Lyon College will host the Lamar Williamson Prize Lecture on March 17, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. in the Maxfield Room of Edwards Commons on the Lyon College campus in Batesville, Arkansas.
The lecture will be presented by Dr. Kim Crosby, associate professor of education and director of the Lyon College Center for Transformative Teaching and Leadership, who is the 2025 recipient of the Lamar Williamson Prize for Faculty Excellence.
Dr. Crosby’s presentation, titled “Arkansas LEARNS in Practice: Structural Change, Early Outcomes and Uncertainties,” will explore the early impacts of the Arkansas LEARNS Act, a major education reform policy affecting K-12 schools across Arkansas.
During the lecture, Dr. Crosby will review state and national data examining several areas influenced by the policy changes, including student enrollment trends, program participation, funding patterns, fiscal impacts, teacher workforce indicators, and early signs of student performance as Arkansas transitions from the ACT Aspire testing system to the ATLAS assessment system.
The presentation will also examine how the Arkansas LEARNS Act represents a major structural shift in Arkansas education policy and discuss factors that may influence the long-term success of the reforms. Topics include policy implementation, education funding stability, and ongoing evaluation of student outcomes across the state.
The Lamar Williamson Prize for Faculty Excellence is awarded annually to a Lyon College faculty member who demonstrates outstanding teaching, scholarship, and service to the college and community. Recipients are selected by a faculty committee and recognized for their contributions to the academic life of the college.
The lecture is free and open to the public, and community members are encouraged to attend the presentation on the Lyon College campus at 2300 Highland Road in Batesville, Arkansas.
For those unable to attend in person, a livestream of the lecture will be available online.
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