Formerly part of the vast Missouri Territory, Arkansas was organized as a separate territory in 1819; it covered what would later become Oklahoma, in addition to the present-day state. One of Congress's first acts regarding the new territory was to set aside land in each county as part of a general school system. The next year, the first school in the region, Dwight Mission, was established by the Reverend Cephas Washburn for the purpose of educating the Cherokee Indians who then lived there. The territorial legislature provided for the construction of schools in 1829, and the state legislature provided for a public school system in 1843. After the Civil War, a new state constitution was adopted that set up a system of public schools for children between the ages of 5 and 21.
Like every other state, Arkansas has a department of education governed by a board of nine members who are appointed by the governor with the approval of the senate. The board appoints two directors - one to serve as head of the general education division and one to serve as head of the vocational technical division. All appointments made by these directors are subject to the approval of the governor.
Historically, Arkansas has performed poorly compared with other states; it was ranked number 32 on the Morgan Quitno Smartest State Award. Teachers' salaries have been low, there has been a large number of small rural school districts and the budget for education has been small. Mike Beebe, who became governor in 2007, has made the improvement of education one of his top priorities, and has rewarded teachers for student achievement.
Until 1954, schools in Arkansas - as throughout much of the South - were racially segregated, with blacks and whites attending different schools. That year, the landmark case of Brown vs. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, the Supreme Court ruled that "separate but equal" schools were "inherently unequal," and steps were taken to desegregate the school system. In 1957, National Guard units and federal troops were called in to help enforce a court order to desegregate Central High School in Little Rock. Additional troops were needed because Governor Orval E. Faubus had sent the National Guard to block integration; this force was also put under the control of the federal government by President Eisenhower. By 1970, almost all Arkansas schools were integrated to some extent.
There are thirteen colleges in Arkansas, of which the oldest is the College of the Ozarks, a Presbyterian institution in Clarksville in the western central part of the state founded in 1834.
Historically, Arkansas has ranked among the poorest states in the Union; in 1880, shortly after the Civil War, it was in the lower 30 (and there were only 39 states at that time). It was not until after World War II that the economy of the state really began to take off; today, it has been ranked by CNBC as the 20th best state in which to set up business, with the 11th best work force, the fifth lowest cost of living and the second lowest cost of doing business. In the two years since 2011, Arkansas has jumped up twelve spots in its business rankings. The world's number 1 corporation, Walmart, has its headquarters there, as do five other Fortune 500 companies.
Manufacturing accounts for about 60 percent of the value of goods produced in Arkansas. Food processing is the main manufacturing industry in the state. Since forests cover much of the state (Arkansas has three national forests, most of their territory in the western half), forestry also makes a major contribution to the economy.
Agricultural products make up about 35 percent of the state's goods. The three most valuable crops in Arkansas are soybeans, grown especially in the east; rice - the state contributes about a third of the national total; and cotton. The leading livestock product is broilers (chickens from nine to twelve weeks old), of which Arkansas produces more than any other state, followed by beef cattle, eggs, turkey, milk and hogs.
Only a fifth of all Arkansas-produced goods come from mining, of which petroleum is the most valuable, followed by bromine (a liquid similar to fluorine, chlorine and iodine), natural gas, stone, sand and gravel, and bauxite (the main source of aluminum). Arkansas is also a leading producer of vanadium, a metal used in making springs, axles and other car parts.
Besides Walmart, the five Fortune 500 that have their headquarters in Arkansas are - in order of the amount of revenue that they generate - Tyson Foods, Murphy Oil, Dillard's, Windstream and J. B. Hunt. Dillard's and Windstream have headquarters in Little Rock, Walmart in Bentonville, Tyson Foods in Springdale, Murphy Oil in El Dorado, and Hunt in Lowell. All these companies offer job opportunities for more people in Arkansas than any other employer.
Many Arkansawyers also work in the tourist industry. The state is home to four national historic sites, four national parks, thirty-three state parks and ten historic parks. Some current vacancies, listed on the state's employment website, include desk clerk at Village Creek, skilled tradesman and Petite Jean State Park, group travel manager for the Tourism Division and maintenance specialist at Crowley Ridge State Park. The list of these jobs is changing continually, so be sure and check back periodically. Other employment opportunities may be found by searching on Jobs Arkansas.
