Office for Education Policy: “Making Evidence Matter” Marc Holley Nate Jensen Brent Riffel Gary W. Ritter, Director

The Office for Education Policy (OEP): one of many research and service units in COEHP Established in 2003, and housed in the Department of Education Reform Who Are We?

Our Mission The Office for Education Policy seeks to be a resource that aids state policymakers, educators, administrators, and other leaders in thoughtful decision-making concerning K-12 education in the state of Arkansas. In light of this mission, naturally, OEP has been following Arkansas education reform, and trying to track resulting changes in state education. The Office for Education Policy seeks to research key public policy issues relevant to K-12 education in Arkansas and disseminate the findings to policymakers in a timely and accessible manner.

Our Work The Office for Education Policy summarizes, synthesizes, and analyzes current issues and publishes this information in the forms of  Web-based resources  Policy briefs  Working research papers  Quarterly newsletters  Monthly e-news updates

Our Current Research  Tracing the outcome of the Lake View decision  Examining merit pay programs in Little Rock  Analyzing the effectiveness of technology in the classroom  Studying the effects of early childhood programs  Evaluating current science education standards  Reporting on the current school funding formula  Researching the effects of school consolidation

Tracking Progress In addition to evaluating existing programs, OEP continually tracks student performance throughout Arkansas. So…how does the state fare?

Recent Student Performance Arkansas has historically been viewed as both economically and educationally backward compared to most states. Yet in recent years the state has shown dramatic improvement in both economic development and student performance. In terms of the latter, the data confirm Arkansas’ educational progress.

Education Improvements Over the past decade, Arkansas has witnessed… Education reforms Rigorous curricula (Smart Core, EOC exams, one of only 3 states to mandate Algebra II) Accountability measures Incentive-based reform (e.g. performance pay) Approximately $1 billion invested into K-12 education Increases in funding (Lake View decision) Over $400 million for educational facilities Consolidation of schools Rising test scores & graduation rates Increases in AP participation

In terms of expenditures, Arkansas is annually spending almost $10,000 per student

Arkansas teachers earn more than ever before $45,488

Improvement in Early Grades Increases in NAEP Scale Scores Fourth-Grade Reading 1998 to 2005 Source: National Center for Education Statistics/Arkansas Department of Education Significant increases data not available DE MD

NAEP Grade 4 Math – Closing the Gap * Source: Arkansas Department of Education In 2007, average test scores remain near the national average, but largely unchanged from 2005.

Four-Year Graduation Rate From High School U.S. Graduation Rate: 68% Arkansas High School Graduation Rates

Challenges and Solutions Challenge 1: Recently, we have done the important work of increasing standards and increasing resources. This has likely influenced the gains we are witnessing. Now that the resources and standards are in place, the challenge to our policymakers is to develop and implement thoughtful strategies to employ these resources well to benefit students throughout the entire state. This is a big challenge, as innovation often creates contention.

Challenges and Solutions Challenge 2: We do well graduating students from high school, but are they prepared for college?

Potentially Effective Reforms Differentiated Pay for Teachers Critically important to draw talented teachers to difficult to staff areas (geographic and subject areas) Merit Pay, or Performance Bonuses Little Rock Achievement Challenge Pilot Project State legislation on merit pay Teacher Advancement Program Challenge = Inertia

The Effects of Incentive-Based Pay in Little Rock  Student performance in math increased 3.5 NCE points (roughly 6 to 7 percentile points).  Teachers support the ACPP merit pay program, and are significantly more satisfied with the ACPP than with the single salary system.  The program did not lead to counterproductive competition. The school environment is more positive with ACPP.

Challenges on the Horizon Avoiding complacency The settlement of Lake View is not the end of reform Must be willing to try new initiatives (e.g. merit pay, Teach for Arkansas) Must continue on with rigorous standards (exit exams) Keeping the Focus School and district decisions must be based on academics and students (LRSD) Policy and curricular decisions must be based on what has the best chance of working … Focus on the evidence as compared to “this is how we’ve always done it.”

Office for Education Policy For more information contact: The Office for Education Policy (479)