The Arkansas LEARNS Act, a major education overhaul championed by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, raised the base pay for teachers to $50,000. But teachers say the pay increase isn't enough when they still use personal funds for classroom expenses throughout the year.

Throughout rural America, non-native English speakers are less likely than their urban peers to get proper support in school, sometimes leading to a lifetime of lower educational attainment.

One in 12 educators working in Arkansas public schools are unlicensed or teaching outside of their certification area. That number has more than doubled in the last seven years, an Advocate analysis of state data found.