Office for Education Policy People

About OEP

OEP Mission
As a research office within the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas, the OEP's mission is to serve as a resource to aid state legislators, school board members, and other policymakers in thoughtful decision-making concerning K-12 education in the State of Arkansas.

OEP Goals
Our goals are:

to research key public policy issues relevant to K-12 education in the State of Arkansas; and
to disseminate the findings to policymakers in a timely and accessible manner

Program Description
Opened in 2003, the Office for Education Policy (OEP) is one of several research centers within the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas; our staff includes faculty members and graduate students who specialize in education research and policy. We are here to serve as a resource for state lawmakers and other policymakers, providing them with current national, state, and regional research in education to support them in thoughtful decision-making concerning K-12 education in the State of Arkansas.

The Office for Education Policy examines pressing issues through the lens of academic research. We seek to help Arkansas' education leaders and lawmakers bridge the gap between research and practice by providing them with newsletters, policy briefs, web-based resources, and consultation about current education policy issues. Additionally, we strive to be a resource to teachers, parents, students, business and community leaders, and others interested in improving the quality of education in Arkansas' public schools; our print and electronic materials and consultation are available to any interested citizen.


	Gary W. Ritter, Ph.D. Education Policy Chair garyr@uark.edu Gary is an Associate Professor of Education and Public Policy and holder of the Endowed Chair in Education Policy in the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas... Click here to visit Dr. Ritter's homepage.

	Brent E. Riffel Deputy Director brentriffel@gmail.com Currently obtaining a doctorate in American History from Fulbright College, University of Arkansas. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history at Hendrix College, Conway, Arkansas...more

	Marc J. Holley Doctoral Fellow mjholley@uark.edu Marc has performed studies examining the effects of various education policies including teacher quality reforms, merit pay, consolidation, and school finance. He is a Research Associate in the Office for Education Policy at the University of Arkansas. He earned his M.Ed. in Education Administration and Policy from the University of Georgia in 2005. He also worked as a school administrator and teacher for six years...more

	Nathan C. Jensen Research Associate njensen@uark.edu Nate is a licensed associate counselor in the state of Arkansas, and is currently obtaining his Ph.D. in Counselor Education. He earned his M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Framingham State College in 2005. He has also worked as a special education teacher and a school-based therapist in public and private schools.

	Joshua H Barnett, Ph.D. Senior Research Associate jhb05@uark.edu Joshua has performed studies examining the effects of various education policies including merit pay, school discipline, and school finance in Arkansas, New Jersey, and Philadelphia. He was a lead author on the Year One ACPP program evaluation.

	Alison C. Hoffman Graduate Research Assistant achoffm@uark.edu Alison has worked on several education projects and publications concerning educational issues since fall 2005. She is currently obtaining her Masters of Science degree in Counselor Education. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Alabama in 2005.