In October 1963, President John F. Kennedy delivered his famous phrase: “A rising tide lifts all boats.” What many may not know is that he spoke these words while defending a dam project in Arkansas. The full line was: “A rising tide lifts all the boats, and as Arkansas becomes more prosperous so does the United States, and as this section declines so does the United States.”
While Kennedy was speaking about economic growth, I see the same truth in education: Everyone benefits when we invest in stronger schools. What not everyone realizes is that the best way to strengthen schools is by giving families the right to choose which school is the best fit for their child.
Market competition is how we “lift all boats” in education. When all schools—public, private, virtual, and charter—are striving to be the best, students, families, and communities win.
Arkansas passed our landmark education reform legislation, the LEARNS Act—Literacy, Empowerment, Accountability, Readiness, Networking, and School Safety—in 2023. The LEARNS Act increased teacher salaries to one of the highest in the nation, hiring more than 120 literacy coaches to provide direct support to schools in struggling areas of the state, and renewed focus on school safety.
Most of the LEARNS Act focused on improving our public school system. But the Act made it easier for parents to choose the best school for their child’s needs—which will also, ultimately, benefit public schools.
Included within the LEARNS Act was the creation of Education Freedom Accounts, which provided funding so that students can attend the school that fits their needs. Whether public district, charter, private or home schools, Arkansas has given the choice to parents, not bureaucrats. Tools like the Education Freedom Account System allow parents to manage their funds and use our innovative portal to look at all available data to make the best educational decisions possible.
For far too long, education was treated as a one-size-fits-all system, with students assigned to schools based solely on their zip code. Arkansas LEARNS opens doors to prosperity by empowering families to make educational decisions based on the student, not the system. This is why returning education back to the states is so important when it comes to student success. Local leaders are able to provide choices that respond to local challenges in ways that are beyond the reach of the federal bureaucracy.
When parents have the ability to choose, both public and private schools are motivated to innovate. After we removed caps on Charter schools and streamlined the process to create new charter schools, their numbers have only increased in Arkansas. This has led to many school districts increasing their efforts to innovate by launching specialized programs in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), career and technical education (CTE), concurrent college credit, and the arts to attract and retain students. By establishing magnet programs and expanded in-district options, schools are raising the bar with better curriculum, more engaging teaching, and stronger results for students.
Arkansas’ work is directly aligned with President Trump’s education freedom agenda. His administration has prioritized universal school choice and directed federal agencies to provide waivers and flexibility to free states from overly burdensome requirements. Arkansas education reform progress demonstrates why returning education to the states matters. Local leaders and communities know their students best, and when they are empowered to design solutions, reforms move faster, align more closely with local priorities, and deliver greater impact. By advancing LEARNS under this vision, Arkansas is proving that when states are trusted to innovate, opportunity expands for every child.
Empowering families by expanding school choice under Arkansas LEARNS is not about replacing public education; it’s about making the investment in public education stronger. By trusting parents, encouraging innovation, and holding every school accountable, we can ensure that every child, no matter their zip code, has access to an excellent education.
Because in education, just as in the economy, a rising tide lifts all boats.
Jacob Oliva is a lifelong educator and has served as Secretary of the Arkansas Department of Education since January 2023.