Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Oct 21: US Second Lady Usha Vance visited Arkansas to promote childhood literacy, touring classrooms, reading to students and honouring teachers alongside Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
Vance, an Indian-American, and Sanders visited Glenview Elementary School in North Little Rock, where they toured several classrooms and observed the school's efforts to improve childhood literacy, according to a statement from the governor's office.
They later hosted a roundtable with state education leaders, while Vance read aloud to students at a school-wide assembly.
“I want to thank Governor Sanders for her leadership and welcoming me to Arkansas. Today I saw the progress that is possible when a state and school community commit to achieving excellence,” Vance said.
“These efforts reflect an important truth: children make progress when the adults around them work together. I look forward to continuing to work with Arkansas educators and families to strengthen literacy, support our teachers, and ensure every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential,” she added.
In the afternoon, the two leaders held a private meeting to review Arkansas's progress in improving childhood literacy and discuss the work that remains. They later hosted a reception at the Arkansas Governor's Mansion in Little Rock for 50 educators who had earned bonuses under the state's Merit Teacher Incentive Fund.
“Since becoming Second Lady, Mrs. Vance has used her platform to emphasize the importance of literacy in a child's development, and I am incredibly grateful for her dedication because we know that the ability to read is a critical benchmark that determines future educational success,” Sanders said.
According to the governor's office, the proportion of third-grade students proficient in reading in Arkansas rose from 35 per cent in 2024 to 43 per cent in 2026.
The state's merit-pay programme has awarded more than $50 million to over 12,000 educators across Arkansas during the past three years, the statement said.
Vance, the daughter of Indian immigrants, became the first Indian-American Second Lady of the United States when her husband, JD Vance, assumed office as Vice President in January 2025.
A lawyer by training, she has made childhood literacy a central focus of her public agenda. She launched a Summer Reading Challenge encouraging students from kindergarten through eighth grade to read 12 books during the summer break.
This year's challenge attracted participants from all 50 US states, Washington DC and four territories, with participation more than doubling compared with the previous summer, the governor's office said.