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THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION
February 28-March 1, 2018 § Francis Marion Hotel, Charleston, SC
Sponsored by the Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University and EdChoice
Welcome to the Policy Research Seminar on The Future of Education,
sponsored by The Institute for Humane Studies (IHS) at George Mason
University and EdChoice.
You have been invited to this event because we hold your work in high esteem
for both its scholarly contributions and for its practical application to our
understanding of a free society. We encourage you to join in what promises to
be an active and lively conversation, and to draw from your own research and
experiences throughout the discussion.
One of the primary goals for this program is to help facilitate scholarly
collaboration among faculty, graduate students, policy experts, and IHS staff
in attendance. I hope you see this as a valuable opportunity to get to know
dozens of like-minded scholars with similar research interests. We are hosting
several world-class speakers who can share their experience and thoughts on
the evolution of primary education policy in the 21st century. We have found
that some of the best conversations from our seminars occur spontaneously
in the hallways and during meals and receptions, so please be present for
scheduled events.
Thank you again for joining us. We look forward to meeting each of you
individually over the course of the seminar, and we hope you benefit as much
from this seminar as we benefit from having you in attendance. Please don’t
hesitate to let us know if we may do anything to improve your experience.
Sincerely,
Ashley DonohueAcademic Talent Development, Director Institute for Humane Studies
EdChoice is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. Our team is driven by the shared mission
to advance a K–12 education system where all parents, regardless of race, origin or family income, are
free to choose a learning environment—public or private, near or far, religious or secular—that work
best for them. Continue on to learn more about our mission, values, intellectual legacy, staff, fellows
and board of directors.
Founded in 1961 by Dr. F.A. “Baldy” Harper, the Institute for Humane Studies is the leading institute
in higher education dedicated to championing classical liberal ideas and the scholars who advance
them. Specifically, we facilitate the impact of the academic community both on and beyond college
campuses—partnering with faculty to connect with students through campus programs, connecting
scholars to opportunities to further their careers both inside and outside of the academy, and offering
current and aspiring professors access to the foremost community of scholars working within the
classical liberal tradition.
IHS Policy Research SeminarsIHS Policy Research Seminars seek to bridge the gap between academia and policy by
encouraging the use of academic research to influence policy change. Seminars give an
audience of advanced graduate students, policy experts, and faculty the chance to connect with
like-minded individuals and help to facilitate connections with our partner organizations with
the goal of producing future research, speaking, and publishing opportunities.
PROGRAM SCHEDULE
9:00-10:00 AM Breakfast and Registration Gold Ballroom
10:00-10:15 AM Welcome and Seminar Introduction Gold Ballroom
• Ashley Donohue, Institute for Humane Studies
10:15-11:00 AM Keynote Address 1: The New Role of Government in Education Gold Ballroom
• Benjamin Scafidi, Kennesaw State University
11:00-11:15 AM Coffee Break Gold Ballroom Foyer
11:15-12:45 PM Panel Discussion 1: Education Savings Accounts and the Future of Education Gold Ballroom
• Lindsey Burke, Heritage Foundation • Angela Dills, Western Carolina University • Thomas Arnett, Christensen Institute • Patrick Wolf, University of Arkansas
12:45-1:45 PM Lunch Gold Ballroom
1:45-3:15 PM Panel Discussion 2: Accountability in Education Gold Ballroom
• Gerard Robinson, Center for Advancing Opportunity • Michael McShane, EdChoice• Matthew Ladner, Charles Koch Institute• James Shuls, University of Missouri at St. Louis
3:15-6:00 PM Afternoon Break
6:00-7:00 PM Dinner Calhoun
7:00-9:00 PM Reception Upper Lobby
Wednesday, February 28th
PROGRAM SCHEDULE CONT.
