# Ark. Code Ann. § 6-15-2902: Legislative findings > Arkansas · Statutes · In force URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AR_T6_C15_S29_S6-15-2902 ## Section - **Citation:** Ark. Code Ann. § 6-15-2902 - **Heading:** Legislative findings - **Jurisdiction:** Arkansas - **Kind:** Statutes - **Status:** In force - **Text as of:** August 14, 2026 - **Source:** Compiled text - **Location:** AR Code / Title 6 / Chapter 15 / Subchapter 29 / Section 6-15-2902 ## Text The General Assembly finds that: (1) Arkansas Constitution, Article 14, § 1, requires the State of Arkansas to provide a general, suitable, and efficient system of free public schools to the children of the state; (2) Under the decision of the Supreme Court in Lake View School District No. 25 v. Huckabee, 351 Ark. 31 (2002), it is the absolute duty of the State of Arkansas to provide all public school children with a substantially equal opportunity for an adequate education; (3) It is the state's responsibility to provide the statutory framework necessary to ensure that all students in the public schools of this state have a substantially equal opportunity to achieve and demonstrate academic readiness, individual academic growth, and competencies through the application of knowledge and skills in core subjects, consistent with state academic standards through a student-focused learning system; (4) (A) In Lake View School District No. 25 v. Huckabee, the Supreme Court explicitly addressed the relationship between local control versus the state's responsibility when, in quoting DuPree v. Alma School District No. 30, 279 Ark. 340 (1983), it opined, "[i]f local government fails, the state government must compel it to act, and if the local government cannot carry the burden, the state must itself meet its continuing obligation". (B) An accountability system that provides increasing levels of state assistance would help the local government or the local public school district board of directors to meet this burden, while allowing state intervention to occur if the local government chronically fails to meet the burden in spite of the state assistance; (5) Arkansas public schools and school districts would benefit from an accountability system that: (A) Uses multiple measures of student academic achievement and growth; and (B) Allows flexibility for public schools and school districts to utilize local decision-making while maintaining quality in education; (6) A comprehensive accountability system would empower the state and public school districts to assess the effectiveness of student-focused education using multiple factors, measures, and indicators of student achievement and school quality, rather than relying solely on an annual statewide assessment; and (7) (A) The State of Arkansas cannot be the sole guarantor of each individual student's success. (B) Parents, students, families, educational institutions, and communities, as collaborative partners in education, play an important role in the success of individual students. Added by Act 2017, No. 930,§ 2, eff. 8/1/2017. The General Assembly finds that: (1) Arkansas Constitution, Article 14, § 1, requires the State of Arkansas to provide a general, suitable, and efficient system of free public schools to the children of the state; (2) Under the decision of the Supreme Court in Lake View School District No. 25 v. Huckabee, 351 Ark. 31 (2002), it is the absolute duty of the State of Arkansas to provide all public school children with a substantially equal opportunity for an adequate education; (3) It is the state's responsibility to provide the statutory framework necessary to ensure that all students in the public schools of this state have a substantially equal opportunity to achieve and demonstrate academic readiness, individual academic growth, and competencies through the application of knowledge and skills in core subjects, consistent with state academic standards through a student-focused learning system; onsibility to provide the statutory framework necessary to ensure that all students in the public schools of this state have a substantially equal opportunity to achieve and demonstrate academic readiness, individual academic growth, and competencies through the application of knowledge and skills in core subjects, consistent with state academic standards through a student-focused learning system; (4) (A) In Lake View School District No. 25 v. Huckabee, the Supreme Court explicitly addressed the relationship between local control versus the state's responsibility when, in quoting DuPree v. Alma School District No. 30, 279 Ark. 340 (1983), it opined, "[i]f local government fails, the state government must compel it to act, and if the local government cannot carry the burden, the state must itself meet its continuing obligation". (B) An accountability system that provides increasing levels of state assistance would help the local government or the local public school district board of directors to meet this burden, while allowing state intervention to occur if the local government chronically fails to meet the burden in spite of the state assistance; (A) In Lake View School District No. 25 v. Huckabee, the Supreme Court explicitly addressed the relationship between local control versus the state's responsibility when, in quoting DuPree v. Alma School District No. 30, 279 Ark. 340 (1983), it opined, "[i]f local government fails, the state government must compel it to act, and if the local government cannot carry the burden, the state must itself meet its continuing obligation". (B) An accountability system that provides increasing levels of state assistance would help the local government or the local public school district board of directors to meet this burden, while allowing state intervention to occur if the local government chronically fails to meet the burden in spite of the state assistance; (5) Arkansas public schools and school districts would benefit from an accountability system that: (A) Uses multiple measures of student academic achievement and growth; and (B) Allows flexibility for public schools and school districts to utilize local decision-making while maintaining quality in education; (A) Uses multiple measures of student academic achievement and growth; and (B) Allows flexibility for public schools and school districts to utilize local decision-making while maintaining quality in education; (6) A comprehensive accountability system would empower the state and public school districts to assess the effectiveness of student-focused education using multiple factors, measures, and indicators of student achievement and school quality, rather than relying solely on an annual statewide assessment; and (7) (A) The State of Arkansas cannot be the sole guarantor of each individual student's success. (B) Parents, students, families, educational institutions, and communities, as collaborative partners in education, play an important role in the success of individual students. (A) The State of Arkansas cannot be the sole guarantor of each individual student's success. (B) Parents, students, families, educational institutions, and communities, as collaborative partners in education, play an important role in the success of individual students. Added by Act 2017, No. 930,§ 2, eff. 8/1/2017. ## Nearby sections - [Ark. Code Ann. § 6-15-2901 Title](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AR_T6_C15_S29_S6-15-2901.md) - [Ark. Code Ann. § 6-15-2902 Legislative findings](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AR_T6_C15_S29_S6-15-2902.md) - [Ark. Code Ann. § 6-15-2903 Definitions](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AR_T6_C15_S29_S6-15-2903.md) - [Ark. Code Ann. § 6-15-2904 Responsibility of Division of Elementary and Secondary Education](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AR_T6_C15_S29_S6-15-2904.md) - [Ark. Code Ann. § 6-15-2905 Authority of State Board of Education](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AR_T6_C15_S29_S6-15-2905.md) - [Ark. Code Ann. § 6-15-2906 Academic standards](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AR_T6_C15_S29_S6-15-2906.md) - [Ark. Code Ann. § 6-15-2907 Statewide student assessment system - Definition](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AR_T6_C15_S29_S6-15-2907.md) - [Ark. Code Ann. § 6-15-2908 Analyses of statewide student assessment data](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AR_T6_C15_S29_S6-15-2908.md) - [Ark. Code Ann. § 6-15-2909 Public availability of test instruments and scores](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AR_T6_C15_S29_S6-15-2909.md) - [Ark. Code Ann. § 6-15-2910 Student performance levels](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AR_T6_C15_S29_S6-15-2910.md) - [Ark. Code Ann. § 6-15-2911 Student-focused learning system](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AR_T6_C15_S29_S6-15-2911.md) - [Ark. Code Ann. § 6-15-2912 Educator excellence - Intent](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AR_T6_C15_S29_S6-15-2912.md) - [Ark. Code Ann. § 6-15-2913 Levels of school district support](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AR_T6_C15_S29_S6-15-2913.md) - [Ark. Code Ann. § 6-15-2914 School-level improvement plans - School district support plans](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AR_T6_C15_S29_S6-15-2914.md) --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/STATE_AR_T6_C15_S29_S6-15-2902. Check the current official text before relying on it. Not legal advice.