Lecture Series Furthers Mission of Education Reform Department

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Glenn Loury, the Merton P. Stoltz Professor of the Social Sciences at Brown University, will kick off the department of education reform's lecture series on Sept. 10.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The annual lecture series sponsored by the department of education reform at the University of Arkansas continues to grow and serve as a way of furthering the department's mission.

The department was established in 2005 with the mission of advancing education and economic development in Arkansas and the nation by focusing on the improvement of K-12 schools. It is a part of the College of Education and Health Professions.

The lectures are free and open to the public.

"The lecture series serves a number of purposes that are important to the mission of our department," said Jay P. Greene, head of the department and holder of one of six endowed chairs. "First, we are bringing some of the leading education researchers and practitioners from around the country to share their ideas with researchers and educators in Arkansas. Second, we are helping these national experts learn more about Arkansas, the university and our department. Third, interacting with leading national experts is an important experience for our graduate students. These students are developing their ideas for research as well as professional networks."

The lecture series began in 2006-07 with 10 speakers. This year, 17 speakers are scheduled including researchers from Stanford, Brown, the University of California at San Diego, Notre Dame and Carnegie Mellon universities. Education practitioners scheduled to speak include the Arkansas commissioner of education, the Virginia secretary of education and the founder of the SEED boarding charter school in Washington, D.C.

"We will learn about the research on issues such as school discipline policies, the role of racial identity in education, Core Knowledge curriculum, merit pay for teachers and school choice," Greene said. "Each year, we accumulate a list of suggestions for speakers and then choose a mix of people we think can best serve our mission."

All lectures will be held at noon. All but two are scheduled to be in the Graduate Education Building, Room 343. The others, Glenn Loury and Gerard Robinson, will speak in 203 Walker Hall, the H.L. Hembree Room. For a light lunch, RSVP online. The lecture schedule:

• Glenn Loury, the Merton P. Stoltz Professor of the Social Sciences, Brown University, Sept. 10, in 203 Walker Hall, the H.L. Hembree Room. "Simple Economics of Affirmative Action Policy."

• Julian Betts, professor of economics and department chair, University of California, San Diego, Sept. 17. "Teacher Merit Pay Based on Student Test Scores: A Brilliant Innovation or Near Certain Disaster?"

• Richard Arum, professor of sociology and education, New York University, Oct. 1. "Learning During Unsettled Times: College Student Academic Performance and Recent Experiences in the U.S."

• Karthik Muralidharan, assistant professor of economics, University of California, San Diego, Oct. 8.

• Jason Riley, Wall Street Journal editorial board, Oct. 15.

• Joshua Barnett, assistant professor of education leadership and innovation, Arizona State University, Oct. 22. "Slowly Sinking the Titanic: How Colleges of Education Must Reform to Stay Relevant."

• Rob Pondiscio, director of communications, Core Knowledge, Nov. 5.

• Sandy Kress, partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld LLP; senior fellow, James B. Hunt Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership; fellow and director of policy development and outreach, the George W. Bush Institute, Nov. 19. "Making the Touchdown: Ensuring Secondary Credential Attainment of K-12 Students."

• Mike Puma, president, Chesapeake Research Associates LLC, Dec. 3. "The National Head Start Impact Study: Results Through the End of First Grade."

• Gerard Robinson, Virginia secretary of education, Jan. 21, in 203 Walker Hall, the H.L. Hembree Room.

• Tom Kimbrell, Arkansas commissioner of education, Jan. 28.

• Rick Hess, resident scholar and director of education policy studies, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, Feb. 4.

• Matt Ladner, vice president of research, Goldwater Institute, Feb. 11.

• The Rev. Tim Scully, professor of political science, University of Notre Dame; director, Institute for Education Initiatives; Helen Kellogg Institute for International Studies and department of political science, Feb. 18.

• Maria Marta Ferreyra, associate professor of economics, Carnegie Mellon Tepper School of Business, April 1.

• Rajiv Vinnakota, co-founder and managing director, SEED Foundation, April 8.

• Susanna Loeb, professor of education, Stanford University; director, Institute for Research on Education Policy and Practice; co-director of Policy Analysis for California Education, April 29.