Good day, CharterFolk.
Today, we are pleased to share a Contributor Column from Dr. Harry Patrinos, Head of the Department of Education Reform and 21st Century Endowed Chair in Education Policy at the University of Arkansas.
We provide a bio for Harry below.
Harry Anthony Patrinos is Head of the Department of Education Reform and 21st Century Endowed Chair in Education Policy at the University of Arkansas. He specializes in the economics of education, particularly the returns to schooling, school-based management, demand-side financing and public-private partnerships. He was formerly with the World Bank, where he was Senior Adviser, Education. He held management and technical positions at the World Bank. Previously, he worked in the Office of the Chief Economist for Europe and Central Asia. He managed education teams in Europe and Central Asia, East Asia and the Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, and the Global Unit. He led lending operations and analytical work programs in Latin America. He co-led the development of the Harmonized Learning Outcomes database, part of the Human Capital Index, published in Nature. He has studied and worked extensively on the socioeconomic status of Indigenous Peoples. He has many publications in the academic and policy literature, with more than 50 journal articles. He previously worked as an economist at the Economic Council of Canada. Mr. Patrinos received a doctorate from the University of Sussex.
Twenty Years of Education Reform
This month, the University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform (EDRE) celebrates 20 years of research and impact. Two decades ago, America’s public education system was a buzz. Achievement gaps were stubborn, and years of well-intentioned policies had delivered only modest gains.
The story of education reform in the United States has been one of a mix of federal pressure, state innovation, and local leadership. However, over the past twenty years, the same truth has existed: schools matter.
Federal initiatives have played a critical role in this story. The No Child Left Behind Act in 2002 pushed schools to confront uncomfortable truths about performance. For the first time, achievement gaps were measured and made public. Schools were expected to deliver results for all kids.
Then we saw the Race to the Top under the Obama administration. States were willing to adopt higher standards, rethink teacher evaluation, and turn around failing schools.
In 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act shifted some power back to states. This acknowledged that Washington could set expectations, but the lasting change happened when states were leading.
Fast forward to 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic, school systems were forced to try to reinvent themselves nearly overnight. Schools across the country shifted abruptly to remote learning, exposing deep inequities in instruction, access to technology, and reliable internet.
Arkansas as a Case Study in Reform
In 2001, Arkansas’ funding system was declared unconstitutional, sparking waves of reforms, including new funding formulas, improved facilities, higher teacher pay, and expanded accountability. The results were promising. Between 2005 and 2013, student achievement in the state climbed steadily, with math scores outpacing national averages. But in many places, progress stalled, and by 2022, learning loss had undone years of gains.
In response, Arkansas policymakers passed the LEARNS Act in 2023, legislation that addressed literacy programs and boosted teacher pay, school choice, and investments in career and technical education. The LEARNS Act marked a new phase of reform, combining accountability with broader educational opportunities. It presented a new era in Arkansas, providing families with more options. As Jed highlighted in an early article, the act also eliminated the cap on charter schools and removed the requirement that local school districts needed to approve charters, resulting in a burst of new charter applications and openings.
One of Arkansas’ assets has been the Department of Education Reform. Founded in 2005, EDRE has been on the forefront of education reform, producing rigorous, policy-related research demonstrating the impact of school choice.
- Under the leadership of Patrick Wolf, the “School Choice Demonstration Project” has studied charter schools and choice programs across the country.
- In 2021, the “Making it Count: The Productivity of Public Charter Schools” report showed that charter schools can deliver strong academic outcomes efficiently.
- Working papers on “Educational Attainment Effects of Public and Private School Choice” found that students participating in choice programs often see improved long-term educational outcomes.
- Most recently, the department released the 2024-2025 Annual Report on Arkansas’ Education Freedom Accounts. The report found that Arkansas’ universal Education Savings Account (ESA) program has expanded significantly while demonstrating strong student outcomes. The data shows that the program serves vulnerable students, supports responsible spending, and does so with minimal fiscal impact on the state’s education budget.
- This month, “Choosing to Go Further: A Meta-Analysis of the Educational Attainment Effects of Private School Choice Around the Globe,” was presented at the EDRE Anniversary conference in Bentonville, AR.
School Choice Still Matters
Throughout these past two decades, the expansion of school choice has been a constant theme. Charter schools and education savings accounts (to name just a few innovations) are central to our country’s education reform story.
The mission of EDRE is to advance education and economic development in Arkansas and nationwide by focusing on the improvement of K-12 schools. The department 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.
This commitment was on full display earlier this month, when EDRE celebrated its 20th anniversary with a two-day conference, “Education Reform Then and Now: A Policy Conference,” held at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville. The event brought together educators, policymakers, researchers, and advocates from across the country to reflect on two decades of progress in education reform and to explore directions for advancing student-centered education policy and practice.
Keynote speakers included Eric Hanushek, senior fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, and education reform advocate and Marquette University Distinguished Fellow Howard Fuller. Their insights highlighted both how far the education reform movement has come and how much work remains to ensure every child has access to high-quality education.
The past two decades have demonstrated that education reform is neither quick nor linear. Federal initiatives, state-level innovations, and the contributions of institutions like EDRE have all shaped progress, setbacks, and new opportunities. And in Arkansas, we remain committed to pointing the way toward improved educational outcomes for all students, and we look forward to the next 20 years.