applications for LEARNS EFAs have exceeded expectations, showing families crave this sort of flexibility in their kids’ education.
There is no doubt that Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has cemented Arkansas as a trailblazer in education freedom, proving that bold ideas can deliver real change for families. Her unwavering commitment—rooted in a personal mission to give every child a shot at a better future—has not only transformed Arkansas but also set a powerful example for the nation.
