story has subheds
A region's education system and its economy are closely related.
At A Glance
Northwest Arkansas Schools By The Numbers
128: Number of public, general education schools in 15 school districts in Benton and Washington counties, plus three charter schools in 2012-2013
5,106: Certified teachers employed by Northwest Arkansas’ public, general education schools
35,760: Students enrolled at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, John Brown University and NorthWest Arkansas Community College in fall 2013
77,543: Students served in the K-12 schools of Northwest Arkansas during the 2012-13 school year
$37,206: Average pay for a K-12 teacher with a bachelor’s degree in Northwest Arkansas
$40,223: Average pay for a K-12 teacher with a master’s degree in Northwest Arkansas
Source: Office for Education Policy at the University of Arkansas
"We cannot detach our education system from our economic future," said Kim Davis, director of education and workforce development for the Northwest Arkansas Council, a nonprofit organization that promotes the region. "They are really kind of melded together, because we know communities that place an emphasis on creating the most highly qualified educated residents are winning."
More than 100,000 students are enrolled in public school districts and institutions of higher education in Benton and Washington counties, according to the Office for Education Policy at the University of Arkansas.
How are all these schools doing? In general, Davis said, the story is positive.
The Office for Education Policy released in January its 2013 Northwest Arkansas Report Card, a 16-page compilation of statistics, data and short articles related to the performances of the 15 public school districts in Benton and Washington counties, as well as charter schools Haas Hall Academy in Fayetteville and the Benton County School of the Arts in Rogers.
On Arkansas Benchmark exams, these districts collectively have seen significant improvements over the past five years, according to the report card. From 2008 to 2013, the number of students scoring proficient or advanced on math increased from 75 percent to 81 percent, while the number scoring proficient or advanced on literacy increased from 70 percent to 84 percent. Only three school districts didn't see improvements in both areas during that time.
Graduation rates in 2012, the latest year for which numbers are available, varied from as low as 80 percent to as high as 95 percent across the 15 school districts. The three highest graduation rates in Northwest Arkansas belonged to school districts with total enrollments of fewer than 2,500.
None of the four biggest districts -- Springdale, Bentonville, Rogers and Fayetteville -- had a graduation rate higher than 86 percent.
Gary Ritter, director of the Office for Education Policy, said it's possible for students to "fall through the cracks" at the area's biggest high schools. He suggests building smaller high schools to accommodate the region's growth.
There is a clear demand for smaller schools, such as Haas Hall Academy, a charter high school in Fayetteville, Ritter said. There were 470 applications last year for 70 available slots at Haas Hall, according to Martin Schoppmeyer, superintendent.
"I think we can be innovative, instead of just building another big high school," Ritter said. "I sure think it would be cool if we developed more options within the traditional public schools for our kids."
The area's 15 school districts each deal with their own unique set of circumstances that present different advantages and challenges. The area's institutions of higher education are varied to appeal to all students wishing to go beyond high school.
Springdale Schools
The second-largest school district in Arkansas has seen explosive growth over the past 10 years. Enrollment was 20,547 as of Oct. 1, a 42 percent gain since 2004. The result is many construction projects over the past decade, including Har-Ber High School.
Springdale's graduation rate was 82 percent for the 2011-12 school year, the latest year for which data are available. That was the lowest of the region's biggest four districts.
There is excitement about the future in Springdale, fueled largely by the announcement in December the district had received a Race to the Top grant of $25.8 million from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant will allow the district to pursue innovation in education.
At the heart of the grant is the School of Innovation, to be developed in partnership with NorthWest Arkansas Community College. It will allow graduates to earn not only a high school degree, but an associate's degree at the same time.
"We will come up short from time to time, but how to regroup and redirect our resources so we can achieve at a higher level, all of that is part of continuous progress," said Jim Rollins, superintendent. "That is what our schools are focused on. I think we're seeing a great result."