8:00-9:00 AM Breakfast Gold Ballroom
9:00-10:30 AM Panel Discussion 3: Legal and Regulatory Barriers to Reform and Innovation Gold Ballroom
• Ashley Rogers Berner, Johns Hopkins University • Erica Smith, Institute of Justice • Neal McCluskey, Cato Institute
10:30-10:45 AM Coffee Break
Gold Ballroom Foyer
10:45-11:30 AM Keynote Address 2: The Past, Present, and Future of Education Research Gold Ballroom
• Jay Greene, University of Arkansas
11:30-12:30 PM Lunch Gold Ballroom
12:30-12:45 PM Opportunities at the Institute for Humane Studies Gold Ballroom
• Ashley Donohue, Institute for Humane Studies
Thursday, March 1st
SPEAKER BIOS
THOMAS ARNETT [email protected]
Thomas Arnett is a senior research fellow in education for the Christensen Institute.
His work focuses on disruptive innovations in K–12 education and the changing roles of
teachers in innovative educational models. He also examines how teacher education and
professional development are shifting to support the evolving needs of teachers and school systems.
Thomas previously worked as an Education Pioneers Fellow with Achievement First Public Charter Schools,
where he designed and piloted a blended learning summer school program. He also taught middle school
math and experimented with blended learning models as a Teach For America corps member for Kansas City
Public Schools.
Thomas received a B.S. in economics from Brigham Young University and an M.B.A. from the Tepper School of
Business at Carnegie Mellon University, where he was a William G. McGowan Fellow.
ASHLEY BERNER [email protected]
Ashley Berner is Deputy Director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy and
Assistant Professor of Education. She served previously as the Deputy Director of the
CUNY Institute for Education Policy and the Director of the Education Program at the
Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, UVA.
Dr. Berner has published articles and book chapters on the relationship between educational structure and
state funding in democratic nations, religious education and citizenship formation, and teacher preparation in
different national contexts. Palgrave MacMillan published Pluralism and American Public Education: No One Way
to School (2017). She consults regularly on projects that examine the academic and civic outcomes of different
school sectors. Her teaching experience took place in a Jewish pre-school, an Episcopal secondary school, and
an open university in Louisiana.
She is currently a senior fellow at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University Law School.
She holds degrees from Davidson College (Honors A.B.) and from Oxford University (M.Litt. and D.Phil. in mod-
ern history).
LINDSEY BURKE [email protected]
As Director of the Center for Education Policy, Lindsey Burke oversees the Heritage Foun-
dation’s research and policy on issues pertaining to preschool, K-12, and higher educa-
tion reform. In 2013, Burke was also named the Will Skillman Fellow in Education Policy,
devoting her time and research to reducing federal intervention in education at all levels and empowering
families with education choice.
Burke’s commentary, research, and op-eds have appeared in various newspapers and magazines and she has
appeared on numerous radio and television shows and spoken on education reform issues across the country
and internationally. She has published evaluations of education choice options for public policy foundations
such as the Virginia Institute for Public Policy and EdChoice and has done extensive work developing and eval-
uating education savings accounts (ESAs). She also currently serves as a fellow at EdChoice.
In 2015, Burke won Heritage’s prestigious W. Glenn and Rita Ricardo Campbell Award in recognition of her work
fighting against national standards and tests and for expanded education choice options.
Burke holds a bachelor’s degree in politics from Hollins University in Roanoke, VA, and a master’s in teaching
in foreign language education from the University of Virginia. She is a doctoral candidate at George Mason
University, where she examines the intersection of education choice and institutional theory.
ANGELA DILLS [email protected]
Angela Dills is the Gimelstob-Landry Distinguished Professor of Regional Economic De-
velopment at Western Carolina University. She received a B.A. from the University of Vir-
ginia and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Boston University. She previously held faculty positions
at Clemson University, Mercer University, Wellesley College, and Providence College.
Specializing in the economics of education, crime, and health, her research focuses on policy issues such as
school choice, accountability, peer effects, college quality, and alcohol and drug prohibition. This research has
appeared in journals such as the Journal of Health Economics, American Economic Review, Economic Inquiry,
the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, and the Economics of Education Review. She lives in Sylva,
NC with her economist husband and three children.
JAY GREENE
Jay P. Greene is Distinguished Professor and Head of the Department of Education Reform
at the University of Arkansas. Greene’s current areas of research interest include school
choice, culturally enriching field trips, and the effect of schools on non-cognitive and
civic values. He is also known for his work to improve the accurate reporting of high school graduation rates,
address financial incentives in special education, and the use of standardized tests to curb social promotion.
