About 10 years ago, Arkansas Department of Education Commissioner Johnny Key heard something that still saddens him to this day.

While speaking with a man who feared school consolidation, this man said to Key: “If this school was good enough for my parents and good enough for me, it is good enough for my kids.”

But Key believes that “good enough is not acceptable” when planning for the education needs of the children of Arkansas.

“I don’t think anyone accepts good enough as what we want for our students in the state of Arkansas,” he said. “The Arkansas Department of Education is transforming Arkansas to lead the nation in student-focused education.”

Key, along with Assistant Commissioner Ivy Pfeffer, addressed the state of kindergarten through 12th-grade education in Arkansas during a Sept. 21 visit to the education faculty at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

The Arkansas Department of Education has several plans for improvements in education, including focusing on student-centered learning and improving reading skills. Key would also like to improve teacher training and increase teacher starting salaries.

“We want to focus on student-centered learning where we do not treat all students the same,” Key said. “If a child needs extra time to learn something, we will find a way to get that time.”

Key also wants to “foster a culture of reading in Arkansas,” noting that enhancing reading skills will improve every student subgroup in K-12 education.

The commissioner was invited to speak at UALR by John Kuykendall, interim director of the UALR School of Education.

“We want to make sure that the UALR School of Education is on the same page as the Arkansas Department of Education in developing future educators and leaders,” Kuykendall said. “The School of Education is committed to preparing professionals to teach, lead, and innovate in a diverse society.”

In the upper right photo, Arkansas Department of Education Commissioner Johnny Key (left) and Assistant Commissioner Ivy Pfeffer (right) address UALR education faculty Sept. 21. Photo by Brad Sims.