Education, Math, and More with Mr. Allison

 I've seen teachers asking for donations for their classrooms. Supplies, materials, decorations, etc. All things teachers use hoping to help students learn. Probably from my upbringing, but I usually have a really hard time asking for things like this. But I did just apply for a $500 grant through ASTA for the first time.  ASTA -- Arkansas State Teachers Association -- is a non-union professional organization for Arkansas school employees. I joined ASTA because they offer a $2 Million liability insurance policy and lots of other benefits (including classroom grants) for much less than it costs to secure these benefits through the union. An added bonus is that none of my money goes to political candidates or causes. ASTA does survey its members regarding issues and legislation impacting Arkansas educators, and communicates the results to lawmakers and policy makers on issues under consideration. But they never donate your money to political campaigns or other groups that do....

 Yesterday I had an opportunity to meet Arkansas's new Secretary of Education, Jacob Oliva. If you're involved in Arkansas education at any level in any capacity, you know the elephant in every room is Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders' attempt to overhaul the state's education system, the LEARNS Act that became law earlier this year. Even though LEARNS is in a state of limbo while it's being challenged in court, smart money says it will be the law when school starts in the fall. Oliva is tasked with implementing LEARNS, which makes him very unpopular with a lot of people. But my first encounter convinced me he's not the bad guy many have painted him. We were at an Arkansas State Teachers Association (ASTA) Member Leader workshop. ASTA is a non-union, apolitical professional organization dedicated supporting to student-centered, teacher-led education in Arkansas. ASTA member leaders serve as points of contact and recruiters for ASTA in schools across the state. Me...