Little Rock School District Superintendent Baker Kurrus presented an academic progress report on his district during Thursday's state Board of Education meeting, emphasizing that administrators are "intervening systematically."
"We're in Week 13, and we're not taking our eye off of the ball, which is teaching and learning in the classroom," Kurrus said, referring to the academic distress classification at six of the district's schools. "That's critical and the most important thing that we do. We now have the results of the first nine weeks."
Kurrus said curriculum has been aligned with district educational standards and results are being reviewed to determine what has been beneficial to the district.
The state Board of Education voted to take control of the district in January in a move that dissolved the district's school board.
Veronica Perkins, chief academic officer at the Little Rock School District, said district officials have a created a system in which administrators are "constantly reflecting" on performance.
She said an obstacle district leaders must overcome is the mindset of meeting curriculum standards instead of having students master concepts in the classroom.
"We will have to reteach and intervene," Perkins said, adding that ensuring students grasp concepts is "non-negotiable."
Short- and long-term goals of the Forward Arkansas vision for educational improvements across the state were also presented in remarks to the state Board of Education on Thursday.
Those goals include "quick win" priorities, such as encouraging eligible schools to sign up for a program that would provide free breakfast and lunch to students, Cory Anderson, executive vice president of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, said.
Also included are introducing more flexibility for faculty and staff engaging in professional development, streamlining Arkansas Department of Education requirements and establishing a "learning network" across the state.
Forward Arkansas is a partnership between the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation and the state Board of Education.
Read Friday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
