A screening of Miss Virginia, a movie inspired by the true story of education advocate and Little Rock native Virginia Walden Ford, will be held on the University of Arkansas campus on Wednesday, Feb. 19.

The screening, sponsored by the department of Education Reform and the Arkansas Alumni Association, will be at 7:30 p.m. in the Union Theatre. It's free and open to the public.

Miss Virginia follows the story of Ford, whose son's school struggles led her to fight for better school options for all families. The critically acclaimed feature film stars Uzo Aduba, Matthew Modine, Vanessa Williams and Niles Fitch.

The event includes a panel discussion with the real Miss Virginia and executive producer, Virginia Walden Ford; director and graduate of the U of A, R.J. Daniel "Dan" Hanna; and graduate of the U of A and board member of Prism Education Center, Malachi Nichols. The panel will be moderated by Patrick Wolf, U of A distinguished professor and 21st Century Endowed Chair in School Choice.

"Through empathy and strong storytelling, we can change people's minds by touching their hearts," Hanna said.

The mission of the Department of Education Reform is to advance education and economic development by focusing on the improvement of academic achievement in elementary and secondary schools. The Department of Education Reform produces unbiased research findings leading to direct intervention programs in public schools. It is committed to providing research that will directly inform policymakers at all levels of government, scholars, parents, teachers, administrators and the general public to positively influence the future of Arkansas and the nation's schools.