Lecture Series
The University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform is pleased to announce these events as part of our 2018-2019 Lecture Series. Unless otherwise indicated, all lectures will be held at noon Fridays in GRAD 343. Please make sure to RSVP before 1 p.m. on the Wednesday before the scheduled lecture. If you have any questions, please direct them to Molly Beck.
Fall 2018 Lecture Series
September 7, 2018: Ruth Lopez Turley
Professor, Department of Sociology, Rice University
Lecture Title: "Advancing Equity through Research-Practice Partnerships."
Suggested Readings:
- Lopez Turley, Ruth N. Connecting Research and Policy to Reduce Inequality. The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences.
- Lopez Turley, Ruth N. & Stevens, Carla. (2015) Lessons from a School District - University Research Partnership: The Houston Education Research Consortium. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. Vol. 37, No. 1S, pp. 6S-15S.
September 21, 2018: Kieran Killeen and Thomas Downes
Dr. Killeen: Associate Professor, University of Vermont and Dr. Downes: Associate Professor, Tufts University and President-Elect of the Association for Education Finance and Policy.
Lecture Title: "Are Changes in Equity Deceptive? The Responsiveness of Supplementary Education Spending to Changes in Local Provision."
Suggested Readings:
- Downes, Tom and Killeen, Kieran M. (2014) So Slow to Change: The Limited Growth of Nontax Revenues in Public Education Finance, 1991-2010. Association for Education Finance and Policy. Volume 9, Issue 4, pg. 567-599.
- Downes, Thomas (2007) Do Non-School Resources Substitute for School Resources? A Review of the Evidence. Getting Down to Facts. Working Paper.
November 2, 2018: Cara Jackson
Evaluation Specialist, Program Evaluation Group, Bellwether Education Partners
Lecture Title: "Evidence Use in Federal, Local, and Non-Profit Education Agencies"?
Suggested Readings:
- Jackson, Cara & Maina, Nyambura (2018). Evaluation of the Higher Education Partnerships (HEPs) Program in MCPS. Montgomery County Public Schools Office of Shared Accountability. 37pgs.
- Jackson, Cara & Mackler, Kirsten. (2016) An Evidence-Based Approach to Teacher Preparation. Urban Teachers. urbanteachers.org. 28pgs.
- Rice, Jennifer, Malen, Betty, Jackson, Cara, & Mulvaney Hoyer, Kathleen (2015) Time to Pay Up: Analyzing the Motivational Potential of Financial Awards in a TIF Program. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. Vol 37, No 1 pg. 29-49.
- No Child Left Behind Act: Education Should Clarify Guidance and Address Potential Compliance Issues for Schools in Corrective Action and Restructuring Status. (2007) United States Government Accountability Office.
November 16, 2018: Mark Berends
Professor of Sociology and Education, Institute for Educational Initiatives, University of Notre Dame
Lecture Title: "Indiana's Choice Scholarship Program: Pathways and Achievement "
Suggested Readings:
- Austin, Megan, Waddington, Joseph R., & Berends, Mark (2018). Voucher Pathways and Student Achievement in Indiana's Choice Scholarship Program. Paper forthcoming in Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences.
- Waddington, Joseph R. & Berends, Mark (2018). Impact of the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program: Achievement Effects for Students in Upper Elementary and Middle School. Association for Public Policy and Management.
November 30, 2018: Lindsay Page
Assistant Professor of Research Methodology, School of Education, University of Pittsburgh
Lecture Title: "More than Dollars for Scholars: The Impact of the Dell Scholars Program on College Access, Persistence and Degree Attainment"
Suggested Readings: TBA
Spring 2019 Lecture Series
January 18, 2019: Jal Mehta
Associate Professor, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Lecture Title: "The Elusive Quest for Ambitious Schooling: Inside the Effort to Remake the American High School."
Suggested Readings:
- Mehta, Jal & Fine, Sarah (2015). The Why, What, Where, and How of Deeper Learning in American Secondary Schools. Deeper Learning and Research Series, Jobs for the Future.
- Mehta, Jal & Fine, Sarah (2015). Bringing values back in: How purposes shape practices in coherent school designs. Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.
January 25, 2019: Sarah Cordes
Assistant Professor, Policy, Organizational, & Leadership Studies, Temple University
Lecture Title: "Do Housing Vouchers Improve Academic Performance? Evidence from New York City."
Suggested Readings: TBA
March 8, 2019: Lara Perez-Felkner
Assistant Professor of Higher Education and Sociology, Florida State University
Lecture Title: TBA
Suggested Readings: TBA
March 29, 2019: Andrew McEachin
Policy Researcher, Economics, Statistics and Sociology Department, RAND Corporation
Lecture Title: TBA
Suggested Readings: TBA
April 5, 2019: Chad Aldeman
Principal, Policy and Thought Leadership team, Bellwether Education Partners
Lecture Title: TBA
Suggested Readings: TBA
April 12, 2019: Patricia Moore Shaffer
Vice President, Research & Development, Educational Policy Institute
Lecture Title: TBA
Suggested Readings: TBA
Follow us: 
Facebook 
News Twitter Research Twitter 
Working paper series