The headlines last month, as the newest results of the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) were released, painted a dire picture of a massive ship taking on water. Indeed, the results were awful. Reading and math scores of high school seniors dropped to their lowest levels in more than two decades.
The NAEP, regarded as one of the best indicators of academic achievement in America’s schools, gave the first results for 12th graders in math and reading since the pandemic. It was hard not to picture sinking: The average score for 12th graders in reading was the lowest since 1992 and almost half of all 12th graders scored below the basic level in math.
As an expert on the economics of education, the fact that these results were for 12th graders stood out. High school seniors are typically embarking on the next phase of life, entering the workforce, the military or college. We know that lower test scores are linked to reduced economic growth; a less-educated workforce hampers productivity. It’s not just students who are on this struggling ship. These scores give insight into our country’s future.
Not often mentioned in the conversation on NAEP scores, however, is a crucial point. This story doesn’t have to end in decline. Evidence from successful education reform shows that we can turn things around with research and decisive action from policymakers, educators, and communities.
Twenty years ago, education reform was a hot topic. No Child Left Behind, President George W. Bush’s signature education law, was signed in 2002 and implementation had begun. Of course, critical to that law were transparency, test-based accountability, and school choice. Major shake-ups to public education, like the growth of public charter schools and teacher merit pay, were in motion.
This was the context in which the University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform in the College of Education and Health Professions, of which I am now chair, was established. The mission? To point the way to improved education outcomes across Arkansas and the nation. The department was designed to make Arkansas a place for rigorous policy research and leadership development.
In 2023, EDRE research played a contributing role in shaping Arkansas’s LEARNS Act, with teacher workforce data explicitly cited in the initiative’s design. Beyond that, EDRE studies help inform multiple policy domains, from absenteeism and teacher grading to English language learners and teacher turnover during Covid-19. My colleagues have been devoted to this work for years.
Two decades later, we are at an inflection point. We face the persistent challenges of teacher shortages, achievement gaps, and questions of equity. The latest NAEP scores clearly demand urgency. And again, researchers and policymakers should turn to successful education reforms to improve student outcomes for the benefit of individuals and our collective society.
At the end of October, the University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform will host a convening tackling this very issue for our 20th anniversary—an opportune time to look at promising reforms that can help guide the next 20 years of education work.
One recent example comes out of the state of Arkansas. In a report released on October 2, researchers from our department, in collaboration with the Arkansas Department of Education, found that the state’s Education Freedom Accounts (EFA) program was demonstrating strong results and substantial growth. The EFA program gives parents financial resources for eligible students to attend an approved private school or homeschool. For the 2024–25 school year, each EFA provided most families with $6,856 per student. Funds are dispersed quarterly.
Originally limited to students with disabilities, those attending F-rated schools, and other disadvantaged groups, the program enrolled over 5,000 students in its first year. By the second year, expanded eligibility increased participation to nearly 15,000 students. As of September, every student in the state is eligible, and enrollment is at nearly 50,000 students—slightly less than 10 percent of the school-age population in Arkansas.
Participating schools administered nationally norm-referenced tests, giving us insight into student achievement. On average, EFA students scored above the national median. While these results are promising, they’re also preliminary. Future research will document the causal effect of the EFA program and EDRE will contribute that research. At this inflection point, we can help guide the ship and improve academic outcomes for students everywhere.
Arkansas and the country are at a pivotal moment. Years of education reform, informed by the department’s research and other state initiatives, have laid the groundwork for true improvement. We can’t ignore that, as a nation, we have a lot of challenges left to tackle, like teacher shortages, achievement gaps, and questions of education equity, but there are opportunities for change.
With evidence-backed policy, strong community support, and academic expertise, Arkansas is positioned to lead, not follow, the national conversation on education reform.
