Mind & Scholar

🌱 A Note from Patricia

While Mind & Scholar is usually a space for encouragement, rhythms, and gentle reflections on homeschooling and mental health, I’ve felt called in this season to speak into something that touches many of us—educational legislation.

These posts are part of a special series I’m calling “Informed & Hopeful,” where I share thoughts on bills, policies, and decisions that impact how we teach and raise our children here in Arkansas.

This isn’t about picking sides.
It’s about asking better questions.
It’s about imagining a future that offers families dignity, options, and truth in love—no matter their educational path.

Whether you homeschool, use public school, private, or something in between—there is space for you here.
I’m so glad you’re part of this conversation.

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There’s a lot of conversation happening right now in Arkansas—and across the country—about how we educate our children.

Much of it is impassioned.
Some of it is deeply divided.
And almost all of it comes from a place of care—because when we talk about education, we’re not just talking about systems. We’re talking about kids. About families. About the kind of future we’re all building together.

As a homeschooling mother, a licensed mental health therapist, and a college educator, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on these issues—not just through a political lens, but through a human one. And while I see both sides of the debate, I believe the LEARNS Act represents a step in the right direction.

Not because it’s perfect.
But because it acknowledges something that’s been true for a long time:

👉 One-size-fits-all education hasn’t been working for a lot of families.

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📘 What Does the LEARNS Act Do?

Signed into law in 2023, the LEARNS Act (Literacy, Empowerment, Accountability, Readiness, Networking, and School Safety) is a major education reform initiative in Arkansas.

Here are some of its key components:

• The Educational Freedom Account (EFA) Program:
  Allows families to use state funds to pursue nontraditional education options—including homeschooling, private schools, and microschools. These funds can be used for curriculum, online learning, tutoring, STEM kits, and more.
• Literacy Focus:
  Requires literacy screeners for K–3 students and ensures reading intervention plans are in place for those who need them.
• Teacher Pay Increase:
  Raises the base teacher salary to $50,000—a significant bump in support for Arkansas educators.
• School Safety:
  Emphasizes security improvements and mental health resources in schools.
• Expanded School Choice:
  Aims to give parents more flexibility in choosing the right learning environment for their children.

The Act is ambitious, and not without controversy. But it reflects an urgent attempt to reimagine how we support families—especially those whose children are struggling within the current system.

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📚 The Reality We’re Facing

Arkansas currently ranks 45th in public education across the U.S.
Reading proficiency among fourth graders sits between 21–50%, and students remain nearly half a grade level behind in both math and reading since the pandemic.

These numbers don’t reflect a lack of care from educators.
They reflect a system doing its best under immense pressure—a system asked to do more with less, while carrying the emotional, academic, and logistical needs of every child who walks through the door.

And for some students, it’s working.
But for many? It’s not.

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🧠 When Families Have Options, Children Win

At the heart of the LEARNS Act is a simple but transformative idea:
Let families decide what works best for their children.

Through initiatives like the Educational Freedom Account (EFA) program, parents can use public funds to pursue alternative educational paths—including homeschooling—while accessing tools, curriculum, and hands-on STEM experiences that may otherwise be out of reach.

This kind of flexibility doesn’t devalue public education.
It simply honors what parents have known all along:
Children are beautifully different. And their education should be, too.

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🐘 What About the Schools That Are Left Behind?

One of the most common concerns about school choice is deeply valid:
What happens to the public schools when families start to leave?

If the most resourced, supported, or academically strong students exit, doesn’t that leave already-struggling schools with fewer resources and more challenges?

It’s an important question—and one worth wrestling with.

But I believe we’re capable of holding two truths at once:

✔️ We must continue to strengthen and support our public schools.
✔️ And we must allow families to seek the best fit for their children—especially when the traditional path isn’t working.

This is not a competition.
It’s not a blame game.
It’s an opportunity to create a more flexible, responsive ecosystem where all children can thrive—whether in a classroom, around a kitchen table, or somewhere in between.

Real equity doesn’t mean forcing everyone into the same mold.
It means providing what’s needed for each child to succeed in their unique story.

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🎯 Responding to the Noise

Some critics have taken issue with the types of materials or activities covered by EFA funds—pointing to horseback riding lessons, robotics kits, or extracurriculars they believe stretch the definition of “education.”

But here’s what I see:

• A neurodivergent child who finds calm and focus through therapeutic movement
• A hands-on learner who engages with math for the first time through a robotics challenge
• A struggling reader finally connecting with the right curriculum after years of frustration

That’s not extravagance.
That’s meeting the learner where they are.

And if we’re going to reimagine education, that’s exactly where we need to begin.

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🤝 A Call to Unity

I know this conversation is tender.
I know it can feel like lines are being drawn.
But what if, instead of choosing sides, we chose to link arms?

What if public educators, homeschoolers, legislators, and parents came together to ask:
“What do our children need—and how can we serve them better?”

Because the truth is—we’re all here for the same reason.
We care deeply.
We want our children to read with joy, to think critically, to grow with confidence.
We want them to feel safe, known, and supported—wherever they’re learning.

The LEARNS Act is not the final answer.
But it is a beginning.
And if we walk forward with open hands, open hearts, and a willingness to listen—maybe we can build something better, together.

With heart,
Patricia