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Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation urges committee to frame adequacy work as a push for 'excellence' and adopt an equity analysis
Summary
Corey Anderson of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation told the Education Committee to treat the court‑directed adequacy study as a plan for educational excellence, invest early childhood resources and require formal equity analysis to avoid unintended harms.
Corey Anderson, chief innovation officer at the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation and interim executive director of Forward Arkansas, told the Senate Education Committee that the coming adequacy study should define a statewide vision of educational "excellence" rather than only describing "adequacy." Anderson urged lawmakers to incorporate an equity analysis into the study, invest in early childhood resources (0–5), and use Forward Arkansas’s shared vision as a blueprint for prioritizing public investments.
Anderson said the difference in language matters: "Every child knowing algebra, that's adequate. Every child in our state learning how to code, that's excellence," he said, urging higher, future‑focused expectations and a resource plan to match. He also recommended that the committee use an explicit equity impact tool—similar in role to fiscal or environmental analyses—to identify policies that might unintentionally worsen disparities.
Senator Johnson reminded the witness that the Arkansas Supreme Court directed an adequacy review; Anderson agreed the committee needed objective resource measures while advocating for higher ambition and the use of Forward Arkansas as a research‑and‑community‑informed framework.
Next steps: Anderson offered Forward Arkansas resources and recommended that the committee ensure the adequacy study incorporates an equity analysis and explicit statements about early‑childhood investment priorities.