His research was cited four times in the Supreme Court’s opinions in the landmark Zelman v. Simmons-Harris
case on school vouchers. His articles have appeared in a variety of academic journals, including Education
Finance and Policy, Economics of Education Review, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Educational
Researcher, and Sociology of Education.
Greene has been a professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Houston.
He received his B.A. in history from Tufts University in 1988 and his Ph.D. from the Government Department at
Harvard University in 1995.
.
MATTHEW LADNER
Matthew Ladner is a senior research fellow at the Charles Koch Institute after serving in
a variety of roles in the education freedom movement. Ladner is the author of a number
of studies and books and helped to develop the nation’s first K-12 Education Savings
Account program in 2011. The Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry bestowed their Milton Friedman
Award on Ladner in 2016 in recognition of his contributions. Dr. Ladner lives in Phoenix with his wife Anne and
their children Ben, Jacob, and Abigail.
NEAL MCCLUSKEY
Neal McCluskey is the Director of Cato’s Center for Educational Freedom. He is the author
of the book Feds in the Classroom: How Big Government Corrupts, Cripples, and Compro-
mises American Education and is co-editor of Educational Freedom: Remembering Andrew
Coulson, Debating His Ideas. He also maintains Cato’s Public Schooling Battle Map, an interactive database of
values and identity-based conflicts in public schools. His writings have appeared in such publications as the
Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and Forbes. In addition to his written work, McCluskey has appeared
on PBS, CNN, the Fox News Channel, and numerous radio programs.
McCluskey holds an undergraduate degree from Georgetown University, where he double-majored in govern-
ment and English, has a master’s degree in political science from Rutgers University, Newark, and holds a Ph.D.
in public policy from George Mason University.
MICHAEL MCSHANE [email protected]
Michael Q. McShane is Director of National Research at EdChoice and an adjunct fellow in
education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. He is the editor of New and
Better Schools (Rowman and Littlefield, 2015), the author of Education and Opportunity (AEI
Press, 2014), and co-editor of Educational Entrepreneurship Today (Harvard Education Press, 2016), Teacher Quali-
ty 2.0 (Harvard Education Press, 2014), and Common Core Meets Education Reform (Teachers College Press, 2013).
His analysis and commentary have been published widely in the media, including in the Huffington Post, Na-
tional Affairs, USA Today, and The Washington Post. He has also been featured in education-specific outlets
such as Teachers College Commentary, Education Week, Phi Delta Kappan, and Education Next. In addition
to authoring numerous white papers, McShane has had academic work published in Education Finance and
Policy and the Journal of School Choice.
A former high school teacher, he earned a Ph.D. in education policy from the University of Arkansas, an M.Ed.
from the University of Notre Dame, and a B.A. in English from St. Louis University.
GERARD ROBINSON
Gerard Robinson is the Executive Director of the Center for Advancing Opportunity
(CAO). CAO supports faculty and students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities
(HBCUs) and other postsecondary institutions to develop research-based solutions to the
most pressing education, criminal justice, and entrepreneurship issues in fragile communities throughout the
United States.
Prior to CAO, Robinson worked as a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Robinson’s re-
search areas included school choice in the public and private sectors, prison education and reentry programs,
regulatory development and implementation of K-12 policy, the role of for-profit institutions in education,
and the role of community colleges and Historically Black Colleges and Universities in adult advancement.
Robinson co-edited a book titled Education Savings Accounts: The New Frontier in School Choice (Rowman &
Littlefield, 2017), and authored a law review article titled The Federal Role in Education: Encouragement as a
Guiding Philosophy for the Advancement of Learning in America (2016). He is currently co-editing a book titled
Education for Liberation: The Politics of Promise and Reform Inside and Beyond America’s Prison. Before joining AEI,
Robinson was Vice President of Partnerships at UniversityNow, Inc., a social venture based in San Francisco that
expands access to higher education options through campus and online programs at Patten University, where
he serves as trustee.
Before his work with UniversityNow, Inc., Robinson served as Commissioner of Education for the State of Flori-
da from 2011 to 2012 where he managed several divisions with 3,000 employees.
