Education Reform Professors Included on Public Influence List

Jay Greene, from left, Patrick Wolf and Robert Maranto

Three University of Arkansas faculty members who study education reform have been included in the 2018 “Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings” developed annually by the American Enterprise Institute and published in Education Week.

Jay P. Greene, Robert Maranto and Patrick J. Wolf have made the list each year since it was established in 2010. In this year’s ranking, Greene was No. 58, Wolf was No. 59 and Maranto was  No. 104. All three hold Twenty-First Century endowed chairs, Greene in education reform, Wolf in school choice and Maranto in education leadership.

Frederick M. Hess, director of education policy studies for the American Enterprise Institute, compiles the list to recognize 200 university-based scholars who shape public discussions on education. He uses nine measures to rank the scholars who move their ideas from academic journals into the national conversation. The American Enterprise Institute is a Washington-based think tank.

“One small way to encourage academics to step into the fray and revisit academic norms is, I think, by doing more to recognize and value those scholars who engage in public discourse,” Hess said. “These results offer insight into how scholars in a field of public concern are influencing thinking and the national discourse.”

Greene, head of the Department of Education Reform in the College of Education and Health Professions, researches topics including the effect of cultural field trips on academic achievement, high school graduation rates and special education. He joined the department in 2005.

Wolf joined the faculty in 2006. His research focuses on school choice, including voucher programs. He is the author of The School Choice Journey: School Vouchers and the Empowerment of Urban Families, published by Palgrave Macmillan.

Maranto joined the faculty in 2008. His research focuses on charter schools and political and educational leadership. With others, Maranto has written or edited 14 books, including President Obama and Education Reform: The Personal and the Political, also published by Palgrave Macmillan. He serves on the Fayetteville School Board.