The LeARner Collective

The first-ever, state-based OBC High-Impact Tutoring Program Cohort will receive targeted coaching in the 2025-2026 academic year to design a contract to fuel academic growth. Forward’s OBC High-Impact Tutoring Cohort includes Arkadelphia Public Schools, eStem Public Charter Schools, Hamburg School District, Little Rock School District and Texarkana Arkansas School District. Each district will receive a $12,000 flexible grant from Forward to support their work. They will have exclusive access to workshops, peer networking and implementation resources, including the OBC playbook and templates. Forward will lead the efforts in partnership with The Center for Outcomes-Based Contracting at the Southern Education Foundation.

Outcomes Based Contracting (OBC) fosters collaboration and alignment between districts and providers while promoting mutual accountability. As part of OBC, a substantial part of the payment—at least 40%—is contingent on the service provider meeting agreed-upon and measurable student outcomes, such as improved literacy scores. In addition, districts often build in provider incentives for quality and innovation in pursuit of achieving the metrics.

WATCH: Forward Arkansas is Leading the Way with OBC

With responsive expert coaching, professional learning experiences and ongoing support, the LeARner Collective empowered participating school teams to collaborate, grow their skills and design and implement new approaches to improve student learning. Select schools embarked on a transformation pathway, undergoing a community-wide visioning process to drive changes in their structures, cultures and practices. Now, we’re furthering their impact—not only in their districts but across the state—by inviting other educators to discover, explore and, most importantly, LeARn with them.