Found 105 Post-Secondary Schools In Arkansas
Title | City | State | Type | Enrollment |
---|---|---|---|---|
A Healing Touch Inc School of Massage Therapy | Fort Smith | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | No Data |
Academic World of Cosmetology | Little Rock | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | No Data |
Arkadelphia Beauty College | Arkadelphia | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | 29 |
Arkansas - Oklahoma School of Real Estate - Ft Smith | Fort Smith | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | No Data |
Arkansas Baptist College | Little Rock | AR | 4-year private, not-for-profit | 201 |
Arkansas Beauty School | Conway | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | 19 |
Arkansas Beauty School | Russellville | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | No Data |
Arkansas Beauty School | Little Rock | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | 25 |
Arkansas Career Training Institute | Hot Springs | AR | 2-year public | 139 |
Arkansas College of Barbering and Hair Design | North Little Rock | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | 67 |
Arkansas Institute of Holy Land Studies | Sherwood | AR | 4-year private, not-for-profit | No Data |
Arkansas Northeastern College | Blytheville | AR | 2-year public | 1980 |
Arkansas School of Real Estate | Bentonville | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | No Data |
Arkansas State University - Beebe | Beebe | AR | 2-year public | 4899 |
Arkansas State University - Main Campus | State University | AR | 4-year public | 10429 |
Arkansas State University - Mountain Home | Mountain Home | AR | 2-year public | 916 |
Arkansas Tech University | Russellville | AR | 4-year public | 4970 |
Arkansas Valley Technical Institute | Ozark | AR | Less than 2-year public | 455 |
Arthurs Beauty College Inc | Jacksonville | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | 54 |
Arthurs Beauty College Inc - Fort Smith | Fort Smith | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | 46 |
Askins Vo - Tech | Fort Smith | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | 6 |
Baptist Health Schools of Nursing and Allied Health | Little Rock | AR | 2-year private, not-for-profit | 567 |
Bee Jays Academy | Batesville | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | No Data |
Bee Jays Academy | Little Rock | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | 44 |
Black River Technical College | Pocahontas | AR | 2-year public | 1239 |
Blackwood Beauty School | Pocahontas | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | No Data |
Blytheville Academy of Cosmetology | Blytheville | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | 40 |
Broadway School of Real Estate | Hot Springs | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | No Data |
Career Academy of Hair Design | Springdale | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | 35 |
Carti School of Radiation Therapy Technology | Little Rock | AR | 2-year private, not-for-profit | No Data |
Central Baptist College | Conway | AR | 4-year private, not-for-profit | 381 |
Central Flying Services Inc | Little Rock | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | No Data |
Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas | De Queen | AR | 2-year public | 815 |
Crowleys Ridge College | Paragould | AR | 2-year private, not-for-profit | 169 |
Crowleys Ridge Technical Institute | Forrest City | AR | Less than 2-year public | 141 |
De Luxe Beauty School | Pine Bluff | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | 28 |
East Arkansas Community College | Forrest City | AR | 2-year public | 1358 |
Eastern College of Health Vocations | Little Rock | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | 292 |
Eaton Beauty Stylist College Inc | Little Rock | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | 20 |
Fayetteville Beauty College | Fayetteville | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | 27 |
Foothills Technical Institute | Searcy | AR | Less than 2-year public | 279 |
Forest Echoes Technical Institute | Crossett | AR | Less than 2-year public | 153 |
Great Rivers Vocational Technical School | Mcgehee | AR | Less than 2-year public | 182 |
Harding University | Searcy | AR | 4-year private, not-for-profit | 4337 |
Harrison School of Cosmetology | Harrison | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | No Data |
Henderson State University | Arkadelphia | AR | 4-year public | 3549 |
Hendrix College | Conway | AR | 4-year private, not-for-profit | 1137 |
Hot Springs Beauty College | Hot Springs | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | 57 |