Bentonville Schools
Bentonville, another fast-growing district, saw enrollment increase from 12,545 in 2008 to 15,081 in October, a jump of about 20 percent in five years. Keeping enough classroom space available to meet the demand has been one of the biggest challenges for district officials. Last year they used money left over from the 2010 bond issue to build 20 classrooms at four elementary schools. Elementary-level enrollment is expected to grow by about 1,200 students by 2020, according to a demographer's projections.
The district got some more help last year when voters agreed to pay for a second high school, which is set to open in 2016. Until then, officials will have to be creative when it comes to managing a growing number of students at Bentonville High.
Academically, the district appears to be doing just fine. On last year's Arkansas Benchmark exams, for example, 90 percent of Bentonville students scored proficient or advanced in literacy and 88 percent did the same in math, which ranked Bentonville first and second, respectively, among Northwest Arkansas school districts in those categories. The regional averages were 84 percent in literacy and 81 percent in math.
District taxpayers, however, pay one of the highest millage rates in the state. The latest tax increase pushes Bentonville's rate to 46.6, several mills above the region's average.
Fayetteville Schools
Fayetteville is entering a transition mode as it searches for a new superintendent. Vicki Thomas announced this year she would resign at the end of her contract on June 30.
The new boss will assume control of a district that has the best graduation rate of the region's big four districts (86 percent) and the second-best overall grade point average among all the districts.
Fayetteville's enrollment, which hovers just below 10,000, is expected to grow modestly for the next several years until the 2021-22 school year, when it will begin to dip, according to a demographics report presented last fall.
Fayetteville High School is undergoing a $95 million transformation being done in phases. An auditorium, lunchroom, gymnasium, band, orchestra and choir rooms were completed in 2012. A new learning center opened in August. The final phase won't be complete until 2015.
Rogers Schools
Rogers performed well above expectations on standardized tests last year, according to a formula devised by the Office for Education Policy. The office's District Socioeconomic Index looks beyond the test scores and takes into account such factors as median income, education levels of household members and the percentage of students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
Based on its characteristics, Rogers was expected to have 74 percent score proficient or advanced on math tests and 78 percent score proficient or advanced on literacy tests last year, but the district beat those expectations by a combined 19 percentage points, said Michael Crouch, a research associate.
Rogers has seen modest but steady enrollment growth over the past 10 years, from 12,791 in 2004 to 14,757 this year, a 15.4 percent increase. In that time it has added not one but two high schools. Rogers Heritage High opened in 2008. New Technology High School, a conversion charter school that emphasizes project-based learning, opened in August with nearly 300 students.
The district also opened a new elementary school in August with a capacity of 700 students.
Charter Schools
Northwest Arkansas has a small but rapidly growing charter school sector.
Benton and Washington counties have five charter schools. Two of them -- Northwest Arkansas Classical Academy in Bentonville and New Technology High School in Rogers -- opened in August.
Charter schools are public schools operated by school districts and private organizations. They typically serve a niche and must be approved by the state.
There are two kinds of charter schools in Arkansas. An open-enrollment charter school is run by a governmental entity, an institution of higher learning or a tax-exempt nonsectarian organization. It can draw students from anywhere in the state.
A conversion charter school is a building converted to a charter school by a school district. It can draw only students from within that school district's boundaries.
Northwest Arkansas Classical Academy, which leases space on Melissa Drive, is an open-enrollment charter for grades kindergarten through eighth. It plans to add a grade each year until it becomes a kindergarten through 12th grade school. Its capacity will expand next fall from 445 to 540.
New Technology, a conversion charter, is a high school option for students in the Rogers School District. It opened with a capacity of 300 freshmen and sophomores and will expand to include juniors for the 2014-15 school year.
Haas Hall Academy, which opened in 2004, was recognized last year by U.S. News & World Report as the best high school in Arkansas. Schoppmeyer plans to move the school from leased space on College Avenue to its own 17-acre campus at the intersection of Gregg Avenue and Van Asche Drive in Fayetteville.