Robinson earned an M.Ed. from Harvard, a B.A. from Howard, and an A.A. from El Camino Community College.
In 2011, Bluefield College awarded him an honorary doctorate for his work to improve learning opportunities
for students at all levels. He is married and has three daughters.
BENJAMIN SCAFIDI
Ben Scafidi is a professor of economics and Director of the Education Economics Center
at Kennesaw State University. He is also a Friedman Fellow with EdChoice (formerly the
Milton and Rose Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice) and a senior fellow with
the Georgia Public Policy Foundation. Previously, he served as the Director of Education Policy for the Georgia
GOAL Scholarship Program, the first Chair of the state of Georgia’s Charter Schools Commission, a member of
Georgia’s Charter Advisory Committee, the Education Policy Advisor to Governor Sonny Perdue, on the staff of
both of Governor Roy Barnes’ Education Reform Study Commissions, and as an expert witness for the state of
Georgia in school funding litigation.
He received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Virginia and his bachelor’s degree in economics from
the University of Notre Dame. Ben and Lori Scafidi and their four children reside in Kennesaw, Georgia.
JAMES SHULS
James V. Shuls is an assistant professor and the graduate program director of educational
leadership and policy studies at the University of Missouri – St. Louis. He earned his Ph.D.
in education policy from the University of Arkansas. He also holds a bachelor’s degree
from Missouri Southern State University and a master’s degree from Missouri State University, both in elemen-
tary education. Prior to joining UMSL, he served as the Director of Education Policy for the Show-Me Institute,
where he is currently a distinguished fellow of education policy. Shuls also serves as a fellow for EdChoice.
Previously, he taught first grade and fifth grade in the Republic, MO R-III School District.
Dr. Shuls’ research focuses primarily on teacher labor markets, school finance, and school choice. He has served
as an expert witness in the school finance case Martinez/Yazzie v. New Mexico. His research has been pub-
lished in various scholarly journals, such as Social Science Quarterly, The Rural Educator, Educational Policy, the
Journal of Education Finance, and the Journal of School Choice: International Research and Reform, where he
serves on the editorial board. Additionally, he has been featured in numerous popular print publications and
has made many appearances on talk radio programs and television news.
ERICA SMITH
Erica Smith is an attorney with the Institute for Justice (IJ). She joined IJ in 2011 and
litigates cutting-edge constitutional cases protecting educational choice, free speech,
property rights, and economic liberty in federal and state courts.
Erica’s educational choice work gives parents the opportunity to guide the education of their children. She
was part of the winning teams that protected both Georgia and New Hampshire’s Tax Credit Scholarship Pro-
grams at the state supreme courts in Gaddy v. Georgia Department of Revenue and Duncan v. State of New
Hampshire. She is currently fighting to similarly protect Montana’s school choice program at the Montana
Supreme Court. Erica also testifies as to the constitutionality of other educational choice programs across
the country.
PATRICK WOLF
Dr. Patrick J. Wolf is Distinguished Professor of Education Policy and 21st Century En-
dowed Chair in School Choice in the Department of Education Reform at the University
of Arkansas College of Education and Health Professions. He previously taught at Colum-
bia and Georgetown University. Wolf has worked as a pizza deliverer, a state government administrator, an
advocate for people with hearing impairments, and a janitor’s assistant, though not necessarily in that order.
As principal investigator of the School Choice Demonstration Project he has led or is leading major studies of
school choice initiatives including longitudinal evaluations of school voucher programs in Washington, DC;
Milwaukee, WI; and the state of Louisiana. Research projects led or co-led by Dr. Wolf have been awarded 34
research grants and contracts totaling nearly $22 million. He has authored, co-authored, or co-edited four
books and over 120 journal articles, book chapters, and policy reports on school choice, civic values, spe-
cial education, public management, and campaign finance. Most of his school choice research is available at
www.uaedreform.org/school-choice-demonstration-project/.
Dr. Wolf has testified before committees of the U.S. Congress five times and before committees of state legis-
latures 18 times. He has been interviewed on National Public Radio or state-affiliated public radio eight times.
