My op-ed in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette:
Arkansas a model for evidence-based education reform: Arkansas a proving ground for reform
Twenty years ago, the University of Arkansas launched the Department of Education Reform (EDRE) with the bold vision of using research to transform how education policy is designed and delivered. Two decades later, Arkansas has become a national proving ground for what is possible when evidence, policy and community align for students.
The Times of India recently reported, “Arkansas has become one of America’s most consequential education experiments.” For the world to be taking note of the innovation in Arkansas shows just how far the state has come and how much it has to teach the rest of the country.
The timing couldn’t be more crucial. The latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results show that high school students’ reading and math scores are the lowest in over 20 years, signaling a national education crisis with severe economic consequences. This signals not just an education crisis, but an economic one. These students represent the future workforce, and as an economist, these results alarm me. Decades of research show that lower academic achievement translates into slower economic growth. Less schooling means lower future earnings. When our students struggle, our state and our nation feel the consequences.
Yet amid these challenges, Arkansas offers a blueprint for hope. Through evidence-based policymaking and bold reforms, Arkansas has embraced reforms like the 2023 LEARNS Act. Arkansas has raised teacher pay, expanded literacy coaching and empowered families with school choice.
A key driver of Arkansas’ reform efforts has been the EDRE, which has supported the state’s education transformation by producing rigorous, policy-focused research highlighting the effects of initiatives like school choice and teacher workforce improvements.
Teacher workforce research from EDRE informed the design of key components of the LEARNS Act, directly shaping initiatives that raised the minimum teacher salary to $50,000 and introduced targeted strategies to improve early literacy and expand school choice. EDRE’s analysis of teacher turnover and administrator perspectives has provided policymakers with critical insights into workforce stability and the real-world impact of reform.
This is what reform looks like when it is grounded in evidence and backed by research. Choice inspires improvement. It drives schools to innovate, engage, and meet families where they are. Combined with teacher reforms and early literacy programs–like ensuring every child can read by Grade 3–Arkansas is building a system that is both ambitious and inclusive.
Beyond that, our researchers have addressed chronic absenteeism, English-language learning, grading practices, and teacher turnover during covid-19. We’ve done this not from an ivory tower, but with the conviction that research should serve students, parents, teachers and communities.
Last month, EDRE celebrated its 20th anniversary with a two-day conference, “Education Reform Then and Now: A Policy Conference,” held at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville. The event brought together educators, policymakers, researchers, and advocates from across the country underscoring Arkansas’ growing prominence as a hub for national education dialogue.
The story unfolding in Arkansas is bigger than our state; it’s about what’s possible when research and action are in partnership. The next 20 years will test our resolve as a nation, and Arkansas is showing how to lead with courage, evidence and impact.
We must stay focused on what works–data-driven, equitable, and student-centered reform. That is how we ensure our next generation of learners inherit a legacy of progress. Arkansas stands at the center of national attention, not just for what has been done, but for what is possible to be achieved.
https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2025/nov/17/arkansas-a-model-for-evidence-based-education/
Education, economics and public policy 