Martin School to Host Sobering School Policy Talk

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 8, 2010) - Will U.S. schools bring America down?

The answer depends on school policy reform, according to Stanford's Eric Hanushek, a foremost national and international expert in the economics of education.

Hanushek will explore the question of economics and education in the U.S. at a seminar from 3 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9, in Room 1-62 of the William T. Young Library at the University of Kentucky.

Hanushek's research explores the influence of teacher quality, accountability and class-size reduction on school achievement. He is the leading scholar in identifying the types of inputs that result in superior schooling, according to Eugenia Toma, a professor in UK's Martin School for Public Policy and Administration. 

The Stanford professor's discussion is likely to include some suggestions for public policy changes that he predicts will improve school quality. 

"Kentucky, like most states, faces a severe budget constraint currently and in the future," explains Toma. "It is critically important that we spend our scarce public dollars in the most productive way possible." 

Hanushek is the Paul and Jean Hanna Senior Fellow in Education at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, an internationally recognized expert in the economics of education and the recipient of the Martin School Doctoral Student Association's biennial 2010 Distinguished Scholar Award. Hanushek's seminar is being sponsored by the association.

"He continues to produce new results, and I am anxious to hear his latest findings, said Toma.  "I am certain he will have something to say that surprises me and makes me think."

For more information on Hanushek's seminar, contact Toma at the Martin School of Public Policy at 859-257-5741 or Eugenia.Toma@uky.edu.

For additional information on Hanushek, please visit the following link: http://www.hoover.org/bios/hanushek.html.