Patrick J. Wolf Named Among Top 50 Education Policy Professors in Country

Philip Thomas, Novo Studio

Patrick J. Wolf, Distinguished Professor and Twenty-First Century Endowed Chair in School Choice

Professor Patrick J. Wolf has been ranked in the top 200 most influential education scholars every year since the Edu-Scholars Public Impact Rankings began in 2011. This year, he moved up nearly 30 spots to rank in the top 50. He also ranked No. 8 among his fellow political scientists.

"My mentor, Harvard's Paul Peterson, finished 1st. I was trained by the best," said Wolf, interim department head of the College of Education and Health Professions' Department of Education Reform and Distinguished Professor and Twenty-First Century Endowed Chair in School Choice.

The Rick Hess Straight Up Edu-Scholars Public Influence Ranking scores education policy professors based on the amount and reach of their publications and policy influence.

"The Edu-Scholars Public Impact Rankings are such a big deal because they capture the many important ways that education professors can influence policy and practice through citations of our scholarship, popularity of our books, frequency of our media mentions in print and on the internet, presence of our work in course syllabi, and testimony before congressional committees," Wolf said. "As Rick Hess, the founder of the rankings, likes to say, they identify the 'five-tool' education scholar." 

The topic of school choice — which is Wolf's research specialty — has been prevalent in Arkansas and around the country recently. Since he holds the only endowed chair in school choice in the country, reporters have sought him out as a subject matter expert for print and broadcast stories. He was also invited to speak at various venues, including Stanford University and University College London.

Wolf's many media mentions in 2023 helped catapult him into the top 50 ranking. He was interviewed by The Economist, the Chicago Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and local KNWA-TV, among many others. Here is a sampling:

• Jemia Cunningham-Elder: Chicago charter schools are doing great things, They deserve to be funded equitably, Chicago Tribune
• The Inequity of Public School Funding, The Wall Street Journal
• $7,200 for Every Student: Arizona's Ultimate Experiment in School Choice, The New York Times
• School-voucher schemes are spreading across America, The Economist
• Do school choice vouchers improve student success? KNWA-TV

Two hundred education policy faculty in the fields of education, economics, history, political science, and sociology are ranked each year, out of the estimated 20,000 faculty who qualify.

Wolf said he's especially gratified that three Department of Education Reform colleagues also made it into the top 200. Robert Maranto, professor and Twenty-First Century Endowed Chair in Education Leadership; Josh McGee, associate director of the Office for Education Policy; and Gema Zamarro, professor and Twenty-First Century Endowed Chair in Teacher Quality, were also named.

"It says a lot about the University of Arkansas that four of its education policy professors are ranked in the top 200 nationally for scholarly impact," Wolf said.

Several of his media interviews in 2023 focused on high-impact reports about inequities in the funding of public charter schools. Wolf co-led the team that produced those reports.

"My colleague, Josh McGee, who also made the 2024 Edu-Scholar Rankings, and Distinguished Doctoral Fellow Alison Heape Johnson were crucial to making that project a success," he said.

The complete set of Edu-Scholar rankings can be accessed at Education Week.

About the University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform: The mission of the Department of Education Reform is to advance education and economic development in Arkansas and nationwide by focusing on the improvement of K-12 schools. The Department of Education Reform is committed to producing and disseminating high-quality research that will inform policymakers, scholars, parents, teachers, administrators, and the general public about policies and practices that could improve the performance of schools in Arkansas and nationwide.