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  1. Podcasts/
  2. Freedom to Learn/
  3. Arkansas Education Secretary Jacob Oliva on Education Freedom, Flexibility, & Funding
May 7, 2026
Freedom to Learn•May 7, 2026

•Episode length: 31m

Defense of Freedom Institute for Policy Studies

Arkansas Education Secretary Jacob Oliva on Education Freedom, Flexibility, & Funding

Episode length: 31m

Subscribe to Freedom to LearnSubscribe

Arkansas is streamlining the K-12 education bureaucracy, investing in educators, and expanding families’ options. On today’s episode of Freedom to Learn, Arkansas Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva covers the rollout of the transformative LEARNS Act and its impact. He explains how Arkansas expanded Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs) from targeted eligibility to universal access, and what it took to launch the statewide choice program that now serves about 50,000 students. Secretary Oliva also shares Arkansas’ federal waiver strategy to cut red tape and return decision-making power to the state by consolidating fragmented funding streams, reducing compliance costs, and shifting the focus from micromanaging inputs to holding schools accountable for results.

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Hosted by Ginny Gentles

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