His school choice research has been discussed on ABC World News Tonight, the CNN Morning Show, MSNBC,
Fox News Special Report, The News Hour, CSPAN, ABC’s Larry Elders Radio Show, The New Republic, US News
and World Report, The Economist, The Atlantic, Washington Monthly, The Daily Caller, The Chronicle of Higher
Education, Lingua Franca, The New York Times Review of Books, The Washington Post, The Washington Times,
The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Education Week, The Interna-
tional Herald Tribune, The Sunday Times of London, The New York Sun, The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, The
Houston Chronicle, The New Orleans Times-Picayune, The St. Paul Pioneer Press, The St. Cloud Daily Times, The
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, and many other media venues. Education Week consistently ranks him among
the most influential education policy academics.
His 1997 article on reinventing government won the national Best Article Award of the Academy of Man-
agement, Division on Public and Nonprofit Management. He received the Significant Research Award of the
University of Arkansas College of Education and Health Professions in 2011 and was one of the 10 Most Out-
standing Faculty Members at the University of Arkansas in 2016. His papers have won prizes at the 2015 Global
Home Education Conference in 2015 and the International School Choice & Reform Conference in 2017. A 1987
graduate of the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, MN), he received his Ph.D. in government (political science)
from Harvard University in 1995.
STAFF BIOS
JUSTIN DAVIS
Justin Davis serves as the Academic Talent Development Program Manager at IHS, where he
hopes to facilitate the advancement of classical liberal ideas by connecting the worlds of ac-
ademia and policy. He completed his M.A. in Economics at George Mason University in 2016 and previously
attained his B.S. in Business Administration from The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. His research interests
include monetary institutions, entrepreneurship, and institutional development. Justin also served in the United
States Army’s Corps of Engineers for three years as the squad leader of a bridge erection team. His army tenure
stationed him in Fort Knox, Kentucky and included a deployment to Afghanistan with the 502nd Engineer Com-
pany, where he was a part of the first multi-role bridge company in the country. Justin currently lives in Capitol
Hill with his wife Sarah, an interior and graphic designer, and their dog Max.
ASHLEY DONOHUE [email protected]
Ashley Donohue is the Academic Talent Development Director at IHS. In this role, she over-
sees programs that provide networking, curriculum, and academic and policy research sup-
port for faculty interested in the study and advancement of freedom. She holds an M.A. in History as well as
B.A. degrees in History and Government. Ashley has interned with the Cato Institute and the U.S. Department
of State and has previously taught U.S. History at the university level. She has two Chihuahuas named Jack and
Espresso, and enjoys practicing yoga, traveling, and drinking too much coffee.
MARISA SALAZAR [email protected]
Marisa is a Program Operations Specialist with the Events Strategy and Management team at
IHS. In this role, she supports various faculty programs by handling logistics for each event.
Prior to joining IHS, Marisa worked as the Communications Director for Goal Advocacy, a small free market
non-profit in New Mexico, and interned at the Cato Institute in their Health and Welfare Policy department.
Marisa graduated from New Mexico State University in 2016 with a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and minors
in Economics and Business Administration. While in school, she was active with Young Americans for Liberty as a
state chair and Students for Liberty as the West Coast Events Director for their North American Executive Board.
In her free time, Marisa enjoys hiking with her dog, Xena, being adventurous with cooking, and visiting local
breweries and wineries.
HOTEL FLOOR PLAN
Francis Marion Hotel 387 King St, Charleston, SC 29403
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Please visit TheIHS.org or email [email protected] for more information on future IHS Policy Research Seminars.
If you are interested in becoming a partner organization, or would like to
make a general inquiry about the Institute for Humane Studies’ Policy Research
Seminars, please contact Justin Davis at [email protected].
Upcoming Faculty Programs
Pressing Issues in Public Land ManagementPolicy Research Seminar
Wednesday, April 4th to Thursday, April 5th, 2018; 3:00pm-2:30pmLas Vegas, NV
Lauren Hall’s The Politics of Birth, Death, and Medicalization
Manuscript Workshop
Friday, April 20th to Sunday, April 22th, 2018; 6:00pm-2:00pmArlington, VA
