Greene Named Head of UA Education Reform Department

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of Arkansas has taken a significant step toward national leadership in education with the appointment of noted education researcher Jay P. Greene as head of the newly endowed department of education reform. Greene will lead the  department in addressing some of the key issues in public education, including teacher quality, school choice, education leadership, accountability and transparency, and public policy.

“It is an exciting day for the University of Arkansas as we see the birth of a new department,” said Provost Bob Smith. “Under Dr. Greene’s leadership, the department of education reform will establish the College of Education and Health Professions as a vital voice in the national debate on quality education. It is a mark of the success of the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century that we are able to so boldly realize the vision of our scholars and researchers in the founding of this new department.”

Greene comes to the university from a five-year tenure as a senior fellow with the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. Previously he was a professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Houston. Greene, who earned a doctorate and master’s degree at Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree at Tufts University, is nationally known for his research in issues such as high school graduation rates, school choice and special education.

“Dr. Jay Greene brings an impressive record and a tremendous commitment to research that asks and answers the difficult questions in education today,” said Reed Greenwood, dean of the college. “Our nationwide search attracted the top scholars in the field, and we are extremely pleased that Dr. Greene, a preeminent education researcher, agreed to join us in launching this new department. In addition to continuing to conduct research that shapes the national discussion, he will assemble a distinguished faculty focused on improving education for the children of Arkansas and the world.”

Greene said, “I am thrilled to be leading the newly created department of education reform and to be working with colleagues at the University of Arkansas. I am confident that our work will have a profound effect on improving the quality of schools in Arkansas and throughout the United States.”

Greene has conducted evaluations of school choice and accountability systems in the state of Florida and in Milwaukee, Cleveland, San Antonio, and Charlotte, N.C. His research was cited four times in the Supreme Court’s opinions in the landmark case finding that school vouchers do not violate the constitutional prohibition against establishment of religion. Research he has conducted on high school graduation and college readiness rates with the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has been frequently cited in the continuing examination of school drop-out statistics.

He has written extensively about education policy for both academic and general interest publications, including the scholarly journals Teachers College Record, Georgetown Public Policy Review and the British Journal of Political Science. His book “Education Myths” will be published in August by Rowman & Littlefield. In it he reviews 18 common assumptions in education policy that are disputed by research findings.

Articles by Greene have appeared in policy journals, such as The Public Interest, City Journal and Education Next, and in newspapers nationwide, including the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. In 2004 alone, Greene’s publication record includes 40 opinion pieces contributed to editorial pages in newspapers across the country, from New Hampshire to California. He was also cited by the media more than 400 times.

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 education. 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.

The department of education reform was established by a $10 million foundation gift that was doubled by the university’s Matching Gift Program. Its $20 million endowment will allow it to offer endowed chairs for the department head and five faculty members. Greene’s annual salary is $160,000.

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

The College of Education and Health Professions has been part of the University of Arkansas since its founding. The 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.

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.