U of A's Office for Education Policy Interviews Gubernatorial Candidates About Education Issues

Three candidates for Arkansas governor answered questions about education policy in interviews conducted by the Office for Education Policy at the University of Arkansas.

Graduate students and staff of the OEP created a list of questions on issues such as college remediation, teacher quality, pre-kindergarten and others. The staff published a policy brief based on the interviews to help voters understand the candidates’ stance on education issues.

Primaries are set for May 20 to choose candidates to vie for the position to be vacated by Gov. Mike Beebe, who can’t seek re-election because of term limits. The governor appoints the state education commissioner, who leads the Arkansas Department of Education, as well as the members of the Arkansas Board of Education.

Interviews with Curtis Coleman and Asa Hutchinson, both Republicans, and Mike Ross, a Democrat, can be viewed online. Excerpts from the interviews are included in the policy brief.

“It is our hope that this long-form interview can provide context to the views of these candidates,” according to Michael Crouch, school performance evaluator for the OEP. “We also encourage all to follow up with these candidates by reading more about their policy positions on their websites. The governor can serve as a voice to champion ideas that have proven to be effective and that can boost Arkansas’ schools and the future of our economy.”