Benton County School of the Arts, a kindergarten through 12th-grade charter in Rogers, has about 800 students. The School Board voted last month to change the school's name to Arkansas Arts Academy, though administrators must first get state approval. The proposed change is part of a larger plan that includes altering the school's curriculum.
The Pea Ridge School District plans to open its own charter school for juniors and seniors this fall called the Pea Ridge Manufacturing and Business Academy. The charter's purpose will be to prepare students to go directly from high school to the workforce.
"Students are going to have the opportunity to have internships during their senior year with local businesses and go to work immediately with those companies," said Rick Neal, Pea Ridge superintendent.
The goal for the first year is to start with 125 students.
The Bentonville School District is also studying the possibility of opening its own charter school, one that emphasizes science, technology, engineering and math, with an additional focus on the arts. It wouldn't open until fall 2015 at the earliest.
Higher Education
Northwest Arkansas offers several options for those pursuing education beyond high school.
The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville enrolled 25,341 last fall. Students represent all 50 states and 120 countries, according to the university.
Laura Jacobs, associate vice chancellor of university relations, said the university is in a strong position with record enrollment, record investment in new and renovated academic facilities, a record endowment and a healthy reserve balance.
The university also has received the highest research classification from the Carnegie Foundation and is ranked 63rd on the U.S. News and World Report list of the nation's top public research universities.
In coming years the university plans to continue its growth, Jacobs said.
"We intend to graduate a greater percentage of these students than ever before, sending more college graduates into the Arkansas workforce to help strengthen the state economy," Jacobs said. "We have another dozen capital improvements on our schedule, new and renovated buildings to meet our growing academic needs."
The university is in the planning stages of a major capital campaign, which will dramatically increase support for faculty and students, she said.
"You can also expect to see expanded and innovative interdisciplinary efforts and innovation. Ultimately we intend to keep improving every aspect of the University of Arkansas with the goal of being nationally recognized as a top 50 public research university by the year 2021," Jacobs said.
NorthWest Arkansas Community College has changed dramatically since it opened in 1990 with 1,200 students. It now has more than 8,000 college credit students. Several thousand more are served through non-credit courses in the college's service district of Benton and Washington counties.
Enrollment growth has slowed and actually decreased the past two years, which has put increased pressure on the college's finances. But school officials are focused on increasing accessibility. One major initiative on that front is building the college's first permanent facility in Washington County in an area just west of Arvest Ballpark.
The college has been collecting input from the community about what its Washington County Center should look like and what services it should offer. Officials have estimated the size to be somewhere between 40,000 and 50,000 square feet.
College administrators are exploring ways to expand the number of concurrently enrolled students, those high school students who are taking college-level courses. Partnerships with the Springdale School District and Rogers' New Tech High School are two examples, said Steven Hinds, director of public relations and marketing.
The college also just opened a new facility for its National Child Protection Training Center, which serves a 16-state region. The center works with individuals from various organizations to provide training to help eliminate child abuse.
John Brown University, a private Christian college in Siloam Springs, offers 40 undergraduate majors and nine graduate degree programs. U.S. News and World Report ranks the school second on its list of the best regional colleges in its 12-state South region.
John Brown enrolls about 2,300 students. About one-third of its undergraduates come from Arkansas. In 2013 John Brown enrolled students from 42 states and 44 countries. To attract students, John Brown officials promote the school's high graduation rate, its placement rate in jobs and graduate schools, and the advantages of living in Northwest Arkansas.
"A lot of our students will come but stay because of the quality of life," said Charles "Chip" Pollard, John Brown's president. "We find if we can get people to come to campus and be part of Northwest Arkansas, then all the advantages of John Brown and Northwest Arkansas sell themselves."
Elsewhere in the region, Harding University, which has its main campus in Searcy, has a satellite campus in Rogers. Ecclesia College, a small Christian school in Springdale, offers degrees on campus and online.
Northwest Technical Institute in Springdale is another option for those seeking technical skills needed to obtain higher-paying jobs. The institute offers programs of study in such areas as diesel and truck technology, practical nursing and computer information systems.
NW News on 03/23/2014