ITT Technical Institute | Little Rock | AR | 2-year private, for-profit | 242 |
Jefferson Regional Medical Center - Sch of Rad Techn | Pine Bluff | AR | 2-year private, not-for-profit | No Data |
Jefferson School of Nursing | Pine Bluff | AR | 2-year private, not-for-profit | 41 |
John Brown University | Siloam Springs | AR | 4-year private, not-for-profit | 1536 |
Lees School of Cosmetology | North Little Rock | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | 40 |
Lyon College | Batesville | AR | 4-year private, not-for-profit | 471 |
Margarets Hair Academy Inc | Russellville | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | 12 |
Mark Two Beauty School | Pine Bluff | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | No Data |
Marsha Kay Beauty College | Mountain Home | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | 14 |
Mellies Beauty College | Fort Smith | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | 22 |
Mellies School of Modeling | Fort Smith | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | No Data |
Mid - South Community College | West Memphis | AR | 2-year public | 185 |
Mid South Aviation | North Little Rock | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | No Data |
Missionary Baptist Seminary | Little Rock | AR | 4-year private, not-for-profit | No Data |
Morris - Booker Memorial College | Dermott | AR | 4-year private, not-for-profit | No Data |
Mountain View School of Cosmetology | Mena | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | No Data |
National Park Community College | Hot Springs | AR | 2-year public | 2231 |
National Real Estate School | North Little Rock | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | No Data |
New Tyler Barber College Inc | North Little Rock | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | 60 |
North Arkansas College | Harrison | AR | 2-year public | 1817 |
Northwest Arkansas Community College | Bentonville | AR | 2-year public | 4058 |
Northwest Technical Institute | Springdale | AR | Less than 2-year public | 1755 |
Otts Aviation | Benton | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | No Data |
Ouachita Baptist University | Arkadelphia | AR | 4-year private, not-for-profit | 1714 |
Ouachita Technical College | Malvern | AR | 2-year public | 829 |
Ozarka College | Melbourne | AR | 2-year public | 737 |
Philander Smith College | Little Rock | AR | 4-year private, not-for-profit | 845 |
Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas | Helena | AR | 2-year public | 2364 |
Professional Cosmetology Education Center | El Dorado | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | 72 |
Pulaski Technical College | North Little Rock | AR | 2-year public | 893 |
Quapaw Technical Institute | Hot Springs | AR | Less than 2-year public | 244 |
Remington College - Little Rock | Little Rock | AR | 2-year private, for-profit | 515 |
Rich Mountain Community College | Mena | AR | 2-year public | 943 |
River Valley Real Estate Licensing School | Russellville | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | No Data |
Saint Edward Mercy Medical Center Sch of Rad Techn | Fort Smith | AR | 2-year private, not-for-profit | No Data |
Searcy Beauty College Inc | Searcy | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | 63 |
Shorter College | North Little Rock | AR | 2-year private, not-for-profit | No Data |
South Arkansas Community College | El Dorado | AR | 2-year public | 905 |
Southeast Arkansas College | Pine Bluff | AR | 2-year public | 1955 |
Southern Arkansas University Main Campus | Magnolia | AR | 4-year public | 2977 |
Southern Arkansas University Tech | Camden | AR | 2-year public | 790 |
Southern Institute of Cosmetology | West Memphis | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | 214 |
Thelmas Beauty Academy | Little Rock | AR | Less than 2-year private, for-profit | 20 |
University of Arkansas at Little Rock | Little Rock | AR | 4-year public | 10968 |
University of Arkansas at Monticello | Monticello | AR | 4-year public | 2323 |
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff | Pine Bluff | AR | 4-year public | 3042 |
University of Arkansas Community College - Batesville | Batesville | AR | 2-year public | 1024 |
University of Arkansas Community College - Hope | Hope | AR | 2-year public | 1176 |
University of Arkansas Community College - Morrilton | Morrilton | AR | 2-year public | 1142 |
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences | Little Rock | AR | 4-year public | 1855 |
University of Arkansas Main Campus | Fayetteville | AR | 4-year public | 15346 |
University of Arkansas System Office | Little Rock | AR | Central office or Administrative Unit | No Data |
Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/
1 2 >