Are policy shops such as the members of State Policy Network merely places for people to talk to each other? Thankfully, no; ideas do have a way of making their way into law.

The Arkansas Policy Foundation reports that in April, two policy recommendations of the Murphy Commission were enacted into law.

"The Murphy Commission," writes the Foundation's president, Greg Kaza, "was a citizens group of more than 100 volunteers that spent three years (1996-98) examining Arkansas government before issuing a series of reports that featured policy recommendations."

Several of those recommendations have already made it into law, including a reduction in the state's capital gains tax rate, and administrative restructuring of the state's K-12 school districts.

This year's session saw an expansion of charter school as well as program for teacher merit pay. PA 1029 of 2007 establishes a pilot program to bring performance pay in 12 public school districts or public charter schools.

As these examples show, it may take a while before sound policies are implemented, and victories can start out as small steps. But for the children who are able to benefit from these changes, the payoff is real and immense.