University of Arkansas Professor Joins George W. Bush Institute

Photo Submitted

Former President George W. Bush greets new Bush Institute education Fellows in Dallas. Pictured from left to right are James P. Glassman, executive director of the George W. Bush Institute; Institute Fellows Sandy Kress and Beth Ann Bryan; Senior Fellow and Director of Education Policy Studies James W. Guthrie; Former President Bush; and newly announced Fellows Michael J. Podgursky, Matthew G. Springer and Jay P. Greene. (Photo Courtesy of the George W. Bush Institute)

DALLAS — The George W. Bush Institute announced the appointment of three Fellows to support the Bush Institute’s growing expertise in education reform. Professors Jay P. Greene of the University of Arkansas, Michael J. Podgursky of the University of Missouri, and Matthew G. Springer of Vanderbilt University, will join James W. Guthrie, Sandy Kress and Beth Ann Bryan—all well known for their scholarship and leadership in education reform.

“Education is a fundamental civil right,” said former President George W. Bush. “Improving our schools so that no child is left behind will be a major focus of the Bush Institute, as it was throughout my administration. The appointment of these three Institute Fellows will further our efforts to identify the best principles in education reform, and apply them to the vital work of educating America’s children.”

This group of researchers, scholars and reformers will contribute to the Bush Institute’s capacity to improve the effectiveness of the nation’s schools. The institute’s goal of excellence in American education builds on the long-time vision of President Bush and former first lady Laura Bush. The institute will pursue education reforms by initially concentrating on two areas:

• Improving the leadership capacity of America’s school principals.
• Strengthening middle schools to keep students on the path toward college and career readiness.

“America’s schools are failing too many of America’s children,” said Guthrie, Senior Fellow and director of education policy studies at the institute. “The newly appointed Fellows are ideally suited to engage in the Bush Institute’s mission to bring excellence to American education. “

“We believe every child should graduate from high school possessing sufficient credentials to enter college and gain access to modern employment,” said Kress, Fellow and director of education policy development and outreach.

Each Fellow was selected after a careful search of the nation’s finest researchers and policy activists, and each will serve for a three-year renewable term.

• Greene is one of the nation’s most highly regarded empirical analysts of education issues and is skilled in the construction of data-based indicators that enable policymakers and interested lay persons to more quickly and deeply grasp complex trends and trouble spots in America’s education landscape.
• Podgursky is regarded as one of the nation’s foremost economists in education matters. His research in areas such as education finance, education productivity, and educator compensation systems is published throughout the world and frequently cited as the intellectual underpinning for reform legislation and innovative government programs.
• Springer is the nation’s leading expert on performance incentives as applied to education. He is also an expert in education finance and policy. He is particularly well known among researchers for his analytical grasp of state, national, and international education data systems and their application towards productive policy paths. Springer is also known for his creative application of evaluation to appraise the success or failure of complicated education reform strategies and practices.

About the George W. Bush Institute:

The George W. Bush Institute is a center for scholarship and action that focuses on four major areas: education reform, global health, human freedom and economic growth, with an emphasis on encouraging social entrepreneurship and empowering women across all its work. The Institute is part of the George W. Bush Presidential Center, which also includes Archives and a Museum, located on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

For more information about the George W. Bush Presidential Center, please visit: www.georgewbushcenter.com