FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of Arkansas will move into the ranks of leading universities with the founding of the Department of Education Reform, proposed for creation later this year.

University Chancellor John A. White said: “The proposed Department of Education Reform is a bold new venture. It will place the College of Education and Health Professions in the company of leading academic programs focused on an issue of national concern. It will also bring increased attention to the University of Arkansas and will position faculty associated with the Department of Education Reform among the nation’s thought leaders in education reform. The gift that endows this department, when combined with the Matching Gift Program, is among the top three largest ever received by a college of education, a reflection of the confidence this college’s history of achievement has inspired.”

An anonymous gift to fund the Department of Education Reform will be matched by $10 million provided by the Matching Gift Program to create a $20 million endowment.

Significant education-reform programs are in place at nationally recognized universities, including the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, Stanford, Michigan and Wisconsin-Madison.   It is this peer group that the college will use as a benchmarking cohort for the new program. 

Subject to approval by UA board of trustees and Arkansas Department of Higher Education, the new department will conduct significant research, implement demonstration projects that link research with classroom practice, and produce and distribute resources to educators and policymakers. It will be the first — and only — such department in an institution of higher education in the state of Arkansas.

Reed Greenwood, dean of the college, said: “We in the college are humbled and honored by the magnitude of the opportunity we have been offered. Our record of research and contribution to education has earned the college the trust and respect necessary to garner support for a significant move forward. We will recruit faculty from among top scholars to form a department that will make substantial contributions to education reform in Arkansas as well as nationally and internationally.”

The Department of Education Reform will offer endowed chairs for the department head and five faculty members, 10 doctoral fellowships and a scholarship program for students pursuing the Master of Arts in teaching. The endowment also includes funds to support the research efforts of faculty and doctoral students and to widely disseminate research findings to educators, policymakers and the public.

Greenwood said, “This department will be an ambitious expansion of the work of the college and will build on its history of making valuable contributions to Arkansas schools. It will enhance and energize our faculty with some of the nation’s best thinkers on key issues, such as teacher quality, school choice, education leadership, accountability and transparency, and public policy.”

The mission of the department is to advance education and economic development by focusing on the improvement of academic achievement in the public schools. Faculty will conduct leading-edge research that will be used to strengthen the public schools. Researchers will also focus on policy formation and how that policy is translated into meaningful reform at the state, school district, school and classroom level.

Through programs such as the Arkansas Leadership Academy, Great Expectations of Arkansas and the National Office for Research, Measurement and Evaluation Systems, the college has provided information and training for schools in every county in Arkansas. The college offers research-based perspectives to assist policymakers through the publications of the Office for Education Policy and the Research and Advocacy Network.

The College of Education and Health Professions, originally called the Normal School, has been part of the university since its founding. Its early mission of preparing teachers and school administrators has expanded over the years, and today the college encompasses departments in education and health that prepare professionals for a wide range of fields.