Copyright Arkansas Online
Your browser does not support the audio element. Northwest Arkansas schools dominated the field of campuses that received the most award funds through the Arkansas School Recognition Program. Of the 20 schools that were awarded the most money, 14 were in the region that also houses Walmart's corporate headquarters and the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville campus. Of those, nine were in the Bentonville School District. In total, the state awarded $6,999,048.74 to 151 schools, according to a list provided by the Arkansas Department of Education. The three schools that received the most money were Bentonville High School, with $329,562.53, followed by Bentonville West High School, $247,195.62, and the Don Tyson School of Innovation in Springdale, with $183,831.84. The awards are divided into two categories -- schools in the top 5% for performance and schools in the top 5% for growth -- based on the results of the Arkansas Teaching and Learning Assessment System (ATLAS), the end-of-year assessment given to public school students. The department released school letter grades in mid-September. The three highest-earners in terms of awards all fell into the top 5% performance category. Awardees in the top 5% performance or growth categories receive up to $100 per student, while awardees in the second-highest tiers of achievement and/or growth -- being among the top 6% to 10% of schools -- receive up to $50, according to the department. Lawmakers established the recognition program during the second extraordinary legislative session of 2003 to provide financial rewards to schools that demonstrate high student performance and academic growth, though the Arkansas Legislative Council modified its rules in August. Two schools in Central Arkansas fell within the 20 schools that received the most money: Benton High School received $120,068.21 and fell into both the top 5% performance and growth categories. Don Roberts Elementary School in Little Rock received $96,941.46 as part of the top 5% performance category. Several charter schools appeared among the top awardees, including the Academies of West Memphis Charter School, which received $82,671.75 and was part of the top 5% growth category; Founders Classical Academies of Bentonville, which received $73,082.79 as part of the top 5% performance category; and eStem High School, which received $63,185.41 as part of the top 5% growth category.
