The Reform Alliance, a nonprofit organization, is hosting a community meeting, a three-day school-options tour and a culminating rally at the state Capitol to highlight kindergarten-through-12th-grade school options that are available to Arkansas families.
"Our mission is to prevent the next generation of Arkansas youths from becoming a statistic," said Laurie Lee, chief executive officer and chairman of The Reform Alliance. "We will do this by making sure families know about the many quality educational options available to them."
The events begin Monday with the Partner With Me community meeting from 6-8 p.m. at Friendship Aspire Academy, 3615 W. 25th St. in Little Rock. Speakers that night will be Sidney Moncrief, Howard Fuller, Patrick Wolf and Takisha Moncrief.
Sidney Moncrief is a retired National Basketball Association player, former University of Arkansas Razorback basketball player and businessman.
Fuller is distinguished professor of education and director of the Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University in Wisconsin and is a former superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools.
Wolf is distinguished professor of education policy and 21st Century Endowed Chair in School Choice at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.
Takisha Moncrief is a former teacher and literacy coach who is now a partner in Moncrief One Team, a personal-development company.
The Reform Alliance team will travel the state on a National School Choice Week Bus Tour from Tuesday through Thursday.
The times and locations for each stop on the tour are:
Tuesday
• Star City Police Department, 9-9:45 a.m.
• Pine Bluff, Friendship Aspire charter school, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
• Sherwood, Abundant Life, noon-1 p.m.
• Cabot Police Department, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Wednesday
• Eureka Springs, Academy of Excellence, 8-8:30 a.m.
• Springdale, Shiloh Christian, 11:30 a.m.-noon
• Fayetteville, Prism Education Center, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
• Fort Smith, Immaculate Conception, 2:30-3:10 p.m.
Thursday
• Morrilton, Sacred Heart, 9-9:30 a.m.
• Conway, Compass Academy, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
• North Little Rock, Immaculate Conception, noon-1 p.m.
• Alexander, Avilla Christian Academy, 1:30-2 p.m.
• Bryant, Arkansas Christian Academy, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
The concluding rally will be from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday in the rotunda of the state Capitol in Little Rock. The rally will feature learning stations and family-friendly activities.
More information is available from Lee at (501) 244-9028 or laurie@thereformalliance.org.
Metro on 01/20/2019